·
13 Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers,
Teacher of the Faith, 367 was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church. He was sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians" (Latin: Malleus Arianorum) and the "Athanasius of the West.
·
13 Kentigern (Mungo), Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria, 603
·
13 George Fox, Founder of the Society of
Friends (the Quakers), 1691
·
17 Antony of Egypt, Hermit, Abbot, 356 was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his
death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony such as Anthony of Padua, by various
epithets of his own: Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, and Anthony of Thebes. For his
importance among the Desert Fathers and to all
later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks.
·
17 Charles Gore, Bishop, Founder of the Community of
the Resurrection, 1932
·
18 Amy Carmichael, Founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship,
Spiritual Writer, 1951
·
19 Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester, 1095 was Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. He was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop and the only English-born bishop after 1075.
·
20 Richard Rolle of Hampole, Spiritual Writer, 1349
OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah
43: 1 - 7 (RCL)
Isai 43:1 (NRSV)
But now thus says the LORD,
he who created
you, O Jacob,
he who formed you,
O Israel:
Do not fear, for I
have redeemed you;
I have called you
by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk
through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame
shall not consume you.
3 For I am the
LORD your God,
the Holy One of
Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as
your ransom,
Ethiopia and Se'ba
in exchange for you.
4 Because you are
precious in my sight,
and honored, and I
love you,
I give people in
return for you,
nations in
exchange for your life.
5 Do not fear, for
I am with you;
I will bring your
offspring from the east,
and from the west I
will gather you;
6 I will say to
the north, "Give them up,"
and to the south,
"Do not withhold;
bring my sons from
far away
and my daughters
from the end of the earth--
7 everyone who is
called by my name,
whom I created for
my glory,
whom I formed and
made."
Isaiah 42: 1 - 4, 6, 7
(Roman Catholic)
Isai 42:1 (NRSV)
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom
my soul delights;
I have put my
spirit upon him;
he will bring
forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry
or lift up his voice,
or make it heard
in the street;
3 a bruised reed
he will not break,
and a dimly
burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully
bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow
faint or be crushed
until he has
established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands
wait for his teaching.
6 I am the LORD, I
have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you
by the hand and kept you;
I have given you
as a covenant to the people,
a light to the
nations,
7 to open the eyes
that are blind,
to bring out the
prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison
those who sit in darkness.
Isaiah 40: 1 - 5, 9 -
11 (alt. for Roman Catholic)
Isai 40:1 (NRSV)
Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly
to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has
served her term,
that her penalty
is paid,
that she has
received from the LORD's hand
double for all her
sins.
3 A voice cries out:
""In the
wilderness prepare the way of the LORD,
make straight in
the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley
shall be lifted up,
and every mountain
and hill be made low;
the uneven ground
shall become level,
and the rough
places a plain.
5 Then the glory
of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people
shall see it together,
for the mouth of
the LORD has spoken."
9 Get you up to a
high mountain,
O Zion, herald of
good tidings;
lift up your voice
with strength,
O Jerusalem,
herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not
fear;
say to the cities
of Judah,
""Here
is your God!"
10 See, the Lord
GOD comes with might,
and his arm rules
for him;
his reward is with
him,
and his recompense
before him.
11 He will feed
his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the
lambs in his arms,
and carry them in
his bosom,
and gently lead
the mother sheep.
PSALM 29 (RCL)
Psalm 29: 1 - 4, 3b,
9b, 10 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 29:1 (NRSV)
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the
LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the
LORD the glory of his name;
worship the LORD
in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the
LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory
thunders,
the LORD, over
mighty waters.
4 The voice of the
LORD is powerful;
the voice of the
LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the
LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks
the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon
skip like a calf,
and Sir'ion like a
young wild ox.
7 The voice of the
LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the
LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes
the wilderness of Ka'desh.
9 The voice of the
LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the
forest bare;
and in his temple
all say, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits
enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits
enthroned as king forever.
11 May the LORD
give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless
his people with peace!
29 Afferte Domino (ECUSA BCP)
1 Ascribe
to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe
to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe
to the Lord the glory due his
Name; *
worship
the Lord in the beauty of
holiness.
3 The
voice of the Lord is upon the
waters;
the God of glory
thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
4 The
voice of the Lord is a powerful
voice; *
the
voice of the Lord is a voice of
splendor.
