Nicholas Ferrar: 1 December 2009

http://satucket.com/lectionary/Nicholas_Ferrar.htm

Nicholas Ferrar (1592-1637)

Many wonder when I leave out so many English Saints, why I remember the Deacon from Little Gidding.

After being ordained to the deaconate, Nicholas and his family and some friends retired to Little Gillddng, in Huntindonshire, England. Once there, they dedicated themselves to prayer, fasting and giving of alms. They restored the church there, and were responsible to see that it had services. They also taught the children, and saw to the health of the people in the surrounding district. They recited the daily offices and read through the entire Psaltery daily. They always kept at least one person before the alter kneeling in prayer, so as to pray without ceasing. They also wrote several books including a harmony of the Gospels.

Nicolas and his family were a fine example of how Christians can live, single and married together in community, serving the community around them. The finest of Anglican tradition, with daily Morning and Evening prayer and caring for the need of the people. This was a true case of the people being the church.

El Shaddai, you gave your deacon, Nicholas Ferrar the ability to form a Christian community that was truly dedicated to you both in prayer and ministry to others. Grant that we, like the Ferrar family would worship you through prayer and fasting, but also in witnessing and taking care of the poor. This we ask through Yeshua, who prayed, forgave sins and preached to the sinner. Amen. (white)

23 November: C.S. Lewis

Clives Staples Lewis
29 November 1898-22 November 1963

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, C. S. Lewis was baptised into that church at a tender age. As many, he did not receive much nurture from that faith, he fell away from it and officially became an atheist. Like many of his time, Lewis was educated by private tutors and private schools. It was at Malvern College at the age of fifteen that he became an atheist, studying mythology and the occult. He attended Oxford and volunteered to fight in World War I. returning to Oxford afterwards. Influenced by the writings of George McDonald and by G.K. Chesterton, and by J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis came back to Christ, kicking and struggling in his own words in 1931. Joining the Church of England, his works reflect orthodox Anglicanism of his time. Lewis is chiefly known for, The Pilgirms’s Regress, his Space Trilogy, the Chronicles of Narnia, ere Chrisitanity and the Screwtape Letters. He wrote several other books as well with Christian themes. Lewis is probably the most well know Christian apologist of the twentieth century.


Dear Lord, you gave your servant Clive S. Lewis wonderful ability to proclaim your kingdom, love of you, and spiritual truths through the written and spoken word. Raise up in this and every generation authors who truly love you and proclaim you through word and action. This we ask through Yeshuah haMoshiach who himself used parables to proclaim the truth of the kingdom. Amen. (white)

Hugh of Lincoon: 17 November 2009

http://www.angelusworkshop.co.uk/NEWpages/Lin06.htm

Hugh of Lincoln was born about 1135 in Avalon to noble parents. After his mothers death when he was eight, his father to him to the priory of Villard Benoît at Pontcharra, where Hugh did quite well. He was made deacon at age 19 and was sent to become prior at anther monastery, and then entered the Gran Chartreuse, the mother house for the Carthusians. There he remained until 1179, when he was sent to England to become prior of the first Carthusian house of England. Arriving, he found very little, and that the lands had not even been paid for, forcing a meeting with the King who had promised the funds in relation to his penance relating to the death of Archbishop Thomas of Canterbury Once financing was secured the house grew rapidly and Hugh’s wisdom brought many to the English house.

Hugh was not afraid to address problems in the Kingdom and criticised the King. For leaving Diocesan Sees open in order that the king could receive the revenues. Lincoln itself had been vacant for some eighteen years. The chapter elected Hugh to be their Bishop and he was consecrated on 21 September 1186. Hugh was still not afraid of the King, nor those with royal authority, and excommunicated those who needed it regardless of royal prerogative, and protected the downtrodden, especially the Jews. He travelled ocntatly through the diocese, was constant in charity and raised the educational level of the cathedral school. He was often attended by a pet swan which followed him everywhere. He refused to raise money for King Richard the Lion Heart’s crusades, and was not popular with Prince John, who was not interested in hearing of the Chirsians duty of Kings. Through all, he managed to continue through his diplomatic skills. He died November 16, 1200 of an unknown illness, loved by many.

