Monday, January 23, 2012

Preaching the Word: Phillips Brooks

On this 23rd day of January, the Episcopal Church remembers Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts from 1891 to 1893. He was born in Boston in 1835 and was educated at Harvard University where he graduated in 1855 and then he went to the Virginia Theological Seminary where he graduated in 1859. Brooks was ordained deacon by Bishop William Meade of Virginia. In 1860 he was ordained priest, and in 1862 became rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, where he remained seven years, gaining an increasing name as preacher and patriot. During the Civil War, he championed the abolition of slavery.

Brooks was an imposing figure standing six feet four inches tall. Perhaps that helped him as a preacher. He was shy, spoke rapidly, had a stiff sermon delivery and terrible eye contact -- usually staring at the sounding board above his head. Nevertheless, people thronged to see him. His effectiveness resulted from several factors. One was his careful preparation and study of the text. He spoke with a sincerity and intensity that overcame his shyness. Still another element was his pastor's heart.

This is taken from one of Phillips Brooks’ sermons:


Righteousness is at the bottom of all things. Righteousness is thorough. It is the very spirit of unsparing truth. Any reform or salvation of which the power is righteousness must go down to the very root of the trouble; must extentuate and cover over nothing; must expose and convict completely, in order that it may completely heal. And this is the power of the salvation of Christ. It makes no compromise between the good and the evil, between Judah and Edom. Edom must be destroyed, not parleyed with; sin must be beaten down and not conciliated; good must thrive by the defeat and not merely by the tolerance of evil.
Bishop Brooks died in Boston in 1893 at the age of 57. More than 20,000 mourners gathered to lament the loss of one of the greatest orators of the American pulpit.

Let us pray: O everlasting God, who revealed truth to your servant Phillips Brooks, and so formed and molded his mind and heart that he was able to mediate that truth with grace and power: Grant, we pray, that all those whom you call to preach the Gospel may steep themselves in your word, and conform their lives to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

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!

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.

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