5 The
voice of the Lord breaks the cedar
trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
6 He
makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and
Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
7 The
voice of the Lord splits the
flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
8 The
voice of the Lord makes the oak
trees writhe *
and
strips the forests bare.
9 And
in the temple of the Lord *
all
are crying, “Glory!”
10 The
Lord sits enthroned above the
flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
11 The
Lord shall give strength to his
people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing
of peace.
Psalm 104: 1b - 4, 24 -
25, 27 - 28, 29b - 30 (alt. for Roman
Catholic)
Psal 104:1 (NRSV)
O LORD my God, you
are very great.
You are clothed
with honor and majesty, 2 wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out
the heavens like a tent, 3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the
clouds your chariot,
you ride on the
wings of the wind,
4 you make the
winds your messengers,
fire and flame
your ministers.
24 O LORD, how
manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have
made them all;
the earth is full
of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the
sea, great and wide,
creeping things
innumerable are there,
living things both
small and great.
27 These all look
to you
to give them their
food in due season;
28 when you give
to them, they gather it up;
when you open your
hand, they are filled with good things.
29
when you take away
their breath, they die
and return to
their dust.
30 When you send
forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the
face of the ground.
NEW TESTAMENT: Acts 8:
14 - 17 (RCL)
Acts 8:14 (NRSV)
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of
God, they sent Peter and John to them.
15 The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the
Holy Spirit 16 (for as yet the Spirit
had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus). 17 Then Peter and John laid
their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10: 34 - 38 (Roman
Catholic)
Acts 10:34 (NRSV)
Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no
partiality, 35 but in every nation
anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people
of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
Titus 2: 11 - 14, 3: 4
- 7 (alt. for Roman Catholic)
Titu 2:11 (NRSV)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, 12 training us to
renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives
that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, 13 while we wait for the blessed
hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ. 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all
iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good
deeds.
3: 4 But when the
goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his
mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. 6 This
Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that,
having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
Now the apostles send Peter and John to Samaria. Usually in Acts,
converts receive the Holy Spirit at baptism (see 2:38 and 19:5-6)
or before it (see 10:44),
but here they receive it some time after being baptised, and only when the two
apostles, representatives of the mother church, come. In vv. 18-24,
Simon gets it wrong: he offers the apostles money if they will give
him the power to impart the Spirit to people. Peter reprimands him: the Holy
Spirit is “God’s gift” (v. 20);
it cannot be bought.
6:1-8:4: In response to a request from Greek-speaking Jewish Christians, the apostles have called a meeting to select seven men to ensure that Greek-speaking widows are looked after “in the daily distribution of food” ( 6:1). One of the seven (traditionally deacons) was Philip. Later, “a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria.” ( 8:1). Samaritans were despised by Jews, because they had intermarried, claimed to be the true heirs of the covenant, had their own version of the Pentateuch – which they claimed to be the true version – and had their own Temple (on Mount Gerizim). By this time Samaritans share with Jews a belief in the coming of a messianic figure, the Returning One. [ JBC]
8:5:
“the city of Samaria”: This could be Sebaste or Shechem, or Simon’s village,
Gitta ( Justin Martyr, Apologia,
1:26.1-3) [NJBC]
8:6:
“Philip”: Philip is a Greek name so he was probably a Hellenist. He was from Caesarea
Maritima (the seat of the Roman governors of Judea) and is called “Philip the
evangelist” in 21:8.
[ NOAB] [ CAB] From this time on, Philip
mostly worked in the Gentile Hellenistic areas of the coastal plain: see
v. 40.
[ NJBC]
8:10:
The quotation from Simon suggests that he was already more than a magician
(Latin: magus), a monger of gnosticthought. [ NJBC] From this passage he is
known in later Christian literature as Simon Magus.
8:14: Comments: representatives
of the mother church: To Luke, new communities are bonded to the mother
church by visitation of her delegates. In 11:22,
he tells us “News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they
sent Barnabas to Antioch.” Whenever baptism is received, the Holy Spirit
operates only where there is communion with the apostles who, as “witness[es]
... to his resurrection” ( 1:22),
certify the risen One’s continued activity on earth. [ NJBC]
8:14:
“John”: Which John? Possibilities are John son of Zebedee, John Mark and John
the Evangelist (authors of gospels).
