Mary, the Mother of Our Lord

Today is one of the days that the Church honors Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Since the early days of the Church Mary has held a special place in the hearts of believers.  She is the model disciple who tells us to listen to her son and to do whatever he tells us to do. See Jn. 2:5 (the Wedding Feast of Cana). 

 

Mary’s life was not easy by any means.  She was greeted by the good news that she would give birth to the one who would restore all things to God, the Immanuel, God with us, and she lived to stand and the foot of the cross witnessing her son’s brutal death. 

 

James Kiefer tells us that: “The New Testament records several incidents from the life of the Virgin: her betrothal to Joseph, the Annunciation by the angel Gabriel that she was to bear the Messiah, her Visitation to Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, the Nativity of our Lord, the visits of the shepherds and the magi, the Presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple at the age of forty days, the flight into Egypt, the Passover visit to the Temple when Jesus was twelve, [Matt. 1:16,18-25; 2; Lk. 1:26-56; 2]; the wedding at Cana in Galilee and the performance of her Son's first miracle at her intercession [Jn. 2:1-11], the occasions when observers said, "How can this man be special? We know his family!" [Matt. 13:54-56; Mk. 6:1-3; Lk. 4:22; also Jn. 6:42], an occasion when she came with others to see him while he was preaching [Matt. 12:46-50; Mk. 3:31-35; Lk. 8:19-21], her presence at the foot of the Cross, where Jesus commends her to the care of the Beloved Disciple [Jn. 19:25-27], and her presence with the apostles in the upper room after the Ascension, waiting for the promised Spirit [Acts 1:14]. She is thus seen to be present at most of the chief events of her Son's life.”

 

She is also mentioned by name in the Apostles’ and the Nicene Creed: “He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.”  (The only other person mentioned by name, besides Jesus, is Pontius Pilate.)

 

Let us pray: O God, who have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Adult Christian Education every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.: Contemporary Moral Issues.

 

Sunday, 25 August at 9:00 a.m. the Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated with Eucharist Rite II and a pot luck lunch after.  This is the 129^th anniversary of our church community.

 

Retreat on 19-22 September 2013 at Holy Cross Monastery led by the Rev. Dr. Tom  Bain, “Standing at the Center with God and Ourselves.”  Here is a link to the website:

http://www.holycrossmonks.org/images/2013%20HFC%20brochure.pdf

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially Jim Reagan and all of those who are starting college and will be away from home for the first time.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

The Rt. Rev. Jeremy Taylor

 

Today the Church remembers and honors Jeremy Taylor who lived from 1613 to 1667.  Taylor was born in Cambridge, England.  His father was a barber, and he taught his son grammar and math. Taylor went to university at Caius College at Cambridge University where he received his B.A. in 1631, ordained in 1633 and then received his M.A. in 1634.

 

Archbishop William Laud took Taylor under his wing after he heard the young man preach.  Archbishop Laud encouraged Taylor to continue his academic studies, so Taylor became a fellow of All Souls, Oxford. Taylor became rector a country parish where he married and settled down to the work of a country priest. As a parish priest, Taylor was well known and people came to him from far and wide for advice and counsel.

 

During the Civil War in England, Taylor supported the King Charles I, and he became the King’s chaplain. Unfortunately, Oliver Cromwell and his lot executed King Charles I and Taylor found himself in prison.  After the Puritans were removed and the king regained the throne in 1661, Taylor became Bishop of Down and Connor in Ireland.

 

Jeremy Taylor is most known for his great spiritual writings, and most especially The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living (1650) and The Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying (1651).  Here is a sample of his writing from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer for the Ministration of the Sick:

 

O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered; Make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days: that, when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; in the communion of the Catholic Church; in the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope; in favor with thee our God, and in perfect charity with the world. All which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

Let us pray:  O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, like your servant Jeremy Taylor, deeply aware of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let your Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Adult Christian Education every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.: Contemporary Moral Issues.

 

Sunday, 25 August at 9:00 a.m. the Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated with Eucharist Rite II and a pot luck lunch after.  This is the 129^th anniversary of our church community.

