Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

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On the Feast of The Holy Angels, we give thanks for the many ways in which God’s loving care watches over us, both directly and indirectly, and we are reminded that the richness and variety of God’s creation far exceeds our knowledge of it.

What is the value to us of remembering the Holy Angels? Since they appear to excel us in both knowledge and power, they remind us that, even among created things, we humans are not the top of the heap. Since it is the common belief that demons are angels who have chosen to disobey God and to be his enemies rather than his willing servants, they remind us that the higher we are the lower we can fall. The greater our natural gifts and talents, the greater the damage if we turn them to bad ends. The more we have been given, the more will be expected of us. And, in the picture of God sending his angels to help and defend us, we are reminded that apparently God, instead of doing good things directly, often prefers to do them through his willing servants, enabling those who have accepted his love to show their love for one another.

COLLECT
Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals. Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

READINGS
Daniel 10: 10-14; 12: 1-3
Psalm 103
Revelation 12: 7-12
Luke 10: 17-20 or Matthew 18: 1-10

The following reflection (based on a sermon preached at the Chapel of Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis today) is based on 1 Timothy 5: 1-16.

In our reading today from First Timothy, we are reminded of the solemn duty to respect our Christian brothers and sisters, especially those who are not only a part of our family of faith but those who are a part of our lineal family as well. While general precepts make up the first two verses of our reading, the following fourteen deal with regulations regarding widows. While the application is narrow in the Biblical narrative, its application for today has far reaching implications.

The ancient Church recognized her responsibility to those among her number who were unable to properly care for themselves. From early in her life in Jerusalem the Church practice voluntary giving – to the extent of living a communal lifestyle (see Acts 4:32 – 5:10) for the benefit of all. This voluntary arrangement ensured that every believer, no matter their station in life, had their basic needs met.

In our own era, it is difficult for us to meet our own basic needs, let alone the needs of others. When our checkbooks are low and our wallets thin, we tend to gravitate towards providing for ourselves, even if it means that our charitable contributions to the less-fortunate take second place.

And yet in the midst of persecution and hardship, the earliest believers were known because of their love and compassion for one another. Their voluntary ’socialism’ worked far better than any civil form ever could for one key reason – people entered into it willingly and under the soveregnty of God. They implicitly trusted him for their well-being, and did not stop to count the cost when ensuring that their brothers and sisters had their basic needs met.

At the same time, the Church did not suffer deception gladly, as Paul’s strong words of advice to Timothy display. The first and foremost responsibility in Timothy’s community was for the family of a widow to assist in meeting her needs. Of course, that requires that families remain intact and strong in their love for one another. In our era, far too many families find themselves divided, without strong leadership, without godly submission, and without provision for the needs of everyone in the family unit.

Christians must stop looking to the civil government to meet their needs. Social Security, Medicare, and other federal programs have a place, but in the end it is the Christian charity rooted in the home and in the Church that must rise to the challenge of meeting the needs of those who have nobody else to care for them.

May God give us the courage to reach out to help others sacrifically, not counting the cost, to ensure that our families and the less fortunate among our brotherhood are cared for. In doing so, we will continually strengthen them with the witness of a grace-empowerd faith, and through our works will reinforce the Gospel message to one and all. May our non-believing friends be enabled to say, “See how they love one another,” and recognize the transforming power of the Gospel in our lives.

For further reflection: Isaiah 55: 1-3 

Matthew, a former tax collector (also known as Levi) was called from his civil duties to become an apostle of our Lord. Despised as tax collectors were, his selection was accompanied by no small amount of controversy – at least on the part of some who questioned Jesus’ approach to ministry.

His apostolic activity after Pentecost was at first restricted to the communities of Palestine. Nothing definite is known about his later life. There is a tradition that points to Ethiopia as his field of labor; other traditions mention of Parthia and Persia. It is uncertain whether he died a natural death or received the crown of martyrdom.

Matthew’s Gospel is written from a strongly Jewish viewpoint, and may well have originally been written in Aramaic, the common Semitic dialect of Palestine during Jesus’ lifetime.

COLLECT
We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, following his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

READINGS
Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:11
Psalm 119a
Ephesians 2: 4-10
Matthew 9: 9-13

Januarius, the bishop of Naples, died in 305 during the Diocletian persecution. He was imprisoned while visiting incarcerated deacons at the sulphur mines of Puteoli. After many tortures, including being thrown to lions in the town’s Amphitheater, he was beheaded at Solfatara, along with his companions, including the deacon Festus, the lector Sossus, and his friends Proculus, Acuitus, and Euticius.

COLLECT
Almighty and everlasting God, you planted in the hearts of Januarius and his companions a burden for those imprisoned on account of your Son’s holy name. Grant us a deep awareness of the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are in chains on account of their faith, and, if it be your blessed will, lead us to engage in works which may encourage them in their suffering – even when such works may require us to sacrifice our freedom or our lives. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Ninian was a Celt, born in southern Scotland in about 360, and is regarded as the first major preacher of the Gospel to the people living in Britain north of the Wall–that is, living outside the territory that had been under Roman rule. He is said to have studied in Rome, but was chiefly influenced by his friendship with Martin of Tours, with whom he spent some considerable time when he was returning from Italy to Britain.

