Wednesday, December 21, 2011

By adoption and grace

The latest edition of The Living Church in my letter box has an article by Bryan Crowe on Cranmer's Christmas collect ... here is the collect for our edification and prayers this Christmas:

Almighty 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 Ghost;
through the same our Lord Jesus Christ,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit,

ever one God, world without end.

Interstingly, our NZPB makes modest changes to this (p. 556):

Almighty God,
you gave your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him,
and be born of the Virgin Mary;
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewe by your Holy Spirit;
through our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God now and for ever.

4 comments:

liturgy said...

Thanks, Peter,
my reflection on this collect is here:
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/reflection/556b.html

Blessings

Bosco

Father Ron Smith said...

Thank God. It is not by 'Good Works' but purely by God's grace, that we are redeemed. Alleluia!

Jesus said: "Who are you calling good? There is One Alone who is Good"

Peter Carrell said...

Good reflection, Bosco!

It is indeed grace, Ron, revealed to us by the precious Scriptures of God, which itself is a provision of grace!

laudable Practice said...

Peter, many thanks for linking to the article - much appreciated. It does strike me, however, that the change from "pure Virgin" to "Virgin Mary" is perhaps not without some significance. There is at least a case to be made that "pure Virgin" was a soteriological rather than biological reference. (And that is how ARCIC's "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" appears to interpret "pure Virgin".)