24/7: the key to God’s Kingdom

TRINITY SUNDAY

Readings:

Revelation 4:1-11

John 3:1-16

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Rev. 4:4, 5b: “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones.  On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads… There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”

John 3:5: “Jesus answered [Nicodemus], “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, [one] can’t enter into God’s Kingdom!’”

Reflection

It’s been said that Trinity Sunday is the only Sunday of the church year devoted, not to an event, but to an idea.  On the Sunday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Christian experience of the one and only God existing in three Persons: “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.  We call it a “mystery”, for how can God be both One and Three?  And yet this is the faith we have received: faith in a God who creates, redeems, and sanctifies; a God who dwells “out there”, within us, and everywhere in between.

Trinity Sunday is a relatively recent feast, made official only in the 14^th century.  Prayers and hymns to the Trinity had, of course, been used centuries before then—especially to combat perceived heresies—but the idea was that the Church honored the Trinity every day, so no special day was needed.  This partially explains why today’s assigned readings, dating from St. Jerome’s 5^th-century lectionary, don’t directly reference the Trinity.  Surely, then, these could’ve been replaced with other passages, such as the “Great Commission”, or maybe even Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer”.  So what was the original thought process 900 years before the first Trinity Sunday?

Reverend David G. Phillips has written a fascinating article entitled “The Rationale of the Trinity Season Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer”, which I’ve referenced before in my blog.  From here on, I’ll summarize his main points, but if you have the time and interest, I really recommend that you read it in its entirety.  Returning to St. Jerome’s original lectionary, Rev. Phillips detects a pattern in the sequence of readings assigned to what we now call “Trinity Sunday”, and the (on average) 24 Sundays that lead us back to Advent.  This pattern is couched in numerical symbolism, biblical allegory, and nascent 5^th-century Christian “psychology”.  

Most of us have heard of the “seven deadly sins”, even if we can’t name them all.  But what we may not know is that they can be traced back to the fifth century, to the writings of an ascetic monk named John Cassian.  Cassian identified eight “passions” or “vices”, which we must overcome lest they lead to sin.  He, along with other contemporary theologians, may have noted an allegorical parallel between our spiritual journey and Israel’s.  Just as Israel was freed from bondage in Egypt, and commanded to conquer seven other nations before dwelling in the Promised Land, so too our souls, freed from sin, must subdue the seven (or eight) passions before entering God’s Kingdom.  At the time, they believed this quest occurred in three stages: purgation of sin through suffering, illumination of our souls with God’s grace, and finally union of the soul with the divine.

Rev. Phillips posits that Cassian’s list of eight passions was simplified to seven, under Scriptural influence (I told you back in Lent 3 to keep an eye out for these “seven spirits”!), and three Sundays dedicated to each passion, one for each of the three stages.  That makes 21 Sundays.  Add two Sundays to start our journey, and one at the end to finish it, and we’ve got 24.  So is this the reason behind the choice of today’s cryptic passage from Revelation, with the twenty-four elders and the seven lamps of fire?

The first half of the church year, the Advent–Easter cycle, has taught us about the faith we confess.  The latter half, this Trinity Season, intends to show us how to put that faith into practice.  Our mission then for the next 24 Sundays—if we choose to accept it—is to confront the darker parts of ourselves, passions like: pride, vainglory, dejection, wrath, sloth, greed, and lust; some of which we know, others which sound confusing.  We don’t have to worry about that yet.  All we need to do is remain focus on the goal, which is our soul’s perfection and union with the will and love of God.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God,

you have given to us your servants grace,

by the confession of a true faith,

to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity,

and in the power of the Divine Majesty

to worship the Unity.

Keep us steadfast in this holy faith,

that it may ever defend us against all adversities,

and bring us at last to see you

in your one and eternal glory;

you who live and reign,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect for Trinity Sunday, composed from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662 and 1979 versions.

Hymn: “Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!”

