Pentecost,
commonly called Whitsunday.
The
Collect.
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O
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GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful
people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same
Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his
holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said
daily throughout Whitsun Week.
As we will all admit, there is no 'new' thing with God, but all things have
been ordained by an unchanging God from before the foundations of the world.
The writing of the Law of God upon the soft tissues of our hearts is that same
Law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, yet it is now confirmed and sealed in love
rather than the force of unyielding constraint. The English Reformers amended
this prayer of Collect slightly by adding "all things, evermore"
and "holy." Such amendment made the prayer more forceful and
fully comprehensive in truth. Pentecost, or Whitsunday in the English Church,
reflected the wheat harvest in Israel, but it represents the harvest of new
nations in the Christian Gospel. It also recognizes the giving of the Law at
Sinai, and the consummation of the Law in Love at the Coming of the Holy Ghost
to us as a constant Friend and Teacher. Being a day set aside especially for
baptisms and confirmations, Pentecost became known as Whitsunday (White Sunday)
in the English Church due to the white apparel worn by Confirmands.
This Prayer comes from the Gregorian Sacramentary and stresses the frailty of
the human condition and the power and grace of God to save. The tone and
rhetoric of this prayer emphasizes the changelessness of God and His Law, and
the unfolding mystery of that purpose of God in caring for His people through
the agency of Love and Mercy. It opens a beautiful door to an old Gospel
treasure as old as Abraham and before. O GOD, who as at this time
didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people. "This
time" refers to the coming of the Holy Ghost to be our teacher of
all things that Christ has taught us. The Holy Ghost not only teaches
'information,' but knowledge and wisdom which underlies all Scripture. The Holy
Ghost ALWAYS points to Christ only.
Please note that it is His 'faithful people' who
derive benefit of the teaching of the Holy Ghost. It was so in the Old
Testament Wilderness Church of Abraham's and Moses' day, and it is just as true
today in even greater measure - the New Testament Church having the benefit of
settled history to observe in the coming of Christ. This is he, that was
in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount
Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us
(Acts 7:38) The same Finger that wrote upon the sands of Jerusalem before the
Woman Taken in Adultery is the same as that which wrote upon Tables of Stone
before Moses on Sinai. The first writing was to declare the unbending Law of
God - the second was to write Mercy and Grace upon the sands of the forgiven.
It is the hearts of the faithful people of God that can receive, understand,
and benefit from the teaching of the Holy Ghost. To all others, the Word of God
appears as 'foolishness.' For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
(1 Cor 1:18)
Can any read in a room of total darkness? No, we need light, do we not? Words
and meaning cannot be discerned from the page in either physical, or spiritual,
darkness. We need LIGHT! From what source does this Light of Understanding
come? "... by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit.
Until we can learn the meaning and import of the first Passover, how can we
ever fully know the meaning of the crucifixion? The Holy Spirit imparts to us
the Light to see how Christ has made it possible for the Angel of Death to
Passover us in Redemption and Salvation. Christ has become OUR Passover! The
Emmanuel of Christ's Presence is made a constant benefit through the
ministration of His Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost opens a constant flow of
mysteries to our seeking hearts and minds.
Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things.
If we are judged with righteous judgment, we shall never merit Heaven for all
have sinned and come short of the righteousness of God. As it is written,
There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10) And so, we may ask,
what is righteous judgment and by whom may such judgment be exercised? All who
use the true Word and Law of God in judgment use not their own judgment but
that of God. Judge not according to the
appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John
7:24) The modern church forbids us to judge, but Christ never did. In fact,
Christ requires us to judge with righteous judgment. When we are stopped by a
State Trooper for speeding is it HIS judgment that says we are in violation of
the law, or is it the standard of the law that condemns us? It is a righteous
decision to label sin as sin according to God's Immutable Laws. Never allow any
clergyman to tell you that it is wrong to judge with the righteous Law of God
else the Law of God is of none effect.
"..... and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;"
The great comfort that we derive in our close love with the Holy Ghost is
His witness to us that we are considered righteous in Christ even when we are
weak and fail of the standard of righteousness. The warm glow of Love in
our hearts will melt every frozen iceberg of hatred and malice, and turn us to
act out of love and understanding.
Since it is not possible for sin to enter into the gates of heaven, how is it
possible that those of us who have returned to the Father from the filth of the
pig sty, in a far country, to enter in at the gates. Are WE righteous? No, not
at all, but we have an IMPUTED righteousness which Christ has
conferred at the great cost of His stripes and crucifixion FOR
us. When the rejoicing father called for the "best robe" to be
brought and placed upon his sin-laden son, it was representative of that
"Best Robe" (for there is none better) of Christ to be placed over us
to cover our sins. We then appear worthy to God and our sins are covered by
that precious blood of Christ. ". . . through the
merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the
unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. It is the righteousness
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that gives us the merits of Heaven. The
Lord Jesus Christ is of one mind with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Therefore,
the Holy Ghost is able to open our eyes to the riches and mysteries of Christ
because He shares in all meaning and purpose with God the Father and God the
Son. These Three are One just as we all, in Christ, should be One in our Church
with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
