Fourth Sunday in Advent & the Great “O” Antiphons

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The final week of Advent approaches and with it the opportunity to write about another great tradition in the Western Church: the Great “O” Antiphons. These daily prayers and songs date to about the 12th C. and are traditionally credited to Christian followers of St. Francis of Assisi. During the same time period, we offer a special program for Christmas Eve and another for the period from Christmas Day through Epiphany Eve. More, including links to these unique programs, after some comments about Fourth Sunday in Advent. I invite you to share these links with friends and family. Because of the calendar overlap of Advent and Christmas seasons, all the presented in this post for the final Sunday in Advent. Related material for Christmas Day will be posting

My Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday in Advent on the theme of “The First Gift of Christmas,” was posted on 12/20/24. In Episode Two of the AIC Seasonal Video series, Advent: a Season of Penitence & Preparation, I discuss Archbishop Cranmer’s 1549 Collect, its origin in the Sarum version of the Gelasian Sacramentary, and the additional wording concerning running the race (itself inspired by Hebrew 12:1b) which was added for the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. I also discussed the Epistle reading, Philippians 4:4-7 (“the Lord is at hand”) and the Gospel lesson, John 1:19-28, concerning inquires and questions posed to John the Baptist.

The post included an image from the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of John Annotated & Illustrated, of John the Baptist baptizing a man in wooden tub (Ms. Additional 42497, British Library). The volume, with 95 illustrations from the 6th through the 19th C, is available only through my Amazon Author Central page. Additional information is available on the AIC Bookstore page. Royalties from all the AIC Bookstore Publications are contributed to the AIC. A related Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday in Advent, based on the assigned Morning Prayer readings for that day in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, is also available for those who prefer listening to hearing this kind of material.

O-Antiphons-Title1-small.jpg

This series includes music, historic Christian art and Scripture readings based on a 12th C. service in northern Italy in celebration of the seven days before Christmas. Each day is focused on a theme word in Latin. The daily titles, in date order, are titles/descriptors of our Saviour Jesus Christ: Wisdom, Lord, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of Nations, God with us. They have been incorporated into Christian worship for Advent in many denominations. This video series, which celebrated the start of the AIC’s second decade on the web, seeks to make them more broadly available and accessible on demand, 24/7, virtually anywhere in the world. The audio-only versions, in portable MP3 format, are available through the episode links on the Podcast Archive page.

December 18th – O Sapientia
December 19th – O Adonai
December 20th – O Radix Jesse
December 21st – O Clavis David
December 22nd – O Oriens
December 23rd – O Rex Gentium
December 24th – O Emmanuel

Another AIC seasonal resource is our feature video for Christmas Eve, based upon the traditional English model. It was created as a resource for those unable to access coverage of live events, most typically at King’s College, Cambridge, England, on Christmas Eve. While it is labelled “December 24th, it can be accessed at any time, year round.

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December 24th

There will be another Blog post on December 23rd which will contain information and links to videos and podcasts for Christmas Day and for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, which begin on December 25th and end on Epiphany Eve, January 5th.

As always, thank you for your continued interest in and support for the Anglican Internet Church’s online ministry and digital resources. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

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For the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer adapted a Collect from the Gregorian Sacramentary. The Gregorian Sacramentary dates from about the 10th C. and is named in honor of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604 A.D.), one of the most influential Popes of the early Church in the Roman Catholic tradition. It is also known as the Sacramentary of Adrian I. To the many earlier petitions in the Collects for Epiphany season, Archbishop Cranmer’s Collect adds the Church Universal to the list of those for whom prayers are sought (which is the meaning of “beseech” in the opening line). The Collect also refers to certain divine attributes of God the Father incorporated into Christian doctrine, including “grace” and “power” (in other places called “might”).

O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion;
that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Colossians 3:12-17, is another from the epistles of St. Paul in which the Christian virtues are listed, in this reading adding compassion, kindness, humility, “long suffering,” forebearance, forgiveness and love (charity in the KJV text) and thankfulness for the Lord’s blessings upon mankind. In this reading, St. Paul uniquely refers to the spiritual and other benefits of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” Another prominent leader in the early Church, Athanasius of Alexandria, echoed the sentiment slightly differently in the 4th C.: “The act of singing affects harmony in the soul.” The Christian virtues, which were summarized in more or less final form by the 7th and 8th C. in both the Eastern and Western Church traditions, are discussed in the “Virtue(s)” entry in our Bookstore publication, Layman’s Lexicon: a Handbook of Scriptural, Theological and Liturgical Terms, available through my Amazon Author Central Page.

