The Annuncition: March 25, 2011

One of the oldest Feasts of the church, the Annunciation celebrates Gabriel the Archangel's appearance to Miriam (Mary. When reckoning the date for Christmas in the 4th Century, the early church based the date of Christmas as being nine months form this date. Miriam's response to the Angel, "be it unto me according to your word" marks Yeshua's entry into the world, and should be our answer to the Lord, when he calls upon us. It is also a reflection of the Lord's Prayer, "your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven." May we always answer the Lord, "be it unto me according to your word."

We beseech you o Lord, so fill our hearts with your grace that as we have known the incarnation of your son our Lord Yeshua HaMoshiach by the message of an angel, that so by his cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection. And what we ask for ourselves, we ask for all those for whom Messiah died, that those who sin against you would come to love you, and that those who love you would be drawn nearer to you. To the glory of God the Father, Amen. (Blue)

Gregory the Illuminator, Bishop, Apostle

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

Gregory the Illuminator was born in about 257 in Armenia. After his father assassinated the King of Armenia, Gregory was taken to Caesarea to avoid being killed and was raises as a Christian. Gregory eventually returned to Armenia, where he was imprisoned by the King, Tiridates III for around fourteen years. He was called forth from the pit to pray for the King’s healing (the King had become insane). After Tiridates III was healed, he became a Christian in 301 and the nobles soon followed, followed by the peasants. The King also declared Armenia to be a Christian country in the year 301 making Armenia the first Christian nation. Gregory built his cathedral at Echmiadzin, which is still the principal church of the Armenian church.

Although several apostles had visited Armenia and converted some Armenians, it was under Gregory’s leadership that the country truly became Christian. Gregory set up a hereditary office of Catholicos, or chief Bishop (his son, Aristaces, became Bishop after his retirement.) In addition to preaching in Armenia, Gregory also baptised the Kings of Albania, Georgia, and Lazes.

Gregory retired to live in the wilderness with a small group of monks, where he remained until his death on the 23rd of March 331.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_the_Illuminator
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Gregory_Illuminator.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07023a.htm
http://www.armenianheritage.com/regreg.htm

Readings
Psalm119:153-160
Job 42:10-12
Acts 17:22-31
Matthew 5:11-16

Heavenly Father, you raised up Gregory to proclaim the Gospel in Armenia and to light up central Asia. Grant us o Lord, people willing to go to the ends of the world for the sake of the Gospel. This we ask through Yeshuah haMoshiach our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (white)

Thomas Cranmer, Bishop, Martyr, Liturgist: 21 March 2011

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

Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556)

Born 1489 in Notinghamshire, Cranmer followed a typical career of younger brother. Since his brother John inherited the family estate, Cranmer and his younger brother were prepared for lives as clerics. Fourteen years old, he came to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he took some eight years to earn his Bachelor of Arts. In 1515 he received his MA and became a fellow of Jesus College. He lost his fellowship after marrying, but regained it after his wife died. He received his Doctorate in Divinity in 1526, having gained Holy Orders in 1520. In June 1527 he met the king, whom he described as the kindest of princes.

From 1527 he became involved with the King’s divorce. During these proceedings, he met some of the continental reformers in 1531. In 1532 he was appointed ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire, and in travelling with the Emperor f rom area to area was able to see the reformation in action. In addition to meeting several reformers, he ended up marrying Ossiander’s niece. Sadly for him, he was unable to convince the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles to support King Henry’s annulment from Catherine (Catherine was Charles’ aunt).

In 1532, he was notified that he would be the next Archbishop of Canterbury and was so consecrated on the 30th of March of 1532. He continued to work on the king’s divorce, with the affair becoming more complicate due to Anne Bolyn’s pregnancy and her secret marriage to Henry VIII. Cranmer declared Henry’s marriage void, and the Pope excommunicated Henry and his advisors. Life was difficult for Cranmer as many of his bishops did not support him in this new role. His life also continued to be made difficult because of the King’s urgent desire for a male heir. He was also not particularly astute in dealing with the bishops.

