Saturday 17 December

Reveal among us the light of your presence, that we may behold your power and glory.

Antiphon
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.
(cf Ecclesiasticus 24.3; Wisdom 8.1)

Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

Genesis 49:2, 8-10 | Psalm 72:1-7 | Matthew 1:1-17

(Click the links to see the readings)

The Risk of Birth (Christmas, 1973)
Madeleine L'Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour & truth were trampled by scorn—
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn—
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Be-Attitude: Blessed are the poor and those who are with them in spirit.
('Be-Attitudes', from David Andrews. Plan Be. Authentic, 2008.)

Prayer

Holy God,
your prophets call us to look forward to the dawn of a new day;
may we who witness the promised springtime
prepare the way for the coming Sun of Justice, Jesus your Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever. Amen.
— Bosco Peters

Roman Empire

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;

Detail of map from A.J. Johnson. Roman Empire in the Time of Christ and His Apostles. New York. 1874, pp.120-211 (David Rumsey Historical Map Collection)

O Sapentia (O Wisdom), the Great Antiphon for 17 December sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars, Oxford.


May the Lord, when he comes, find us watching and waiting. Amen.

St Philip's Anglican Church, corner Moorhouse and Macpherson Streets, O'Connor, ACT 2602
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