O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
It’s not easy, at first, to get a sense of what is on Paul’s mind as we read today’s excerpt. But if you compare the first several verses to most of his other letters, you will notice the jarring absence of a prayer of thanksgiving directly after the initial greeting. Paul is astonished. He’s actually angry.
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 your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Feast of Advocacy and Consolation – The Feast of Pentecost is believed by a host of scholars to be the day that Christianity, as a faith movement, was born. The First Sunday of Advent might begin our liturgical year, but it’s Pentecost – as a point in time and space – where what we know of what it means to be Christ’s body, made an initial, quantum leap into expressed reality.
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Voices of Ascension returns with a season of classics, favorites, and hidden treasures. Suffused with the warm glow of hundreds of candles, Voices of Ascension opens with the beloved Candlelight Christmas Concerts featuring young artists, traditional carols, and classic holiday melodies. Next, VOA returns to the classical era with works by Mozart and Haydn, friends and iconic composers. Our 27th season also includes Bach’s
It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of this particular gospel passage in Christian thought. The love command that Jesus gives here – here in this crux-y place nestled between open ministry and inner revelation – this command to love, as it is expressed here, is typically understood as both the center of Jesus’ teaching and the center of Christian life. And most scholars see this very passage as pivotal to the structure and theology of John’s Gospel: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.”
In their last concert of the season Voices of Ascension presents Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 8pm. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the richest choral tradition in European history took root in the Low Countries. Renaissance polyphony continued to develop across Europe, but it all began in the Burgundian Netherlands, home to Josquin, Ockeghem, Isaac,
Revelation begins on Patmos, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea. The risen Christ appears and dictates, to John, seven messages to the churches in Asia Minor. John is then transported to the heavenly world, where he beholds the throne of God, God who is praised as Creator of all. God’s right hand holds a sealed book, which is taken by the Lamb – and as the Lamb opens the seals, terrible judgments are inflicted upon the earth. The final seal, the seventh, unfolds into…