“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Holy Spirit, set us free from all cultural and religious relativism and syncretism, and help us faithfully acknowledge that it is only through Jesus that we can be saved.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)
Jesus, move among the laity of this diocese and give all who walk with you boldness to be faithful witnesses to the truth of the gospel.
And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. (Acts 4:14)
Father, empower our witness to Jesus by the signs and wonders and healing that you work among us by your Holy Spirit.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:15-18 )
Lord Jesus, do not let us be intimidated by those in authority who would stop us from sharing the full gospel. Thank you.
But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)
Holy Spirit, strengthen our resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen from the dead, and strengthen our determination to share this good news.
So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. (Acts 4:21-22)
Father, it is not a theory that we proclaim, but it is our experience of Jesus Christ and his saving work in our lives that gives us the power to proclaim him.
And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, you are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against his Christ.’ “For truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. (Acts 4:23-28 )
Lord Jesus, accomplish your full purpose among us.
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word, by stretching out your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:29-30)
Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to us your servants that with all boldness we may speak your word, by stretching out your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)
Holy Spirit, shake us, sift us, and fill us anew so that we speak the word of God with boldness.
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. (Acts 4:32)
Jesus, bring us to one heart and one mind in you.
And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)
Jesus, bless the witness of Bishops Bill Love, Dan Herzog, David Ball, Dave Bena, Harold Miller, and Mike Chapman to your resurrection so that your great grace may be upon all of us. Thank you.
We cry out to you, Lord Jesus Christ:
You are the way, the truth, and the life.
Please teach us where we are currently in ignorance,
That we may know your truth and abide in it.
Show us where we are stumbling in the darkness,
And guide us back into your way.
Establish us in the life of your Spirit
That we correctly discern the true from the false;
And guard us from all false teaching
And knowledge that would be hurtful to us.
Father, defend us evermore
Through your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank you.
(Bishop Westcott revised)
A word received: Cry out to me for my lost sheep who have wandered away.
Saturday: 87, 90 * 136; 1 Samuel 4:1b-11 Acts 4:32-5:11 Luke 21:20-28
Eve of Trinity Sunday; — * 104; Ecclus. 42:15-25; Ephesians 3:14-21
Sunday: 66, 67 * 19, 46; 1 Samuel 4:12-22 James 1:1-18 Matthew 19:23-30
Trinity Sunday; 146, 147 * 111, 112, 113; Ecclus. 43:1-12(27-33); Ephesians 4:1-16; John 1:1-18
HC: 150 or Canticle 2; Genesis 1:1-2:3; 2 Corinthians 13:(5-10)11-14 or 13; Matthew 28:16-20
Notes from the Front Line
***** Give Dad gift of forgiveness on Father’s Day By DIANE CAMERON
First published in print: Saturday, June 19, 2010
In the book, “Alcoholics Anonymous,” Bill Wilson wrote, “Resentment is the number one offender.” You might expect the founder of AA to say that booze or too much drinking was the big problem. But no, Wilson, 20th-century self-made philosopher and self-made alcoholic, knew better.
He continued in the same paragraph, “From resentment flows all forms of spiritual disease.”
Most of us know that, but it’s hard to get unstuck when a good, juicy resentment takes hold of you, so I like this pithier saying: “Holding a resentment is like setting yourself on fire and hoping the other person dies of smoke inhalation.”
Resentment as a topic as Father’s Day approaches? But of course.
All of us had fathers. And with today’s social changes — divorce and remarriage — some of us have two or more, so there’s plenty of fuel for those fires. Our parents disappoint us and we, in our turn, disappoint our children. In some families the injuries are bad: Fathers may abuse, abandon, deprive or neglect. What do you do when you smell the smoke?
The antidote to resentment is, of course, forgiveness. Perhaps that will be the theme for some sermons tomorrow and surely a forgiveness story will show up on the Hallmark Channel as well. But life is not a made-for-TV movie, so how do you save yourself from the heat of resentment?
I had to extinguish a fiery resentment that I carried for years about my father. When I was young, my dad worked many hours, traveled a lot, left us with my mother, who was ill, and then died young.
I had a big box of matches and I struck them all over myself. I had this idea that I just didn’t get what I needed from my father. More than one therapist agreed that my “issues” did indeed come from that deprivation. That intellectual understanding helped me to a certain degree but it also functioned as dry tinder for my favorite fire.
Then a few years ago on a retreat, I was telling my story and the retreat leader gave me a surprising bit of redirection.
I was telling her how my dad had maybe given me 30 to 40 percent of what I needed as a kid and, well, poor me and bad him.
”Well, yes,” the retreat leader said, “He may have only given you 40 percent percent of what you needed but what if 40 percent was all he had?” (He was a man whose parents died when he was young. He had grown up in poverty and he’d never been given a minute of emotional resource he could rely on).
”So, she continued, “when your dad gave you that 40 percent, he was really giving you 100 percent of what he had.”
It was like a bucket of cold water poured on my head.
A proverb says: “A father is a son’s first hero and a daughter’s first love.” And human nature says that a father is likely to be a son or daughter’s first disappointment.
To forgive does not mean to pardon, it means to let go. Jesus, another great teacher, said, “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” In his language, Aramaic, he used the word shaw for forgive; shaw means “to untie.”
So if you have tied yourself to a resentment that is pulling you down — or if like me you set yourself on fire with victim-approved matches — untie yourself. Forgive your father and free yourself.
Forgiveness makes a great Father’s Day gift. You give it to yourself.
Diane Cameron is a Capital Region writer. Her e-mail address is dcameron6@nycap.rr.com.
Albany Intercessor
