The Pilgrim At The End Of His Journey: Thomas Cole

The Collect

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Isaiah 2.1-5

This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the  hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into  ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more. Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

Psalm 122

Refrain: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts.

I was glad when they said to me, *‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’
And now our feet are standing *within your gates, O Jerusalem;
Jerusalem, built as a city *that is at unity in itself.
Thither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, *as is decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For there are set the thrones of judgement, *the thrones of the house of David. R
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *‘May they prosper who love you.
‘Peace be within your walls *and tranquillity within your palaces.’
For my kindred and companions’ sake, *I will pray that peace be with you.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, *I will seek to do you good.

Refrain: How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts.

Second Reading: Romans 13.11-14

Brothers and sisters, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 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; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 24.36-44

Jesus said: “No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Prayers of Intercession

(These are supplied by the Church of England in Visual Liturgy, and are suitable for use throughout Advent).

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid we pray to Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and judge.
We pray for …
Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations.
We pray for …
Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter.
We pray for …
Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls.
We remember …
Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil and death.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory.
Lift us up to meet you, that with [N and] all your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha:
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

I usually listen to some appropriate music as I write these prayers. I have tried having jolly hymns in the background, but that doesn’t quite work. I have tried Gregorian chant, but that is quite remote. I have now discovered the You Tube page of Fr Alexandr Avraham Winogradsky Frenkel. He has one of the most challenging of any ministries that I know as Archpriest in the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.   I follow him on Facebook and Twitter and, although we have never met face to face, our relationship is perfectly ‘real’. He is in the middle of a sequence of ‘Allilous Prayer’, intercessionary chants. Today we have reached #8:

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we rejoice when we come into the house of our God together with our companions in faith. Even weary and tired, yet our feet will stand within the gates of the city of peace. Drawn ever closer to the celestial city, to the place of prayer and of presence, to faith renewed and hope restored, we your people make the long ascent to your summit, to the seat of your judgment and mercy. Jerusalem, the goal of our longing, where the pilgrims gather in unity.

Lord, raise up our eyes that we may see the city of all our dreams: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, you created the world and saw that it was good. But the human institutions that have grown up are flawed, and in some places the powerful oppress the weak. Your people pray for change, but we also fear it. Help us this Advent to accept the challenge to say ‘yes’, to see that even the largest waves can be surfed by the bold and determined, and that action in your name undertaken as part of the Body of Christ need not overwhelm us in defeat but may take us on the most exhilarating of journeys together on the way to a shining city on a hill.

Lord, raise up our eyes that we may see the city of all our dreams: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, prepare us  in our own community for your coming.  Be ever-present in our homes, as we prepare for you. Fill the hearts of our families, friends and neighbours with your spirit so that we may see you more clearly in them day by day. May your love inspire them to put aside all conflict and be the best that they can be. And may they be inspired to join us all in our great Christian journey.

Lord, raise up our eyes that we may see the city of all our dreams: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, strengthen us to be ready to enter into the pain and sorrow of others. Help us to put you first, and to respond with your love, and in your name,  to a world in need. Make us instruments of your healing and, where there is despair, let us sow hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. May we not so much seek to be consoled as to console, or to be loved as to love. For  you have no hands or feet but ours.

Lord, raise up our eyes that we may see the city of all our dreams: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Lord, come down, come in among us so that we may know that life is eternal, that those whom we love, but who have departed this life, are in your safe-keeping. May they rest in peace and rise in glory.

Lord, raise up our eyes that we may see the city of all our dreams: in your mercy, hear our prayer.
.