The appointed Epistle for today is a portion of Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews; we read:
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10: 11-25).
The Temple in Jerusalem was a place where the Jewish people believe heaven and earth met; it was the “dwelling place of God.” So they came to worship and to offer sacrifice. In the person of Jesus, heaven and earth meet. Jesus is the new Temple replacing the old Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus offered the sacrifice of himself, of his very life, thereby making us holy. And heaven and earth meet again every time you and I celebrate the Eucharist; Christ comes to dwell with us in a sacramental manner. So as the Church gathers this Sunday all around the world to celebrate the Eucharist, let us be cognizant that heaven and earth meet at the Eucharistic Feast.
Let us pray: Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.
CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!
ART WALK AT ST. VINCENT’S HOUSE on 28 January 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.
PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb. 10: 11-25).
The Temple in Jerusalem was a place where the Jewish people believe heaven and earth met; it was the “dwelling place of God.” So they came to worship and to offer sacrifice. In the person of Jesus, heaven and earth meet. Jesus is the new Temple replacing the old Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus offered the sacrifice of himself, of his very life, thereby making us holy. And heaven and earth meet again every time you and I celebrate the Eucharist; Christ comes to dwell with us in a sacramental manner. So as the Church gathers this Sunday all around the world to celebrate the Eucharist, let us be cognizant that heaven and earth meet at the Eucharistic Feast.
Let us pray: Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
INSTRUCTED EUCHARIST, THIS SUNDAY. “What is an instructed Eucharist?” During the service, I will explain why we do what we do. It is a way for us to be able to better appreciate the rich liturgical tradition of the Church.
CONFIRMATION CLASS on Sundays starting at 10:50 a.m. If you want to be Confirmed when Bishop Harrison visits us on Sunday, 5 February, you will need to participate in the Confirmation class. Please come!
ART WALK AT ST. VINCENT’S HOUSE on 28 January 2012 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
SACRED PLACES TOUR: St. Augustine will be on the tour this year in February. It is a wonderful opportunity to share our faith history with others. Please plan to be a part of it. We will discuss it during the announcements this Sunday.
PLEASE REMEMBER everyone on our Prayer List, especially those who are chronically ill, the lonely, the depressed, the unemployed, the ill and those who have no one to pray for them.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
No comments:
Post a Comment