Friday, June 28, 2013

A Vocie for the Voiceless

St. Stephen, one of the first deacons, continues his defense before the Jewish leaders.  He is recounting salvation history:

 

‘But as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

 

‘When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites. When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. The next day he came to some of them as they were quarrelling and tried to reconcile them, saying, “Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?” But the man who was wronging his neighbor pushed Moses aside, saying, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons. (Acts 7: 17-29).

 

Stephen is recounting the story of Moses whom God called to lead His people out of the bondage of Egypt.  Stephen recounted how Moses, a Jewish boy born to slaves, was raised in the house of his people’s oppressor.  Today, in an act of anger, Moses kills one of his people’s oppressors and he flees Egypt becoming a stranger.  Soon, God will call Moses to bring freedom to the downtrodden.

 

God is always concerned with those who have no voice, with those who are victims of power and oppression, with those whom the Pharaohs of the world use and throw away like yesterday's garbage.  As a deacon, Stephen speaks truth to power, not in anger but in love.  The deacon gives voice to the voiceless. 
 
In our Western world, there are many who are without voice and there are those whose shouting and screaming tries to silence even the little sounds that the powerless try to muster.  We live in a culture where the inconvenient are eliminated, where the weak are removed.  Many of us sit silently by fearful that if we give voice to the voiceless that we will be shouted down and reviled. 

 

Yet the God of Israel, the God of whom Stephen speaks of today, is the same God who cares for the widow and the orphan; the same God who liberates Israel from its bondage in Egypt.  It is the same God who became flesh and dwelt among and gave his life for us amidst the shouts of the crowds to crucify him. Where is that voice today that speaks on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves?  It must be with us who follow Jesus who said, “let the children come to me” (Mt. 19: 14), and to the widow of Nain whose only son had died he said, “do not weep,” and to the dead boy, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” (Lk. 7: 13, 14). 

 

Be a voice for the voiceless.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Descendants of Abraham

The Daily Prayer of the Church continues today with Stephen’s defense before the Jewish leadership where he speaks of salvation history:
 
And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
 
Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these things so?’ And Stephen replied:
 
‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, “Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.” Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. “But I will judge the nation that they serve,” said God, “and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.” Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
 
‘The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.  (Acts 6:15-7:16).
 
Stephen’s face was like a messenger of God, an angel, and he spoke of God’s intimate involvement with His people.  God calls Abraham not in his youth, but when Abraham is already on in years.  Abraham is a poster child for what can be done by senior citizens!  He moves his entire household, extended family, servants, possessions, to a new place, because Abraham placed his trust in the God who called him.  Stephen recounts how God continued to develop and to keep the promise that He made to Abraham. 
 
It is good for us to remember how God has been intimately involved in our lives.  You and I are descendants of Abraham in faith; we are the descendants promised by God to Abraham, a people bound together in faith and love of God.  When we gather together to worship on Sunday, we are a family tied together not by our blood, but by the Blood of Christ, where we form One Body.
 
Let us pray:  Gracious God, you take people from every race and tribe and bind them together in your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ; send your Holy Spirit to breath your life into us.  Amen.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The First Class of Deacons

The Daily Prayer of the Church continues with the Acts of the Apostles where we hear about the selection of the first deacons of the Church:
 
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
 
The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
 
Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.’ And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (Acts 6:1-15).
 
The “Hellenists” were Greek speaking Jews, and it appears that they were treated differently than the others who were Jewish because their widows were being neglected during the food distribution.  The remedy for this was the appointment of 7 people who would make sure that there was fair treatment across the board.  The Greek word διάκονος, which in English we call “deacon”, means a servant or waiter.  In effect, the first 7 deacons “waited tables.”  The role of the deacon, as it developed over time within the Church, was the person who took care of the poor and needy making sure they were treated equally.  They also continued to be “waiters” at the Lord’s Table during the celebration of the Eucharist.  Those functions continue today.  The permanent or vocational deacons in the Diocese of Texas serve at the Lord’s Table and they also continue to care for those who cannot care for themselves, and they continue to speak out for those who have no one to speak out for them.  They also call us to do them same and direct us to those places where service is needed. 
 
Let us pray: Through your Spirit, heavenly Father, give these your servants, our deacons, grace and power to fulfill their ministry. Make them faithful to serve and constant in advancing your gospel in the world. May they follow the example of Jesus Christ your Son, who washed the feet of his disciples, and set the needs of others before his own. May their life be disciplined and holy their words declare your love and their actions reveal your glory, that your people may walk with them in the way of truth and be made ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom, with you and your Holy Spirit, belong glory and honor, worship and praise, now and for ever.  Amen.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

“If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God.”

One of the appointed readings for today’s Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles where we read about the Apostles being brought before the Jewish leaders for preaching Jesus crucified and risen:
 
When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’
 
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then he said to them, ‘Fellow-Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!’
 
They were convinced by him, and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.  (Acts 5:27-42).
 
