Mid Week Reflection – The Second Week of Advent 2021

Zachariah enters the Gospel story early in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel, he questioned the words of the angel, words that foretell Elizabeth’s pregnancy and Zachariah is left unable to speak. Elizabeth goes through her pregnancy, the first five months in seclusion, with a husband who is dumb. It must have been a hard and confusing time for Elizabeth. Her husband was going about his temple duties, acting as normal, talking and praying. He leaves the temple dumb and Elizabeth becomes pregnant, well past the usual child bearing age. Another story of a miraculous birth.

Our understanding of the Benedictus should, really, start with the one who was to be the mother of John the Baptist. Elizabeth, who played such an important role and was to be a joyful support to the teenage Mary, when Mary visited Elizabeth. Luke catches the scene in these words.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb leaped. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, and sang out exuberantly,
You’re so blessed among women, and the babe in your womb, also blessed!
And why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?
The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears,
The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.
Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true! (Luke 39-45, The Message)

Birth, the gift of life, a sacred fruitfulness had had a special place throughout history and these two mothers, one very young and the other elderly sing out with thanks.

Elizabeth gives birth to her baby and the time comes for the naming of the boy; the villagers would have thought he would be named after his father but Elizabeth said ‘no’ this was reinforced by Zachariah writing the name John.

Zachariah is now able to speak and Luke records his words in what we know as the Song of Zachariah. The song contains elements of history, of anticipation, prophecy and freedom. It is only in the second half of the song that there is mention of John ‘And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,” will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways.
(Luke 1:76-77 The Message)

The Benedictus has had a central part in daily worship, especially in Morning Prayer (Lauds), it is a song that is used by many denominations. It has also been used in funeral services.

‘God’s sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.’ (Luke 1: 78-79 The Message)

The Second Week of Advent 2021

Perhaps light two candles and offer these opening thoughts and prayers:

As we join with others, through the internet, may our meeting place, wherever it is, be a place where heaven and earth whisper a greeting and where we kindle lights of hope for the world and to give glory and praise to God

Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds,
that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour
we may be ready to receive him,
who is our Lord and our God. (Collect for Second Sunday of Advent)

Candle image – Adventkranz mit zwei brennenden Kerzen.-HG-Fotografie – Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication-Wikimedia Commons

 

Benedictus – The Song of Zechariah
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,
who has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,
To show mercy to our ancestors,
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1.68–79

Pause

Words from the prophet Malachi (3.1-4) The Coming Messenger
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

Prayers

Advent, a season where we lift up our hearts in praise and anticipation. In the weeks of Advent let us pray that we use the season to prepare ourselves as we look forward to hearing the improbable story of the birth of the baby. Let us pause before our prayers and hold the words of our readings, perhaps slowly reading them again.

We pray firstly for those closest to us, our immediate family and closest friends – for their health, needs, joys and fears.

(Silent prayer)

God of creation, God of Salvation Hear the prayers of our hearts

We pray for our extended family and friends who we might not see each week –
for their love and concern, for their wellbeing.

(Silent prayer)

God of creation, God of Salvation Hear the prayers of our hearts

We pray for those who we only have contact with infrequently –
for a blessing this Advent-time

(Silent prayer)

God of creation, God of Salvation Hear the prayers of our hearts

We pray for this world and its people – for the needs of this week and the future.

(Silent prayer)

God of creation, God of Salvation
Who speaks to us through thunder and whisper, who loves us as if there were but one of us to love Hear the prayers of our hearts
(adapted from Prayers for Advent 1 John Birch)

Lord, as Christmas draws ever closer free me from being self-absorbed and self-centred. Instead fill me with eagerness and generosity of heart. Like Mary, may I too go out in loving service of others and experience your Love leaping up in me and in those with whom I come in contact.

Our thanks to Barry and Ann Sugden for the musical accompaniment. Many of use will remember with gratitude their musical input to our weekly worship during the Lockdowns and beyond. Thank you for your contribution to this time of reflection.

This is the day,
Please follow the link below for the music

This is the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made;
we will rejoice, we will rejoice
and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day that the Lord has made,
we will rejoice and be glad in it;
this the day, this is the day
that the Lord has made.

This is the day, this is the day
when he rose again, when he rose again;
we will rejoice, we will rejoice
and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day when he rose again,
we will rejoice and be glad in it;
this the day, this is the day
when he rose again.

