25
December. 1662 Book of Common Prayer. Christmas
Day. Some necessary adjustments were
made for the Eskimo.com and a few comments were chilled.
Christmas-Day. Some observance of the
Nativity of Our Lord might have existed early in the Church. Given that the
early churches were avidly reading the Apostolic memoirs (cf. Justin Martyr),
the Nativity of Christ might have been—well—a much more frequent reminder. It is akin to those who heavily read the
Bible, front to back, say, once per month.
That is, they’d be reviewing the Nativity in Matthew, Luke and John
12-13 times per year. But in ancient
days the exact day of Our Lord's birth was considered to be unknown. Clement of
Alexandria names, as conjectural dates, May 20th and April 21st. He
seems to discourage, as over-curious, any inquiry into the matter. In the
Western Church, December 25th appears to have been selected in early times; in
the East (as still in the Armenian Church), the Nativity was blended with the
Epiphany and was kept on January 6th; not till about the time of Chrysostom did
the Western usage prevail. Today, in
modern Greece, the old calendar date obtains for their purist stream while the
majority has adopted 25 Dec. Whatever
the date, we rightly focus and remember the Nativity of the “Word made flesh.”
The Light of the world still shines and shall shine in the lives, minds and
hearts of the elect. His Majesty shall
do all His will and all those given to Him shall hear His voice and come to
Him. Alleluia!
The Nativity of our Lord, or the
Birth-day of Christ,
Commonly called Christmas-Day.
Commonly called Christmas-Day.
The
Collect.
LMIGHTY
God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and
as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and
made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy
Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
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