At Matins in Advent, I use this penitential sentence (found in 1662 and 1926), the proclamation of Saint John the Baptist. The dark December mornings begin with the words of the Forerunner, cutting through the cold, the pressing demands of the approach of the festive season, thoughts too easily distracted by the prospects of busy roads and Christmas-card writing.
The odd, discomforting character of John - "his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey" - is what I need alongside the the joyous anticipation of Advent: an incessant reminder from the Judean wilderness that all is not well, with the world, with the Church, with me.
That Our Lord takes for Himself these very words of John (Matthew 4.17) emphasises their significance. That John, he who is "more than a prophet", "among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater" (Matthew 11:9 & 11), said these words, this alone requires the attentiveness of heart, mind, and soul; that they are words also take up by Our Lord, He who is Emmanuel, can leave us in no doubt.
"To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
The distinctive Matthean "kingdom of heaven" is also of significance in Advent. This is not the place to expound the strengths of the proposition of Matthaean priority, but Matins in Advent beginning with words from Saint Matthew invites us to be rooted in that Gospel during this season; rooted in the Gospel which opens with words which particularly resonate in Advent, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham".
The words of the Baptist, heard at the outset of Advent Matins, echo across the office.
They alert us to the Benedictus and call us to more deeply ponder its prophecy of the witness of John:
And thou, Child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people : for the remission of their sins ...
The words of the Forerunner address us at the beginning of Matins in Advent; in the midst of Matins, we praise the God of Israel for the ministry of the Forerunner; and then, as the office draws to a close, we pray in the words of the great Advent collect that the words of John would move us in heart, mind, and soul:
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life ...
Using S. Matt. 3.2 as the penitential sentence at Matins during Advent also brings us to be alert to John's presence throughout the season. As we sing 'On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry'; as the figure of John looms large the Gospel readings of the Sundays of Advent (Advent III and IV in 1662, Advent II and III in Year A of the three year lectionary); as we light the third candle of the Advent wreath.
Hearing the words of John at the beginning of Matins in Advent draws me to think of the account of Apollos in Acts 18:
And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John
It is a statement of the power of John's witness and proclamation. Indeed, we can go further. The fact that all four gospels embrace the witness and proclamation of John shows that it - he - is necessary if our faith in Christ is to be truly grounded in the Scriptures and the saving purposes of the God of Israel.
May the words of Saint John the Baptist, not least his proclamation in S. Matt. 3.2, draw us in this season of Advent to have hearts and minds prepared to receive afresh the One whose Nativity brings to us the kingdom of heaven.
(The icon of John is 14th century, from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai.)
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