Today the Church remembers when the Holy Spirit led St. Peter to acknowledge that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of God. We read about it in the Gospel according to Matthew:
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Mt. 16:13-19).
In this second week after Epiphany, Peter sees who Jesus is. He sees that Jesus is a man, but not just a man. He sees that Jesus is much more. Peter comes to realize that in Jesus he can see and experience the very face of God. In response, Jesus tells Peter that he will build the Church upon him and the powers of hell can prevail against it.
Jesus says the very same thing to you and to me. Once you and I acknowledge who Jesus is, then you and I are transformed by the power of Christ, and transformed by Christ we become living stones in the Church. You and I as believers in Jesus are the Church, the Body of Christ. Peter, you and I are given the keys of the kingdom because we are, with Jesus, building the Kingdom of God.
Let us pray: Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the Living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
22 January at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church: funeral for Patrick Williams, 10 a.m.
5 February: Celebrating the Life of Absalom Jones, Eucharist Service, officiated by the Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Church Cathedral. Special Guest: The Rev. Canon Harold T. Lewis – Luncheon speaker following the service. The luncheon, featuring Treebeards specials, will be at the Great Hall starting about 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Canon Lewis will also be book signing his new release A Church for the Future.
The Rev. Canon Harold T. Lewis, Ph.D., D.D., D.C.L. has been the rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1996. Since his ordination in 1971, he has served congregations in Honduras, England, Washington, D.C., New Haven, CT and his native Brooklyn, NY. From 1983 until 1994, he served on the staff of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as Director of the Office of Black Ministries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, a Master of Divinity from Yale, and a Doctor of Philosophy (in theology) from the University of Birmingham (England). He has also been awarded two honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; and Doctor of Canon Law from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. A former research fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge University, he has also pursued graduate studies at Catholic University in Washington; the Center for International Documentation in Cuernavaca, Mexico; and St. George's College, Jerusalem. He is an honorary canon of the Diocese of Bukavu, Congo, and the first recipient of the Mikkelsen Prize for excellence in prophetic preaching, and of the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. Currently an adjunct professor in church and society at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Dr. Lewis has also taught at the George Mercer School of Theology in Garden City, NY and the General Theological Seminary, and has been visiting lecturer at Anglican seminaries in the Congo, South Africa, Mozambique and Barbados. He was coordinator of the second International Conference on Afro-Anglicanism in Cape Town.
11 and 12 February: the 162nd Diocesan Council in the Woodlands.
12 February: St. Valentine’s Day Dance at St. Augustine.
13 February at the 9:00 a.m. Eucharist, the Renewal of Marriage Vows.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Mt. 16:13-19).
In this second week after Epiphany, Peter sees who Jesus is. He sees that Jesus is a man, but not just a man. He sees that Jesus is much more. Peter comes to realize that in Jesus he can see and experience the very face of God. In response, Jesus tells Peter that he will build the Church upon him and the powers of hell can prevail against it.
Jesus says the very same thing to you and to me. Once you and I acknowledge who Jesus is, then you and I are transformed by the power of Christ, and transformed by Christ we become living stones in the Church. You and I as believers in Jesus are the Church, the Body of Christ. Peter, you and I are given the keys of the kingdom because we are, with Jesus, building the Kingdom of God.
Let us pray: Almighty Father, who inspired Simon Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the Living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
22 January at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church: funeral for Patrick Williams, 10 a.m.
5 February: Celebrating the Life of Absalom Jones, Eucharist Service, officiated by the Rt. Rev. Andy Doyle at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Church Cathedral. Special Guest: The Rev. Canon Harold T. Lewis – Luncheon speaker following the service. The luncheon, featuring Treebeards specials, will be at the Great Hall starting about 11:30 a.m. The Rev. Canon Lewis will also be book signing his new release A Church for the Future.
The Rev. Canon Harold T. Lewis, Ph.D., D.D., D.C.L. has been the rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1996. Since his ordination in 1971, he has served congregations in Honduras, England, Washington, D.C., New Haven, CT and his native Brooklyn, NY. From 1983 until 1994, he served on the staff of the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as Director of the Office of Black Ministries. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, a Master of Divinity from Yale, and a Doctor of Philosophy (in theology) from the University of Birmingham (England). He has also been awarded two honorary degrees: Doctor of Divinity from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; and Doctor of Canon Law from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. A former research fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge University, he has also pursued graduate studies at Catholic University in Washington; the Center for International Documentation in Cuernavaca, Mexico; and St. George's College, Jerusalem. He is an honorary canon of the Diocese of Bukavu, Congo, and the first recipient of the Mikkelsen Prize for excellence in prophetic preaching, and of the Dean’s Cross for Servant Leadership from Virginia Theological Seminary. Currently an adjunct professor in church and society at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Dr. Lewis has also taught at the George Mercer School of Theology in Garden City, NY and the General Theological Seminary, and has been visiting lecturer at Anglican seminaries in the Congo, South Africa, Mozambique and Barbados. He was coordinator of the second International Conference on Afro-Anglicanism in Cape Town.
11 and 12 February: the 162nd Diocesan Council in the Woodlands.
12 February: St. Valentine’s Day Dance at St. Augustine.
13 February at the 9:00 a.m. Eucharist, the Renewal of Marriage Vows.
PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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