1 Justin, Martyr at Rome, c. 167 was a Christian martyr during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. 2 The Martyrs of Lyons, 177 3 The Martyrs of Uganda, 1886 4 John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli), Bishop of Rome, 1963 was Pope of the Catholic Church and ruled the Vatican City from 1958 until his death in 1963. He is the most recent Pope to date to take the name "John" upon being elected as Pope. 5 Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz, Missionary to Germany, and Martyr, 754 was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. 6 Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood, 1945 OLD TESTAMENT: 1 Kings 18:20-39 (RCL) 20 So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel. 21Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred and fifty. 23Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. 24Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.’ All the people answered, ‘Well spoken!’ 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.’ 26So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, ‘O Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. 27At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, ‘Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.’ 28Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. 29As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, ‘Come closer to me’; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; 31Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name’; 32with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 33Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, ‘Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt-offering and on the wood.’ 34Then he said, ‘Do it a second time’; and they did it a second time. Again he said, ‘Do it a third time’; and they did it a third time, 35so that the water ran all round the altar, and filled the trench also with water. 36 At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. 37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’ 38Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.’ 1 Kings 8:22-23,41-43 (alt. for RCL) 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands to heaven. 23He said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and steadfast love for your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 41 ‘Likewise when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a distant land because of your name 42—for they shall hear of your great name, your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm—when a foreigner comes and prays towards this house, 43then hear in heaven your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and so that they may know that your name has been invoked on this house that I have built. Note: If the alternate RCL OT reading is used, then it should be accompanied by vs. 1-9 of Psalm 96 below. Genesis 14:18-20 (Roman Catholic) 18And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. 19He blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything. PSALM 96 (RCL) 1 O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples. 4 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in holy splendour; tremble before him, all the earth. 10 Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.’ 11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. 96 Cantate Domino (ECUSA BCP) 1 Sing to the Lord a new song; * sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. 2 Sing to the Lord and bless his Name; * proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the nations * and his wonders among all peoples. 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; * he is more to be feared than all gods. 5 As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; * but it is the Lord who made the heavens. 6 Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! * Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary! 7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; * ascribe to the Lord honor and power. 8 Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; * bring offerings and come into his courts. 9 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; * let the whole earth tremble before him. 10 Tell it out among the nations: “The Lord is King! * he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.” 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea thunder and all that is in it; * let the field be joyful and all that is therein. 12 Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord when he comes, * when he comes to judge the earth. 13 He will judge the world with righteousness * and the peoples with his truth. Psalm 110 (Roman Catholic) 1 The Lord says to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’ 2 The Lord sends out from Zion your mighty sceptre. Rule in the midst of your foes. 3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains.* From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth* will come to you. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.’* NEW TESTAMENT: Galatians 1:1-12 (RCL) 1:1 Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— 2and all the members of God’s family who are with me, To the churches of Galatia: 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! 9As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! 10 Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ. 