Advice for the New Year

On this New Year’s Eve, the Epistle selection from the Daily Office is taken from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, and it is excellent advice for the new year:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 5: 16- 6:2).

Use the eyes of Christ to see others. Be an instrument of reconciliation. Do not take God for granted. Give thanks for everything God has given you. It is great advice for the new year.

Let us pray: Eternal God, we pray that we may see others through the eyes of Your Son, that the Holy Spirit may make us instruments of peace and reconciliation, and that we always give thanks to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.

9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Bishop Doyle will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially all children throughout the world who are suffering, Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob for a speedy recovery from surgery, and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

A Time to Examine One's Conscience

As we draw to the end of 2010, the Daily Office Gospel reading for today is taken from the Gospel according to John, and it is the familiar story of the woman caught in adultery. It is a fitting reading as we close one year and begin another. It encourages us to search our consciences to examine how we may have failed to live up to God’s call to us. John writes:

Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’ (Jn. 8: 2-11).

Jesus’ action of writing on the ground, and we can only imagine the list he scribbled, caused those who were ready to stone the woman to examine their consciences. How had they failed to live up to God’s call to them to be holy? One by one, they realized that they were far from perfect. At year’s end, we can stop to search our souls and see how we have fallen short of God’s call to us.

Let us pray: Loving Father, we have often done those things which we ought not to have done and have failed to do those things that we ought to have done. Help us to search our souls, o be honest with ourselves, to seek forgiveness, to forgive ourselves, and to resolve to amend our ways. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.

9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and Bishop Doyle will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially all children throughout the world who are suffering, Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob for a speedy recovery from surgery, and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Matthew tells us:

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’ (Mt. 2: 13-18).

St. Augustine of Hippo called these children “buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves.” Innocent children all over the world suffer from hunger, disease, war and neglect inflicted by modern day Herods. We do not have to look far. Even in the richest nation in the world, there are innocent children suffering. On the Island, St. Vincent’s House and the Jesse Tree minister to these little ones. Remember to pray for these children and to do what you can to alleviate their pain.

Collect for the day: We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.

9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially all children throughout the world who are suffering, Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob for a speedy recovery from surgery, and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Feast of St. John Apostle and Evangelist

Today is the Feast of St. John Apostle and Evangelist (transferred to today because Christmas fell on a Saturday and the first Sunday after Christmas was the next day).

In our dining room, we have a page from a medieval missal (service book) with the gradual (the chant or hymn sung before the reading of the Gospel, similar to a sequence hymn) for the feast day. In Latin, it reads: “Exiit sermo inter fratres, quod discipulus ille non moritur. Et non dixit Jesus: No moritur. Sed: Sic eum volo manere, donec veniam: tu me sequere,” which means: “This saying therefore went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say: He should not die. But: So I will have him to remain until I come: follow thou Me.”

Funny, isn’t it, that even the disciples were not free from spreading a rumor. The disciples were saying that John was not going to die. Jesus had to set them straight. Yes, John would die, but Jesus would be always with him, just as Jesus is with us today.

Jesus says this not only to John, but to the disciples and to the rest of us on this feast day, “Follow thou Me.”

Collect for the day: Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light; that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil.

9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob (for a speedy recovery from surgery) and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Feast of St. Stephen, Deacon & Martyr

Today is the feast of St. Stephen, deacon and martyr. It is normally celebrated on the 26th of December, but was transferred to Monday since the 26th was a Sunday.

We read about Stephen in the Acts of the Apostles. James Kiefer writes:

The early Christian congregations, like the Jewish synagogues, had a program of assistance for needy widows, and some of the Greek-speaking Jews in the Jerusalem congregation complained that their widows were being neglected. The apostles replied: "We cannot both preach and administer financial matters. Choose seven men from among yourselves, respected, Spirit-filled, and of sound judgment, and let them be in charge of the accounts, and we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word." The people accordingly chose seven men, including Stephen, and the apostles laid their hands on them. They are traditionally considered to be the first deacons, although the Scriptures do not use the word to describe them. (The Scriptures do refer to officials called deacons in the local congregations, without being very specific about their duties; and a century or more later, we find the organized charities of each local congregation in the hands of its deacons.)

