Friday 20 February 2015

Temptation

A reflection for Lent by Ray Anglesea, minister of St Andrew's Dawson Street, Crook

As a child I remember the congregation of my local Methodist Chapel singing one of their favourite hymns “Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin.” My grandmother would later pass me a crinkly sweet wrapped barley sugar to unwrap during the sermon. I can still hear the crinkle of the unwrapping it. “I can resist everything accept temptation,” quipped Oscar Wilde. Temptation is commonly identified with the lure to do something it would be better to avoid. Yet we smile indulgently because what tempts us often seems harmless, perhaps one last drink at the end of an evening. And sometimes what tempts may even be beneficial. A workaholic tempted to pause, would be better off giving in and taking a break.

More commonly, however, temptation refers not to the allure of some harmless pleasure but the desire to do wrong to gain a personal advantage. We may be tempted to abuse drink or drugs for kicks; to be tempted to cut professional corners for greater profit and success; we may be tempted to cross sexual boundaries to please ourselves and do what we like. Who needs to know, we may ask? Can’t individuals do as they wish? Ask those who have been abused, the family of addicts, or those who have found out their partner’s infidelity, those who have been victimised by fraud. As people give way to temptation others suffer. So also do those who give way.

As the season of Lent begins Jesus is found going into the wilderness. He remained there for 40 days and then, we are told, he was tempted. At one level the three temptations in Matthew’s account, seeking food, testing God and worshipping a false God recall the experience of the Chosen People in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. Here the temptations to which the people succumbed, Jesus resisted. A fulfilment is found in them. Whatever the origins of the Matthew passage it is instructive to wonder as well whether it may not also have arisen partly from Jesus’ own experience. Before beginning his public ministry it is unsurprising to suppose he withdrew into the wilderness for a while to reflect and prepare himself. It is not difficult to imagine him being tempted to use his power – expressed as turning a stone into bread – for his own interest. And as he reflected, the daunting nature of what he was undertaking might readily have come home to him. Could he really trust his heavenly Father? How could he be sure? How attractive instead to forge some kind of political alliance that seemed far more reliable in the ways of the world.

It is not implausible to imagine Jesus at the beginning of his ministry being tempted to doubt his Father’s presence with him, and being tempted, therefore, to rely instead on his own powers and the powers of others to help him. However those temptations were resisted and so teach us an essential lesson.

For what kind of Messiah would Jesus have been had he doubted God and relied instead on himself and the temporal powers of others? Had he given into those temptations he could not have been the Messiah at all. They would have destroyed his identity. We may smile at the notion of resisting everything except temptation but in truth, when we succumb, crossing forbidden boundaries, we are corrupted. Our identity is damaged too.


Friday 2 January 2015

Epiphany / Methodist Covenant Service liturgy

Ray Anglesea shares an Epiphany/Methodist Covenant Service liturgy for use in the LEP on the 4th January 2015 with ecumenical friends from St Catherine’s Anglican Church, Crook.


Call to Worship

Arise shine, Jerusalem, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60 v1. God has caused his light to shine in our hearts, the light which is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 v6
Presentation of gifts (gifts brought to the communion table)

Gold of Gold, we seek your glory, the richness that transforms our drabness into colour and brightens our dullness with vibrant light.

God of incense, we offer you our spoken and unspeakable longings, our questioning of truth, our search for your mystery deep within

God of Myrhh, we cry out to you in our suffering, the pain of all our rejections, our baffled despair at undeserved suffering and we embrace you, God, with us, in our wealth, in our yearning, in our anger and loss.

Hymn: STF 34 O worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness

Prayers of Thanksgiving

Thank you scandalous God for giving yourself to the world, not in the powerful and extraordinary but in weakness and the familiar, in a baby, in bread and wine.

Thank you for bringing us to Bethlehem, at journey’s end, a new beginning, a New Year, for setting in a poverty of a stable, the richest jewel of your love, for revealing in a particular place, your light for all nations.

Thank you for bringing us to Bethlehem, House of Bread, where the empty are filled and the filled are emptied, where the poor find riches and the rich recognize their poverty, where all who journey and kneel and hold their hands are unstintingly fed.