11 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; 12for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. h/t Montreal Anglican Paul structures this letter like many letters of his time with an opening formula (the names of the sender, that of his addressees, and a short greeting), the message (the body of the letter), and a final greeting. His other letters have a thanksgiving before the message, but not this one. There is another difference, which scholars see as significant: while in other letters Paul introduces himself simply as “a servant of Christ” (in Romans, and Philippians is similar) and/or as “an apostle” (in Romans and in 1 and 2 Corinthians), here he is keen to point out, from the start, what he is not: his authority is not from humans, but from God. We need to figure out what causes Paul to be so emphatic. We don’t know where Paul was when he wrote this letter, nor who “all the members of God's family who are with me” (v. 2) are. (Philippians tells us that Timothy is with him; in 1 Thessalonians, Silvanus is also named.) “The churches of Galatia” were in north central Asia Minor (modern Turkey). His greeting (“Grace ... and peace”, v. 3) is both Jewish and Greek. “The present evil age” (v. 4) contrasts with the age to be inaugurated when Christ comes again. The lack of a thanksgiving suggests that there are serious problems in the churches. He is “astonished” (v. 6) or amazed that Christians in Galatia have turned from the good news of God, as taught by Paul (“the one who called you”), and are accepting a “different gospel”, not that there is one! They are being led astray by false teachers who are twisting the good news. As vv. 8-9 show, Paul is distinctly upset: “let that one be accursed!” (The Greek implies cut off from God for ever). V. 10 suggests that some think that he makes practising the faith too easy, but in v. 11 he insists that what he teaches is the real thing. In 6:12-13, Paul rebuts the deviant teachers head-on: they “try to compel” male Gentile Christians to be circumcised, in accord with Mosaic law. This, they say, will increase oneness with God. Paul disagrees. Comments generally follows the interpretation in BlkGal. 1:1-5: The salutation emphasizes both Paul’s divinely given authority as an “apostle” and, in his message, the atoning death of “Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins”: see Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6. [NOAB] 1:1: “apostle”: The Greek word apostolos developed a specific Christian nuance under the contemporary Jewish institution of the seliah, one sent: a commissioned agent with full powers to carry out a definite (legal, prophetic or missionary) charge. [NJBC] 1:1: “sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities”: BlkGal offers not from human beings nor through a human being. Paul was commissioned as a missionary by the church at Antioch: see Acts 13:1-3. The critique of Paul’s apostleship was on two grounds: that his apostleship originated with the leaders of the church at Antioch, and/or it was mediated through an individual – presumably Peter (see v. 18), or possibly Barnabas. 1:2: “Galatia”: The name derives from Gallic tribes (the Gauls, or Celts) who migrated to Asia Minor and settled in the heartland in the 200s BC. Galatia can refer to: the territory occupied by descendants of these ethnically Gallic tribes and the Roman province established in 25 BC, and its inhabitants. The ethnic area was to the north; however the Roman province extended southwards, almost to the Mediterranean. Paul, on his first missionary journey, established churches in the southern part, at (Pisidian) Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. [BlkGal] NOAB says that the area around Ancyra (modern Ankara), in the ethnic area, is meant. 1:3: “Grace ... peace”: See also Romans 1:7 and 2 Thessalonians 1:2 [NOAB] 1:4: “who gave himself for our sins”: Jesus says in Mark 10:45 “... the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”. See also 1 Timothy 2:6. [NOAB] The letter’s dominant chord is sounded: salvation through Christ according to the Father’s plan or will. [NJBC] 1:4: “the present evil age”: Judaism commonly made the distinction between the present age and the age to come. John says in Revelation 21:1 “I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more”. See also 2 Peter 3:11-13. [CAB] Paul echoes this distinction and sees the present age as dominated by Satan. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes: “... the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ ...”. Christ’s giving of himself has brought about the meeting of the two ages and freed human beings from this “age”. See 1 Corinthians 10:11. [NJBC] 1:6-7: Instead of his customary thanksgiving, Paul voices his surprise and shock at Galatian fickleness. 1:6: “so quickly”: Either in the sense of so soon after your conversion (and my evangelisation) or so easily. 1:6: “the one who called you”: It was Paul’s preaching that called the Galatians to faith: see 4:13-14 [CAB] To NOAB, it is God, through Christ: see v. 15. The Father’s plan is executed through the benevolence of Christ. [NJBC] 1:6: “a different gospel”: i.e. different from the gospel that Paul proclaimed: see also 3:3 and 4:12-20. [CAB] Since the gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16), emanating from Christ, who is not divided (1 Corinthians 1:13), there can only be one gospel. This Paul has already proclaimed to them. [NJBC] 1:8,9: “accursed”: The Greek word is anathema, with the sense of being cut off from God forever. In Romans 9:3, Paul writes: “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh”. [CAB] In Romans 9:3, Paul says “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people [Jews], my kindred according to the flesh”. See also 1 Corinthians 12:3. [NOAB] 1:8: “an angel from heaven”: In 3:19-20, Paul refers to the Jewish belief that Mosaic law was enacted by angels. Even if one of them were to appear again with a modified gospel, he is not to be heard – in fact, Paul curses such a being. [NJBC] 1:10: “... please people ...”: These words indicate that Paul has been accused of being a people-pleaser, most likely because he has not mandated circumcision for his Gentile converts (6:24-25). [CAB] Paul denies an opponent’s