Stephen was an eloquent and fiery speaker, and a provocative one. (Some readers have speculated that some of his fellow Christians wanted to put him in charge of alms in the hope that he would administer more and talk less.) His blunt declarations that the Temple service was no longer the means by which penitent sinners should seek reconciliation with God enraged the Temple leaders, who caused him to be stoned to death. As he died, he said, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." One of those who saw the stoning and approved of it was Saul (or Paul) of Tarsus, who took an active part in the general persecution of Christians that followed the death of Stephen, but who was later led to become a Christian himself.

Collect for the day: We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand: where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

6 January 2010 at 6 p.m.: We will feed about 30 volunteers who are working with The Episcopal Diocese of Texas Relief and Development. These workers will also help us with the community garden by filling the planters with soil. We have chicken for the meal so all we will need are the sides.

9 January 2010: The Baptism of the Lord. We will also celebrate the Epiphany with King Cake that Sunday provided by Rose Daniels. The Annual Parish meeting will also be held with an election for 2 Bishop’s Committee persons and a delegate to send to the 162nd Diocesan Council.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church will visit St. Augustine. We will have two clean-up days prior to her arrival.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob and the family of the Rev. Stacy Stringer as they grieve the loss of her father.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

A New Day Is Dawning

In the Gospel reading for this Wednesday in the fourth week of Advent, we hear from Luke who tells us about Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth. The women play a key role in Luke’s Gospel as we see here:

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home. (Lk 1:39-56).

Mary’s song of praise, which we call “The Magnificat,” tells us that the coming of Jesus heralds a new way. It will not be business as usual. There will be a change, a turning around 180 degrees, in Greek “a metanoia.” Emmanuel, God with us, is coming to turn things upside down. He is coming to scatter the proud in the thoughts of their hearts, to bring down the powerful from their thrones, to lift up the lowly, to fill the hungry with good things and to send the rich away empty. The day is at its darkest hour, but a new day is dawning.

Let us pray: Come Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to the joy of your kingdom, where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Tammie Taylor has the following Christmas Flower offerings. If yours is not on the list, please let Tammie know at galvestontam@aol.com:

In honor of Carol Hogan from Joe Lombard
In honor of their family, especially Chase, Brayden, Daria and Van from Bill and Tammie Taylor
In memory George Derrick and in honor of Nellie Derrick from Tom and Jillian Bain
In honor of The Rev. Chester and Mary Makowski from Tom and Jillian Bain
In memory of my parents and my sisters from Earlie Evans
In memory of Lester and Alberta Bain from Tom and Jillian Bain

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II at 5:00 p.m. on 24 December.

Feeding of the volunteers at William Temple: St. Augustine will feed about 30 volunteers on the week that the workers will be helping us with the Community Garden. This will take place the first week of January. I will obtain the final details from the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Disaster Relief coordinators.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, and the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle will be at St. Augustine.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob, Peggy Moore Elliott and the family of the Rev. Janet Gilmore.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Saying "Yes" to God

On this Wednesday in the fourth week of Advent, we hear from Luke who tells us about Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger, and we see how different her response is from Zechariah’s:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her. (Lk. 1:26-38).

Unlike Zechariah, who thought that it all depended on him so what God wanted to do was impossible because he and his wife were too old, Mary is “perplexed”, Luke tells us, but she cooperates with God saying, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” She understood the angel’s statement that “nothing is impossible with God.” Nothing. Some of us respond like Zechariah who is quick to limit God, others respond like Mary who cooperates with God, trusting in God, and not placing limits on God. As Paul tells us, God can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Mary knew that. Today, be open like Mary. God can do the impossible, even with you.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II at 5:00 p.m. on 24 December.

Feeding of the volunteers at William Temple: St. Augustine will feed about 30 volunteers on the week that the workers will be helping us with the Community Garden. This will take place the first week of January. I will obtain the final details from the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Disaster Relief coordinators.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, and the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle will be at St. Augustine.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob, Peggy Moore Elliott and the family of the Rev. Janet Gilmore.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

We Find the Almighty Where We Least Expect Him

In the Monday of the fourth week of Advent, we hear from the prophet Isaiah who writes:

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze,
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11: 1-9).