(Words: Reginald Heber, 1826; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015

Tune: ‘Nicaea’, by John B. Dykes, 1861)

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning, we sing your majesty.

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore you,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea.

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before you,

Who were, and are, and evermore shall be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide you,

Though our eye of sinfulness your glory may not see,

Only you are holy; there is none beside you,

Perfect in pow’r, in love and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All your works shall praise your name in earth, and sky, and sea.

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Litany of nations

PENTECOST DAY

(Whitsunday)

Readings:

Acts 2:1-12

John 14:22-27 (28-31)

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Acts 2:9-11: “Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians: we hear them speaking in our languages the mighty works of God!”

John 14:26-27a: Jesus said, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you.”

Reflection

I’m sure my church isn’t the only one that reads the story of Pentecost simultaneously in multiple languages.  But I have to admit I’d never heard of this custom until I started attending an Episcopal church.  During the reading from the Book of Acts, members of the congregation who speak another language will stand up and read the same passage aloud in that language.  The result is a whirlwind of words that somehow manages to retain a semblance of order—and, of course, that’s the point.  The intent is to echo that first Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers, giving them the ability to speak God’s message in languages they didn’t speak.  (You can hear how my church does it by clicking here.)

For the past three years or so, I’ve stood up and read the narrative in Danish, which I’ve been studying for a number of years now.  My biggest challenge comes when it’s time to read the names of the nations, which we know as “Parthians, Medes, Elamites,” etc.  I always second-guess myself: “Am I pronouncing them correctly in Danish?”  I mean, think of the ambiguities even in English: is it “EH-luh-mights” or “EE-luh-mights”?  Does it matter?  Can you choose, like how some people rhyme “Nevada” with “gotta”, and others with “had a”, and still sound right?

But this year, as I was preparing myself again to read in Danish, I realized that I don’t even know who most of these people were.  They sound vaguely familiar from history class, but what am I missing by not knowing more of their story—who they were, where they were?  So I spent one afternoon researching what I could find out about them on Wikipedia, and here’s what I found—the abridged version:

Parthians, Medes, and Elamites were ancient Iranian peoples, many of whom occupied an area that stretched from modern-day southeastern Turkey to northwestern Iran, where the Achaemenid Empire once flourished 500 years ago.  Classical historians believed the biblical Magi were Medes, possibly followers of the Zoroastrian religion.  Mesopotamia (the land “between the rivers”) is considered to be the “cradle of civilization”, the “Fertile Crescent”, spawning various empires such as the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian, later conquered by the Greeks, under Alexander the Great, and even later by the Parthians.  Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia were all located on what is now eastern Turkey, stretching from north to south, where the Hittites had once ruled about 800 years prior.  And lastly, Judea, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Crete, and Arabia are regions whose locations (hopefully) we’re all still familiar with!

In short, this litany of nations represents the bulk of the then-known world, about 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers) wide, almost 2/3 the width of the United States.  So what’s most striking about our Pentecost story is that, despite such large distances, diverse backgrounds, warring rivalries, and even different religions, God’s message is—literally—universal, for all the peoples.  No one is left out; everyone hears “the mighty works of God” in his or her own mother tongue.  And I think it’s fitting that the reading ends with the question: “What does this mean?”  The disciples were only beginning to answer that question.  And as for us, we who live in a world of instant and global communication; who are surrounded by countless cultures from around the world; who can speak into a smartphone and have our words read back in a foreign language, what does this mean for us?

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, is still trying to teach us that answer.  But may we always remember that we’ll never learn the lesson unless we start with God’s mighty and universal works of love, which are ever grounded in the peace that God freely leaves with us.

Prayer of the Day

God,

on this day you taught the hearts of your faithful people

by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit.

Grant us by the same Spirit

to have a right judgment in all things,

and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;

through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior,

who lives and reigns with you,

in the unity of the same Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect for Whitsunday (Pentecost) from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662

Almighty God,

on this day you opened the way of eternal life

to every race and nation

by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit.