Throughout southern Scotland there are many and widespread churches that bear his name, and have traditionally been assumed to be congregations originally founded by him.

COLLECT
God of power and might, by the preaching of your blessed servant and bishop Ninian you caused the light of the Gospel to shine in the heart of the British Isles. Grant, we pray, that having his life and labors in remembrance we may show our thankfulness by following the example of his zeal and patience. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Colossians 2: 8-10, 20-23 (ESV)

We live in the culture of the self-help guru. Someone, with some kind of experiential background, has come to a realization about some aspect of life, and needs to share it with us. They publish countless books, have a television show, go on a speaking tour. They are well known, and appear on all the fashionable talk shows. Their advice seems sound enough, and they obviously have benefited in some way from their experiences, so they must have some idea of what they are talking about.

Certainly there is nothing wrong with the Christian choosing to listen to someone who might fit the description above, but as a Christian, we have a solemn responsibility to evaluate the choices of our lives (and the advice of such individuals) by the light of the unchanging Word of God.

Christ has freed us from worldly wisdom and has given us, in his holy Word, a wisdom rooted in his mercy and compassion. He has not abolished laws and guidelines for the believer (the New Testament is replete with examples of how God expects us to live and conduct ourselves), but he has made it clear that it is a part of our responsibility as his people to evaluate wisdom by his standards, and to make our stand where Christ directs.

This does not mean that every self-help strategy is ungodly or a bad choice for the Christian – hardly so! Many people enter into such a profession in order to share the wisdom that God has shared with them. The problem comes when we uncritically follow down the garden path of anyone and everyone claiming a degree of wisdom in a matter. We must evaluate their counsel, and we must take upon ourselves the responsibility of calling on the Spirit for guidance as we consider moving forward with plans, decisions, choices in life.

May the Spirit guide us in right paths and decisions for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Cyprian was born around 200 in North Africa, of pagan parents. He was a prominent trial lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. Around 246 he became a Christian, and in 248 was chosen Bishop of Carthage. A year later the persecution under the Emperor Decius began, and Cyprian went into hiding, causing him to be severely censured.

Many of his writings have been preserved. His essay “On The Unity of The Catholic Church” stresses the importance of visible, concrete unity among Christians, and the role of the bishops in guaranteeing that unity. It has greatly influenced Christian thought, as have his essays and letters on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

COLLECT
Almighty God, you gave to your servant Cyprian boldness to confess the Name of the Savior before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith. Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

(Because the Commemoration of John Chrysostom falls on a Sunday in 2009, it may be observed on any convenient open day in the following week.)

John was called “Chrysostom” (“Golden Mouth”) because of his eloquence. He was a priest of Antioch, and an outstanding preacher. (Audiences were warned not to carry large sums of money when they went to hear him speak, since pickpockets found it very easy to rob his hearers — they were too intent on his words to notice what was happening.) His sermons are mostly straightforward expositions of Holy Scripture (he has extensive commentaries on both Testaments, with special attention to the Epistles of Paul), and he emphasizes the literal meaning, whereas the style popular at Alexandria tended to read allegorical meanings into the text.

He loved the city and people of Antioch, and they loved him. However, he became so famous that the Empress at Constantinople decided that she must have him for her court preacher, and she had him kidnapped and brought to Constantinople and there made bishop. This was a failure all around. His sermons against corruption in high places earned him powerful enemies (including the Empress), and he was sent into exile, where he died.

COLLECT
Father, you gave your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name. Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching, and faithfulness in ministering your Word, that your people may be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed on the Great Day of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

From ancient times, daily prayer has been a central element of Christian life. In the modern world, time for prayer is often difficult to come by, sour we are happy to present you with three brief orders of prayer for use in your own personal devotions.

Drawn from the 2010 Book of Common Prayer, these forms are simple, take less than ten minutes to offer, and only require you have a Bible handy (or an internet connection with a link to a website such as BibleGateway.com). Hovering over the WORSHIP tab on the site header above will allow you to choose the hour of prayer most appropriate to your local time.

Also avaliable from the Synod’s Prayer Book is The Confessional Service, which is suitable for adaptation at home in preparation for participating in the Lord’s Supper, or for any time of reflection on God’s commandments and mercy.

We hope these resources will be beneficial to you in your spiritual walk.

Four of the many believers who were martyred throughout New Guinea during the Second World War.

Almost immediately there were arrests. Eight clergymen and two laymen were executed by the Japanese Army “as an example” on September 2, 1942. In the next few years 333 church workers of various denominations were killed, while many native Papuan Christians (of all Churches) risked their own lives to care for the wounded.

COLLECT
Almighty God, we remember before you this day the blessed martyrs of New Guinea, who, following the example of their Savior, laid down their lives for their friends; and we pray that we who honor their memory may imitate their loyalty and faith. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.