This year for Advent I decided to try a new resource for my personal devotional time. I picked up a copy of O Come, O Come Emmanuel – A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany. I am so excited to share this resource with you. It has stirred my heart to reflect on the incarnation in a new and different way.
Each day begins with a quote to meditate on that helps me to see Christ, the incarnation, and Christmas in a new light. These quotes come from saints such as Ambrose, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Gregory, Martin Luther, and so on. After this comes a call to worship – a scripture passage that is meant to draw your heart into a worshipful posture. Then there is a song to sing (or read if you don’t know the tune). I’ve actually learned a couple of Christmas hymns I didn’t know before from this. There is a reading of the law, either Old Testament law or a teaching of Jesus, followed by a prayer of confession penned by a church father or theologian. After reading the prayer, I usually take some time to reflect and confess things specifically in my heart. Following this, there is an assurance of pardon to read, which is a scripture passage that reminds you that God has heard your confession and He forgives. You then read/recite a creed – it cycles through the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. You sing or say another praise (it rotates through a few shorter Doxologies) and then read a question and answer from a Catechism (specifically related to the incarnation). You’ll next read a prayer from a church father or theologian guiding you to ask the Lord to illumine your heart as you turn to the next aspect, reading the daily scripture passage. I try to read it and meditate on it for a few moments, seeking to draw something out from this passage to take with me into the rest of the day. You then sing or say another praise and turn to a time of intercession. You’ll read a prayer of intercession written by a church father or theologian, and then take some time to pray through the requests that come to your mind. I find the framework provided in the book of Personal requests, requests for your Church (and family/friends), and then requests for the World to be a helpful framework to guide my intercession. To close each day you recite the Lord’s Prayer, read a benediction passage of scripture, and say or sing the Postlude, which is based on Psalm 72.
There is certainly repetition and routine to it. I find this to be helpful in staying focused and on track. It acts as a guide to keep my heart and mind from wandering as I spend time with my Savior. I can see how this would also be a very helpful guide for a time of worship together as a family during the Advent season. It has, however, been an encouragement in my own personal time as well.
Yet even within the repetition, there is enough variety in the songs, prayers, quotes, and scriptures provided that it does not become boring, bland, or rote. They have been beautifully selected and crafted together in such a way that each day provides a fresh perspective or insight into the incarnation and the eager expectation we have of Christ’s second coming.
Choosing this advent resource this year has had an added depth for me because of the Historical Theology class I am taking this semester. I know the history behind the creeds I am reciting. When I see a quote by Athanasius about the incarnation, it is not just a true or beautiful quote, but I can picture the controversies and councils that played a part in preserving orthodox theology.
As I read the prayers and creeds, I see myself standing in a long line of Christians who have affirmed these same statements of faith and have prayed the same prayers. There is something richly encouraging to know and be reminded daily that the faith that I hold to is not something new. It is the same faith that has been believed and defended for two thousand years.
I also picture myself in my place in the larger church worldwide. Even though this resource has a decidedly Western bent to it, some of the earliest theologians and certainly the common creeds act as a bond that stretches across continents and schisms, connecting me to believers everywhere who hold to the same faith. Our language for expressing the truths of scripture may differ (and sharply at times!), but the core of our faith is the same.
Participating, in even a small way, in the liturgies and traditions of the church feels incredibly connecting and grounding. I am not an isolated believer – I am part of a historical and global community, across ages, generations, denominations, schisms, and continents. Together we remember and celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord, and together we eagerly await the day that he will return again in glory. In that day we will all worship around his throne together. And so today I recite with them in anticipation: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.