Shed abroad this gift throughout the world

by the preaching of the Gospel,

that it may reach to the ends of the earth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect for “the Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday” from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979

Hymn: “Alleluia! sing to Jesus!”

(Words: William Chatterton Dix, 1837-1898

Tune: ‘Hyfrydol’, by Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1811-1887)

Alleluia! sing to Jesus!

His the scepter, his the throne.

Alleluia! his the triumph,

His the victory alone.

Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood.

Jesus, out of every nation,

Has redeemed us by his blood.

Alleluia! not as orphans

Are we left in sorrow now.

Alleluia! he is near us;

Faith believes, nor questions how.

Though the cloud from sight received him,

When the forty days were o’er,

Shall our hearts forget his promise:

“I am with you evermore”?

Alleluia! Bread of Heaven,

You on earth our food, our stay!

Alleluia! here the sinful

Flee to you from day to day.

Intercessor, friend of sinners,

Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,

Where the songs of all the sinless

Sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia! King eternal,

You the Lord of lords we own.

Alleluia! born of Mary,

Earth your footstool, heav’n your throne.

You within the veil have entered,

Robed in flesh, our great High Priest;

You, on earth both Priest and Victim

In the eucharistic feast.

Alleluia! sing to Jesus!

His the scepter, his the throne.

Alleluia! his the triumph,

His the victory alone.

Hark! the songs of holy Zion

Thunder like a mighty flood.

Jesus, out of every nation,

Has redeemed us by his blood.

Steadfast in prayer

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

(Exaudi)

Readings:

1 Peter 4:7-11

John 15:26–16:4

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

1 Pet. 4:11a: “If anyone speaks, let it be as it were the very words of God.  If anyone serves, let it be as of the strength which God supplies…”

John 15:26: Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Counselor has come… the Spirit of truth… he will testify about me.” 

Reflection

I grew up associating the word “novena” with death.  It sounds a little morbid, yes, but let me explain to those of you who may not have grown up Roman Catholic.  When someone in the family, or a family friend, dies, it is Catholic tradition to gather with the mourners and pray (usually the Rosary) for nine days.  Similar traditions exist in different religions—for example, “sitting Shiva”, seven days, in Judaism.  And I understand that other Christians, like Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox also observe novena prayers.  As I matured, I learned that “novenas” were not just for the departed; there were some devoted to the Holy Spirit, or to a particular saint.  Indeed, occasions abound for the practice of a novena.

The original novena, however, is the one we’re currently in.  Last Thursday, we celebrated the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven.  Next Sunday, we will celebrate Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit.  According to the Bible, the nine days in between were spent “steadfastly in prayer and supplication”, and “continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.”  The tone is one of devotion, reflection, and anticipation, even in the face of an unknown future, a sure example for all those looking to incorporate the discipline of prayer into their lives.

Lately, I find that I have lapsed from my prayer routine.  It was my custom to recite Morning Prayer to myself on my subway ride to work, and Evening Prayer on the way back if I had the energy.  But for about the last month now, I find that I haven’t had the energy for various reasons.  For starters, I don’t know if I’ve seen the fruits of my prayer.  And, yes, I know that the point of prayer is not to get something in return; it’s a selfless act that’s meant to change you from within.  But lately I haven’t felt that change.  Sometimes I fear that I really am a product of my time, of a generation that expects instant results that can be measured.  Sometimes I fear that my prayer is just getting lost in the void.  Sometimes I just fear.

So when I read about the original nine days of prayer, I can’t help but feel a little guilty.  The disciples prayed the most when their Lord wasn’t actually with them in person; when they didn’t know if they would ever see him again; when they weren’t sure when (or even if?) his promises would be fulfilled, or when they couldn’t know what a future without him would hold.  What did they pray for?  We know of at least one of their prayers, when they prayed to know who should replace Judas Iscariot.  My pious imagination fills in the eight remaining days with prayers that can probably still be found in a Jewish prayer book (the Siddur).  But deep down, I know it couldn’t have been that simple—not with the roller-coaster ride of the past 40 or so days: losing Jesus on a cross, getting him back, only to lose him again at his Ascension.  Their prayers were no doubt filled with tears, fear, and worry—the words, lost to us; but the emotions so easily recognizable.

