25 Sep 2010, NT lection for the 16th Sunday after Trinity. Luke 1.57ff to the end.
Eternal God, Thou hast kept Thy word of promise through the Edenic, Noahaic, Abrahamic, Sinaitic and Newer Covenants to "be our God," to us and our children. Despite the vast defections and manifold sins of wickedness of ourselves and our peoples--including so-called Anglicans--yet, Thou hast been faithful...even in the wilderness and Babylonian Captivity. Thou art always faithful. Zacharias, like Mary, saw Thy historic fidelity in this evening's lection. Help us to arise above the infidelities of our times--including Anglican Bishops. O God, this nation is awash with Anabaptistic-Pentecostalists who appear to have no knowledge of the Abrahamic Covenant--they have cast it off, if they even know of it. Even R.C. Sproul, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and Ref21 make common cause with those who oppugn, impugn and dismiss Thy covenant with Abraham. Strengthen Thy remnant, merciful Sovereign. Strengthen our arms for war that we may tower above that "of teachers" (Ps.119.99-100), several who--bishops included--have deserted, fled and left us as orphans. But, Thou, O God, hast not deserted. Thy Son has prayed for us in John 17. Nor has our our faithful High Priest deserted us, Christ Jesus, who is ever the same and ever faithful...forever, through all generations. It is through HM, our Saviour, in Whom we explicitly and exclusively trust, that we pray, Amen.
We close as a responsorial to Luke 1.67ff with the Nunc Dimittis by Stanford. We depart in peace, "according to Thy Word." Not a Pope's, Bishop's or any other's word, but HM's Word. Simeon had it right (Luke 2.29-32). We Prayer Book Anglicans repair to God's Word and biblical responsorials to it.
Many of us have been deserted by bishops, presbyters and deacons. Good lesson--depend on HM.
Also, for "new joins, we begin EP or Evensong with a Psalm at the beginning and end. Psalm 88 and 89 tonight, using the chants from St. Paul's, London, UK, a set we continue to commend for Heritage Anglicans. Of course, we sang the 25th day for Psalms, 119.73-104. As historic Anglicans, we are Psalm-singers.
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