Saint Andrew the Apostle

The Collect of the Day

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Psalm

19

The Readings

Deuteronomy 30:11-14     +     Romans 10:8b-18     +      Matthew 4:18-22

"The word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe."

~Deut. 30:14

"Evangelical" is a word that has come to have various connotations (religious, political, social). Many people have negative associations with the word, often for good reason. But that is also tragic, for the word is inseparable from the gospel. In fact, the word comes from the Greek euangelion, which means "good news"--the gospel. To be essentially evangelical, then, is to be one who believes and lives the gospel. To be an evangelist is to seek to spread the word of that good news: "Here is life! I have found it in Jesus."

Andrew was evangelical in this way. Today's reading from Matthew's Gospel has him being called to the work of a disciple and evangelist along with his brother, Simon Peter, but John's Gospel tells it differently: Andrew is called first, and he goes immediately and tells his brother about it, and brings him to Jesus.

At bottom, evangelism consists of this: bringing people to Jesus. That bringing will inevitably involve some sharing of our own story and experience of the word of life that God has put within us. But there is no one right way to do this, no formula or approved program. Speak what you know. Share what you have experienced. And pray for grace to bring those near to you into the gracious presence of Jesus. 

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for the life we have in you. Help us to be both courageous and sincere in sharing the blessing of your life and presence with those near and dear to us, that the word you have implanted in us may be ever growing.  Amen.

Icon of St. Andrew, written by the Rev. Paige Blair

Thanksgiving Day

The Collect of the Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm

65

The Readings

Deuteronomy 8:7-18     +     II Corinthians 9:6-15     +     Luke 17:11-19

You crown the year with your goodness, and your paths overflow with plenty.
~Psalm 65:12

There are a few instances in which church and civic calendar overlap, and Thanksgiving is one of them. It's not surprising that Thanksgiving is observed by the church, given the long history of harvest festivals across cultures and religions. And even though Thanksgiving in America has long been a cultural event celebrated by all and sundry, with a slew of "secular" observances and traditions, there remains an underlying religious assumption--for to whom are we giving thanks for all the blessings of our lives, if not to God?*

The appointed Scripture readings overflow with images of God's abundance: from the promised land of Deuteronomy "where you will eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing," to the Psalmist's poetic song of God the joyful Gardener of the earth, to St. Paul's assurance that "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance" and its critical qualifier: "so that by always having enough of everything, you may share in every good work."

When we get to the Gospel lesson, this theme seems to shift as we read the story of the ten healed lepers. Of the ten, only one returns to thank Jesus. Two verses of this Gospel, in particular, provide a pretty good microcosm of what we do in the liturgy of the Eucharist: "One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him." It is important, certainly, that we respond to God's gracious abundance toward us by remembering God and seeking to keep God's commandments, by being good stewards of God's bounty, and by sowing abundantly and sharing in the work of blessing others. But it is of first importance that we simply and truly turn to God and give thanks. With a grateful heart, with humility and honesty, we thank God who is the giver of every good gift, and the source of life itself.

The word eucharist, after all, is Greek for thanksgiving. To be a disciple of Jesus is to cultivate a life of thanksgiving. And for most of us, that kind of life does indeed take some cultivating, some "soul-gardening." As Christians, we are helped in this work not only by taking and setting aside one Thursday every November to be intentionally thankful, but every Sunday when we come together again for the church's central act of worship, the Holy Eucharist, offering our very selves to God in thanksgiving.  

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, thank you for the blessings you continually give; thank you for every new breath of life. Help us today and every day to make our lives an offering of thanksgiving to you, that your abundant goodness may overflow from grateful hearts and wash over your world. Amen.

*If you don't already have a prayer for your own Thanksgiving table, or are looking to start a new tradition, consider praying A Litany of Thanksgiving, found on page 836 of the Book of Common Prayer. 

All Saints' Day

The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

The Psalm
34:1-10, 22

The Readings
Revelation 7:9-17      +      I John 3:1-3      +      Matthew 5:1-12

Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.
~ I John 3:2

Though it's one of the seven principal feasts of the church (BCP, pg. 15), there are considerable differences of opinion about what, precisely, is being celebrated on All Saints' Day. A short list could include questions about the definition of a saint (and who gets included in that definition), the nature of our connection with the dead in Christ (i.e. what do we mean when we say we believe in the communion of saints?), and what we believe about life after death. I find such a list striking in that the questions are both profound on one level, while at the same time basic and central to Christian faith. To a question so universal as, "what happens when we die?" is it not telling that we find different answers, stated with varying degrees of detail and confidence, both within the Episcopal Church and across denominations? If, as seems often to be the popular view, the church exists to help us answer that question, then we don't seem to be doing a very good job (which is also telling--perhaps the church is about more than simply "the hope of heaven"). One explanation for this lack of clarity is that there is no uniform answer in the Bible; rather, there are various intimations and images, with plenty of mystery in the mix. Many of our beliefs about life after death may in fact come from hymns, varying church traditions, and popular imagery.

The First Epistle of John seems to be addressing a community experiencing a crisis of faith. Amid doubts and uncertainties, the writer begins the letter with words of confidence and assurance based in experience: "We declare to you . . . what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life" (I Jn. 1:1). This language of conviction and reassurance continues throughout the letter, but it is not absolute. Even here, among the children of God, there remains the acknowledgement of mystery and limited knowledge: "what we will be has not yet been revealed." We place our hope and confidence in God and in Jesus Christ, and we trust that this hope will not disappoint. In the time between now and the perfecting of the children of God, it is part of the work of discipleship to follow the example of the saints, to grow in virtue, and to be seeking always to gracefully move into greater trust that we who have set our hope on Christ have a sure foundation, come what may.    
 
Closing Prayer
O God, thank you for the example and fellowship of your saints. Help us to be, like them, about the work of living faithfully as your children here and now, confident of the joy that will yet be revealed in Jesus, in whom we have put our hope. Amen.