Here at the beginning of this New Year we stand and stare into an uncertain and difficult future. But as we look at your beauty and holiness, as wise men once gazed upon an innocent and unknowing child, we are filled with gratitude and praise that this wonderful thing has happened amongst  us – God you are with us.

Loving God, by your grace give us that beauty and holiness that is our true nature. Look on us with love’s renewing gaze. Rise within us like a star and make us restless till we journey forth to seek our rest in you. Amen

Psalm 72 v 1-7, 10-14 (set in the context of some of the top 20 2014 photographs from the Guardian Newspaper)

The True 12 days of Christmas (sung acapella)

On the first day of Christmas the angel said to me
Hallelujah Jesus is born
On the second day of Christmas the angel said to me
Glory in the Highest
Third: Peace on earth
Fourth: His love will reign (STAND for....)
Five: He is the Lord
Six: Faithful is his promise
Seven: Freely give your worship
Eight: He alone is worthy
Nine: Sing to him your praises
Ten: He has come to save us
Eleven: Wise men will believe him
Twelve: Tell the world the good news

Poem: Innocents Song: Charles Causley (1917-2003)

Who’s that knocking on the window,
Who’s that standing at the door,
What are all those presents
Laying on the kitchen floor?

Who is the smiling stranger
With hair as white as gin,
What is he doing with the children
And who could have let him in?

Why has he rubies on his fingers,
A cold, cold crown on his head,
Why, when he caws his carol,
Does the salty snow run red?

Why does he ferry my fireside
As a spider on a thread,
His fingers made of fuses
And his tongue of gingerbread?

Why does the world before him
Melt in a million suns,
Why do his yellow, yearning eyes
Burn like saffron buns?

Watch where he comes walking
Out of the Christmas flame,
Dancing, double-talking:
Herod is his name.

Music: Three kings from Persian lands of afar: Peter Cornelius with Southwick Cathedral Choir

“He is going far away from the land where, in the stable, he was born. May he remain his father’s and mother’s abiding love! May he grow, may he prosper, and may he become a good father in his turn! If ever, in the house of the idolater, he should come to know misfortune, let him flee the unkind land and return to happiness among us. May the shepherd’s poverty ever remain dear to his heart! Dear child, may God bless you! May God bless you, happy parents: may you never feel the blows of injustice! May a good angel forewarn you of the dangers hovering above you!” Hector Berlioz, L’Enfance du Christ 1854 - based on the Holy Family's flight into Egypt

Offertory Hymn:  STF 227 Brightest and Best are the sons of the morning (Tune 595)

Response: Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life
Gospel: Matthew 2 v1-17
Response: Lord to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life

The Sermon: “Jesus the Refugee – A Christian Response.” 

With the kind permission of the chapel elders/stewards we start today a series of monthly sermons dealing with issues that will shape the debate and possibly the outcome of the General Election, 7th May 2015.

Today’s topic “Immigration.”

Nativity Scene in an Iraq Humanitarian Aid Camp, 2014


Prayers of Intercession: Revd Vince Fenton, priest, St. Catherine’s Church, Crook

The Covenant Service (Page 285 The Methodist Worship Book)

Hymn: STF 549 Come, let us use the grace divine

The Communion

Hymn: STF 470 Lord, for years your love has kept and guided

Benediction:


Go now as a light to the nations. Honour the Lord; preach what you know of the risen Christ, and fulfil all righteousness. And may God strengthen you and bless you with peace; may Christ Jesus bring forth justice for you and among you; and may the Holy Spirit alight on you and affirm you as God’s beloved ones. We go in peace to love and serve the Lord, In the name of Christ. Amen.

