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!