Collect: Heavenly Father, as you imbued your Bishop Hugh of Lincoln with true grace and agape for all, help your church to love and serve the poor, oppressed, and outcasts, that they may come to know you through our witness, which we ask in the name of your beloved son, who loved us even unto death on the cross. Amen. (white)

2 November: All Souls Day

At Benim Avraham, we primarily remember All Souls on its eve (Sunday night in this case). We light a candle for our loved ones whom we wish to remember with the words,
I light a candle in the memory of N.N. in remembrance that they showed me the light of Christ by.... After the service is over, each person is encouraged to share something of the loved one's life. It is a time of remembrance,and a time to make sure families truly know something of their family history.

Eve: Psalm: 116:10-17
Isaiah 25:6-9
I Thessalonians 4:13-18

All Souls Day:
Psalm: 130
Wisdom 3:1-9
John 5:24-27

Collect: Blessed Father, you are the Lord of the Living, and all the faithful are alive to you. Bless us with the memories of our loved ones who have gone on before us, that we following their examples may find a mansion prepared for us by our Lord Yeshua. This we ask in his most precious name. Amen. (white)

31 October: Reformation Day

November 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the castle church door of Wittenberg. This was a common way of making announcements at the time, and since November 1st is All Saints day, a day of special observance, crowds were guaranteed to see the announcements.

At the heart of the 95 theses was a custom of the day, selling indulgences in order to raise money for the church. The general idea was that one could buy more rapid exit from purgatory for one’s self or a relative. In the famous words of Johann Tetzle, “Sobald der Gülden im Becken klingt, im huy die Seel im Himmel springt,“ (when the guilder in the box clings, the soul into heaven springs.“)

The Pope was rebuilding St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, and needed money to work on it. He sent Tetzel and others to raise money through the sale of indulgences. Martin Luther found this reprehensible, and nailed his objections to the church door. (The 95 Theses can be found at: http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/95theses.html)

Several points made by Luther:

If the pope had this power than he should let all people out of purgatory.

Money spent on charity would do us more good than money spent on indulgences.

Repentance is necessary.

The Pope had enough money to repair St. Peter’s, and should have used his own money.

Martin Luther’s theses were extremely important to the church and to Europe and eventually the world. They lead to challenging the Roman Catholic Church in other areas (such as holding church services in languages which the people understood, the marriage of clergy and many other factors. Most of the Protestant Churches we have today are a direct or indirect result of this challenge to the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church indeed reformed itself to some extent, to win back people lost to protestant churches. Europe itself, became divided between the Protestant North (Great Britain, Scandinavia, Prussia, Holland, Latvia and Estonia), and the Catholic South. Among the Protestants was a great desire to know God’s word in one’s one language and to apply it to one’s life. Europe was transformed, not only religiously by the reformation, but economically as well. Religious wars changed the face of Europe, and indeed had a great affect on those who wrote the constitution of the USA. George Washington feared sectarian wars, and for this reason the USA did not recognise any one form of Christianity.

Tonight is also Halloween, from All Hallows Even, meaning the evening before the feast of All Hallows (i.e. All Saints Day). This feast was originally held in May but was moved to counteract the Pagan Holliday of Samain. It was believed that the dead walked the Earth, and that it was necessary to scare them away with Jack O’ Lanterns (made of turnips and apples originally. Needles to say, we encourage our churches to have a Saints Day party this evening with everyone coming as a saint or personage from the Bible.


