St. David's News & Notes, July 1, 2010

Our series in Luke continues this week with the calling of the seventy-two (ESV) or seventy (RSV) disciples.

Which was it and why do different versions have different numbers?

For much more information here is a teaching video on the subject of the transmission of the Bible.

Here's is a short summary of the issue from the ESV Study Bible with my additions in brackets (and emphasis added):
"Should the presence of textual variants [i.e. seventy, or seventy-two disciples in Luke 10:1], then, undermine the confidence of ordinary laypersons [and their ordinary priests] as they read the Bible in their own language? No—actually, the opposite is the case. The abundance of variants is the result of the very large number of remaining New Testament manuscripts, which itself gives a stronger, not weaker, foundation for knowing what the original manuscripts said.

"In addition, modern Bible translation teams have not kept the location of major variants a secret but have indicated the ones they think to be most important in the footnotes of all “essentially literal” modern English translations [such as the RSV, NASB, & ESV], so that laypersons who read these footnotes can see where these variants are and what they say. The absence of any such footnote (which is the case with far more than 99 percent of the words in the English New Testament) indicates that these translation teams have a high degree of confidence that the words in their English translation accurately represent the words of the New Testament as they were originally written.

What Is at Stake?

"The most significant textual variants certainly alter the meaning of various verses. And where the meaning of verses is changed, paragraphs and even larger units of thought are also affected to some degree. At times, a particular doctrine may not, after all, be affirmed in a given passage, depending on the textual variant. But this is not the same thing as saying that such a doctrine is denied. Just because a particular verse may not affirm a cherished doctrine does not mean that that doctrine cannot be found in the New Testament. In the final analysis, no cardinal doctrine, no essential truth, is affected by any viable variant in the surviving New Testament manuscripts. For example, the deity of Christ, his resurrection, his virginal conception, justification by faith, and the Trinity are not put in jeopardy because of any textual variation. Confidence can therefore be placed in the providence of God in preserving the Scriptures.

"In sum, although scholars may not be certain of the New Testament wording in a number of verses, for the vast majority of the words in the New Testament the modern English translations accurately represent what the original authors wrote, and therefore these translations can be trusted as reproducing the very words of God."

The Scriptures that we will hear together on Sunday are:
Isaiah 66:10-16
Psalm 66
Galatians 6:1-18
Luke 10:1-20

Announcements
 

Our Wednesday evening Bible study following the 6pm Mass will cover Ecclesiastes chapters 1-3.

A few final reminders: Please keep each other in your prayers as we travel and enjoy our summers. Please be faithful in your regular Sunday worship when you are in town (and even on the road, if possible). And please make the effort to stay faithful in your giving, especially over the summer months.

Blessings to you all,

Fr Greg+

St. David's News & Notes, June 25, 2010

Just in case you missed it, yesterday was the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. In celebrating St. John's birthday, I was reminded that just as God sent John to go before Jesus to prepare the way, God always prepares His people with grace to receive the full measure of His grace.

And as I've been turning my attention back to the Gospel of Luke in preparation for our summer and fall preaching series, I've been reminded that God's grace not only precedes but follows the saving work of Jesus.

Luke begins his Gospel this way: "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught" (Lk 1:1-4, ESV).

A few quick observations: (1) There was (and is) the actual event of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection itself in human history, these are "the the things that have been accomplished among us;" (2) there was the preaching and proclamation of those events by eyewitnesses, "those who from the beginning (i.e. when it happened) were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word" (please notice that they were ministers, they served the message, they didn't make it up); (3) there was and is the Scriptures, which are the trustworthy and authoritative writings that we have, "it seemed good to me . . . to write."

And why? "That you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught."

We don't follow a made up gospel in the midst of a cloud of uncertainty. God the Father sent His Son Jesus to save us, and he did just that. The people who saw it and were saved by Jesus were sent by Jesus to spread the news about what He and His Father had done, are doing, and will do. And people like Luke wrote it down so that people like us can have certainty (real knowledge) about the message we hear from faithful priests and bishops who continue to share the truth about what Jesus actually did, is doing, and will do.

What wonderful reminders. God sends John the Baptist before Jesus. God sends Jesus. And God sends the Apostles to spread the word and evangelists to write down and confirm the word.