Parable of the Evil Enemy, oil on spruce panel altarpiece, Mompelgarder Altar, circa 1540, made for a Lutheran church in Mombeliard, France by Heinrich Fullmauer, based on Luther’s translation into German of the New Testament. Gemaldagalerie 870, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Public Domain.

The Gospel reading, Matthew 13:24-30, includes the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, which is also known as the Parable of the Evil Enemy in the German/Lutheran tradition. The illustration was used as Illustrati0n No. 72 in our Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, also available through my Amazon Author Central page. For full information about this volume and previously mentioned Bookstore Publications, visit the AIC Bookstore page. For more on Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, watch Episode Three in our video series, Epiphany: the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The Podcast Homily for Fifth Sunday after Epiphany is linked from the Podcast Archive page. My Podcast Homily based on the Psalm reading for Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Psalms 112 and 113 is linked from the Podcast Homilies-Morning Prayer page.

Since Fifth Sunday after Epiphany is the final Sunday in the season in 2025 A.D., there will be no post for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. The next Blog post will be focused on Septuagesima Sunday, the first of the three “Gesima” Sundays.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Second Sunday after Epiphany

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For the Collect for Second Sunday after Epiphany Archbishop Thomas Cranmer adapted a Collect from the Gregorian tradition on the theme that all that is essential either in heaven or earth comes by the Grace of God the Father. One of those blessings is “peace,” that is, God’s peace. This form of peace is not and cannot be the result of any earthly tribunal or government agency. The Collect provides a basis for the Anglican belief that worship is corporate and not simply the individual prayers of those present.

O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth;
Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people and grant us thy peace all the days of our life. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Romans 12:6-12, is the second of four readings in Epiphany from St. Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Here St. Paul offers one of the earliest lists of what came to be called the Christian Virtures, in this case, Love, Humility, Patience, Compassion and Diligence. The concepts are further developed in the reading for Third Sunday after Epiphany. A list of the Christian virtues, and their opposites, the vices, was developed within the Church and was finalized around the 7th and 8th C. in the Western Church. These are discussed on pages 234-235 in Layman’s Lexicon: A Handbook of Scriptural, Theological and Liturgical Terms, an AIC Bookstore publication. The book is available through my Amazon Author Central page. Details are available on the AIC Bookstore page.

The Baptism of Christ. illumination in colored inks and gilt on parchment, Hilda Codex, circa 1030 A.D. Made for Hilda, Abbess of Meschede, Germany. Hs. 1640, Folio 075r, Universitats-und-Landesbibliothek Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany. CC0 license. The figure at lower right is the “spirit of the River Jordan.”

For the Gospel reading, the Archbishop chose Mark 1:1-11, the evangelist’s account of the work of John the Baptist, who is known in the Church not only as John the Forerunner but also as the “last prophet of the Old Testament,” his baptism of Jesus Christ interpreted as another manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles; and the presence at the event of God the Father (the voice from heaven) and the Holy Spirit (as the Dove). The illumination above was used as Illustration No. 18 in The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. The image depicts the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, fishes and plants in the river, the lower half of Christ’s body and the unique clothing of John the Baptist. The Hitda Codex is one of the few which were produced using purple coloration. The halo around Christ’s head features the Eastern Church style with two horizontal and two vertical bars for images of Christ. My Podcast Homily for this reading from the Gospel of Mark is also available.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Epiphany and First Sunday after Epiphany

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Epiphany is a difficult season to explain, especially to those not familiar with the Anglican worship tradition. The word itself is often corrupted in popular usage. It most decidedly does not mean a sudden understanding or revelation of reality! In the Church context, Epiphany refers to the many ways in which Christ is revealed, or manifested, to the secular world. The name Epiphany is not Scriptural, so you cannot find it in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It comes from the Greek, Epiphaneia, which means to manifest, or more poetically, to shine forth. Another theological word, Theophany (literally, Revelation), also comes in part from this same Greek word.