 

Retreat on 19-22 September 2013 at Holy Cross Monastery led by the Rev. Dr. Tom  Bain, “Standing at the Center with God and Ourselves.”  Here is a link to the website:

http://www.holycrossmonks.org/images/2013%20HFC%20brochure.pdf

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List especially Jim Reagan.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Stumbling Blocks, Doing Away with Obstacles & Salt

On this Monday in the 12^th week after Pentecost, the Daily Prayer of the Church takes us to Mark’s Gospel where we read:

 

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

 

‘For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’ (Mk. 9:42-50).

 

Just because you have the right to do something does not mean that you have to do it especially if doing it hurts someone else.  Do not be a stumbling block to others. 

 

Jesus also tells us that we have to be ready to part with the thing that causes us to sin, the thing that separates us from God, from others, and even from ourselves.  Doing those things that are not in accordance with God’s will essentially makes us less human, it dims the image of God in us.

 

Then Jesus talks about salt. In Jesus’ day salt was used not only to flavor, but as a preservative to keep meat from spoiling.  It was a symbol of fellowship and a shared meal.  So, keep relationships from spoiling, be at peace, and share a meal together.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve your Church throughout the world through your Holy Spirit; may we persevere with steadfast faith and in celebrating the Eucharist where Christ is present among us. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Adult Christian Education every Sunday at 11:00 a.m.: Contemporary Moral Issues.

 

Sunday, 25 August at 9:00 a.m. the Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated with Eucharist Rite II and a pot luck lunch after.  This is the 129^th anniversary of our church community.

 

Retreat on 19-22 September 2013 at Holy Cross Monastery led by the Rev. Dr. Tom  Bain, “Standing at the Center with God and Ourselves.”  Here is a link to the website:

http://www.holycrossmonks.org/images/2013%20HFC%20brochure.pdf

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

William Wilberforce

 

Today the Church honors and remembers an Evangelical Anglican, a defender of the defenseless, William Wilberforce, who lived from 1759 to 1833.  Wilberforce had a conversion on a trip to the continent of Europe. On the trip he read William Law’s book A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life.  Law wrote that “if God is ‘our greatest good,’ then the wisest way to live is to please God through a life of worship, adoration, and devotion. Since many fail to live this way, Law diagnoses why and suggests certain concrete practices as a remedy.” (Tim Perrine in his description of the book.) 

Thereafter, Wilberforce considered how he could best serve God, and he thought about becoming a clergyman; however, he was persuaded by Christian friends that his calling was to serve God through politics. Wilberforce was a major supporter of programs for popular education, overseas missions, parliamentary reform, and religious liberty. He is best known, however, for his untiring commitment to the abolition of slavery and the slave trade. After a long fought fight, he was ultimately successful is passing legislation in 1806 abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire.  It was not until 1833 that slavery was totally abolished, and just a year after his death, nearly a million slaves were set free.  (See James Kiefer on William Wilberforce.)

He was also close friends with the Rev. John Newton, the author of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” 

Let us pray:  Let your continual mercy, O Lord, enkindle in your Church the never-failing gift of love, that, following the example of your servant William Wilberforce, we may have grace to defend the children of the poor, and maintain the cause of those who have no helper; for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Sundays at 11:00 a.m.: Adult Christian Education-Contemporary Moral Issues.

The Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 25 August 2013 starting with the Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. followed by a pot luck luncheon.

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

Your servant in Christ,

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Martha, Mary & Lazarus

Today the Church remembers and honors Martha, Mary and their brother, Lazarus, who lived in the town of Bethany.  From the stories about them in the Gospels, we can see that they were close friends of Jesus.  You will recall the familiar story in Luke’s Gospel about one of Jesus’ visits to their home, where Martha complained that she was doing all of the work and Mary was just sitting there listening to Jesus.  Jesus told Martha that Mary had chosen the better part.  (Lk. 10:38-42).  One of the most dramatic stories about the three of them is in John’s Gospel where we read that Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. 

 

What do these three people in the Gospel stories have to tell us? First, that Jesus had close friends, and that he enjoyed visiting them.  Second, they tell us that different people with different gifts make up the Kingdom of God.  Third, they reveal something about who Jesus is, the Son of God but also true man who wept at the tomb of his friend Lazarus.

