Annunciation of the Lord
This Sunday we look forward to welcoming James’s extended whanau as he is baptised into Christ’s Church family. We pray for James and all those that will support him in his life as a disciple of Jesus. Many thanks to Marnie for preaching this Sunday. “We beseech thee, O Lord, pour your grace into our hearts; that as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought into the Glory of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” This is the collect for the celebration of The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary we find in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. This is a “principal feast” that is celebrated on March 25th (Tuesday) and therefore is not displaced by any other celebration. It’s a feast that commemorates the message of the Angel Gabriel to Mary and the Incarnation of Christ (Luke 1, 26-38). In early medieval times it was called the “Annunciation of the Lord” or the “Conception of Christ,” indicating its focus as a festival of the Lord. Its date, March 25, is placed nine months before the celebration of Christ’s birth (Christmas). The collect above is recited at the conclusion of the Angelus which is also prayed by many Anglicans.
Archibald Knowles in his book refers to the Angelus as ’the memorial of the Incarnation’ and notes that “In the Mystery of the Incarnation we worship and adore Our Lord as God of God, we honour and reverence Saint Mary as ‘Blessed among women.’ In honouring Mary, the Instrument of the Incarnation, we really honour Christ, Who became Incarnate.” Here at St Mark’s we will break our Lenten fast and celebrate The Annunciation of our Saviour to the Blessed Virgin Mary / Te Whakapuakitanga o tō tātou Kaiwhakaora ki te Puhi Tapu ki a Meri, on Tuesday, 7pm in the St Anne’s chapel.
God Bless
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