In A.D. 2025, Epiphany, which always falls on January 6th, appears in the calendar on a weekday, in this case on a Monday. The length of the season of Epiphany varies, depending upon the moveable date of Easter, the calculation formula for which was established at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.. In years when Easter is early, there may be as few as one Sunday after Epiphany. In years when Easter is late, there may be as many as six Sundays after Epiphany. The Western Church tradition, the season of Epiphany as a separate feast from Christmastide (the twelve days from Christmas Day to Jan. 5th), dates to the 4th C. and is traditionally associated with the reign of Pope Leo the Great (440 and 461 A.D.). In the Western Church the first “manifestation” of Christ to the Gentiles is to the Maji, or Wise Men, recounted in Matthew 2:1-12. In the Eastern Church tradition, the Baptism of Christ is celebrated first. In some other Protestant jurisdictions, including the Lutheran, Transfiguration falls within Epiphany season.

The Magi Follow the Star/Bring Their Gifts to the Holy Family, Evangelistar von Speyer, commonly called Codex Bruchsal1, Folio 13r, Badische Landesbibliothek, Karlsruhe, Germany. Also known as the Speyer Pericopes, the Codex Bruchsal was made circa 1220 A.D. for the Roman Catholic bishop of Bruchsal Cathedral, Karlsruhe, Germany. CC by SA-NC-4.0.

The Collect for Epiphany Day was adapted by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer from the Gregorian Sacramentary in the Roman Catholic tradition. In the Anglican prayer book tradition, when Epiphany Day does not fall on a Sunday, the Collect can be transferred to the First Sunday after Epiphany, since it falls within the Octave (8 days) of Epiphany Day. Many jurisdictions use both collects for First Sunday after Epiphany. Scholar Matthew Shepherd defines Epiphany Day as the end of Christmastide.

O GOD, by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles;
Mercifully grant that we, who know thee now by faith,
may after this life have the fruition of thy glorious Godhead;
through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Ephesians 3:1-12, is a mini-homily by St. Paul on the “mystery of Christ” (verse 4, 9) that is “now revealed” (verse 5) to mankind so that “the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise by the gospel” (verse 6). St. Paul also refers to the powers of heaven, including “principalities and powers,” (verse 10), which is traditionally understood as two of the nine “ranks” or “orders” of angels (See Ninth Day of Christmas in our Twelve Days of Christmas video series or listen to the companion podcast version).

The Gospel reading, Matthew 2:1-12, is St. Matthew’s account of the visit of “wise men from the east”(verse 1). “Wise men” is derived from a Greek word magi (also spelled maji). They have come to “worship” the newborn “King of the Jews” (verse 2), whose star they had seen in the East. In verses 3-6. St. Matthew records King Herod’s fear concerning the prophecy of the coming of a “Governor” (“Ruler” in the NKJV translation), based on Micah 5:2. In verses 8 & 9, St. Matthew records Herod’s order to find the child. In verse 11, he records that the Wise Men brought three gifts symbolic of Jesus’ royalty: gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the final verse (verse 12), he records a divinely inspired dream in which the Wise Men are warned not to return and their departure back to their own country.

The history of when and how the wise men acquired a number (three) and names (Melchior, Caspar or Gaspard, and Balthazar, and the story of the construction of the Cathedral of the Three Kings at Cologne, Germany, is discussed, with illustrations, in Episode Two in the AIC Christian Education Video series, Epiphany: the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. It is also discussed and illustrated in Chapter Two of the AIC Bookstore Publication, The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, available using the link to my Amazon Author Central page. Full information about the book is available on the Bookstore page.

The Collect for First Sunday after Epiphany is another adapted by Archbishop Cranmer from the Gelasian Sacramentary. The theme is mankind’s dependence upon God for His Grace. Owing to the frequent appearance of Epiphany Day on a weekday, First Sunday after Epiphany is likely heard/read more often that the Collect, Epistle and Gospel for Epiphany Day. As noted above, local clergy can move these readings to First Sunday after Epiphany when Epiphany Day falls on a weekday.

LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee;
and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle reading, Romans 12:1-5, is the first of four consecutive readings from Romans 12 and 13 in Epiphany season. St. Paul’s theme is the unity of the Church as one body under Christ, an understanding made especially clearly in verses 4 and 5.

The Gospel reading, Luke 2:41-51, is St. Luke’s unique account of the only glimpse in Scripture of the childhood of Jesus Christ, commonly called Teaching the Doctors in the Temple. It is the story of how the Blessed Joseph and the Blessed Mary found 12-year old Jesus, missing from their traveling party on the way back to Nazareth, conversing with the Temple scholars in Jerusalem, described by Christ as doing “my Father’s work.” The reading is featured on the Seventh Day of Christmas (Dec. 31) on the theme of “Family” in our Christian Education video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas (or you can listen to the Podcast version).

The image of the Wise Men/Magi following the star also appears as Illustration No. 26 and a spectacular double-page spread on facing pages of Adoration of the Magi, with the Wise Men from the Pericope Book of Henry II, c. 1007-1012 (Clm 4452, Folio 17v and 18R, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany), with the Wise Men on the left and the Blessed Virgin and Holy Child on the right. The latter two are Illustrations No. 27 and 28 in The Gospel of Matthew: Annotated & Illustrated, available through my Amazon Author Central page. A Summary of the book is found on the AIC Bookstore page. Christian hymns and carols celebrating events during Epiphany season include We Three Kings of Orient Are (John Henry Hopkins) and Song of Thankfulnesss and Praise (8 verses, Christopher Wordsworth; tune: Monkland). Other traditional hymns are discussed in Episodes One, Two and Three of the Epiphany video series mentioned above.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Epiphany Eve (First Sunday after Christmas)

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Welcome to this first issue of Fr. Ron’s Blog in A.D. 2025. This Sunday, January 5th, has multiple distinctions. It is a) the eve of Epiphany, b) the First Sunday after Christmas and c) the Twelfth Day of Christmas. All twelve episodes of our video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas, are linked from the Welcome page and the Digital Library page. Podcast versions are linked from the Podcast Archive page.

In this week’s Blog post I discuss the Collect, Epistle and Gospel readings for this final Sunday in Christmastide, reserving discussion of Epiphany season, which begins on Monday, Jan. 6th, for next week’s post. My podcast homily for First Sunday after Christmas is linked from the Podcast Homilies page.

The Collect for First Sunday after Christmas Day in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer is not one which Archbishop Cranmer adapted from a Roman Catholic sacramentary. An original composition by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer, it is the same Collect printed as the first of two Collects for Christmas Day. Scholars theorize that this unusual duplicate usage was intended to increase the likelihood that it would be read at least once during the busy Christmas season. The Collect expresses many concepts which are central to Anglican theology. My choice of illustrations from Christian art is one of my personal favorites. I use it on my new Mac Book Pro in the “Start” page.

The Nativity of Our Lord, mosaic, south wall, Nave, Capella Palatina, Palermo, Sicily. The cathedral was begun under the patronage of Roger II, the first Norman King of Sicily, in 1132 A.D. and was dedicated on Palm Sunday, 1140 A.D. The mosaics were added between 1140 and 1170 A.D. The legends jn the mosaic are written in Koine Greek, commonly known as New Testament Greek. The York Project: 10,000 Masterworks. Public Domain. Image lightened in Photoshop.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him,
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate,
and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit;
through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever,
one God, world without end. Amen.

This image of the Nativity mosaic was used as Illustration No. 8 focused on “Angels in the Nativity Accounts,” in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Christmastide: The Nativity of Our Lord, available using the links to my Amazon Author Central page. It also appears in the AIC Video series, The Twelve Days of Christmas, in the episode for First Day of Christmas – Dec. 25th (linked from the Welcome and Digital Library pages).

The Epistle reading, Galatians 4:1-7, is an essay by St. Paul’s on the theological concept of sonship and adoption by grace to which Archbishop Cranmer referred in the Collect for the occasion. After alluding to the context of these events being part of God the Father’s plan (“In the fulness of time”), St. Paul wrote in verses 4b and 5: “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive adoption as sons.”