Israel waited; it waited for the Lord. Israel longed for the restoration of the kingdom, but God had a much bigger plan! God’s plan was to restore all creation, not just Israel, but all of humanity. The Messiah, the anointed one, the long expected one did not arrive with great fanfare and in full armor, but in humility and in vulnerability, as a babe. Moreover, this babe was and is Emmanuel, which means “God with us”. God himself took on our very vulnerability as humans and became like us in every way, even death. When we read the words from the prophet Isaiah, we can see Jesus in those words.

You and I must look for Jesus not only in days past, but in our present, as we look for him to come again. Today, remember to look for Christ. Look for Christ this week. Jesus will be where you least expect him.

Let us pray: Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THANKS TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL CHEFS WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING BREAKFAST! Thank you to Jo and Jim Bremer who started the ball rolling again with our breakfast fellowship on Sunday mornings. The recent breakfasts have been, well, nothing short of spectacular! Thank you to Pat Tate and her crew, Melva Pope and Liz Mack, who did a wonderful breakfast with grits that were out of this world; to Carol and Joe Hogan and Peggy Tuthill whose breakfast rivaled the Galvez, and to the Lidstone Family who made from scratch biscuits and gravy, hash browns and topped it all off with eggs with sausage! Thank you so very much for your ministry!

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II at 5:00 p.m. on 24 December.

Feeding of the volunteers at William Temple: St. Augustine will feed about 30 volunteers on the week that the workers will be helping us with the Community Garden. This will take place the first week of January. I will obtain the final details from the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Disaster Relief coordinators.

16 January 2010: the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, and the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle will be at St. Augustine.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi, Carol, Lee, John, Bob, Peggy Moore Elliott and the family of the Rev. Janet Gilmore.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Maria Stewart

During Advent, we hear from the prophetic voices of John the Baptizer, but also from voices like Maria Stewart.

In 2009, the Episcopal Church provisionally adopted the commemoration of Maria Stewart (Maria Miller) who was born in 1803 in Hartford, Connecticut and died on this day in December of 1879. She was an African American public speaker, abolitionist, and feminist. At the age of five she became an orphan and was sent to live with a minister and his family, where she was a servant in their home. She later moved to Boston, and married James W. Stewart. He died after only three years of marriage, and she was cheated out of a considerable inheritance. She then embarked on a short (1831-1833) writing and public speaking career, for which she is best known. Her most famous speech was Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality The Sure Foundation on which We Must Build. This and others were published in William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator.

She later moved to New York, and then to Washington, D.C., where she was head matron of the Freedman's Hospital.

Collect of the day: God, in whose service alone is perfect freedom: We thank you for your modern prophetic voice Maria Stewart, who testified that we are made not by the color of our skin but by the principle formed in our soul. Fill us, like her, with the hope and determination to break every chain of enslavement, that bondage and ignorance may melt like wax before flames, and we may build that community of justice and love which is founded on Jesus Christ our cornerstone; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II: 24 December at 5:00 p.m.

Adult Christian Formation: The Advent series continues next Sunday.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting: Next Sunday to discuss the Presiding Bishop’s visit on 16 January and the year end matters for Diocesan Council.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Cindi, Carol, Bob, John, the Huellar family and Lee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Sing a New Song

Psalm 33 is one of the appointed Psalms for today, Thursday in the third week of Advent. The Psalmist prays:

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.
Praise befits the upright.
Praise the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
Sing to him a new song;
play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle;
he put the deeps in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands for ever,
the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
all the inhabitants of the earth—
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
and by its great might it cannot save.
Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

We are preparing to “sing a new song” as we approach Christmas where we will celebrate not only Jesus’ birth over 2000 years ago, but His coming again, and most importantly, Christ’s presence in our hearts and among us. Jesus delivers our souls from death; He is our help. Rejoice and be glad, and sing a new song. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II: 24 December at 5:00 p.m.

Adult Christian Formation: The Advent series continues next Sunday.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting: Next Sunday.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Cindi, Carol, Bob, John, the Huellar family and Lee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Guide Us Lord

The Epistle reading for today picks up where yesterday’s left off in the Second Letter of Peter. The community is warned about false teachers:

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment —especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones. (2 Pet. 2: 1-10).