What goodness and grace! As St. John the Apostle writes, "And from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace" (Jn 1:16).

I'm excited about this series in Luke, and I anticipate many gifts of God's grace as we grow in certainty, assurance, and real knowledge of the things God has accomplished in Jesus.

Readings for Sunday, June 27, 2010:

1 Kings 19:15-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1-25
Luke 9:51-62

Announcements

Our Wednesday evening Bible study following the 6pm Mass will cover Amos chapters 7-9.

A few final reminders: Please keep each other in your prayers as we travel and enjoy our summers. Please be faithful in your regular Sunday worship when you are in town (and even on the road, if possible). And please make the effort to stay faithful in your giving, especially over the summer months.

Blessings to you all,

Fr Greg+

St. David's News & Notes, June 11, 2010

Blessed Feast of St. Barnabas to you all.

Barnabas was an early Christian convert and leader in the Church in Jerusalem. When people in Antioch fist believed the Gospel, Barnabas was sent from Jerusalem to see what was happening. Luke writes in Acts, "The report 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 was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith" (Acts 11:22-24).

What an honor to be described in Holy Scripture as "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." And this passage also tells us why Barnabas is described as good. For when he saw the grace of God (i.e. people trusting Jesus and His Gospel) "he was glad, and exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose." Now, think about an enthusiastic coach more than an angry preacher and I think we'll have a sense of Barnabas' goodness. Barnabas recognizes God's goodness in Jesus as good, and encourages the faithful to remain faithful to God's goodness which is Jesus.

The passage continues, "And a great many people were added to the Lord. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians" (Acts 11:24-26).

Barnabas brought Paul, the former persecutor of the faithful, to Antioch to teach the faithful. And together with Paul, Barnabas was in the place where the word "Christian" was coined. Wow! What goodness, indeed.

And His goodness can become our goodness, because it's God's goodness shared freely through faith in Jesus who is "our great God and savior . . . who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works" ( Titus 2:13b-14). This self-giving love of God in and through Jesus is what is celebrated today by Christians who observe this day (the Friday after Corpus Christi) as the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The main idea of this celebration is to adore the love of Jesus, and ask for grace to return His love by asking for God's help to live the Great Commandment. As it says in the prayer book, "Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." And as it says in Scripture, "We love because he first loved us" ( 1 John 4:19).

Enjoy this day giving thanks for the examples of a good man named Barnabas, whose character was transformed to share the loving heart of his savior, Jesus.

The lessons for this coming Sunday are:

2 Samuel 11:26--12:10, 13-15
Psalm 32:1-8
Galatians 2:11-21
Luke 7:36-50

Announcements

There are no mid-week Masses this week. Wednesday in Mary will lead Evening Prayer at 6pm.

The Wednesday evening study at St. David's, Gilmer, will resume on June 23 after 6pm Mass and will cover Amos chapters 1-6.

Blessings to you,

Fr Greg+

Calendar for the Week of February 14, 2010

Sunday, February 14th
THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
9 am, Mass

Monday, February 15th
Thomas Bray, Priest and Missionary, 1730

Tuesday, February 16th
Shrove Tuesday

Wednesday, February 17th
ASH WEDNESDAY
Fast
6:00 pm, Mass with Imposition of Ashes

Thursday, February 18th
Lenten Weekday

Friday, February 27th
Lenten Weekday
Abstinence

Saturday, February 28th
Lenten Weekday

Next Sunday's Readings: Deuteronomy 26:(1-4)5-11; Psalm 91:9-15; Romans 10:(5-8a)8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

Calendar for the Week of February 7, 2010

7 - The Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany – Sexagesima
9am, Mass
("Sexagesima Sunday" is the eighth Sunday before Easter, and the second before Lent)
Readings for Mass

8 - Monday

9 - Tuesday

10 - Wednesday - 6pm, Mass,
Scholastica, Virgin and First Benedictine Nun (Churchman's Calendar)

11 - Thursday - Our Lady of Lourdes (Churchman's Calendar)

12 - Friday

13 - Saturday, Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818 (BCP Calendar)

Readings for Sunday, February 28

Christmas Eve Service

St. David's Church
Christmas Eve Worship
7pm

Of Parish Priests and Patron Saints

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests. A brief survey of his life proves to me yet again, with much consolation, that C students make the best pastors. In this age of rampant grade inflation, that means that B to B+ students make the best pastors.

