The appointed New Testament reading is taken from the Acts of the Apostles where we hear about Saul’s persecution of the early Church which occurred after Stephen was stoned to death:
And Saul approved of their killing him.
That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city.
Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, ‘This man is the power of God that is called Great.’ And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place. (Acts 8:1-13).
This passage from Acts gives us an indication of the place of women in the early Church. We can tell that women held roles of leadership because “Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.” The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bailey (a Presbyterian theology professor specializing in the Middle East and the New Testament) and the Rt. Rev. Dr. N.T. Wright (former Bishop of Durham and now professor of theology at St. Andrew’s in Scotland) note that the persecution that arose against the church that we read about in today’s passage, we find that women are being targeted equally alongside the men. Saul of Tarsus was going to Damascus to catch women and men alike and haul them off into prison. They both note that this only makes sense if the women, too, were seen as leaders, influential figures within the community.
Nevertheless, today we see people who are dying for their faith in various parts of the world, not the least of which is in the Middle East.
Let us pray: O Lord God, your Son Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his resurrection he restores life and peace in all creation. Comfort, we pray, all victims of intolerance and those oppressed by their fellow humans. Remember in your kingdom those who have died. Lead the oppressors towards compassion and give hope to the suffering; we pray through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
The Feast Day of St. Augustine and our 130th Anniversary: Sunday, 24 August 2014 with Eucharist Rite II and a brunch following. Please invite everyone to this festive and historic occasion. The preacher will be the Rev. Freda Marie Brown, the Director of St. Vincent’s House, the main celebrant will be the Rev. Dr. Helen Appelberg, and we will have a baptism that day as well.
Blessing of the Backpacks: Sunday, 31 August 2014.
Seaside Seniors: this Thursday from 11:00 A.M. until the fun stops! The theme is “Cool Summer Salads.”
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Lee’s mother, Lee and his family, Gladys, Pat, Patricia, Lloyd, Liz, those in war torn areas, and for all those persecuted for their faith.
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
No comments:
Post a Comment