The Gospel lesson, Matthew 1:18-25, is St. Matthew’s account of the Nativity of Christ, one of the sources for the mosaic shown above. The account follows St. Matthew’s genealogy flowing through the mostly male line of Jewish kings and includes his account of the angelic dream in which St. Joseph was reassured concerning the Blessed Virgin Mary and emphasizes St. Matthew’s theme of the life of Christ as fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. I discuss and illustrate all three dream sequences of Matthew in Part Three, Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord, available using the link to my Amazon Author Central page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things.

Fourth Sunday in Advent & Bonus Content

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For this final Sunday in Advent season I am passing up on the usual commentary on the Collect, Epistle & Gospel readings. Viewers can access my traditional commentary on the Collect and the readings in Episode Two of the AIC Seasonal Video series, Advent: A Season of Penitence and Preparation, and in my Podcast Homily for Fourth Sunday in Advent.   There are links to the Video and Podcast on the Welcome page and the Digital Library page. The 12th C. frieze below (related to the Gospel reading, John 1:19-28) was used as Illustration No. 17 in The Gospel of John: Annotated & Illustrated, which is available using the link to my Amazon Author Central page.

John the Baptist Baptizing a Man in a Tub, detail, Scene 1 of 5, Recto, parchment frieze of Scenes in the Life of John the Baptist, 4th Qtr., 12th C., Alsace, Ms. Additional 42497, British Library, London, England. The frieze was acquired by the British Library from a private collection in Paris, France, 1931.

Instead of the usual kind of posts, this week I offer those seeking relief from the anti-Christian world of the 21st Century. Some years ago, when the Family Channel was just launched on cable systems, Hallmark produced many excellent videos and DVDs began to replace CDs, VHS and other media, my wife and I began collecting what we felt were the best of the Christmas-themed videos. Then and now, beginning on Thanksgiving Day and ending on Epiphany Eve, Jan. 5th, we watch these at home using my Epson LCD projector tied to my Mac. We started with some classic Christmas videos: Miracle on Thirty-four Street, with a young Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn (as Santa), William Frawley and, in her first film, Natalie Wood (black & white version, 1947); Christmas in Connecticut, with Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sidney Greenstreet, S. K. Sakhal (B&W, 1945); It Happened on Fifth Avenue, with Gale Storm, Dan DeFore, Ann Harding & Reginald Gardiner (B&W, 1947); A Christmas Wish, with Jimmy Durante (1950, colorized in 2003 edition) and Frank Capra’s amazing It’s a Wonderful Life, with Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Beulah Bond (B&W, 1946).

We moved on over the years to what I call “modern classics,” including some Hallmark shows, including Angels Sing, with Harry Connick, Jr, Lyle Lovett, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson (Color, 2013); A Boyfriend for Christmas, with Charles Durning’s best performance as Santa (Color, 2005); A Season for Miracles, with Laura Dern, Patty Duke, Lynn Redgrave (Color, 1999); The Spirit of Christmas (Color, 2015); Christmas in Paradise (Color, 2007); The Christmas Card, with Ed Asner (Color, 2006); Unlikely Angel, starring Dolly Parton (Color, 1996); Prancer, with Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman & Abe Vigoda (Color, 1989) and its sequel, Prancer Returns, with John Corbett, Stacy Edwards, Michael O’Keefe and Jack Palance (Color. 2001); The Christmas Box, with Richard Thomas, Maureen O’Hara and Annette O’Toole, & its prequel, Timepiece, with Kevin Kilner, James Earl Jones, Ellen Burstyn & Naomi Watts (Color, 1998 & 2003); I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, with child stars Dylan & Cole Sprouse (Color, 2001); Christmas Child, with William R. Moses, Steven C. Chapman & Megan Follows (Color, 2004); The Christmas Wish, with Debbie Reynolds and Neil Patrick Harris (Color, 1998); The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, with Henry Winkler, Brooke Burns and Warren Christie (Color, 2008); A Christmas Visitor, with William Devane, Meredith Baxter, Dean McDermott and Reagan Pasternak (Color, 2005); the original All I Want for Christmas, with Harley Jane Kozak, Ethan Randall, Leslie Nielsen (as Santa Claus) and Lauren Bacall (Color, 1991) and its more recent remake by the same name with Gail O’Grady, Jimmy Jack Pinchak, Robert Mailhouse (Color, 2007).