There still is such a thing as “steadfast” or “continual” prayer.  Known as “perpetual prayer”, many churches and organizations, like the Jerusalem House of Prayer, and the International House of Prayer, commit to the practice of praying 24/7.  Smartphone apps like “Instapray” (which I need to start using again) also follow this model; people may ‘pray’ with you in the app, and prayers are reposted on Twitter.  In addition, there’s the individual practice of the “Jesus Prayer”, in which the simple prayer is synchronized to the rhythm of one’s breath.  I find great comfort in the idea of perpetual prayer because it reminds me that, in times when I don’t have the energy to pray, someone out there is praying for me.  In these nine days, I pray that I may soon find again the strength and focus to return the favor. 

Prayer of the Day

O God, the King of glory,

you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ

with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven.

We pray you, do not leave us comfortless,

but send us your Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us,

and exalt us to the same place

where Christ our Savior has gone before;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect for the Sunday after the Ascension, Book of Common Prayer, 1662 and 1979

Grant, we pray, Almighty God,

that, as we believe your only-begotten Son

our Lord Jesus Christ

to have ascended into heaven,

so we may also in heart and mind there ascend,

and with him continually dwell;

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect #2 for Ascension Day, Book of Common Prayer (1979)

Hymn: “Come, Holy Spirit, by whose breath”

(Words: attributed to Rabanus Maurus, 776-856, paraphrase of ‘Veni Creator Spiritus; translated to English by John Webster Grant, 1919-; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015

Tune: ‘Komm Gott Schöpfer’, from the 9^th century Latin ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’, melody found in Eyn Enchiridion, 1524)

Come, Holy Spirit, by whose breath

Life rises vibrant out of death.

Come to create, renew, inspire;

Come, kindle in our hearts your fire.

You are the seeker’s sure resource,

Of burning love the living force,

Protector in the midst of strife,

The Giver and the Lord of life.

In you God’s energy is shown;

To us your varied gifts make known.

Teach us to speak, teach us to hear;

Yours is the tongue and yours the ear.

Flood our dull senses with your light.

In mutual love our hearts unite.

Your pow’r the whole creation fills.

Confirm our weak, uncertain wills.

From inner strife grant us release.

Turn nations to the ways of peace.

To fuller life your people bring,

That as one body we may sing.

Praise to the Father and the Son,

Praise to the Spirit, Three-in-One,

To whom all honor, glory be

Both now and through eternity.

Asking for another way to live

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

(Rogate)

Readings:

James 1:22-27

John 16:23-33

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Jas. 1:27: “Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

John 16:33: Jesus said, “I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you have oppression; but cheer up!  I have overcome the world.”

Reflection

Last Sunday, approximately 100 Muslims, Christians, and Jews joined hands to form a symbolic “peace ring” around the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.  The interfaith group drew inspiration from a similar “peace ring” formed earlier this year by more than 1,000 Muslims in Norway, around Oslo’s synagogue, following an attack on a Danish synagogue.  However, by cruel coincidence, Cincinnati’s “peace ring” was followed hours later by a shooting in Texas, at the “Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest”, an event which many Muslims might consider blasphemous.  And so, like a never ending roller-coaster ride, criminal acts lead to moving displays of solidarity and affirmation, which only then become overshadowed by more violence, and the cycle goes on.

Today is “Rogation Sunday”, so called because in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus promises his disciples: “Whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you… Ask, and you will receive.”  This is why most Christian prayer ends with the formula “we ask this through Jesus Christ”, or some other variation.  Chronologically, Jesus said these words in order to prepare and console his disciples for his imminent death.  Liturgically, we ponder these words on the Sunday before the Ascension, when he is taken up from us in glory, and we, too, will not see him anymore.  The note of triumph, with which this passage ends, makes me think it was deliberately assigned to this Sunday.  Jesus’ last words while in the flesh are symbolically made to be: “Cheer up!  I have overcome the world.”