Here's an excerpt from his St. John Vianney's catechetical instructions, from Chapter 8 on Prayer:

"See my children; the treasure of a Christian is not on the earth, it is in Heaven. Well, our thoughts ought to be where our treasure is. Man has a beautiful office, that of praying and loving. You pray, you love - that is the happiness of man upon the earth. Prayer is nothing else than union with God. When our heart is pure and united to God, we feel within ourselves a joy, a sweetness that inebriates, a light that dazzles us. In this intimate union God and the soul are like two pieces of wax melted together; they cannot be separated. This union of God with His little creature is a most beautiful thing. It is a happiness that we cannot understand.

"We have not deserved to pray; but God, in His goodness, has permitted us to speak to Him. Our prayer is an incense which He receives with extreme pleasure. My children, your heart is poor and narrow; but prayer enlarges it, and renders it capable of loving God. Prayer is a foretaste of Heaven, an overflow of paradise. It never leaves us without sweetness. It is like honey descending into the soul and sweetening everything. Troubles melt away before a fervent prayer like snow before the sun. Prayer makes time pass away very quickly, and so pleasantly that one does not perceive how it passes. Do you know, when I was running up and down the country, at the time that almost all the poor priests were ill, I was praying to the good God all along the road. I assure you, the time did not seem long to me.

"We see some persons who lose themselves in prayer like a fish in the water, because they are all for God. There is not division in their heart. Oh, how I love those generous souls! St. Francis of Assisi and St. Colette saw Our Lord and spoke to Him as we talk to each other. While we, how often we come to church without knowing what we come for, or what we are going to ask! And yet, when we go to one's house, we know very well what we are going for. Some people seem to say to God, "I am going to say two words to Thee, to get rid of Thee. " I often think that when we come to adore Our Lord, we should obtain all we wish, if we would ask it with very lively faith, and a very pure heart. But, alas! we have no faith, no hope, no desire, no love!

"There are two cries in man, the cry of the angel and the cry of the beast. The cry of the angel is prayer; the cry of the beast is sin. Those who do not pray, stoop towards the earth, like a mole trying to make a hole to hide itself in. They are all earthly, all brutish, and think of nothing but temporal things, . . . like that miser who was receiving the last Sacraments the other day; when they gave him a silver crucifix to kiss, he said, "That cross weighs full ten ounces. " If there could be one day without worship, it would no longer be Heaven; and if the poor lost souls, notwithstanding their sufferings, could worship, there would be no more Hell. Alas! they had a heart to love God with, a tongue to bless Him with; that was their destiny. And now they are condemned to curse Him through all eternity. If they could hope that they would once pray only for one minute, they would watch for that minute with such impatience that it would lessen their torments.

"Our Father who art in Heaven!" Oh, how beautiful it is, my children, to have a father in Heaven! "Thy kingdom come. " If I make the good God reign in my heart, He will make me reign with Him in His glory. "Thy will be done. " There is nothing so sweet, and nothing so perfect, as to do the will of God. In order to do things well, we must do them as God wills, in all conformity with His designs. "Give us this day our daily bread. " We are composed of two parts, the soul and the body. We ask the good God to feed our poor body, and He answers by making the earth produce all that is necessary for our support. . . . But we ask Him to feed our soul, which is the best part of ourselves; and the earth is too small to furnish enough to satisfy it; it hungers for God, and nothing but God can satiate it. Therefore the good God thought He did not do too much, in dwelling upon the earth and assuming a body, in order that this Body might become the Food of our souls. "My Flesh, " said Our Lord, "is meat indeed. . . . The bread that I will give is my Flesh, for the life of the world:' The bread of souls is in the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the storehouse of Christians. . . . Oh, how beautiful it is, my children! When the priest presents the Host, and shows it to you, your soul may say, "There is my food. " O my children, we are too happy! . . . We shall never comprehend it till we are in Heaven. What a pity that is!"