“If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God.”  Gamaliel uttered that phrase some 2000 years ago, and today we see how Christianity has spread to all corners of the world.  To be sure, Christianity is more active and alive in certain parts of the world than it is in the West, but it is alive.  People’s lives are being transformed by hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ which the Apostles preached and which brought them before the Jewish authorities who wanted to silence them.  The Word of God will not be silent!  Therefore, proclaim in a loud voice just as the Apostles did, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
 
Let us pray:  Almighty God, send your Holy Spirit to give us courage to proclaim the Good News of your son and our Savior, Jesus.  Amen!
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Friday, June 21, 2013

Responding to the Word

The Daily Prayer of the Church continues with the Acts of the Apostles and we hear how the people reacted to Peter’s proclamation of the Good News of Jesus:
 
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. (Acts 2:37-47).
 
After they hear the Good News, the people repent, are baptized, their sins are forgiven, they received the Holy Spirit and the way they lived changed.  Unlike the selfish and corrupt generation that surrounded them where people were trying to take advantage of each other (sound familiar?), the followers of Jesus “were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. The Good News of Jesus transforms lives.
 
Let us pray:  Loving God, open our hearts with your Holy Spirit for us to hear and to act on the Good News of Jesus’ call to repent and to believe in the Good News.  Amen.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Peter the Eloquent

One of the readings for the Daily Prayer of the Church is from the Acts of the Apostles where Peter speaks to the people of Jerusalem:
 
‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. … ‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, “He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
 
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”
 
Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ (Acts 2:-36)
 
Peter, who was prone to speak before he thought and who denied even knowing Jesus, is now speaking with great eloquence in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus.  Peter and the rest of the apostles could only do this because the Holy Spirit enabled them to do so.  It is the same with us.  The Holy Spirit empowers us to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen for us.
 
Let us pray: Your Son, Jesus, gave his life for us so that we might live with you.  Send your Holy Spirit so that we may proclaim the Good News of salvation.  Amen.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Power of the Holy Spirit

One of the appointed readings for the Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles which was written by Luke.  He tells us about the day the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles:
 
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
 
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? …
 
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:1-21).
 
The Holy Spirit empowers us, the Church, to spread the Good News that we have heard, and the Holy Spirit enables those who heard the Word to understand, and with grace, to believe, so that we can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved. 
 
Do not by shy; do not be embarrassed.  Go and proclaim the Good News.
 
Let us pray:  Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s


The Gospel reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church is from the 20th chapter of the Gospel according to Luke where we hear the Jewish leaders trying to trap Jesus:

When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people.
The Question about Paying Taxes
So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent.  (Lk. 20:19-26).

The Roman coin, the denarius, had stamped on it the image of Caesar with the inscription in Latin “Ti[berivs] Caesar Divi Avg[vsti] F[ilivs] Avgvstvs”, meaning “Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus.”  For the Jewish leaders to have this coin would technically have been blasphemous because it stated that Caesar was god.  So they would have produced the coin with a bit of embarrassment to say the least.  Jesus responds, “Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  God is Lord of all, even over Caesar who claims to be god; therefore, everything belongs to God, even the mighty Caesar.  Jesus certainly put things into perspective: all that we are, all that we have, all the universe is God’s alone.

Let us pray:  Lord Jesus, you are Lord of all, even the rulers of the world.  You taught us to pray for your Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  May it be so through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

Your servant in Christ,

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

Monday, June 17, 2013

The Harvest Is Plenty, the Laborers Are Few, Come with Me into the Fields



I was at the School of Preaching at Wycliffe Hall at the University of Oxford last week where I met ministers of the Gospel from different corners of the world.  One of the groups that impressed me most were the young students at Wycliffe who are studying for ordination in the Church of England.  In essence, they are studying to work in mission territory, the United Kingdom, where only 5% of the population attends church.  These young people are very intelligent, and I have no doubt that if they went into private industry, they would do well for themselves financially.  Instead, they have decided to make next to nothing on a minister’s salary, and to dedicate their lives to preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ in a country which is vastly secular. Why?  They have met the living Christ who has transformed their lives and they want to tell others even if it costs them personally.  Their journey will not be an easy one.  They will be confronted with opposition; they will encounter rejection.  In the words of today’s appointed reading from the Act of the Apostles, they will have to be “constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:14).

Let us pray:  O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were being cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

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

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Kingdom Is In Your Midst

On this Wednesday, the Gospel for the Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from the 17th chapter of Luke where we read:
 
Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, “Look, here it is!” or “There it is!” For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.’
 
Then he said to the disciples, ‘The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, “Look there!” or “Look here!” Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them—it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.’ Then they asked him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’ (Lk. 17: 20-37).
 
Sometimes people get enamored with the far away and the exotic.  Things are always better elsewhere.  Sometimes we treat the Kingdom of God like that as well.  But Jesus told his disciples, he tells you and me: “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” 
 
The kingdom of God is not in some far off place and time in the future; rather, it is in our midst.  Although at times we fail to live into it, you and I are part of the Kingdom of God.  It is in the right here and in the right now.  What we are doing in the everyday has eternal consequences.
 
Let us pray:  Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE THE GARDEN TOUR A SUCCESS.  We have a few hundred visitors!
 
CALENDAR REMINDERS
 
Gospel by the Sea is this Saturday, June 8 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 1420 31st Street.
 
Free Mammograms at St. Augustine on Sunday, June 9.  Please tell all of your female friends who are at risk for breast cancer and have no medical insurance.
 
Please remember everyone on our prayer list, especially Evelyn, Tom, all those who are travelling, and the families of the 4 Houston firefighters who lost their lives.
 
Your servant in Christ,
 
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550