And yet, when I sit down and think about the cycles of peace rings and shootings, or natural disasters like the Nepal earthquake which killed over 7,000 people, or the countless other things going on in this world, I’m honestly not really feeling it this week—that is, I’m not feeling prepared, consoled, or even cheery.  “Ask, and you will receive.”  I want to ask why things have to be so, why both good and bad prosper together in seeming silence.  I want to ask for relief, protection, and sustenance for the thousands of people in the world who must daily go without these.  I want to ask what I can do to help, or even if I can, or if I should even bother.  I want to ask what it means to overcome the world when I feel like the world is overcoming me.

There probably won’t ever be any easy answers to these questions.  But in the middle of all of this, today’s excerpt from Epistle of James brings some things into focus.  James gives a curious (and biblically rare) definition of religion—and not just any religion, but “pure religion”.  What I find interesting about what he says is what he leaves out.  Though he, of course, assumes God’s existence, he doesn’t include God in the definition itself, almost as if belief in a deity is secondary in “pure religion”.  Second, God’s existence does not mean a world without sorrow or hardship.  There will always be orphans and widow(er)s among us; Jesus said the same thing about the poor.  But in their affliction and abandonment, we are to visit them—he didn't say “help” because God knows we won’t always know how to help someone; but we’ll always know how to be present by someone's side.

Life is more than just what we can see or touch.  Through all of its ups and downs, there really is another way we can live: a way of compassion and love of neighbor; a way of being present and connected with those around us; a way of asking without necessarily expecting an answer, or even knowing the question; a way that seeks peace even in the face of violence.  As long as we still remember this way of living, and have the urge to follow it, then hope is not lost—and God really has overcome the world.

Prayer of the Day

O God,

from you all good things proceed.

Grant to your humble servants

that, by your inspiration,

we may meditate on those things which are right,

and by your guidance

may perform the same;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

—Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Easter, as found in the 5^th century Gelasian Sacramentary, the Sarum Missal, the Lund Missal (1514), and the Book of Common Prayer (1662)

O God,

you opened the door of compassion

to your faithful people,

according to your will.

Look down on us in your compassion,

so that, by your grace,

we may follow the way of your will,

and never be swayed from the paths of life;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

—Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Easter, adapted by Joseph A. Soltero from the 5^th century Gelasian Sacramentary.

Hymn: “Sing, my soul, his wondrous love”

(Words: Anonymous, 1800; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015

Tune: ‘St. Bees’, by John Bacchus Dykes, 1823-1876)

Sing, my soul, his wondrous love,

Who, from his bright throne above,

Ever watchful o’er our race,

Still to us extends his grace.

Heav’n and earth by him were made;

All is by his scepter swayed.

What are we that he should show

So much love to us below?

God, the merciful and good,

Bought us with the Savior’s blood,

And, to make salvation sure,

Guides us by his Spirit pure.

Sing, my soul, adore his Name!

Loud his glory now proclaim!

Praise him till he calls you home.

Trust his love for all to come.

"I wish Jesus were still here."

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER

(Cantate)

Readings:

James 1:17-21

John 16:5-15

Key Verses (using the World English Bible):

Jas. 1:21b: “Receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

John 16:12-13a: Jesus said, “I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now.  However when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth.”

Reflection

The latter half of the Season of Easter begins to prepare us for Jesus’ imminent physical departure from Earth.  This is a time when we’re forced to ask ourselves: What does it mean to follow a Savior who pledges “I am with you always,” even as he says “I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more”?

I didn’t realize the importance of that question until taking care of my seven-year-old nephew one night a few months ago.  At bedtime, he asked me to tell him stories about Jesus, so I gave him the “children’s digest” of the traditional readings for the Epiphany Season: the visit of the Three Kings, the losing and finding of the boy Jesus in the Temple, his baptism, miracles and healings.  When I finished, my nephew let out a sigh and said, simply, “I wish Jesus were still here.”

