St. Aidan's Anglican Church, Kansas City - weekly talks

Today is both the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. We, thus, contemplate the woman, the dragon and the male child of chapter 12 of John's Apocalypse.

The Collect for Christmas:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Third Sunday of Advent calls us to rejoice in our longing for completion. The Prayers of the People have been included following the sermon. The Nicene Creed, said in the service, was edited out so as to include the prayers.

Apologies for the audio quality of the sermon itself. Wouldn't be church without sound issues every now and then!

Third Sunday of Advent Collect:

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Who is my neighbor? Liz Flowers explores this universal question in the parable of the Good Samaritan and pairs the protagonist with the generous life of St. Nicholas. Sadie Elliott introduces the CarePortal, Global Orphan Project, sharing how the technology works for local churches throughout the USA. For more info on the CarePortal: https://goproject.org/the-care-portal-comes-to-kansas-city/

Second Sunday of Advent Collect:

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The First Sunday of Advent Collect:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The very first words of the Liturgical Year, the first Sunday of Advent, set the tone for the whole season, if not the whole year! The Prophet Isaiah sends up a guttural cry of intercession ... Tear open the heavens and come down. This captures the spirit of prayer between the first and final Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the final word as the New Testament closes in Revelation 22 ... Come, Lord Jesus!

ISAIAH 64:1-9

1 Oh, that You would rend (tear open) the heavens and come down,

That the mountains might quake at Your presence—

2 As fire kindles the brushwood, as fire causes water to boil—

To make Your name known to Your adversaries,

That the nations may tremble at Your presence!

3 When You did awesome things which we did not expect,

You came down, the mountains quaked at Your presence.

4 For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You,

Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

5 You meet him who rejoices in doing righteousness,

Who remembers You in Your ways.

Behold, You were angry, for we sinned,

We continued in them a long time;

And shall we be saved?

6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,

And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;

And all of us wither like a leaf,

And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

7 There is no one who calls on Your name,

Who arouses himself to take hold of You;

For You have hidden Your face from us

And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.

Prayer for mercy and forgiveness … intercession

8 But now, O LORD, You are our Father,

We are the clay, and You our potter;

And all of us are the work of Your hand.

9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD,

Nor remember iniquity forever;

Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.

The Feast of Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, 2017. Today's Gospel reading is taken from Matthew 25:31-46.

The Collect of the Day: Proper 29

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Why do we celebrate annual feasts and fasts on a liturgical calendar? We consider the theology behind our calendar as a means of worship and mission, of spiritual formation and of redeeming and sanctifying time. In Jesus Christ, time is no longer headed towards death. Christ has risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, bestowing life eternal. The Redeemed of the Lord, therefore, redeem and sanctify time, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5).

Matthew 25:1-13

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

In Everything, Prayer explores the various ways of our life in Prayer at St. Aidan's.

Trevor Tychon of Connect Africa shares a reflection on the Parable of the Sower. To Contact Trevor: [email protected]; Website: connectafricaministries.org; connectafrida.us

In part II we explore the the sacrifice and real presence of the sacred meal, the Holy Eucharist.