charge that he conciliates people to win converts. In 1 Thessalonians 2:4, he writes: “... we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts”. [NOAB] 1:10: “a servant of Christ”: His conversion has freed him from the “yoke of slavery” (see 5:1), which was Mosaic law, with its emphasis on human achievement. He has become a slave of Christ, prompt to obey him: see Romans 6:16-20. There may also be a further nuance. In Philippians 1:1 and Romans 1:1, Paul calls himself a slave (NRSV: “servant(s)”), possibly like great Old Testament figures who served Yahweh faithfully (e.g. Moses in the Septuagint translation of 2 Kings 18:12). If he were courting human favour, he would not be true to such a calling. [NJBC] 1:11: Despite his severity, Paul addresses the Galatians as “brothers and sisters”. A message merely “of human origin” would be no “gospel of Christ” (v. 7) or “revelation” (v. 12). [NOAB] 1:11: “the gospel that was proclaimed by me”: The essence of this gospel is that salvation is possible for all human beings alike through faith in Christ. [NJBC] 1:11-12: In 1 Corinthians 1:17, Paul says that he was sent by Christ. [CAB] 1:12-2:14: The Judaizers apparently had accused Paul of having derived his message not from Christ, because he had never witnessed the ministry of Jesus, but from other preachers, and having watered it down for Gentiles by eliminating the obligation of Jewish practices. He replies by citing his historic commission and by explaining his relation with the mother church in Jerusalem. [NJBC] 1:12: “through a revelation of Jesus Christ”: The “of” can mean either his vision revealed Christ (see v. 16) or that Christ (not human beings) revealed the gospel. The revelation near Damascus told Paul about Christ and his meaning for humanity. It gave him the essential character of the gospel, not necessarily its form (details). For the facts about Jesus’ life, Paul depended on an early tradition emanating from the Jerusalem church. [NJBC] GOSPEL: Luke 7:1-10 (RCL) 7After Jesus had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.’ 6And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ 9When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’ 10When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. After choosing his apostles, Jesus has descended to the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee, where he has taught many. Now he enters the town of Capernaum. An unusual “centurion” (v. 2), an officer in the Roman army of occupation, has a slave who is gravely ill. So loved by the Jewish community is he, that he can send emissaries to Jesus; they ask Jesus to bend the rules, to treat him as he would a Jew (vv. 3-6). (They think that Jesus came to bless Jews, not Gentiles.) As Jesus walks towards his house, the officer sends others to him: don’t enter my house because, being Gentile, entering it would make you ritually unclean (v. 6). All the centurion asks is that Jesus command the disease to leave his slave (v. 7). He believes that Jesus can order diseases around much as he does soldiers (v. 8). In v. 9, Jesus tells the crowd that he has more faith than Jews (“in Israel”), who were expected to believe. The slave is found to have been healed (v. 10). This story appears to be another version of the story found in Matthew 8:5-13. There is a story in John 4:4-54 (John’s second sign) which tells of the restoration to health of a slave of a “royal official”, whom NOAB sees as a Gentile military officer. There, Jesus is in Cana, some 18 miles (20 kilometres) from Capernaum. There too, Jesus heals the slave without visiting him. That Jesus heals remotely, by word alone, would be especially appealing the the early Church. This is particularly apparent in Luke. JBC surmises that the story in Matthew and that in Luke were originally two stories, that in oral transmission they merged to a degree. The stories as we have them agree in dialog, but not in the details of the action. This passage is unusual in that it shows that it shows the friendly relations between Jewish elders and Jesus. Here is a Roman who respects both Jews in general and Jesus in particular. [BlkLk] Verse 2: “whom he valued highly”: The Greek word is entimos. He is very dear to the centurion. Luke is always conscious of human relations. [JBC] Verse 3: “Jewish elders”, i.e. leaders in the Jewish community. [NOAB] Verse 5: Acts 10 tells the story of Cornelius, also a centurion, who “was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God” [NOAB] In Cornelius, God showed to Peter that he is impartial to race. In 3:14, soldiers respond positively to the message delivered by John the Baptizer. [NJBC] Verse 5: “synagogue”: This is one of two references in the New Testament to a synagogue as a building rather than as a meeting. The other is in Acts 18:7 (Paul in Corinth). [CAB] Verse 6:Comments: don’t enter my house because, being Gentile, entering it would make you ritually unclean: In John 18:28, those who take Jesus to Pilate’s headquarters avoid ritual defilement by remaining outside. In Acts 10:14, Peter insists that he has never broken ritual food laws. [JBC] Verse 7: “servant”: BlkLk says that the Greek word, pais, can mean either servant or child. He says that boy is used in the Middle East in modern times. (In verses 2 and 10, the Greek word is doulos, slave or servant.) Perhaps pais in v. 7 shows endearment. Verse 9: Though Luke lacks the climactic utterance of Matthew 8:13 (“‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith’”), his intent is the same: the faith of the Gentile is acceptable to Jesus. [NOAB] Verse 9: “such faith”: The centurion is worthy not because he has done good deeds for Israel but because he believes that God in Jesus conquers death. His unexpected faith is contrasted with that of those who were expected to believe but did not. [NJBC]