How does one discern what is false? How do we recognize a false teacher? This can be a difficult task.

First, prayer is necessary. We must be open and listen to the Holy Spirit. God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts.

Second, anything that separates us from God is, more likely than not, false. To be sure, there will be times in our lives when we will have dry spells and feel that God is distant, but a separation from God is usually indicated by what we do and how we treat others. If someone advocates lashing out at others, I would beware. People who thrive on division may very well be false teachers, and always being angry is a sure sign of someone who is a false teacher.

Let us pray: O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist Rite II: 24 December at 5:00 p.m.

Adult Christian Formation: The Advent series continues next Sunday.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting: Next Sunday.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Cindi, Carol, Bob, John and Lee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

You Know

The appointed Epistle reading today is a continuation of Peter’s Second Letter. Today we read:

Therefore I intend to keep on reminding you of these things, though you know them already and are established in the truth that has come to you. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to refresh your memory, since I know that my death will come soon, as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Pet. 1: 12-21).

There is a billboard on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel which goes into New York City placed by the organization American Atheists which reads: “You KNOW it’s a Myth. This Season, Celebrate REASON.”

Today’s Epistle reading takes issue with the billboard. Those who profess not to believe in God certainly take a great deal of time and effort in attempting to refute God’s existence. One might almost say that they are “dogmatic” about it, even trying to “evangelize” those who do believe.

In the miracle of the Incarnation, the eternal God takes on human mortality, the omnipotent God takes on human vulnerability; God the creator becomes the created. I have to admit, that’s not very reasonable, but neither is love. Love that sacrifices is not reasonable. Just ask any parent.

You and I know love is not a myth. Celebrate the Reason for the Season, the Miracle of the Incarnation, the Word become Flesh, Jesus Christ.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE SATURDAY’S BBQ FUNDRAISER AN UNMATCHED SUCCESS! Thank you to Neil Strawder who came home to help and who brought all of his BBQ buddies with him, and thank you to each and every one of you who made this work. St. Augustine is blessed with people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who work to build God’s Kingdom in our part of the world. Melva will have the final accounting, but from the initial numbers, it appears that St. Augustine’s has outdone itself! Here is a link to the Houston Press article on the event and St. Augustine’s:

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/12/neil_bigmista_strawder_returns.php

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist: 24 December at 5:00 p.m.

Adult Christian Formation: The Advent series continues next Sunday.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting: Next Sunday.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Cindi, Carol, Bob, John and Lee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Everything We Need Is Given To Us

Today’s Epistle reading is taken from the first Second of Peter. It is a short letter with a dual purpose: (1) to discuss Christ’s second coming (a good Advent theme), and (2) to warn against false teachers. Although tradition has it that Peter wrote it, even the Church Fathers in the first few hundred years of Christianity thought that it was written not by Peter but by someone who was taught by Peter. This type of writing and attribution was common during that time, and the Church recognizes that it has the authentic stamp of apostolic teaching. Today we read:

Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you. (2 Pet. 1: 1-11).

The core of today’s message is found in the beginning: “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Not just some things that we need, but everything that you and I need to live holy lives is given to us by Christ. What more do we need but to follow where Jesus leads us? During this third week of Advent that is something to rejoice about as we prepare our hearts to rejoice Jesus who gives us all that we need.

Let us pray: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE SATURDAY’S BBQ FUNDRAISER AN UNMATCHED SUCCESS! Thank you to Neil Strawder who came home to help and who brought all of his BBQ buddies with him, and thank you to each and every one of you who made this work. St. Augustine is blessed with people who are filled with the Holy Spirit and who work to build God’s Kingdom in our part of the world. Melva will have the final accounting, but from the initial numbers, it appears that St. Augustine’s has outdone itself! Here is a link to the Houston Press article on the event and St. Augustine’s:
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2010/12/neil_bigmista_strawder_returns.php

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Christmas Eve Eucharist: 24 December at 5:00 p.m.

Adult Christian Formation: The Advent series continues next Sunday.

Bishop’s Committee Meeting: Next Sunday.

Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially, Cindi, Carol, John and Lee.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Do Not Fret; Trust in the Lord; Delight in the Lord; Commit Your Way to the Lord; Be Still, and Refrain from Anger.

One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 37:

Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity.
The wicked plot against the righteous,
and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he sees that their day is coming.
The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows
to bring down the poor and needy,
to kill those who walk uprightly;
their sword shall enter their own heart,
and their bows shall be broken.
Better is a little that the righteous person has
than the abundance of many wicked.
For the arms of the wicked shall be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.
The Lord knows the days of the blameless,
and their heritage will abide for ever.

The Psalmist offers wise advise for the holidays as many of us get stressed out over all that “has to be done” as you battle parking lots, angry shoppers, and demanding family members. The Psalmist tells us:

do not fret;

trust in the Lord;

delight in the Lord;

commit your way to the Lord;

be still, and

refrain from anger.

So take some time today to rest in the Lord. Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for all that Jesus has done for you. Remember the reason for the season is Jesus Christ.

Let us pray: Gracious Father, as we prepare for the coming of Your Son, send the Holy Spirit to still our hearts so that we may revel in the joyous wonder of the Incarnation, remembering that You loved us so much that You sent Your only begotten Son to be one of us in every way. Amen.

THE BIG MISTA BBQ FUND RAISER FOR THE COMMUNITY GARDEN IS SATURDAY!

Welcome home Neil!

It is almost here—the BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family. So far we have orders for 19 whole briskets!

We will also have cards of the Church available (great to use as Christmas cards), and shell Christmas wreaths.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi Clack and Carol Freeman.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Ambrose

Today the Church remembers St. Ambrose who was instrumental in St. Augustine of Hippo’s life. James Kiefer writes:

Ambrose was governor of Northern Italy in the capital of Milan. When the Diocese of Milan fell vacant, it seemed likely that rioting would result, since the city was evenly divided between Arians and Athanasians. (Note: St. Athanasius taught that the Logos or Word (John 1:1) is fully God in the same sense that the Father is. There was a group that thought that the Word (the Second person of the Trinity) was the first being created by the Father. They are known as Arians. East Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Reformed, Baptists, Methodists followed St. Athanasius.)

Ambrose went to the meeting where the election was to take place, and appealed to the crowd for order and good will on both sides. He ended up being elected bishop with the support of both sides. He gave away his wealth, and lived in simplicity. By his preaching, he converted the diocese to the Athanasian position, except for the Goths and some members of the Imperial Household.

The Emperor was enraged by a crowd who defied him, and he ordered them all killed by his soldiers. When the Emperor next came to Church, Ambrose met him at the door and said, "You may not come in. There is blood on your hands." The Emperor agreed to do public penance and to promise that thereafter he would never carry out a sentence of death without a forty-day delay after pronouncing it.

Ambrose was largely responsible for the conversion of St. Augustine. In fact, Bishop Ambrose baptized Augustine.

Ambrose died on 4 April 397, but because this date so often falls in Holy Week or Easter Week, he is commonly remembered on the anniversary of his consecration as bishop, 7 December.

St. Ambrose is regarded as one of the Eight Great Doctors or Teachers of the Church. The list includes four Latin or Western Doctors: Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great, and four Greek or Eastern Doctors: Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus.

The collect for the day: O God, who gave your servant Ambrose 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; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH WILL VISIT ST. AUGUSTINE’S TO CELEBRATE THE EUCHARIST ON SUNDAY, 16 JANUARY 2011.

“Who could believe what we have heard, to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Is. 53:1-2). I think that was everyone’s reaction when we heard the news, but yes, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will visit the Island and celebrate the Eucharist with us. What a blessing this is to not only our faith community at St. Augustine, but to everyone on the Island.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY

During this Advent Season and as the Spirit moves you, please consider offering your assistance to these three organizations: (1) Lord of the Streets needs warm men’s clothing; (2) St. Vincent’s House needs food for its pantry, and (3) Ronald McDonald House needs food for those who stay at the center while their children are undergoing treatment. You can bring the goods for these organizations to St. Augustine’s and we will distribute them.

