Collect for First Sunday of Advent
Collect for the First Sunday in Advent:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Here is a timely collect for the first Sunday of Advent, because it reminds us that we live the Christian life by grace, from start to finish. Ephesians makes this plainly clear: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8). His grace makes us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17); and through grace he completes the good work he began in us (Philippians 1:6). This is the good news of the Gospel.
While grace is a gift freely given by God, we must also arm ourselves in the mighty power of the Lord, what the Apostle Paul calls the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (6:13–18)
On the one hand, these verses teach that most of God’s armor is defensive armor — the helmet and breastplate and belt and shoes and shield protect our minds and hearts and souls and faith-walk. On the other hand, the sword of the Spirit has both defensive and offensive edges. Fashioned by God himself, forged from the Word and the Spirit, the sword defends us from the intimidating slashes and strikes of the enemy; and it empowers us to strike and slice through every scheme of darkness. Hallelujah!
As we begin Advent, may we celebrate the Christ, the Child of Light, who dawned in the midst of our darkness. May we also walk as bearers of that light, full of the strength of the Lord and clad with the armor of God, as we anticipate his coming again as the King of glory.
