Week of 1 Advent, Friday

"Do so more and more" (1 Thess. 4:1,10)

The pattern for the Christian life laid out in our Book of Common Prayer is aspirational. In many ways, it's far too much to take on all at once.

The Holy Eucharist on Sundays and other feast days, morning and evening prayer every day, days of special observance -- the calendar itself can be fairly daunting, and that's only pages 15-33.

But we find as we practice living into that pattern that we are able to "do so more and more," that what initially seems daunting over time becomes encouraging. The pattern, far from confining  us, provides a structure upon which to build a life oriented toward God.

Paul urges his church at Thessalonika to "do so more and more," not for their own sakes, but to demonstrate the love of God in Jesus Christ to the Gentiles among whom they live, and work, and worship. It is the same for us. We pray during Morning Prayer that Jesus, who "stretched out [his] arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of his saving embrace" will "so clothe us in [his] Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know [him] to the knowledge and love of [him]" (BCP 101).

We learn to know and love Jesus, in part, because we participate in a pattern of life that places us before God day by day, week by week, year by year. We learn to love Jesus "more and more" and that love leads us "more and more" to reach out to others.

Beloved, in this Advent season of preparation, we urge you to do so -- to learn to love Jesus -- more and more.