Wednesday 26 November 2014

A Year with Mark (Year B: 2014-15)

An introduction circulated by Ray Anglesea
among the congregation at St Andrew's Dawson Street, Crook



From Advent Sunday 2014 the church starts a new gospel, Mark. Mark appears in Year B in the 3 year cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary. About two thirds of Mark’s material is used to provide the main gospel reading on just over half the Sundays in the coming New Year. In Advent and Lent the gospel contributes in a more selective way according to the needs and themes of the church’s calendar; at Christmas and Easter through to Trinity readings come from other gospels, mostly from John. Mark is my favourite gospel writer; his gospel is like an honest and interesting friend, offering clarity, challenge and support. Yet it is not a shallow acquaintance, no single threaded yarn, but it is put together with great depth and subtlety. The gospel is direct and straightforward in style, with energy and vigour in the writing, the pace quite breathless at times.

The Gospel was traditionally thought to be a summary of Matthew, which accounts for its place as the second gospel in the bible, but most contemporary scholars now regard it as the earliest of the gospels. Most modern scholars reject the tradition which ascribes it to Mark the Evangelist, the companion of Peter, and regard it as the work of an unknown author working with various sources including the collections of miracle stories, controversy stories, parables, and a passion narrative.

There is broad agreement that the 1st 8 chapters – the numerous miracle stories, Jesus preaching to the crowds - takes place in Galilee, the action in the remaining 8 chapters shifts from Galilee to gentile areas or hostile Judea, where Jesus teaches the disciples. Peter's confession at Mark 8:27–30 forms the watershed to the whole gospel.

Mark tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to his death and burial and the discovery of the empty tomb – there is no genealogy or birth narrative, nor, in the original ending at chapter 16, any post-resurrection appearances. It portrays Jesus as a heroic man of action, an exorcist, healer and miracle worker. Jesus is also the son of God, adopted by God at his baptism, but he keeps his identity secret concealing it in parables so that even the disciples fail to understand who he is. All this is in keeping with prophecy, which foretold the fate of the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. The gospel ends, in its original version, with the discovery of the empty tomb, a promise to meet again in Galilee, and an unheeded instruction to spread the good news of the resurrection.

Mark wrote the gospel in Greek for a gentile audience, probably in Rome some 60+ years after the resurrection, and like all the gospels it was written for an audience already Christian – their purpose was to strengthen the faith of those who already believed, not to convert unbelievers. The evangelists often wrote on two levels, one the "historical" presentation of the story of Jesus, the other dealing with the concerns of the author's own day.


Friday 21 November 2014

Preparing for Advent

The ministers' bible study group that meets in Durham recently had a pre-Advent session led by Ruth Crofton on the Advent Antiphons, introduced with prayers byStephen Collinson.

Members felt both parts of the morning were of such value that they wanted the materials to be shared as widely as possible, and asked for them to be posted here.

The Topography of Terror Memorial, Berlin

On the site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters, this exhibition outlines the oppression
in Hitler’s Germany (1933-1945) and is set against a section of the Berlin Wall (1961-1989).

When we erect our walls of division,
forgive us, Lord,
and help us bridge the divide.

When we are suspicious by default,
forgive us, Lord,
and help us be more discerning.

When we adopt a ‘them and us’ attitude,
forgive us, Lord,
and help us have more humility.

When, in our self-confidence, we forget you,
forgive us, Lord,
and help us hear your still small voice.

When, in our fear of change, we bar the doorway into your Church,
forgive us, Lord,
and help us hold out the hand of welcome.

Silence

Conscious of the divisions of our world,
we pray now for those situations particularly on our minds.

A time of open or silent prayer.

Loving God, hear our prayers.
Heal our divisions,
unite us with each other,
and with you,
in the fullness of your kingdom.
Amen.

Photograph and Prayer © Stephen Collinson, 2014

_____________



O come! O come! Immanuel

The Advent (Great O) Antiphons

The familiar hymn is based upon the Advent, or ‘Great O’ antiphons. These antiphons, or refrains, all beginning ‘O’, were sung before and after the Magnificat at Vespers, according to the Roman use, on the seven days preceding Christmas Eve (17–23 December). 

