On this first Sunday of Advent, 2011, I would like to call your attention to Archbishop Cranmer's collect for the day:
"Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility..." BCP, Collect for First Advent
The homilist this morning reminded us that we can only go so far in putting on this new garment ourselves. And that's not very far. This is so difficult to remember. We must stop struggling and allow the Lord to put this garment on us. This is what St Paul tells us:
"Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light...and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Romans 13:13-14)
All familiar words and themes: humility, light and dark, putting away of self, putting on Christ.
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