Worrying About the Economies of Nations

In today’s Gospel reading from the Daily office, we hear how God cares for us:

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.”

He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.” (Lk. 12:13-13).

You and I can’t control the stock market. We can’t control the rise and fall of the U.S. dollar. You and I can’t control the economies of nations. So when we worry about these things, we accomplish nothing. God has a way of taking care of things. Jesus tells us to look around, not at the economies of nations, but at the lilies of the field. They are beautiful. They thrive. In the scheme of creation, the lilies are small ordinary things, yet, God takes care of them. Won’t God take care of us? After all, you and I are made in God’s image. God sent His Son to live and die for us. Jesus tells us to put our trust in God. God will be with us and take care of us no matter what the economies of the world may do.

Let us pray: Gracious and loving Father, we put our hope and trust in you. In your infinite love, you sent Your Son to be Immanuel, God with us, in the person of Jesus Christ. When things feel out of control, when we don’t understand why things are happening, be with us, guide us and remind us of your love for each us. Amen.

JOINT OUTREACH PROJECT BETWEEN HOLY SPIRIT AND ST. AUGUSTINE
On Saturday, 6 November, the Youth Group from Holy Spirit in Houston will team up with St. Augustine to make 300 "breakfast bags" for the volunteers at the Texas Episcopal Disaster Relief at William Temple, the food pantry at St. Vincent's House, and also for the parishioners at St. Augustine of Hippo to take and deliver to those in need. We will provide the goods for the bags and Holy Spirit will provide the manpower. The “breakfast bags: will contain a water bottle, a breakfast bar, a fruit bar (or something similar) and will be sealed with a sticker with St. Augustine’s address and service time.

REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR FELLOWSHIP:
Jo and Jim have sent the sign-up sheet for our Sunday morning fellowship. Please be sure to sign up.

WE ARE OPENING UP OUR FACILITIES TO THE COMMUNITY:
The Galveston Heritage Chorale is practicing in Sutton Hall
The Boys and Girls Club

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Join us every Sunday in Bright-Davies Hall at 11:00 a.m. as we study the Gospel according to Mark.

Trick-or-Treat on Sunday, 31 October in Sutton Hall—bring the kids!

All Saints Sunday, 7 November 2010.

Art Classes begin in November.

Big Mista BBQ event benefiting the Community Garden will be Saturday, 11 December 2010.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST!

Your servant in Christ,

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

Sts. Simon & Jude

Today the Church honors two Apostles: Simon and Jude. James Keifer writes:

On the various New Testament lists of the Twelve Apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13), the tenth and eleventh places are occupied by Simon the Zealot (also called Simon the “Cananean,” the Aramaic word meaning “Zealot”) and by Judas of James, also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus. (“Judas” in New Testament contexts corresponds to “Judah” in Old Testament ones.)

Some ancient Christian writers say that Simon and Jude went together as missionaries to Persia, and were martyred there. If this is true, it explains, to some extent, our lack of historical information on them and also why they are usually put together. …

Judas (often called Jude in English, but the Greek has Judas) is variously named, but this is not surprising. Before the Crucifixion, there would be a need to distinguish him among the apostles from Judas Iscariot, and after the Crucifixion there would be an additional reason for being emphatic about the distinction. “Thaddaeus” is possibly a variant of “Theudas,” which in turn is perhaps used as a Greek equivalent of “Judas” (with the Hebrew Name of God replaced by the Greek “theos”). …

After the Last Supper it was Jude who asked Our Lord why he chose to reveal Himself only to the disciples. He received the reply: “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:22f)

The ninth name on the lists of Apostles is that of James (the son) of Alphaeus. Although most modern translations render “Judas of James” as “Judas the son of James,” there has been a tendency to understand it as “Judas the brother of James” and to assume that these two apostles were brothers. This assumption in turn leads to an identification of the two with the “brothers of the Lord” of the same name. The difficulty with this is that the brothers (at least some of them) did not believe in Jesus until after the Resurrection, and therefore could not have been part of the Twelve.

The New Testament Epistle of Jude was written by “Judas the brother of James,” which could refer to either Jude. In any case, we commemorate on this day (1) Simon the Zealot, one of the original Twelve; (2) Judas of James (also called Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus), also one of the original Twelve; and (3) Jude (or Judas) the brother of James and author of the Epistle, without settling the question of whether (2) and (3) are the same person.

The Epistle of Jude is a brief document addressed to the Church, and warns against corrupt influences that have crept in. It has some obscure and baffling references to old Jewish traditions, but it includes a memorable exhortation to “contend for the faith once delivered to the saints,” and an even more memorable closing: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding great joy, to the only wise God, or Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

Collect for the Day: O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR FELLOWSHIP:
Jo and Jim have sent the sign-up sheet for our Sunday morning fellowship. Please be sure to sign up.