Fifteen thirty six saw the publishing of the 10 Articles of religion which pleased and annoyed both sides of the debate. The Institution of a Christian Man was printed in response, but the king insisted on changes. Cranmer was the most vigorous in fighting against the King’s changes, especially relating to faith alone and predestination. From 1536 to 1544 there were many ups and downs involving Cranmer which he survived. In 1544 he printed the first legal services in Enlgish, being the Exhortation and the Great Litany, which is still found in many Anglican prayer books today (and indeed in the liturgy used by the diocese of La Porte). Fifteen forty-seven saw the introduction of the Book of Homilies to all parishes (4 written by Cranmer). As many of the reformers were suffering persecution, Cranmer invited them to England and put them to work training clergy. (Reina and Valera who composed the first Bible in Spanish were among these).

It is unknown just how much Cranmer actually wrote in the Book of Common Prayer of 1549. His sources include the Sarum Rite, Hermann von Wied, Ossiander, Justus Jonas (and several other Lutherans), and Quiñones. What we do know is that he was the final editor of this and the 1552 Book of Common Prayer (not used because of Mary accession to the throne. In 1550 he printed an Ordinal, and in the same year: Defence of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ , the only book actually printed in his own name. In 1552 he came out with the Articles of Religion.

After Mary took power, Cranmer was imprisoned and during the course of his imprisonment, recanted his Protestant faith. On the day of his death however, he recanted his recantations, and was burned at the stake, placing his right hand in the centre of the fire as a sign of repentance regarding the written recantations.

Cranmer’s greatest influence on the church was the Book of Common Prayer, which was the basis of all Anglican Books of Common Prayer into the 1960’s. His Eucharist also found its way into the Methodist liturgy, and his marriage and burial services are the base services of many denominations. The English used in his BCP has affected the English language as much as the language of the King James Bible and Shakespeare. His second work of genius was transforming morning prayer and evening prayer into something that could be used by any family or by individuals. His third act of genius was slow transformation, which produced a book which has lasted over 450 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archbishop_Cranmer
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Thomas_Cranmer
http://www.stpeter.org/cranmer.html

Psalm 142 or 124
1 Corinthians 3:9-14
John 15:20--16:1

Collect: Heavenly Father, you granted to your Bishop Thomas Cranmer great gifts in ordering the worship and prayer life of the English people, and though he slipped led him to repent of his recantations. Grant that we would truly seek to worship you in the spirit of holiness, and be ready to give up our lives for you. This we ask through Yeshuah, who lives and reins and is worshipped with you and the Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (red)

St. Joseph: March 19, 2011

We know little of the life of St. Joseph. We know, from the offering at the temple that he was a poor man, and we are told by the Bible that he was an honourable man, who did not wish to see his betrothed disgraced (The penalty would have been stoning for her). We do know that he was a man who obeyed the Lord. Each time God spoke to him in dreams, Joseph immediately followed through. As he is not mentioned much in the New Testament, it is believed that he died before Jesus began his public ministry. We do believe that he must have been a very special man to have been given the job of being Jesus’ step father. We pray that we would be like him, obeying the Lord.

Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:1-4,26-29;
2 Samuel 7:4,8-16;
Romans 4:13-18;
Luke 2:41-52

Collect: Heavenly Father, you raised up Yosef to be a step Father to our Lord Yeshuah haMoshiach. Grant that every father would be as faithful as Yosef in his sacred responsibility of modeling your fatherhood to us. This we ask through the same Yeshuah haMoshiach our Lord, who called Yosef, “father.” Amen. (white)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem: 18 March 2011

http://www.stcyril.us/photos.html

Cyril was born in Jerusalem in about the year 315 and became bishop in about 349. He lived in tumultuous times, and was exiled three times, once by the Athanasians and twice by the Arians. He attended the Council of Constantinople in 381 and supported the Athanasian view of the Trinity.

Cyril is important to us chiefly for three things. It is believed that he was the author of the precursor to the Nicene Creed we use today. Secondly, he organized activities for pilgrims and much of what we do during Holy Week comes from what was done in Jerusalem during his Episcopate. (An account by a Spanish nun is available here: http://www.ccel.org/m/mcclure/etheria/etheria.htm) Thirdly, he is the author of a series of lectures (18 for Lent and five for Easter) given to candidates for baptism and the newly baptised. These probably do not exist in the original form, but he is the original author. (They can be ordered here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0913836397/bookofcommonprayA/ or viewed here: http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_author/4/St._Cyril_of_Jerusalem.html)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_of_Jerusalem
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Cyril_Jerusalem.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04595b.htm
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Cyril_of_Jerusalem
Psalm 122
Ecclesiasticus 47:8-10
Hebrews 13:14-21
Luke 24:44-48
Collect: Heavenly Father, you raised up Cyril as Patriarch of Yerushalayim to guide Bishops and Presbyters in their calling to be teachers and ministers of the sacraments. Raise up in this and every generation Bishops and Presbyters who will faithfully instruct your people in practical Christian faith and living. This we ask through the author and perfecter of our faith, Yeshuah haMoshiach our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (white)

