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The Vigil of the Nativity (Christmas Eve)
The air is thick with expectation. The prophecies are coming to fruition. The virgin Mary conceives, and gives birth to the Son of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. What we have anticipated is coming true. Hope springs eternal as we prepare for God's presence among us.
The "O" Antiphons
Many Western Christian traditions make use of the "O" antiphons during this final week of Advent. These prayers are recited beginning on December 17. Each prayer addresses God using different names like "O Radiant Dawn" and "O Wisdom." The Advent hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" contains words from each of the "O" antiphons. The tradition of singing and reciting these prayers has been with the church for well over 1500 years.
In addition to this liturgical tradition, many churches will be decorated in green this Sunday. The "greening" of the church anticipates Christ's arrival. The winter of sin and doubt is thawing and signs of eternal life are beginning to appear.
The Mystery of the Incarnation
The mystery of God clothed in helpless human flesh is at the heart of the Christian faith. Open your heart to wonder and believe in his name. He has come to us:
"God travels wonderful ways with human beings, but he does not comply with the views and opinions of people. God does not go the way that people want to prescribe for him; rather, his way is beyond all comprehension, free and self-determined beyond all proof. Where reason is indignant, where our nature rebels, where our piety anxiously keeps us away: that is precisely where God loves to be. There he confounds the reason of the reasonable; there he aggravates our nature, our piety—that is where he wants to be, and no one can keep him from it. Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that he takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly...God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas
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"O Little Town of Bethlehem" - The story of the birth of Jesus told by the people of Bethlehem. Made by St Paul's Church, Auckland, New Zealand.
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““Who among us will celebrate Christmas correctly? Whoever finally lays down all power, all honor, all reputation, all vanity, all arrogance, all individualism beside the manger; whoever remains lowly and lets God alone be high; whoever looks at the child in the manger and sees the glory of God precisely in his lowliness.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from God Is In the Manger
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I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself. You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations...I have raised up a young man from among the people... My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted...
Audio
Psalm 89, 2 Samuel 7,
Romans 16, Luke 1
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