PEARL HARBOR DAY

Please remember in your prayers today everyone who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on this day.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

It is almost here—the BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi Clack and Carol Freeman.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

God Hears the Cry of the Afflicted

One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 9:

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.
For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.
But the Lord sits enthroned for ever,
he has established his throne for judgment.
He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.
The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Be gracious to me, O Lord.
See what I suffer from those who hate me;
you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
so that I may recount all your praises,
and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
rejoice in your deliverance.
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
nor the hope of the poor perish for ever.
Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
let the nations be judged before you.
Put them in fear, O Lord;
let the nations know that they are only human.

One of the major Old Testament themes is found in Psalm 9: “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” God makes it clear that He is concerned for the poor, the stranger, the widow and the orphan. God is their protector and God expects us to take up His cause. The Psalmist reminds us this morning that God “does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”

Not only during Advent when we are particularly watchful for the Lord not only in the future but in the present, you and I have the opportunity to be God’s champions for those in need. You and I can minister to the people who call Lord of the Streets home, or to those who seek food and medical care at St. Vincent’s House, or to those who need a place to rest at Ronald McDonald House when a little one is under serious medical care. During this Advent and after, be mindful of those in need. And if you are able, please place a can of beans or a bag of rice in the boxes provided. Be the ears of Christ to hear the cry of the afflicted.

THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH WILL VISIT ST. AUGUSTINE’S TO CELEBRATE THE EUCHARIST ON SUNDAY, 16 JANUARY 2011.

“Who could believe what we have heard, to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Is. 53:1-2). I think that was everyone’s reaction when we heard the news, but yes, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, will visit the Island and celebrate the Eucharist with us. What a blessing this is to not only our faith community at St. Augustine, but to everyone on the Island.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY

During this Advent Season and as the Spirit moves you, please consider offering your assistance to these three organizations: (1) Lord of the Streets needs warm men’s clothing; (2) St. Vincent’s House needs food for its pantry, and (3) Ronald McDonald House needs food for those who stay at the center while their children are undergoing treatment. You can bring the goods for these organizations to St. Augustine’s and we will distribute them.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

The day is drawing near, Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Cindi Clack and Carol Freeman.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

We Are Called to Become Holy

Today’s Epistle reading is a continuation of the First Letter to the Thessalonians where Paul writes:

Finally, brothers and sisters, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you knows how to control your own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thes. 4: 1-12).

Paul’s message is this: God desires that you and I become holy. We can never fully get there in this life, and Paul realizes that. He tells us that we need to live in love toward our brothers and sisters and “to do so more and more”. Life is a journey; it is a process of growth. You and I are called by God to become more and more Christ like. Each day is another step in that process. With the grace and guidance of the Holy Spirit, let us make each day a holy one.

Let us pray: O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY

During this Advent Season and as the Spirit moves you, please consider offering your assistance to these three organizations: (1) Lord of the Streets needs warm men’s clothing; (2) St. Vincent’s House needs food for its pantry, and (3) Ronald McDonald House needs food for those who stay at the center while their children are undergoing treatment. You can bring the goods for these organizations to St. Augustine’s and we will distribute them.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Join Lee Runion who will offer an art class on making Christmas decorations this Saturday, 4 December, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He is a wonderful teacher and it is a great opportunity to be creative even for those of us who may be challenged in that area. Bring the kids; they will have a wonderful time!

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

The day is drawing near, Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Carol Freeman, Jo and Karen as they travel home and Pat Tate.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

A Special Relationship

In today’s Epistle selection from Thessalonians, we hear about Paul’s great love for those he ministered to and their love of him:

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we decided to be left alone in Athens; and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker for God in proclaiming the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you for the sake of your faith, so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions. Indeed, you yourselves know that this is what we are destined for. In fact, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer persecution; so it turned out, as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labor had been in vain.

But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us—just as we long to see you. For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. (1 Thes. 3:1-13).

From the context of the letter, we can see that persecution is in the air. Paul is concerned for those he ministered to and he sends Timothy to minister to them. Timothy comes back with encouraging news for Paul: his former congregation is strong in the faith! Paul is elated.