Collect: Heavenly Father, on this day Martin Luther nailed his theses to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral, not to challenge the church, but to transform it into a true body for mission. Grant us zeal in reforming the church and translating scripture and liturgy so all may understand your word, and be enabled for mission to the entire world. This we ask in the name of our Lord Yeshuah. Amen. (white)

26 October: Alfred the Great, KIng of Wessex

http://www.castles.me.uk/images/king-alfred.jpg

Born in 849 at Berkshire, Alfred wished to become a monk. Instead he became king at the death of his father and four older brothers in 871. At this time the Danes controlled the northeast coast of what we call England today, which was called the Danelaw. Alfred was able to defeat the Danes, and as part of the terms of that defeat, the Danish King, Guthrum became a vassal to Jesus Christ, and therefore so did his nobles. Obviously the baptisms that resulted from this conversion may not have been heartfelt, but, because of this conversion, priests and missionaries were allowed in the Danelaw and in Denmark (which at this time included a portion of Sweden), which in time resulted in legitimate heartfelt conversions.

After defeating Guthrum, Alfred devoted his time to rebuilding the kingdom of Wessex, fortifying it against attack, building schools (including Oxford) and libraries. Enamoured of the Torah’s treatment of the poor, Alfred sought to put such protections in his laws as well. He also translated books and fifty of the Psalms into Anglo Saxon.

The laws which Alfred promulgated are based very much on the Old Testament. In addition to his other talents, Alfred also designed the ships used to defeat King Guthrum.

There are many reason for calling Alfred the Great. Among those not listed above was the protection of England from the Vikings and restoring the peace, allowing British and English Christianity to carry on unmolested. Once King Guthrum had converted he received respect from his Christian subjects in the Danelaw, leading to peace there as well. King Alfred was a man who knew the Bible well, and sought to use it in his life, in the laws and in all he did. Would that our politicians would do likewise.

Collect: Heavenly Father, as Alfred rebuilt England and restored the church, he also witnessed to his enemy Guthrum and persuaded him to receive Messiah. Grant that we too, would pray and witness to all the world, whether they be our friends or our enemies. This we ask through Yeshuah who lives and reins with you and Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (white)



For more information see: http://www.dr-fnlee.org/docs6/alfred/alfred.pdf

St. Ignatius of Antioch: 17 October 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_of_Antioch

Ignatius is one of the Apostolic fathers (early leaders in the church who knew the apostles. He is said to have been one of the children that Jesus blessed. He was born around the year 35 and died between 98 and 117. He is counted to be the third Bishop of Antioch (after St. Peter and St. Evodius who died in the year 67. It is said that he knew St. Peter and may have known St. John the Apostle, and it is said that St. Peter appointed him to the see of Antioch. Ignatius is most known to us for the letters he wrote on the way to Rome, where he was martyred by being partially consumed by lions. His remains are in Rome to this day, buried under St. Peter’s Basilica.
Ignatius wrote six letters to churches and one to a bishop. His letters emphasise loyalty to one Bishop per city, who is aided by his presbyters and deacons, the earliest letter to emphasise this. He called the Eucharist the medicine of immortality and looked forward to his martyrdom to be with Jesus face to face. St. Ignatius also is the first to emphasise celebrating the Lord’s day (although Acts 20:7-11 suggests the practice first) saying, “We fashion our lives after the Lord’s day.”
These letters are very important, because we have very little written information about this time in the churches history, guiding us in how we should imitate the primitive church.

For more see: http://www.searchgodsword.org/his/ad/ecf/ant/ignatius/ (note the first seven are those alleged to be genuine.)


Collect: Heavenly Father, as you raised up your servant Ignatius to be Bishop of Antioch and to suffer and die for his faith. Grant that we may gather more frequently to celebrate the Eucharist, sharing the medicine of immortality, and that we would follow the bishop, as Jesus followed the Father, follow the presbytery as we would follow the apostles, and respect the deacons as we respect God’s law. This we ask through our Lord and Saviour Yeshua haMoshiach, who lives and reins with you and the Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (red)