Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles

The Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Psalm

87

The Readings

Ezekiel 34:11-16     +     II Timothy 4:1-8     +     John 21:15-19

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.

~Ezekiel 34:15-16

Today, when I hear the prophet Ezekiel conveying this word of the Lord, I see the lost, the injured, and the weak in the faces of the desperate souls seeking refuge in this and other countries from the violence and instability of their homelands. It is a word of hope and comfort in this tempest-tossed time--around the world there are now more refugees, asylum seekers, and displaced persons than at any time in history. It is also a word of judgment--"the fat and the strong I will destroy; I will feed them with justice."  

While I expect most everyone would express a longing for the hope and comfort, I admit a sense of longing also for the judgment. Longing for God's judgment is, I think, not misplaced--We believe that you will come and be our judge; come then, Lord, and help your people (from the Te Deum, BCP 95-96). But there is also in that longing a sense of satisfaction, of "righteous indignation" that gives me pause--do I expect that I will be found guiltless in that judgment? In what ways am I even now complicit, actively or passively, in this and so many other injustices?

The word of the Lord to Ezekiel proclaims that it is God who will do the leading, the healing, the strengthening--"I myself will be the shepherd"--as well as the judging. It is a critical reminder, especially if we begin to slip into a sense of purity at the rightness of our cause--we are not the Savior, we are not the Judge. As Christians, the one firm foundation we know is Jesus Christ our Lord. His salvation, not ours; his perfect judgment, not ours. But we are called, like Peter and Paul and all the followers of Jesus, to the work of the gospel and the proclamation of the kingdom of God. That is the work for which Paul was willing to be poured out as a libation, and to which he commanded Timothy: be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully (II Tim. 4:5).

May we be found engaged in that work and ministry, feeding the lambs and tending the sheep in imitation of the one Good Shepherd. May we not grow weary, even as we long for his appearing. 

Closing Prayer

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this and every land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing justice for all. And grant that we all may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~adapted from a prayer For the Oppressed, BCP, 826

June 20th was the eighteenth annual World Refugee Day. To learn more about the plight of refugees today, and how you can help, visit the following:

Episcopal Migration Ministries

World Relief Memphis

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Collect

Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth's sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalm
85

The Readings
Isaiah 40:1-11     +     Acts 13:14b-26     +     Luke 1:57-80

... and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God.
~ Luke 1:59-64

Saints are typically celebrated on the day of their death (their "heavenly birthdays"). There are only a few exceptions where births are commemorated on the church calendar. Of course, we celebrate the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ every December 25, and many will commemorate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8. In addition to these we have this day's feast, closely linked with both Jesus and Mary--the birth of John the Baptist.

From a sermon for this feast, by St. Augustine:

"John marks the frontier between the Old and the New Testaments. The Lord speaks of him as a boundary line: 'The law and the prophets are valid until John the Baptist.' He represents the Old Testament and at the same time introduces the New. His parents were old, in keeping with his first role: while yet in his mother's womb he was saluted as a prophet, in recognition of his second. Although he was not yet born at the time of Mary's visitation, he leaped in his mother's womb. His mission was made clear, even before he was born. He was revealed as Christ's precursor, before he so much as saw him. These divine mysteries transcend man's feeble understanding. When at last he was born and received his name, his father's tongue was loosened . . . Zachary's tongue was loosened, because a voice was born."

Birth of John the Baptist, by Jacopo Pontormo

(the still mute Zechariah is seen in the corner, confirming in writing Elizabeth's instruction for his name) 

Closing Prayer
Lord God of the prophets, we praise you for sending John as the Forerunner of your promised Christ. Help us to heed his voice, and the voice of everyone who cries out to point us back to you; help us to be open to your Spirit, that our voices also may proclaim the coming of the One who is our hope, even Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Saint Barnabas the Apostle

The Collect
Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Psalm
112

The Readings

Isaiah 42:5-12     +     Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3     +     Matthew 10:7-16

The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

~ Acts 11:21-24

Although he was not one of the Twelve, we know more about the apostle Barnabas than we do about many of them. We hear of his ministry throughout the book of Acts and in Paul's letters. He is first introduced at the end of Acts chapter 4, where we learn that Barnabas means "son of encouragement," a name given to him by the apostles.

Most of us today probably don't think much about the meaning of a name. But as we see throughout the Bible, names are important (and this remains true in many cultures today). Names communicate identity, not only by family connection, but through, for example, relating circumstances surrounding a birth, or a sense of belonging, or of loss, or a perceived calling. Particularly noteworthy are biblical instances in which a "a new name" is given, often by God; e.g. Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter. These name changes reflect critical junctures in the lives of those receiving the name, a new understanding of who they are and where they fit in God's story. 

"Son of Encouragement" is quite a name. And from what we see of Barnabas in Acts, it seems the apostles named him well. It makes me wish I had known him personally. It also has me wondering by what name the apostles would call me. 

Take a moment and consider: if you received a new name from God, or from someone close to God, what might that name be? What would it communicate about who you are, and your place in God's story? If, perhaps, you fear or simply don't know what that name would be, ask God to place within you a vision of the man or woman whose name you would be proud to bear. And pray for grace to step into that identity.   

Closing Prayer

O God, you manifest in your servants the signs of your presence: Send forth upon us the Spirit of love, that in companionship with one another your abounding grace may increase among us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ BCP, p. 125