17 December – O Sapientia
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.                


18 December – O Adonai
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.


19 December – O Radix Jesse
O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.


20 December – O Clavis David
O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.


21 December – O Oriens
O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.


22 December – O Rex Gentium
O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.                                             


23 December – O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, our King and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

They are addressed to God with a series of scriptural titles that describe his saving work in Christ. In the medieval rite of Salisbury Cathedral, widely followed in England before the Reformation, the antiphons began on 16 December and there was an additional antiphon (‘O Virgin of virgins’) on 23 December;

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?
For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel ye at me?
The thing ye behold is a divine mystery.[1]


It is not known when and by whom the antiphons were composed, but they were already in use by the eighth century. Originally incorporated into the monastic office in the Middle Ages, these antiphons, often called the "Greater Antiphons" or the "O Antiphons’ are messianic, stressing the hope of the Saviour's coming.  Jesus is invoked by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah.  The sequence progresses historically, from the beginning, before creation, to the very gates of Bethlehem, formed from a composite of Scripture texts:

Wisdom: the beginning of all
Adonai – the exodus and the giving of the law
Root of Jesses – the remnant
Key of David – freedom/death & resurrection
Dayspring – the coming of light
King of the nations – the coming kingdom
Emmanuel – all drawn into a final hymn of praise

.
In their structure, each of the seven antiphons follows the same pattern, resembling a traditional liturgical prayer.  Each O Antiphon begins with an invocation of the expected Messiah, followed by praise of him under one of his particular titles.  Each ends with a petition for God's people, relevant to the title by which he is addressed, and the cry for him to "Come".

The seven titles attributed to Jesus in the antiphons are Wisdom (Sapientia in Latin), Ruler of the House of Israel (Adonai), Root of Jesse (Radix), Key of David (Clavis), Rising Dawn (Oriens), King of the Gentiles (Rex). and Emmanuel.  In Latin the initials of the titles make an acrostic which, when read backwards, was held to mean "Tomorrow I will be there" ("Ero cras") but “Ero Cras” more accurately means “tomorrow I will be.” Given that there is little evidence for such puzzles in other liturgical materials, and the fact that the arrangement of the O Antiphons varied from time to time, and in different occasions, it is unlikely that this is deliberate.

The antiphon references are mainly to the Old Testament words that can be interpreted from a Christian perspective  as looking to the coming of Christ and hence refer to Christ’s first coming. They echo the OT longing for salvation from the enemy; from the oppressor (cf. Simeon and Anna. ‘looking for the consolation of Israel.’ (Luke 2:25)


The Antiphons

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence.                

Sirach 24:3:  "From the mouth of the Most High I came forth, and like mist covered the earth".

Wisdom 8:1: "She reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well".

1 Corinthians 1: 24 “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

Wisdom is here personified, present with God at the beginning of creation.  Some argue that this is a prefigurement of Jesus, the eternal Word of God, the "logos" John described in the opening of his gospel. (2000 Jeanne Kun)

 Wisdom is the foundation of fear of the Lord, of holiness, or right living: it is wisdom whom we bid to come and teach us prudence.  Wisdom is significant: personified in the Old Testament, eg. “Wisdom has built her a house . . . “

But already we are beginning to question: to whom are the antiphons addressed? Apparently the coming Messiah – yet some are apparently addressing God the Father; this first may be argued to address the Spirit . . . a question worth keeping in mind.


O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Exodus 3:2: "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush.  As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed".

Exodus 6:6: "Therefore say to the Israelites: I am Yahweh.  I will free you from the enforced labour of the Egyptians and will deliver you from their slavery.  I will rescue you by my outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment".

Exodus 20 ff (the giving of the Law)

 With this second antiphon we progress from creation to the familiar story of God manifesting himself by name to Moses (though "Adonai" is Hebrew for "my Lord", and was substituted by devout Jews for the name "Yahweh", out of reverence) and giving his law to Israel as their way of life.  We are also reminded of the Israelites' deliverance from bondage under pharaoh - a foreshadowing of our own redemption from sin.  The image of God's arm outstretched in power to save his chosen people may also brings to mind the later scene of Jesus with his arms outstretched for us on the cross. (Jeanne Kun)

At the Transfiguration, Moses appears with Elijah alongside Jesus, sometimes held to be a sign of Jesus as the giver of the new law. There are also many references in the New Testament to the Law, eg.


