Category: Feast Day

Today is the feast of St. James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr. James’ first appearance in the Bible is inauspicious, as he is counted among the unbelieving when Jesus taught in his hometown in Matthew 13:54-58:
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And coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
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James came to faith after Jesus died and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:7): “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
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He was also instrumental in the council recorded in Acts 15:12-22a, clearly recognized as a leader of the early Church in Jerusalem:
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And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Luke 10:1-9

Today we remember St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. From Matthew 9:9-13:

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Today we remember – and celebrate – the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. From Mark 6:21-29:

But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, ‘Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.’ And he vowed to her, ‘Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.’ And she went out and said to her mother, ‘For what should I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist.’ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Today we remember Mary, the mother of our Lord.

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GENESIS 3:14-15
The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
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ISAIAH 7:10-14
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
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MATTHEW 1:18-23
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).
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LUKE 1:39-55
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

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Today is the feast of St. James the Elder, the apostle always listed second in the familiar “Peter, James, and John” trio that Jesus often took aside from the rest of the disciples. He is among the first of those Jesus called and, since James is usually listed before his brother John, the Church has long conjectured that he’s the elder of the two. He is also the first of the Twelve to die a martyr’s death, put to death by Herod at the beginning of Acts 12. However, while we do remember him (and all martyrs) for their faithfulness unto death, we also remember him for this:

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’ And they said to him, ‘We are able.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.’
Mark 10:35-39

‍‍‍‍‍A shameful, embarrassing moment in the life of St. James the Elder. So why do we point out this passage on feast day? From Dr. Pulse’s chapel sermon this morning:

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James and John they have offended – irritated – the delicate sensitivities of the other apostles by coming to Jesus with a request. A stupid request at that… So Jesus asks: “Are you able to drink of the cup that I drink? Or be baptized into the baptism into which I am baptized?”
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“We. Are. Able.”
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Really? So bold. So confidant. So Sem 1-like. Are you able? Can you handle it? Can you do whatever is necessary? Can you?
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No. But they will.
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…The Sons of Thunder, if they had known what they were really asking for, if they could look and foresee days ahead, perhaps they would have taken their name and joined the pro wrestling circuit. Less pain. And perhaps even greater glory – at least in the eyes of this planet. But friends, the truth is seeking heavenly glory, even if it’s only to be manifested in the heavenly realms, is a foolish mission. The pursuit of glory and suffering is the lot. Only one can drink of that cup and be baptized in that baptism of suffering and death. Only one can face the slings and arrows of the evil one. Only one can take the sins of the whole world upon His shoulders and carry them to the tree. Only one can hang there and be the sacrifice, pay the price that is demanded with His holy, precious, innocent blood. Only one can hang there in agony and declare: “It is finished.”
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… And only one descends into hell to declare that victory over sin and death and to bind that old evil foe. And then He rises. People, only one can drink of that cup. The rest of us fall to our knees in amazed thanksgiving and gasp out our halleluiahs.
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Are you able? Can you handle it? Can you do whatever is necessary? Can you? No. But you will. James dies by the sword in the hand of Herod and the community rejoices. Can you drink of that cup? No. But you will. But not first and not alone. For first Jesus drinks and has drank that cup to its very grave. And as that cup of suffering is pressed against our lips, we see Jesus, for He is with us.
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Can you? No. But you will. With the help of Him who already has.

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As always, every feast day is truly about Jesus and His death and resurrection — His saving of foolish sinners. Thanks be to God.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
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And Mary said,‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
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And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
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Luke 1:39-56

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

One of the readings for this feast day comes from Paul’s second letter to the young pastor, Timothy. As we read 2 Timothy 4:5-18, we remember our own young pastors, about to receive their calls at the Candidate Call Service coming up this evening at 7:00 p.m:

As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.