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!