Others movies for the season include Clive Donner’s classic modern version of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, filmed in Shrewsbury, England, starring George C. Scott as Ebenezer Scrooge (Color, 1984) and Christmas Angel, with Timothy Spall, Celia Imre, Brenda Blethyn and Joseph Phillips (Color, 2013); Silver Bells, with Anne Heche and Tate Donovan (Color, 1998); and The Christmas Shoes, with Rob Lowe, Max Morrow, Kimberly Williams, Dorian Harewood, Maria Del Mar; Borrowed Hearts (Color, 2012). And just this week I found sources for three other modern videos now out of product and which have been very hard to find: Christmas Every Day, with former Virginia Governor George Allen playing a walk-on part and young actor Eric Von Detten; Crazy for Christmas, with the late Howard Hesseman (Dr. Johnny Fever of WKRP in Cincinnati) and The Christmas List.

From the AIC online ministry, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. I pray for your safe travel to the church of your choice during this Christmas season.

Glory be to God for All Things! Amen!

Second Sunday in Advent

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For Second Sunday in Advent Archbishop Thomas Cranmer created a new Collect in which he stressed themes of the new English Church, which had endorsed the effort to create a complete English language Bible. The “Great Bible of 1539,” commonly called the Coverdale Bible, printed in Europe under the authority of the Church of England, made the Old and New Testaments available in the common language of the English people. Whether the pr0ject ever achieved the stated and lofty objective of putting a copy in every Church in England is debatable. Cranmer’s new Collect begins with the only reference in the Book of Common Prayer to God the Father by the title Blessed Lord. In it the Archbishop imposes upon every Christian a duty, against all the forces allied against them, to read and study and contemplate internally the meaning of the words of the Bible and the true message of the new season of Advent. His phrase, “patience and comfort” is an adaptation of Romans 15:4, which is part of the Epistle reading for the day.

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning;
Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them,
that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast,
the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

God the Father and God the Son, miniature illumination in tempera and gold on parchment, Oxford Psalter, 1st Qtr., 13th C. before 1200 A.D., Ms. Royal 1 D X, f. 98, British Library, London, England. This represents an interesting way of avoiding the early Church prohibition against images of God the Father by showing them together as duplicate images of Jesus Christ (“He who has seen me has seen the Father”). John 14:9 NKJV.


The Archbishop’s selection for the Epistle, Romans 15:4-13, especially verses 5, 6 and 7 (“Now the God of patience and consolation” through “even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” was part of St. Paul’s plea to both Jewish and Gentile Christians for unity in the common faith. Bible scholars have noted that in verses 9-12 St. Paul quotes from the four “pillars” of Judaism: the Law (the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament), the Histories, the Psalms and the Prophets. This system of organizing the Old Testament into four parts is discussed and illustrated in Part One, The Writing Prophets of the Old Testament, available at my Amazon Author Central page.

Christ in Majesty, illumination in colors and gold on parchment, Codex Amiatinus, folio 796v, made at the Benedictine monastery, Wearmouth-Barrow, Northumbria, England, circa 700 A.D. for an edition of the Vulgate Bible. The Codex has been held at the Laurentian Library, Florence, Italy, since 1786. The four evangelists are depicted in the corners of the image. The central image shows Christ seated between two archangels, likely Gabriel and Michael. Christ in Majesty is rendered in Latin as Maiestas Domini 

The Gospel reading, Luke 21:25-33, includes reference to details of the promised Second Coming and the Parable of the Fig Tree. The concept of Christ coming in clouds of power and glory is the basis for the images known in the Western Church as “Christ in Majesty.” In the Byzantine/Eastern Church tradition, a related concept, expressed in art depicting Christ enthroned, is known as “Christ Pantokrator,” literally, Ruler of the Universe. Both versions often depict visual understandings of “signs” (verses 25-26) and “in a cloud” (verses 27-28). I discuss the reading in the context on my Second Sunday in Advent homily theme of “Fire of Judgment” in my Podcast Homily for Second Sunday in Advent. In the AIC Christian Education Video on Advent season, the readings are discussed in the episode for First and Second Sundays in Advent. The “fire of judgment” is a common theme in both the Old and New Testaments. The word “fire” is referred to 53 times in the New King James text. Two excellent examples are Psalm 97:3 in which “fire” goes before the Lord and Ps. 104:4 in which His ministers are called a “holy fire.”

