Pentecost 5B 2021 St. James Anglican Church Service

Pentecost 5B 2021

Celebrant Fr. Anthony Velez

Preacher Fr. Carlos Raines

Deacon Anna Hearn

https://www.stjas.org/sermons.html

Diaconal exhortation

Bishop Eric Menees

Dear brothers and sisters, I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well! In the last Bishop’s Note we looked at the readings appointed for the Form and Manner of Ordaining Deacons (p. 472,) this week we’ll continue our examination by looking at the exhortation.

The Exhortation All are seated except the Ordinand(s), who stand before the Bishop. The Bishop addresses the Ordinand(s) as follows It belongs to the office of a Deacon to share in the humility and service of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the strengthening of the Church, which is his body. You are to read the Gospel and proclaim Christ at all times through your service, to instruct both young and old in the Catechism, and, at the direction of the Bishop or Priest, to baptize and preach. You are to assist the Priest in public worship, to guide the intercessions of the Congregation, to aid in the administration of Holy Communion and to carry the Sacrament to those who are kept from the Table by illness, infirmity, or imprisonment. Furthermore, you are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world. It is the Deacon’s office to encourage and equip the household of God to care for the stranger, to embrace the poor and helpless, and to seek them out, so that they may be relieved.

After the readings, the sermon, and the creed, we come to one of my favorite parts, The Exhortation. Exhortation is one of my spiritual gifts (Romans 12) and probably why I like this section so much. Exhort means to give encouragement, warning, advice, or urge strongly and that’s exactly what’s being done here. At this point in the service the bishop exhorts the ordinand regarding what it is to be a deacon and the form of ministry a deacon is called to.  This part of the service is focused on the person being ordained, and the bishop is directly addressing them. However, this is good for everyone to hear because they’ll be the ones the deacon is leading in ministry. It’s clear from this exhortation that the deacon isn’t a “professional Christian,” his job is in a sense to support and lead the laity of the church in their ministry, as it says, “for the strengthening of the Church.” The deacon instructs the young and old, guides the intercessions of the congregation, and encourages and equips the household of God. The ordination of a deacon is a celebration not because the congregation now has another person to do work for them, but because they now have another person supporting them in their ministry. I pray you all have a blessed Sunday!

Pentecost 4B 2021 St. James Anglican Church Service

Pentecost 4B 2021

Celebrant Fr. Anthony Velez

Preacher Fr. Carlos Raines

Dcn. Anna Hearn

https://www.stjas.org/sermons.html

Pentecost 3B 2021 St. James Anglican Church Service

Pentecost 3B 2021

Celebrant Fr. Anthony Velez

Preacher Fr. Carlos Raines

 Dcn. Anna Hearn

https://www.stjas.org/sermons.html

Readings appointed for the Ordination of a Deacon

Bishop Eric Menees

Dear brothers and sisters,   I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well! Last week we began our look at the Form and Manner of Ordaining Deacons (p. 472,) this week we’ll continue that examination by looking at the readings appointed for the ordination of a deacon.

Jeremiah 1:4-10 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”   Psalm 119:1-8 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,      who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,      who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong,      but walk in his ways! You have commanded your precepts      to be kept diligently. Oh that my ways may be steadfast      in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame,      having my eyes fixed on all your commandments. I will praise you with an upright heart,      when I learn your righteous rules. I will keep your statutes;      do not utterly forsake me!

The first reading and the psalm of course are coming from a time when there was no such thing as a deacon, in the Kingdom of Judah before the Babylonian exile. For that reason, readings were chosen that focus on a person’s calling from God. First in the sense of God calling someone to ministry, and then in the psalm God calling all of us to holiness of living.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.   Acts 6:1-7 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

That holiness of living transitions from the psalm into the New Testament reading. The first deacons were ordained in this time period, and so the first option carries that holiness of living into 1 Timothy and specifying what kind of life a deacon should lead, and the reading from Acts tells us how the first deacons were chosen.

Luke 12:35-40  “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

That all culminates in the Gospel reading from Luke. This reading is perfect for an ordination to the diaconate. Deacon comes from the Greek word diakonos, which literally means servant. This passage thus speaks to the new deacon’s role as a servant and the need to be ready for the master’s call in their life. While this passage does use the term servant to really drive that home for the new deacon, this is a teaching that’s important for all of us who are Christians. We need to be continuously ready to answer God’s call in our lives and we need to listen for it. Being a Christian isn’t about asking what we’d like to do in our lives and then going out and doing them, it’s about asking what God wants for our lives and following through on that.   I pray you all have a blessed Sunday!

Pentecost 2B 2021 St. James Anglican Church Service

Pentecost 2B 2021

Celebrant Fr. Anthony Velez

Dcn. Anna Hearn

Preacher Beth Conkel

Fr. Carlos Raines

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Form and Manner of Ordaining Deacons

Bishop Eric Menees

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well this week after Trinity Sunday! Last week we finished up the Pastoral Rites section which goes through many of the special services in the life of the church that are primarily, though not exclusively, officiated by a priest or deacon, such as Holy Matrimony and anointing the sick. In the 2019 BCP the Pastoral Rites are followed by the Psalter, and this week we’ll begin a look at the section that follows that, the Ordinal. Ordinal is the term used for service books that cover events celebrated by bishops alone, especially ordinations, so we’ll begin by looking at the Form and Manner of Ordaining Deacons (p. 472.) Right off the bat, the service begins with the opening acclamation found in confirmations. Ordination is clearly understood as an extension of baptism and confirmation.

The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh, People     And your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Bishop    Your old men shall dream dreams, People     And your young men shall see visions. Bishop    You shall know that the Lord is in the midst of his people, People     That he is the Lord and there is none else. Bishop    And it shall come to pass People That everyone who calls on                  the Name of the Lord shall be saved. (Joel 2:27-28, 32; Acts 2:17, 21)

The Bishop and People sit. The Presenters, standing before the Bishop, present each Ordinand, saying Reverend Father in God, we present N.N. to be admitted to the Order of Deacons. Bishop             Have these persons been selected in accordance with the                           Canons of this Church? And do you believe their manner                           of life to be suitable to the exercise of this ministry? Presenters       We certify to you that they have satisfied the                           requirements of the Canons, and we believe them to be                           qualified for this order.

The one thing this should drive home to everyone at the service, the bishop, clergy, the ordinand, and the laity, is that this isn’t simply about the person being ordained. A lot of work and preparation goes into the ordination process. Those becoming deacons often go to seminary, take classes in theology, minister under the supervision of their local priest, and this is a time where many could think the ordination is something that’s been earned, or the person is entitled to it, or merits it, but that’s not true. There are also multiple steps in the process where interviews are done and documentation is submitted, but the ordination isn’t just a final stamp of approval after an administrative process either. Ordination is about one person coming from the congregation, the body of Christ, and being set apart to focus on ministry in a distinct way. We may organize it through procedures and have coursework to better prepare them for ministry, but ultimately this is about God setting apart someone, the church recognizing that, and God strengthening them for ministry.   The person can only get to this point with their fellow Christians responding to their call and the work of the Holy Spirit, and it’s at this point where we see presenters on behalf of the congregation bring the person forward and the Holy Spirit called upon to effect a change in this person. It’s not about the person at all, it’s about God and the wonderful things he’s doing in the body of Christ, through his Holy Spirit.   I pray you all have a blessed Sunday!