The Church of the Advent

Keep, O Lord, we beseech thee, thy household the Church in thy steadfast faith and love, that by the help of thy grace we may proclaim thy truth with boldness, and minister thy justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of thy Divine Majesty to worship the Unity: We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring

Almighty God, who on this day didst open the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of thy Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who

O God, the King of glory, who hast exalted thine only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph unto thy kingdom in heaven: We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless, but send to us thine Holy Ghost to comfort us, and exalt us unto the same place whither our Savior Christ is gone before; who liveth

Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: O God, who hast prepared for those who love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards thee, that we, loving thee in all things and above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through

O Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth

This summer we have been treated to a veritable onslaught of parables from Matthew, and we are still in chapter 13, now for the third Sunday in a row, and the onslaught continues. I think we can read this series of short parables as continuing to shed light on the reality of the kingdom of

The parable of the sower from today’s Gospel reading affords us a chance to learn about what the kingdom of God is like, and even more about how it will be received. Part of what a parable teaches, quite apart from whatever content might belong to the story, is that the wisdom of God is

Jesus said, ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.’ The Bible presents us with many images and impressions of Jesus.  Depending on where we pick up the New Testament and begin reading, particularly in the Gospels, we can come away

Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  And preach as you go, saying, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ There is a negative skepticism in the idiom, the devil is in the details.  There is a hopeful