The Circumcision of Christ
The collect for today, the Circumcision of Christ, from the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle: Romans 4:8-14
The Gospel: St Luke 2:15-21
Artwork: Lodovico Cigoli, The Circumcision, late 1590s. Oil on canvas, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.