Festival of St. Thorlak, Bishop and Confessor
Posted on December 23, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 3:10-20 (NKJV)
3:10 So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
12 Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”
So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18 And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. 19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, 20 also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.
Devotion
John the Baptist’s preaching was known as a preaching of repentance; and the text for this devotion is the most extensive recorded example of what he said. First, John preaches the Law, which calls us to repentance for the sins we have committed against God and our fellow man. The Law also instructs us in what we should be doing, that those who have means should share with those who do not; that tax collectors and soldiers should not use their authority to extort money from people.
We see that greed, or the desire to abuse power, come easily to people. By recognizing this sin in ourselves, we can see that it is not through our own works or merit that God’s grace comes to us. As John says, he is not the Christ, but Christ is most definitely coming. The coming of the Christ is the great Good News that God, through His life and death, will have mercy on us and forgive us our sins. As the Holy Ghost works faith in us through this preaching of God’s Word, He also gives us strength to do good works—not because we want to earn our salvation, but out of love and thanks to God for what He has done.
Collect: Merciful God, graciously look upon Thy Church here on earth. Strengthen Thy congregation and give Thy Church comfort and peace. Teach the leaders of Thy Church to unite against all obstacles to Thy Word. Guide those who are tempted. Comfort those who suffer any want of body or soul. Prepare Thy congregation to make ready to sincerely and faithfully celebrate the holy feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Gaudete
Lord, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers, and lighten the darkness of our hearts, by Thy gracious visitation; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Advent
Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Saturday in Ember Week in Advent
O God, who seest that we are afflicted because of our iniquity, mercifully grant that we may be comforted by Thy visitation, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