This is the day, this is the day
when the Spirit came, when the Spirit came;
we will rejoice, we will rejoice
and be glad in it, and be glad in it.
This is the day when the Spirit came,
we will rejoice and be glad in it;
this the day, this is the day
when the Spirit came.
Les Garrett b 1944 © 1967 Scripture in Song/Integrity Music/Sovereign Music UK

The Lord’s Prayer

A Peaceful Benediction
Be people of peace.
Let peace live in your heart and share the peace of Christ with all you meet.
Share peace by acting out of compassion and not fear.
Share peace by listening to all sides of the story.
Share peace by praying for our world.
In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share peace.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share peace and hope with those you meet. Amen. (Liturgylink.net)

You may wish the finish this time of reflective prayer sitting silently and enjoying a peaceful moment or two. You may also think about listening to some music that has touched you or a favourite hymn or song. Enjoy these moments! God bless!

Derek Akker
(Derek is a retired Anglican Parish Priest and a member of the congregations of All Saints & St James)

Collect & Benedictus – Liturgy © Common Worship, The Archbishops Council, 2000

Parish of Kirklees Valley, Bury, (All Saints, Elton & St James, Woolfold)
In the Diocese of Manchester
CCLI Licence Number 1243418 Church Copyright and Streaming Licence

NIV Chapter 1
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
79 to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit[d]; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

The Message
Chapter 2

67-79 Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
he came and set his people free.
He set the power of salvation in the centre of our lives,
and in the very house of David his servant,
Just as he promised long ago
through the preaching of his holy prophets:
Deliverance from our enemies
and every hateful hand;
Mercy to our fathers,
as he remembers to do what he said he’d do,
What he swore to our father Abraham—
a clean rescue from the enemy camp,
So we can worship him without a care in the world,
made holy before him as long as we live.
And you, my child, “Prophet of the Highest,”
will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,
Present the offer of salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God’s Sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace.
80 The child grew up, healthy and spirited. He lived out in the desert until the day he made his prophetic debut in Israel.

Advent 2 – Light and Darkness

Responses are in bold print
Symbol: An outside lantern with small candle
The lantern is lit
(A few moments of silence)

‘Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.’
(John 1:3-5)

In the beginning, Lord
I was alone
Like the earth
before your Spirit moved over the waters.
I was formless and empty
and darkness filled the depths of my heart.
Then, it was as if you declared
‘Let there be Light’
and out of the darkness
I began to see hope
like a shimmering ray of love
breaking through the parting clouds
at the conclusion of the night.
In the beginning, Lord I was alone
but when I saw you in the light I was no longer afraid.
You held out your hand
and though I had a choice
I had no choice
because to refuse
was to embrace again the darkness.
In the beginning, Lord I was alone
now I am again a part
of your creation
loved, wanted, needed, family.
In the light of your presence
I hold out my heart that others
might glimpse through it your reflection
and be drawn from the darkness that I once embraced
into the light of your sunrise
the brightness of your face

Lord Jesus, Son of God, Saviour of the world
All: Be the centre of all that we are, and the life that we lead
Lord Jesus, Light in this dark World, illuminate our hearts and minds
All: Be the centre of all that we are, and the life that we lead

(A space for music to be played or sung – a Taizé chant would be most appropriate)

‘There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.’
(John 1:6-9)

(A moment of silence – During the silence, you may like to read and reflect on the words that have been read, gaze at the lantern – or simply enjoy the peace and calm )

In the lonely places
The wilderness
Where we stand forlorn
Windswept and alone
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord

In the dark places
The shadows
Where we hide our fears
Embrace our tears
Your voice calls out
Prepare a way for the Lord

For the desert places in which we walk
The streets we roam
The paths we cross
Guide our feet
Take us to places
Where you would go
Give us words that you would use
That in this Advent season
Of promise and preparation
We might point the way with John the Baptist
To the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

O come, Thou Day-spring, from on high,
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come again and with us ever dwell

(Scripture reading – possibly the Gospel reading for the day)

(A space for music to be played or sung)
(Intercessions – A circle prayer)

Circle us, Lord
Circle us with the light of your presence, bright within this dark word
Enable us to be overcomers of fear and temptation
Enable us to be victors over sin and despair
Enable us to become that which you would desire
(Silent prayer)
Lord of creation, Lord of Salvation
Circle us with the light of your presence
Circle us, Lord
Circle our family within the shelter of your outstretched arms
Protect them in each moment of their daily lives
Protect them in the decisions that they face
Protect their homes and relationships
(Silent prayer)
Lord of creation, Lord of Salvation
Circle our families with the light of your presence

Circle us, Lord
Circle this nation with Advent love and hope
Create a desire to listen to the Advent message
Create a willingness to understand and respond
Create a need to reach out to the Christ Child
(Silent prayer)
Lord of creation, Lord of Salvation
Circle our nation with the light of your presence

Circle us, Lord
Circle this world with the joy of your Salvation
Where there is sickness and disease bring healing
Where there is hunger and despair bring hope
Where there is torture and oppression bring release
(Silent prayer)
Lord of creation, Lord of Salvation
Circle this world with the light of your presence

Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light that shines more and more until the perfect day; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Jerome, c 342 – 420)