WE ARE OPENING UP OUR FACILITIES TO THE COMMUNTIY:
The Galveston Heritage Chorale is practicing in Sutton Hall
The Boys and Girls Club

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Join us every Sunday in Bright-Davies Hall at 11:00 a.m. as we study the Gospel according to Mark.

Trick-or-Treat on Sunday, 31 October in Sutton Hall—bring the kids!

All Saints Sunday, 7 November 2010.

Art Classes begin in November.

Big Mista BBQ event benefiting the Community Garden will be Saturday, 11 December 2010.

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST!

Your servant in Christ,

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

Empowered by Christ

One of the readings from the Daily Office today is taken from the Gospel according to Luke:

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Lk. 10: 17-24).

If we do what Jesus asks us to do, the miraculous happens. The 70 learned that in today’s passage. They were empowered by Christ to do the work of ministry and when they did it, they returned ecstatic. We can share in the experience of the 70. When we follow Christ and do what he calls us to do, you and I can do the miraculous.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, you sent the 70 to do works in your name. You also send us. Empower us we pray so that we may feed to poor, bring healing to the sick, provide comfort to the sorrowful and rejoice always in your name. Amen.

FEEDING THE VOLUNTEERS AT WILLIAM TEMPLE THIS THURSDAY AT 6:00 P.M. The volunteers are working on the home of our own Mrs. Thompson. Please sign up to bring something to feed 25 volunteers. Here is the menu thus far:

12 pork chops and 3 pies: Taylors

Ham and beans: Makowski

Mac & Cheese: Mrs. Mack

Potato salad: Mrs. Pope

String beans or parsley patotoes: Carol Freeman and/or Pat Tate

Cold drinks: The Bains

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Study of the Gospel according to Mark every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in Bright-Davis Hall.

Lee Runion will offer an art classes beginning in November.

Please remember to pray for everyone on our Prayer List and especially for Lee, Cindi, Carol, Marilyn, Gladys, Pat, Don Soske and his family and loved ones, Shalea Callis and Patricia.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Luke

Today the Church honors and remembers St. Luke. James Kiefer writes:

Almost all that we know about Luke comes from the New Testament. He was a physician (Col 4:14), a companion of Paul on some of his missionary journeys (Acts 16:10ff; 20:5ff; 27-28). Material found in his Gospel and not elsewhere includes much of the account of Our Lord's birth and infancy and boyhood, some of the most moving parables, such as that of the Good Samaritan and that of the Prodigal Son, and three of the sayings of Christ on the Cross: "Father, forgive them," "Thou shalt be with me in Paradise," and "Father, into thy hands Icommend my spirit."

In Luke's account of the Gospel, we find an emphasis on the human love of Christ, on His compassion for sinners and for suffering and unhappy persons, for outcasts such as the Samaritans, tax collectors, lepers, shepherds (not a respected profession), and for the poor. The role of women in Christ's ministry is more emphasized in Luke than in the other Gospel writings.

In the book of Acts, we find the early Christian community poised from the start to carry out its commission, confident and aware of Divine guidance. We see how the early Christians at first preached only to Jews, then to Samaritans (a borderline case), then to outright Gentiles like Cornelius, and finally explicitly recognized that Gentiles and Jews are called on equal terms to the service and fellowship of Christ.

Luke makes many casual references throughout his writings (especially in Acts) to local customs and practices, often with demonstrable and noteworthy precision. To mention just one example, he refers to two centurions by name, Cornelius in Acts 10 and Julius in Acts 27, and he calls them both by nomen only, rather than by nomen and cognomen (Sergius Paulus in Acts 13;7) or cognomen only (Gallio in Acts 18:12), as he does when speaking of civilian officials. It is a distinction that would have been routine at the time that Luke is writing about, but one that had largely died out by, say, 70 AD. His preserving it shows either that (1) he wrote fairly close to the events he described, or (2) he was describing persons and events on which he had good information, or (3) he was an expert historical novelist, with an ear for the authentic-sounding detail.

Luke is commonly thought to be the only non-Jewish New Testament writer. His writings place the life of Christ and the development of the early Church in the larger context of the Roman Empire and society. On the other hand, his writings are focused on Jerusalem and on the Temple. His Gospel begins and ends in the Temple, and chapters nine through nineteen portray Jesus as journeying from Galilee to Jerusalem. Similarly, the Book of Acts describes the Church in Jerusalem (and worshipping in the Temple) and then describes the missionary journeys of Paul as excursions from and returns to Jerusalem.

Let us pray: Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to declare in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church the same love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; 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.

THANK YOU TO THE GALVESTON HERITAGE CHORALE for the wonderful music for Sunday’s Eucharist. We hope to have them back again during Advent.

FEEDING THE VOLUNTEERS AT WILLIAM TEMPLE THIS THURSDAY AT 6:00 P.M. The volunteers are working on the home of our own Mrs. Thompson. Please sign up to bring something to feed 25 volunteers.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

The Study of the Gospel according to Mark every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. in Bright-Davis Hall.

