Break Open the Word

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ I - 24 December 2013 Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Saint Luke 2:1-20 Background: Christmas Eve “ God called the light  ‘day,’ and the darkness he called  ‘night.’ Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.”   This passage from the first creation account gives us a clue as to how the liturgical day was structured to follow the days of creation.  The day begins at 6:00 in the evening and proceeds to the following 6:00 in the evening.  Thus Christmas Eve is not anticipatory but rather participates in the full celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord.  Some churches have made their celebrations later in the evening either at midnight, or an hour earlier so that the night of our Lord’s birth is honored as a festival of light.  There are many traditions that surround this holy evening, such as the German tradition of singing the  Quem pastores  in different stations within the ...

The Fourth Sunday in Advent, 21 December 2014 II Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Canticle 15 or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 Romans 16:25-27 St. Luke 1:26-38 Background: Readings in Advent Perhaps this is my own little rant, but I miss the readings that used to be used during the Sundays of Advent – or to put it better I miss the consistency of the season as being distinct from Christmas proper.   I was comparing the readings from the old Service Book and Hymnal (Lutheran) and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer , and they appear to be the same.   Advent I – was the classic Palm Sunday gospel from Matthew ( 21:1-9 ) with an optional reading from Luke on John the Baptist ( Luke 3:1-6 ) (not a reading in the 1928 Lectionary). Advent II – Lucan apocalyptic ( 21:25-33 ), Advent III – The question of John the Baptist ( Matthew 11:2-10 ), and Advent IV – Questions about the role of John the Baptist ( John 1:19-28 ). The “Palm Sunday” reading pictures for u...