8:15:
“receive the Holy Spirit”: Signifying Christ’s continuing activity on earth. In
Acts, believers usually receive the Holy Spirit at baptism ( 2:38; 19:5-6)
or before baptism ( 10:44),
but here they receive it after baptism, and only when the apostles visit. [ NOAB]
8:17:
“laid their hands on them”: Laying on of hands expresses both the giving and
receiving of a gift. For example: Jesus blesses children (Mark 10:16);
he heals with a touch (Mark 6:5);
the Holy Spirit is given to the baptised (her and in 19:6);
believers are set aside for special tasks in the Church (Acts 6:6; 13:3).
See also 1 Timothy 4:14 (“the
laying on of hands by the council of elders”). [ NOAB]
8:18:
The term simony, the buying of church offices, comes from this
verse. [ NOAB]
In Matthew 10:5,
Jesus forbids the disciples to visit Samaritan towns, but he is friendly to
Samaritans: see Luke 10:30-37(the
Good Samaritan); 17:11-19 (the
ten lepers); John 4:4-42 (the
Samaritan woman at the well). Perhaps in Matthew the point is that the
conversion of Jews should come first.
The story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch follows in 8:26-40.
GOSPEL: Luke 3: 15 -
17, 21, 22 (RCL)
Luke 3: 15 - 16, 21, 22 (alt.
for Roman Catholic)
Luke 3:15 (NRSV)
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their
hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying,
"I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming;
I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing
fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into
his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
21 Now when all
the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was
praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and
the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
V. 15a,
in the Revised English Bible, says: “The people were all agog, wondering about
John ...” People expected a “Messiah”, an agent of God who would restore Israel
and the triumph of God’s power and authority. John tells them that “one who is
... coming” (v. 16)
is so great that he is unworthy even to “untie ... his sandals”, a task done by
slaves. Baptism purifies, removes sin. The agents the “one” will use are vastly
superior to the water John uses. Jesus is also more “powerful”, mightier, as
leader of the final struggle against evil. (At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes
with tongues of fire.) V. 17 uses
the metaphor of harvesting to tell of Christ’s action as judge at the end of
time. The wheat was tossed in the air with a “winnowing fork”: the grain fell
to the ground but the chaff was carried by the wind to the edge of the
“threshing floor”. God will “gather” the godly but will condemn the ungodly (to
burn in hell).
Jesus is baptised (v. 21)
to show his solidarity with John’s proclamation of part of God’s plan for
saving all who come to him. Jesus begins and ends ( 22:46)
his ministry with a prayer. In vv. 21c-22,
God shows himself to believers: an event beyond human language. The Holy
Spirit, always with Jesus, is seen descending on Jesus, marking a milestone in
Jesus’ career. People really see the event (“in bodily form”). The Holy Spirit
seems “like a dove” – a bird symbolizing the hopes of humans for love, life and
union with God – hopes now realized in Jesus. The voice calls on Jesus as God’s
“Son” and servant (“well pleased”, v. 22).
Jesus is God’s “Beloved”, the one whom he chooses as his agent.
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
Verse 15: In John 1:19-23,
when asked “‘Who are you?’”, John the Baptiser answers “‘I am not the
Messiah’”. In Luke 7:19,
John sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him: “‘Are you the one who is
to come, or are we to wait for another?’”. See also Acts 13:25 (Paul
tells the good news in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia). [ NOAB]
Verse 16: In Acts 1:5,
before his ascension, Jesus says “... John baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now’”. See also Acts 11:16 (Peter
explains the events at Cornelius’ house) and Acts 19:4 (some
disciples of John are baptised “in the name of the Lord Jesus”). [ NOAB]
Verse 16: “more powerful”: The Greek word is used in the
New Testament for the leader of the final struggle against evil: see Mark 3:27;
Luke 11:20-22;
Revelation 18:8.
So perhaps this is the meaning here. [ JBC]
Verse 16: “untie the thong ...”: When Paul is visiting
Antioch (the one in central Asia Minor) and speaks in the synagogue there, he
quotes John the Baptiser as saying: “‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not
he. No, but one is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of the
sandals on his feet’” (see Acts 13:25).
[ NJBC]
Verse 16: “fire”: Fire often indicates the presence of
the Saviour-God. Fire has prominence in the liturgy where humankind meets its
saviour: see Leviticus 1:17ff.