Lee Runion will offer an art classes beginning in November.

Please remember to pray for everyone on our Prayer List and especially for Lee, Cindi, Carol, Marilyn, Gladys, Pat, Don Soske and his family and loved ones, Shalea Callis and Patricia.

Your servant in Christ,

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

What Happens When Things Don't Go As Planned

In this morning’s Daily Office readings, we continue in the Acts of the Apostles, and we hear what happened after the ship wreck.

After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us round it. Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed.

Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. (Acts 28: 1-16).

I can picture the scene as Paul and the others came on shore. The description given in the account is vivid. They are welcomed by the people of Malta. Paul lives among them and cures the ill who come for healing. After three months, Paul sets sail again with his guard for Rome, and finally, he reaches it where he is held under house arrest.

What a journey Paul had. He was imprisoned, ship wrecked and a whole host of other things. Paul certainly did not plan to be jailed or ship wrecked. Yet that happened to him. Paul pressed on in faith, putting all of his trust in God. Christ did the same thing. He knew that life could be difficult. Jesus went through life as we do, fully human, but as God with us. Jesus understands our suffering because he went through it as well.

Sometimes our lives are like that too. Sometimes life is not easy. Sometimes things do not go as we plan. How do we react when things do not go our way? Do we put our trust in God knowing that everything will work out for good in God’s time?

Let us pray: dear Lord, when times are difficult, when things do not go as we plan, be with us. You lived as one of us. You lived through difficult times and even died on a cross. Give us the sight to see that we share in your resurrection, and that no matter what life throws our way, you are with us, guiding us to life eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Sunday, 17 October 2010, the Heritage Choral Choir at the 9 a.m. service.

Adult Christian Formation: The Gospel According to Mark at 11:15 a.m. in Bright-Davies Hall.

Please remember to pray for everyone on our Prayer List and especially for Lee, Cindi, Carol, Marilyn, Gladys, Pat, Don Soske and his family and loved ones, and Shalea Callis.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Putting Yourself Out for Others

Paul’s cruise continues today:

When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. So they took soundings and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. But when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and set it adrift.

Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.” After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves. (We were in all two hundred and seventy-six persons in the ship.) After they had satisfied their hunger, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

In the morning they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if they could. So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea. At the same time they loosened the ropes that tied the steering-oars; then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But striking a reef, they ran the ship aground; the bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none might swim away and escape; but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, and the rest to follow, some on planks and others on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. (Acts 27: 27-44).

There is Paul with over 200 others shipwrecked. The sailors want to kills all of the prisoners, but the centurion does not allow them to kill Paul. One would think that he was putting himself out there, perhaps even endangering his life by trying to protect Paul. Yet the centurion does it. How many of us put ourselves out there to protect others? It’s not easy, but there are others who cannot fend for themselves, who might be at a disadvantage, and who could use our help.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Sunday, 17 October 2010, the Heritage Choral Choir at the 9 a.m. service.

Adult Christian Formation: The Gospel According to Mark at 11:15 a.m. in Bright-Davies Hall.

Please remember to pray for everyone on our Prayer List and especially for Lee, Cindi, Carol, Marilyn, Gladys, Pat, Don Soske and his family and loved ones, and Shalea Callis.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

No Smooth Sailing for Paul

In today’s reading from the Acts of Apostles, we hear about Paul’s voyage:

Since much time had been lost and sailing was now dangerous, because even the Fast had already gone by, Paul advised them, saying, “Sirs, I can see that the voyage will be with danger and much heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. Since the harbor was not suitable for spending the winter, the majority was in favor of putting to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, where they could spend the winter. It was a harbor of Crete, facing south-west and north-west.

When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. Since the ship was caught and could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea-anchor and so were driven. We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground on some island.” (Acts 27: 9-26).

Paul certainly went through a great deal in his preaching the Gospel—hardship after hardship. Today’s passage is an example. After his hearing before Agrippa and the local gentry, he is sent off to Rome only to encounter a disaster of a voyage. He puts his faith in God and knows that they will arrive, ultimately, safely to Rome.

How many of us when faced with adversity put all of our trust in God knowing that it will all work out for good? For my part, I know it is difficult to do and sometimes I fall short, but we must follow Paul’s example and put our trust in God who saves us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GLADYS: Yesterday was Gladys’ 92nd birthday. Join me in wishing her birthday blessings. Gladys, may God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you, and may God bless you now and always. Amen.

CALENDAR REMINDERS

Sunday, 17 October 2010, the Heritage Choral Choir at the 9 a.m. service.

Adult Christian Formation: The Gospel According to Mark at 11:15 a.m. in Bright-Davies Hall.

Please remember to pray for everyone on our Prayer List and especially for Lee, Cindi, Carol, Marilyn, Gladys, Pat, Don Soske and his family and loved ones.

Your servant in Christ,

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550