Children especially know the importance of physical presence.  As adults, we may be better at controlling our emotions, but it doesn’t mean we don’t feel absence or loneliness any less than a child does.  Maybe that’s why Jesus calls his followers “little children.”  And now Jesus faces the difficult task of any parent or guardian: How do you comfort a child who may not understand you?  “I have yet many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now,” he says.  I get the range of emotions behind that sentence.  I have many things I want to tell my nephew about life—I want to inspire him with the beauty of this world, of music and literature, community, culture, falling in love; but I also want to prepare him for its ugliness and dangers, violence, hatred, natural and man-made disasters.  The lists go on, but at seven years old, he can’t bear them now.

But there is one thing Jesus thinks his followers can bear, and that’s the “Counselor”.  Also called the “Comforter”, “Advocate” or “Paraclete”, we know him better today as the Holy Spirit.  Yet at this point in the narrative, the Spirit still hadn’t been fully experienced, and some of Jesus’ followers had never even heard of him.  How can you bear something you’ve never known or felt?  Well, one answer is that you don’t.  Three years ago, I wrote:

Jesus’ early followers recalled how he had prepared them for his physical absence by sending them “the Spirit of truth”.  However, many Christians today, myself included, are guilty of ignoring the Holy Spirit.  Liturgical Christianity rarely addresses the Holy Spirit directly.  It’s as if the Holy Spirit has become the “forgotten” Person of the Trinity, tacked on at the end of a prayer—a sin that’s possibly even more “unforgivable” than blaspheming against him.

It’s easy for us to ignore something we can’t put words to.  And yet one of the biggest ironies of our religion is that the more Jesus spoke, the less his followers understood him.  The spoken and written word aren’t enough for us to grasp the fullness of God’s infinite essence of love.

So the Word-made-flesh promises to send what the Epistle of James calls the “implanted word”, whose speech we can understand because it’s in the language of the heart.  We can bear him because we have to, not as some arduous task, but as a free gift from the same God who also freely gave us his image to bear.  We have no choice because he becomes a natural part of our very being.  Our hearts receive him even before we know what’s going on, just as a child receives a mother’s love even before understanding it.

The coming Counselor teaches us that God has never left us.  Knowing this, we can bear anything that comes our way.

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God,

you alone can bring into order

the unruly wills and affections of sinners.

Grant that your people may love what you command,

and desire what you promise;

so that, among the swift and manifold changes of the world,

our hearts may surely be fixed

where true joys are to be found;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

—Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Easter, Book of Common Prayer, 1662; adapted using the 1979 edition, where the collect is used for the Fifth Sunday in Lent.

Hear our prayers, O Lord,

so that those things promised by your holy word

may be completed by the working of your gospel,

and that the fullness of our adoption as your children

may obtain that which the witness of truth has foretold;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

—Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Easter, from the 5^th century Gelasian Sacramentary; translated and adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015

Hymn: “Holy Spirit, light divine”

(Words: Andrew Reed, 1782-1862; adapted by Joseph A. Soltero, 2015

Tune: ‘Song 13’, by Orlando Gibbons, 1583-1625)

Holy Spirit, light divine,

Shine upon this heart of mine.

Chase the shades of night away.

Turn the darkness into day.

Let me see my Savior’s face.

Let me all his beauties trace.

Show those glorious truths to me,

Which you only know and see.

Holy Spirit, pow’r divine,

Cleanse this guilty heart of mine.

In your mercy, pity me.

From sin’s bondage, set me free.

Holy Spirit, joy divine,

Cheer this saddened heart of mine.

Yield a sacred, settled peace;

Let it grow and still increase.

Holy Spirit, all divine,

Dwell within this heart of mine.

Cast down ev’ry idol throne.

Reign supreme, and reign alone.