O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples;
before you kings will shut their mouths,
to you the nations will make their prayer:
Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

Isaiah 52:13, 15; 53:2: "See, my servant shall prosper...So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless. ...He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot".
Isaiah 11: 10, “On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.”

Isaiah prophesied a restoration of David's throne - a new branch budding out of the old root.  Christ is the root of Jesse in a two-fold sense: he is the descendant of David, who was the youngest son of Jesse, and he inherited the royal throne.  The angel foretold to Mary, "The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father.  He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end" (Luke 1:32-33).

Probably the exile, and the concept of the remnant is also in mind, with the connecting thought that God brings strength from weakness. It may be worth reflecting that Jesse himself is an obscure figure, only famous because of his son, David – one of the many obscure figures necessary to the salvation story.

The image has inspired art:– the Jesse Tree.

The Jesse Tree is a pictorial representation of Jesus’ ‘family tree’,[2] showing a tree or vine with spreading branches to represent the genealogy in accordance with Isaiah's prophecy. The 12th-century monk Hervaeus expressed the medieval understanding of the image, based on the Vulgate text: "The patriarch Jesse belonged to the royal family, which is why the root of Jesse signifies the lineage of kings. As to the rod, it symbolises Mary as the flower symbolises Jesus Christ." In the medieval period, when heredity was all-important, much greater emphasis than today was placed on the actual royal descent of Jesus, especially by royalty and the nobility, including those who had joined the clergy.

In addition, there was a belief that the house of David only married within the extended family (not entirely implausible when you read 1 Kings!) and it was argued that thus Mary, as well as Joseph, was a descendant of Jesse,  Hmm.

The Jesse Tree in the Lambeth Psalter
by an unknown English miniaturist, (1140s).

The Jesse Tree  is the subject of many stained glass windows and illuminated manuscripts; is found in wall paintings, architectural carvings, funerary monuments, floor tiles and embroidery. Jesse is lying on  the ground or a couch and the tree grows from his ribs (perhaps reflecting the legend that God took one of Adam’s ribs to form Eve) or from his side. Significant individuals, like Kings David and Solomon, appear in the branches,

The first representations of the passage in Isaiah, from about 1000 AD in the West, show a "shoot" in the form of a straight stem or a flowering branch held in the hand most often by the Virgin, or by Jesus when held by Mary, by the prophet Isaiah or by an ancestor figure. In the Byzantine world, the Tree figures only as a normal-looking tree in the background of some Nativity scenes.  

And might there be some thought of the wise men coming to Jesus?

There is also the reference to the messiah not tarrying:

Isaiah 46: 13, “I bring near my deliverance, it is not far off, and my salvation will not tarry.”

Habakkuk 2: 3, “For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel;
you open and no one can shut;
you shut and no one can open:
Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house,
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

Isaiah 22:22: "I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder. When he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts, no one shall open.

Revelation 3:7: "To the presiding spirit of the church in Philadelphia write this: 'The holy One, the true, who wields David's key, who opens and no one can close, who closes and  no one can open'".

Isaiah 42:6-7: "I formed you, and set you as a covenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon those who live in darkness".

The key and sceptre are traditional symbols of kingly power and authority. Christ, the anointed one, is the heir of David and possessor of the kingdom. Jesus himself also made use of this symbol, showing the prophetic relationship of the earthly kingdom of David to the kingdom of God.  All power and authority was given to him after the resurrection, and he entrusted this power to "bind and to loose" to Peter and the ministers of his church. Traditionally, the ministry of absolution has been known as ‘the ministry of the keys’.

Jesus unlocks the fetters of sin that keep us tightly chained.  It is he who frees us from our captivity.  We recall the deliverance proclaimed by the psalmist of old: "they dwelt in darkness and gloom, bondsmen in want and in chains,...and he led them forth from darkness and gloom and broke their bonds asunder" (Psalm 107: 10, 14).

Note the icon of the resurrection, with the doors of hell broken, and the key and locks falling into obscurity.



Modern Russian Orthodox icon
Iconographer: Tatiana Kolibaba.

Though modern, it is faithful to former icons of the Resurrection.