 

Let us pray:  Generous God, whose Son Jesus Christ enjoyed the friendship and hospitality of Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany: Open our hearts to love you, our ears to hear you, and our hands to welcome and serve you in others, through Jesus Christ our risen Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE PAINT TO THE MUSIC A SUCCESS, AND ESPECIALLY TO LEE RUNION!

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Sundays at 11:00 a.m.: Adult Christian Education-Contemporary Moral Issues.

 

The Feast of St. Augustine will be celebrated on Sunday, 25 August 2013 starting with the Eucharist Rite II at 9:00 a.m. followed by a pot luck luncheon.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Mary's Parents

Today the Church honors and remembers the parents of Mary.  Although we really know nothing about them.  James Kiefer writes:  “he Scriptures tell us nothing about the parents of the Virgin Mother, not even their names. An early but unreliable document, known as the Proto-Gospel (or Proto-Evangelion) of James, calls them Ann and Joachim, by which names they are customarily known. Our only real information about them, however, is an inference from the kind of daughter they reared.”

 

Let us pray: Almighty God, heavenly Father, we remember in thanksgiving this day the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and we pray that we all may be made one in the heavenly family of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Paint to the Music: thank you to Lee Runion who did a wonderful job with this, and thank you to everyone who helped Lee with the lunches and snacks.

 

Contemporary Moral Issues: 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.  Last week we discussed Plato’s and Aristotle’s approach to the purpose of life and morality.  Next week we will ask the question: “What is the purpose of life from a Christian perspective?” Then we will look at natural law, divine law and human law.

  

St. Augustine’s Feast Day will be celebrated on Sunday, 25 August 2013 at the 9:00 a.m. service followed by a pot luck lunch.  This is the 129^th anniversary of the church.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Theresa, Henry and Marguerite who are recuperating from their hospital stays.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. James the Apostle

Today the Church remembers and honors St. James the Apostle who was the brother of St. John the Apostle.  Jesus had knick named them the “Sons of Thunder” because of their tempers.  You may recall that when the Samaritan town did not give Jesus a welcome, they both asked whether they should pray that fire rain down on the town.  James was the first of the Apostles who was martyred. 

 

James Kiefer writes:

 

James the son of Zebedee and his brother John were among the twelve disciples of Our Lord. They, together with Peter, were privileged to behold the Transfiguration (M 17:1 = P 9:2 = L 9:28), to witness the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (P 1:29) and the raising of the daughter of Jairus (P 5:37 = L 8:51), and to be called aside to watch and pray with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane on the night before His death (M 26:37 = P 14:33).

 

James and John were apparently from a higher social level than the average fisherman. Their father could afford hired servants (P 1:20), and John (assuming him to be identical with the "beloved disciple") had connections with the high priest (J 18:15). Jesus nicknamed the two brothers "sons of thunder" (P 3:17), perhaps meaning that they were headstrong, hot-tempered, and impulsive; and so they seem to be in two incidents reported in the Gospels. On one occasion (L 9:54ff), Jesus and the disciples were refused the hospitality of a Samaritan village, and James and John proposed to call down fire from heaven on the offenders. On another occasion (M 20:20-23 = P 10:35-41), they asked Jesus for a special place of honor in the Kingdom, and were told that the place of honor is the place of suffering.

 

Finally, about AD 42, shortly before Passover (Acts 12), James was beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great (who tried to kill the infant Jesus--Matthew 2), nephew of Herod Antipas (who killed John the Baptist--Mark 6--and examined Jesus on Good Friday--Luke 23), and father of Herod Agrippa II (who heard the defence of Paul before Festus--Acts 25). James was the first of the Twelve to suffer martyrdom, and the only one of the Twelve whose death is recorded in the New Testament.

 

Let us pray:  O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. 

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Paint to the Music: today is the last day.  They start at 10 am to 1 pm at Bright-Davies Hall, the Art Room.

 

Contemporary Moral Issues: 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.  Last week we discussed Plato’s and Aristotle’s approach to the purpose of life and morality.  Next week we will ask the question: “What is the purpose of life from a Christian perspective?” Then we will look at natural law, divine law and human law.

  

St. Augustine’s Feast Day will be celebrated on Sunday, 25 August 2013 at the 9:00 a.m. service followed by a pot luck lunch.  This is the 129^th anniversary of the church.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Theresa who is in the hospital, and Henry and Marguerite who are recuperating from their hospital stays.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550