"Keep your mouth shut, or speak out?"

The appointed Gospel reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from the Gospel according to Luke:

 

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

 

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

 

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (Lk. 3:15-22).

 

John speaks truth to power.  Herod is not pleased with John because John has called Herod out.  How does Herod deal with John?  He puts him into prison, and soon we will see John pay for it with his life.   

 

One could take two different views on this: (1) John should have kept his mouth shut and his head attached to the rest of his body, or (2) John was courageous for speaking truth to power.  Which view do you take?  How many times when we see an injustice being done do we speak out?  How many times do we opt for the “keep my mouth shut” route?  No matter what period of history is may be, the options are always the same: keep your mouth shut, or speak out.  What does the Gospel call us to do?  The Gospel calls us to speak out.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty God, you proclaim your truth in every age by many voices: Direct, in our time, we pray, those who speak where many listen and write what many read; that they may do their part in making the heart of this people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous; to the honor of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

  

This Sunday we continue Adult Christian Education with Focus on Islam.  Given all of the recent activities in the Middle East, especially in Iraq, we will examine Islam in order to better understand the situation and our Muslim brothers and sisters.

  

Church Women United: Human Rights Celebration: “We Are in God’s Hands and We Are God’s Hands”, Friday, 26 September 2014 from 9 AM to 11 AM.  Everyone is invited!

 

St. Vincent’s Feast Day and the 60th Anniversary of St. Vincent’s House will be celebrated the weekend of 27 and 28 September 2014.  We will have the installation of the new director of St. Vincent’s House, the Rev. Freda Marie Brown, on Saturday, 27 September 2014 starting at 10 AM, the Houston’s Hero Award and then on the 28th the Eucharist at St. Augustine’s at 9 AM with Bishop Jeff Fisher and then the dinner starting at 3 PM.  Don’t miss this!

 

The 6th Annual Art Show, “Let There Be Light,” will start on the 4th of October and last for 1 week.

 

Free monograms on 15 November from 8:30 AM to 2 PM at St. Augustine’s provided by UTMB.  Please pass the word along to anyone who does not have health insurance and especially for women above the age of 40.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550