Jesus catches the hand of Adam (in some icons, he also takes Eve’s hand)
Behind Adam are Old Testament figures waiting for release and behind Eve, New Testament.
Jesus is surrounded by a radiant ‘mandorla’ indicating his state of glory.



O Morning Star,
splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness:
Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death.

Isaiah 9:1: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone". cf. Luke 1: 76 “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.”

Psalm 130: 6, “My soul waits for the Lord, more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Malachi 3:20: "For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays".

2 Peter 1:19: "Keep your attention closely fixed on it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place, until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your heart".

Romans 13 12, “the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.”

And from the Apocrypha:
Wisdom 7: 26, “For she (wisdom) is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.”

John’s Gospel, of course, contains most references to light.


This title is variously translated "morning star", "Dayspring", "rising sun", "radiant dawn", "orient",  all expressing  the idea of light shattering the darkness of night, of sin and death, of sickness and despair, with its brightness bringing healing and warmth to cold hearts.  Jesus is the true light, the radiance of his Father's splendour. The church prays this petition daily in the Benedictus, joining in the words of Zechariah: "He, the Dayspring, shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death"  (Luke 1:78-79).

But interestingly, the reference is to dawn which does not come swiftly (other than in the tropics), but is a gradual increase of light; an idea worth exploring, perhaps. Is the Biblical imagery of sudden light, or gradual? Does the concept of dawn and a gradual shift from light to dark have more to say to people? The dawn, like the dusk, is also a time of shadow – does this move us into the references to justice and to understanding? And is there a reference back to the previous verse about bringing freedom from fetters?

Isaiah 60:1  - “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”

What is ‘enlightening’? Is it a transformation of our natures or of undrstanding? cf. Hebrews 10: 32 – “But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.”


O King of the nations, and their desire,
the cornerstone making both one:
Come and save the human race,
which you fashioned from clay.                                             

Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am laying a stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone as a sure foundation".

Ephesians 2:14: "He it is who is our peace, and who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart".

Ephesians 2: 20, “(the household of God), built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.”

Genesis 2: 7, “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” 

Earlier we have seen allusions to the Messiah coming all nations and redeem them for his own. Now the saviour is addressed  as the king of the gentiles (Jer.10:7) and the Desired One of the nations. 

Is there also a link to the vision of the celestial city in Revelation 21: 24 – “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it”?

The Messiah is the cornerstone on whom our spiritual foundations are laid, but on whom unbelievers stumble (Matt. 21:42).  This cornerstone unites and binds Jew and gentile into one, making peace between them. (Jeanne Kun)

The plea is that God save all humanity, all his creation that he formed from the dust of the earth (Gen.2:7).  We yearn for him once again to breathe the breath of his new life into us.


O Emmanuel, our King and our lawgiver,
the hope of the nations and their Saviour:
Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel".

Isaiah 33:22: "Indeed the Lord will be there with us, majestic.  Yes, the Lord our judge, the Lord our lawgiver, the Lord our king, he it is who will save us".

Romans 8: 19, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.”

Finally expectation finds joy in the certainty of fulfilment.  Jesus is called by one of the most personal and intimate of his titles, Emmanuel, God-with-us: God incarnate. Yet he is also to be exalted above us as our king, the lawgiver and judge, the one whom we honour and obey. He is the saviour, long-expected by all creation.  The final cry is for our God and Lord to bring salvation to us.

In the hymn, O Come! O come! Immanuel, we sing the last verse both at the beginning and end, and in doing so perhaps lose some of the power of the antiphon. When we have read through it, thoughtfully and prayerfully, the recitation of the final section has a power it often lacks through repetition. Worth trying!

 Ruth Crofton



Material from  (c) 2000 Jeanne Kun,(Internet)
William Marshall, O Come, Emmanuel  1993 The Columba Press
Solrunn Nes, The Mystical Language of Icons 2004 The Canterbury Press
Other material, Ruth Crofton



[1]  ‘marvel ye at me’ – the other verses speak to God  

[2] During the Medieval era the symbol of the tree as an expression of lineage was adopted by the nobility and has passed into common usage initially in the form of the family tree and later as a mode of expressing any line of descent.