St. Patrick, Evangelist to Ireland: 17 March 2011

http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Patrick.htm

St. Patrick is the most well known of the Irish saints, a true hero of the church. Sadly his day has become more known for revelry and green beer than truly celebrating what he did.

The exact time and place of his birth is unknown. Guesses range from Wales to Kilpatrick, Scotland. What is know is that his father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest. They were according to various sources either Romans, or Romanised Celts.

At the age of 14, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates (common at the time) and taken to Ireland where he herded sheep as a slave. During his captivity his prayer life grew, and at about the age of 20, guided by a dream, he found a ship willing to carry him and made his escape. (I find it appropriate that we celebrate another man guided by dreams ((St. Joseph)) in two days.)

He studied to be a presbyter, and eventually was ordained as Bishop. Guided once again by dreams, these expressing the need of the Irish for his presence, he traveled back to Ireland to proclaim the Gospel. Patrick successfully preached the Gospel, aided by disciples he made in Ireland.

Of the legends attributed to him, he used the clover to preach the Gospel. When explaining the trinity he would pluck a clover and ask, is it one leaf or three (botanically speaking it is actually one leaf), and ask the Irish whether it was one or three. Easter at one point fell the same night as a Celtic festival, but Patrick beat them to the draw by lighting a bonfire first. Apparently the king’s men were unable to put it out. Several songs are attributed to Patrick, the most famous being his Lorica or the Deer Cry. It is said when one of the kings was out to capture Patrick, he and his disciples sang this song, and the king’s men only saw deer as they passed by them.

The true miracle behind Patrick’s life though is his great forgiveness. Anyone who can serve as a slave for some 6 years and return to the people who enslaved him to tell them about Jesus shows the true power of forgiveness. Would that we were all so eager to forgive those who sin against us, and to proclaim the Gospel.
Psalm 97:1-2,7-12
Ezekiel 36:33-38
1 Thessalonians 2:2b-12
Matthew 28:16-20
Collect: : Heavenly Father; who gave Patrick the strength to persevere and power to forgive his enemies, give us the strength and ability to forgive those who wrong us, and willingness of heart to tell them of the great love of Yeshuah. This we ask in his name, who lives and governs with you and the Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (white)

St. Gregory, Bishop of Rome: 12 March 2011

http://www.allmercifulsavior.com/icons/Icons-Gregory.htm
St. Gregory, Bishop of Rome

Little is know of Gregory’s younger years, except that Italy was in turbulence from Goth invasions. He had three sisters who were nuns, and after the death of his parents converted the house into a monastery. He was ordained deacon, and later served as Papal delegate to Constantinople. He was elected Pope in 590, and immediately set down that he was not claiming St. Peter’s throne, and praised the life of the monks (he was the first Monastic bishop of Rome).

Gregory is most well known for sending missionaries to northern Europe in a time in which the Pope had little authority over Italy, Britain or Spain. Most famous of his missions was sending Augustine to England to proclaim the Gospel to the Anglo Saxon peoples, leading to some conflict with the Celtic church, but eventually leading to a missionary movement spreading form England to the north of Europe and extending as far east as Kiev.

Liturgically, plain song chant, or Gregorian chant is often attributed to him, and more factually the liturgy of the pre-sanctified which is used by the Eastern Orthodox Church until this day for Lent and Holy Week. Private penance is also attributed to him.

Alms were important to him, but most of the money received by the church went immediately to the service of the poor.

Collect: Lord, you raised up Gregory of Rome to be a servant to the servants of God, and inspired him to send missionaries to England. Raise up in this and every generation Bishops who will truly serve their people in imitation of Messiah, and who are willing to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This we ask through Yeshuah haMoshiach, who lives and reigns with you and Ruach haKodesh, one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (white)