In addition to these seasonal Blog posts I have been working on improvements to several parts of this site. My objective is to improve site navigation by providing internal links. The changes start at the bottom of the Home/Welcome page in the LEARN YOUR WAY section. In addition to these adjustments I call your attention to additional upcoming seasonal videos. For the final seven days of Advent (Dec. 18th to Dec. 24th) we will provide Home page links to The Great “O” Antiphons series and Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve. Just before Christmas Day I will provide active links to our Christmas season series (3 episodes) and the Twelve Days of Christmas series for Dec. 25th through Jan. 5th.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. We do appreciate those of you who have become followers/subscribers to Fr. Ron’s Blog. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

First Sunday in Advent

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In the Anglican worship tradition, First Sunday in Advent marks the start of a new Church Year, unrelated to the traditional Western calendar and the Roman Catholic tradition in which years begin on January 1. For the occasion Archbishop Thomas Cranmer composed a new Collect into which he incorporated the details based on the theology of the Pauline epistles (Romans 13:12; Ephesians 6:10-20) and the Evangelists John and Luke (John 1:1-5; Luke 2:1-20). In this new Collect, the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury emphasized the dual themes of Advent season: Preparation – not just for one event, the birth of Christ our Saviour – but also for His promised coming again. In the AIC Bookstore Publication, Christian Spirituality: an Anglican Perspective, I offered several examples of St. Paul’s unique understanding of “spiritual warfare” using martial terms, such as “armor of light.” The Archbishop also chose to emphasize the humble manner in which the Son of God entered the human world. The book, like all the AIC Bookstore Publications, is available through my Amazon Author Central page. Note that in the English tradition, “quick,” a word no longer in common usage, refers to those currently alive and thus applies no matter the timing of the Second Coming.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness
and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life,
in which thy son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility;
that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal,
through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,
now and ever. Amen.

Instead of focusing on the appointed readings (Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 21:1-13) or engaging in the timeless and pointless debate over the decision of the Prayer Books authors to use the Gospel account of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on First Sunday in Advent instead of Palm Sunday, the focus here is on possible homily themes for First Sunday in Advent plus details and music common in Anglican celebrations of the season of Advent.

My Podcast Homily for First Sunday in Advent is The Coming of the Light, the first of four themed Homilies for Advent Season. In other AIC rescources, the AIC Christian Education Video series on Advent, the First and Second Sunday in Advent are discussed and illustrated in Episode One.

Chi Rho and Wreath, bas relief on a lidless sarcophagus, circa 360 A.D. (excavated circa 1817-1821), Museo Pio Christiano (Vatican Museum), Rome, Italy. Public domain.

Advent is not Christmas, nor an abbreviated version of Christmas. In traditional Anglican parishes, the season is celebrated first by what is commonly known and the “greening” of the altar. This refers not only to the addition of seasonal greenery but also the avoidance of commercial products. In the most traditional parishes, the “greening” is accomplished either directly by parishioners. To avoid violating the tradition of not using Christmas decorations before Christmas Eve, many parishes use chrismons, which are symbols of Christian themes. In the illustration above one can see the Chi Rho symbol, in this case placed inside a wreath. Traditionally, Christmas-based hymns and carols are not used until Christmas Eve, when the Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve office is read and sung This service will be discussed in association with the blog post for Fourth Sunday in Advent. The liturgical color for Advent season is the same penitential purple also used during Lent.