In Acts 2 (the
Day of Pentecost), Luke tells us how the fire of the Holy Spirit accomplishes
its work in humans. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: “winnowing”: This image is found in
Isaiah 21:10; 41:16;
Jeremiah 4:11; 15:7; 51:2.
It is also found in Proverbs.
Verse 17: “unquenchable fire”: i.e. ferocious heat.
Isaiah 66:24 says:
“... they [the faithful] shall go out and look at the dead bodies of the people
who have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall
not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh”. In Mark 9:43, 45,
Jesus says: “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for
you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the
unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is
better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into
hell”. [ JBC]
Verse 18: ‘he proclaimed the good news”: or preached
the gospel. This refers to the message of forgiveness (in v. 3)
abd the advent of a new relationship between individuals and God (vv. 15-17).
[ NOAB]
Verse 18: “Herod the ruler”: or tetrarch. He
ruled Galilee and Perea from 4 BC to 39 AD. [ CAB]
Verses 21-22: Note that, according to Luke, John is not
present at Jesus’ baptism: he is in prison (v. 20).
This suggests that Luke divides salvation history into three phases: pre-John,
John, and Jesus; however, Luke uses a literary style where one person is on
the stage at a time. [ NJBC]
The other synoptic
gospels tell us that John was actually imprisoned later: see
Matthew 14:1-12 and
Mark 6:14-29.
[ JBC]
Verse 21: “all the people were baptized”: we read
in 7:29-30:
“(And all the people who heard this, including the tax collectors, acknowledged
the justice of God, because they had been baptized with John's baptism. But by
refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's
purpose for themselves)”. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “praying”: For examples prayer in Jesus’ life,
see also Mark 1:35 (healing);
Luke 6:12 (before
selecting the twelve); 9:18 (before
his prediction of the passion); 9:28-29 (before
the Transfiguration); 11:1-2 (before
teaching the disciples how to pray); 22:31-46 (praying
for Peter); 23:34, 46 (twice,
on the cross). Jesus in prayer is also mediator: his power to save comes from
God. As 11:13 makes
clear, the Holy Spirit will be given in response to prayer. [ NJBC]
Verse 21: “heaven was opened”: An eschatological symbol
indicating that divine revelation is about to be made. See also Ezekiel 1:1 (“the
heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God”) and Isaiah 64:1 (“O
that you would tear open the heavens and come down”). [NJBC] Luke uses a Greek
word similar to the one used in the *Septuagint translation of Isaiah 64:1.
[JBC]
Verse 22: As Joel 1:1-3 indicates,
God’s eschatological coming
to his people is characterized by the outpouring of the creative prophetic
Spirit. [ NJBC] The Old
Testament frequently attributes messianic achievement to the Spirit: see also
Ezekiel 36:26ff (“A
new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you ...”) and
Isaiah 44:3.
For extraordinary accomplishments of the Spirit in the Old Testament, see:
- for creation: Genesis 1:2 (“wind”, ru’ah,
spirit)
- for support of warriors: Judges 3:10; 11:29;
1 Samuel 11:6 (Saul)
- for support of particular offices: Genesis 41:38-40 (Pharaoh);
Numbers 11:17, 25 (the
seventy elders); 27:18 (Joshua)
- the Servant of God: Isaiah 42:1
- the messianic king: Isaiah 11:1-11
Verse 22: “like a dove”: Some explain the dove as a
symbol of the Spirit; this symbolism is not explicitly in the Bible but it is
found in later rabbinic literature. To JBC, it represents the new people of
Israel, the eschatological community.
Verse 22: “a voice came from heaven”: A common biblical
style that indicates that a message or action expresses God’s hopes and
determination. Recall God calling Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:4ff,
and God thundering “with a mighty voice” which throws the
Philistines “into confusion” in 1 Samuel 7:10.
See also Psalm 29.
[ JBC]
Verse 22: “You are my Son ...”: A combination of
Psalm 2:7 and
probably Isaiah 42:1 (a
verse in a Servant Song).
[ NJBC]
Verse 22: “Beloved”: “Beloved” refers to an act of will,
rather than a feeling. See also 9:35 (“my
Chosen”) and 2 Peter 1:17.
The voices calls on Jesus as Son and Servant to assume the power that has been
his since his conception: see 1:32, 35 (the
angel’s words to Mary). [ NJBC]
© 1996-2019
Chris Haslam
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