There is a special relationship between a congregation and its minister. It is a relationship bound in Christ’s love and in prayer. From the minister’s perspective, there is nothing greater than to have a congregation that is filled with God’s love living out Jesus’ call to discipleship. I believe that all Episcopal priests pray earnestly for those whom they serve. We pray that those in our care may find joy and fulfillment as sons and daughters of God saved by Jesus Christ and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is an awesome responsibility. In the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, at the ordination of a priest the Bishop would charge the ordinand: “Have always therefore printed in your remembrance, how great a treasure is committed to your charge. For they are the sheep of Christ, which he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood. The Church and Congregation whom you must serve, is his Spouse, and his Body. And if it shall happen that the same Church, or any Member thereof, do take any hurt or hindrance by reason of your negligence, ye know the greatness of the fault, and also the horrible punishment that will ensue.” What a powerful reminder to us who serve as your clergy.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY

During this Advent Season and as the Spirit moves you, please consider offering your assistance to these three organizations: (1) Lord of the Streets needs warm men’s clothing; (2) St. Vincent’s House needs food for its pantry, and (3) Ronald McDonald House needs food for those who stay at the center while their children are undergoing treatment. You can bring the goods for these organizations to St. Augustine’s and we will distribute them.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

Join Lee Runion who will offer an art class on making Christmas decorations on Saturday, 4 December from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He is a wonderful teacher and it is a great opportunity to be creative even for those of us who may be challenged in that area.

The day is drawing near, Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Carol Freeman, Jo and Karen as they travel home and Pat Tate.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Nicholas Ferrar & Family

Today the Church remembers Nicholas Ferrar who lived from 1592 to 1637. He was a man of prayer, a scholar, a business man, a family man, and the founder of a religious community. He was ordained deacon in the Church of England.

The Ferrar family was deeply involved in the London Virginia Company. His family home was often visited by Sir Walter Raleigh, half-brother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert.

In 1626 Nicholas Ferrar and his extended family left London and moved to the deserted village of Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire. The household was centred on the Ferrar family: Nicholas's mother, his brother John Ferrar (with his wife Bathsheba and their children), and his sister Susanna (and her husband John Collett and their children). They bought the manor of Little Gidding and restored the abandoned little church for their use. The household always had someone at prayer. They tended to the health and education of local children, and Nicholas and his family produced harmonies of the gospels that survive today as some of the finest in Britain.

Nicholas Ferrar died on 4 December 1637, but the family continued their way of life without him, and the religious life only ended in 1657 on the deaths, within a month, of John Ferrar and Susanna Collett.

The Puritans criticized the Ferrars’ way of life as being “monastic”. However, the Ferrars never lived a formal religious life: there was no Rule, vows were not taken, and there was no enclosure. In this sense there was no “community” at Little Gidding, but rather a family living a Christian life in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer according to the Church’s principles.

Nicholas and his family serve as an example for us today. They were an ordinary family whose lives centered on living a life of prayer as a family. This life of prayer led them to care for the community around them.

The collect for the day: Lord God, make us so reflect your perfect love; that, with your deacon Nicholas Ferrar and his household, we may rule ourselves according to your Word, and serve you with our whole heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINISTRY

During this Advent Season and as the Spirit moves you, please consider offering your assistance to these three organizations: (1) Lord of the Streets needs warm men’s clothing; (2) St. Vincent’s House needs food for its pantry, and (3) Ronald McDonald House needs food for those who stay at the center while their children are undergoing treatment. You can bring the goods for these organizations to St. Augustine’s and we will distribute them.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Today is World AIDS Day. There are activities a the Island Community Center on Broadway from 1 to 5 p.m. today.

Please remember to sign-up for Sunday Fellowship.

Adult Christian Formation during the weeks of Advent at 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back, Looking Forward and at the Present: Christmas, the Final Judgment and Prophets”.

Join Lee Runion who will offer an art class on making Christmas decorations on Saturday, 4 December from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He is a wonderful teacher and it is a great opportunity to be creative even for those of us who may be challenged in that area.

The day is drawing near, Big Mista BBQ fundraiser for the Community Garden, Saturday, 11 December. Melva Pope has tickets, so please pick some up for friends and family.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Carol Freeman, Jo and Karen as they travel home and Pat Tate.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550