In the post for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity, I explained that Advent is fixed feast which always begins on the Sunday closest to the Feast Day of St. Andrew, Nov. 30. This means that the earlier possible date for First Sunday in Advent is Nov. 27th and the latest possible date is Dec. 3rd. During Advent season it is traditional for Anglican parishes to display an Advent Wreath, which features five candles, four around the outer ring and a larger central candle. Three of the four in the ring are purple, with the fourth, reserved for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, is white. The late Archdeacon of the United Episcopal Church of North America, the Rev. George McClellan, composed an Advent Wreath Ceremony with themed readings and prayers for each of the four Sunday in Advent. In Fr. George’s memory, I used his text in the AIC Bookstore Publication, Occasional Services for Anglican Worship. In another AIC Bookstore Publication, The St. Chrysostom Hymnal, I included several traditional hymns suitable of use during Advent. Hymn 3 is Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates (George Weisel, 1642 A.D.), Hymn 4 is The Advent of Our King (Charles Coffin, 1786 A.D.) and Hymn 8 is O Word That Goest Forth on High (Latin hymn, 7th C.). Both books are also available through my Amazon Author Central page.

As always, thank you for your interest and support. Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Digital Library Back Online

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Technical Troubles Fixed by Vimeo

On Monday, when I tried to link the videos for our Great “O” Antiphons series for the final seven days of Advent, I discovered that almost all our videos were not accessible through the Digital Library page. The technical folks at Vimeo figured out the problem and, as of this morning, all our videos are now available for viewing or download.

As regular site visitor know, the Digital Library is. the heart of our WATCH | LISTEN | READ initiative. We offer nearly 200 video presentations. with the voice track of the each available for listening or download on the Podcast Archive page. In the case of the Great “O” Antiphons, the same material is offered in print form in Part Four of our bookstore publication, Christmas: The Nativity of Our Lord in Scripture, Art & Christian Tradition and as part of the Christmas Eve Suite on pages 23 to 27 in Occasional Services for Anglican Worship.

Later today, I will post links to all the episodes in The Great “O” Antiphons series on the Welcome page.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. And urge viewers to take advantage of The Great “O” Antiphons offices through either the video, audio or print media. Thanks again for your support.

Glory be to God for all things! Amen!

Advent – Christmas – Epiphany A.D. 2014-2015

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The combined Advent-Christmas-Epiphany season will be celebrated by the Anglican Internet Church this season with one new series and an expanded version of another.

O-Antiphons-Title1The new series is The Great “O” Antiphons, which will appear in both You Tube and podcast versions, one each day, between December 18th and December 24th.   Based upon a modified version of the Christmas Eve celebration in our publication, Occasional Services for Anglican Worship, it celebrates the seven verses of the hymn, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.  The “O” Antiphons service is thought to date from the 12th Century.  The original purpose of the “O” Antiphons service was to provide a transition from the lasts days of the penitential season of Advent into the festive celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord on Christmas Day.  You can learn more about this and other services in the book and order your own copy of Occasional Services for Anglican Worship in either paperback or Kindle editions at Fr. Shibley’s author page at Amazon.com.

Each episode will feature music, art and graphics, plus Old Testament readings and a short mini-homily for each of the seven theme words:  O Sapentia (Wisdom); O Adonai (Lord); O Radix Jessee (Root of Jessee); O Clavis David (Key of David); O Oriens (Dayspring); O Rex Gentium (King of Nations); and, on Christmas Eve, O Emmanuel (God With Us).   The purposes of the series are to revive this ancient celebration that was once nearly universally used in the week before Christmas and to promote the concept of Christian Spirituality as an active defense against the assaults of our aggressively anti-religious, anti-Christian secular world.  The most recent AIC Bookstore publication, Christian Spirituality: an Anglican Perspective, an exploration of the same theme, is also available at Fr. Ron’s author page.

TwelveDays-Title1This year the AIC will offer the third podcast version and second You Tube video version of The Twelve Days of Christmas, posted daily on each of the days from Christmas Day through Epiphany Eve.    The series has nothing to do with the song of the same name, which is focused on material things, but focuses instead on events or spiritual and theological virtues, one for each day on the Anglican Church calendar.

In this expanded and updated version for A.D. 2014-2015, Fr. Ron Shibley will discuss the key word(s) or virtues for each day:  Love (Christmas Day); Forgiveness (December 26th); Peace (December 27th); Compassion (December 28th); Obedience (December 29th); Joy (December 30th); Family (December 31st); Church (January 1st); Angels (January 2nd); Commandments (January 3rd); Glorifying God (January 4th); and, finally, Grace and Peace (January 5th).