Today the church remembers Chad, Bishop of Lichfield, 672.
In the seventh century sweeping changes were being made in church administration and in the forms of worship to which British people were accustomed. Chad, who had been educated at the great Celtic monastery at Lindisfarne, was a spokesman for the opposition to these changes. At the Synod of Whitby he defended the Celtic forms of worship and Celtic church order. But the Synod decided in favor of the Roman ways of doing things. Chad gracefully accepted the decision of the Synod and helped enforce the observance of the new liturgy.
Later Chad was appointed Bishop of York by the king, following the custom of the day. Meanwhile, Wilfred had been made Bishop of York by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Roman Pope. Chad accepted the church's new way of doing things and resigned in favor of Wilfred. The Archbishop of Canterbury was so thankful and so impressed with Chad's humility and devotion to duty that he made him Bishop of Lichfield. There Chad lived very simply, not even affording himself the luxury of a horse, and exerted a powerful influence for holiness and sound religious practice.
Grant to us, your humble servants, that same faith and power of love which you enkindled in the heart of your servant Chad. Amen.
Almighty God, for the peace of the Church your servant Chad relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, that the cause of Christ may be advanced; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_of_Mercia
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
The Daily Readings for March 2, 2016
Genesis 45:16-28
When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, "Joseph's brothers have come," Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan. Take your father and your households and come to me, so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may enjoy the fat of the land.' You are further charged to say, 'Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Give no thought to your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'" The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments. To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way." So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die."
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-- as in fact there are many gods and many lords-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
Mark 6:13-29
They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias 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." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Psalm 119: Mem Quomodo dilexi! (O how I love!)
97 Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind.
98 Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study.
100 I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments.
101 I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word.
102 I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.
104 Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way.
Psalm 119: Nun Lucerna pedibus meis (Nun a lamp to my feet)
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am deeply troubled; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, O LORD, the willing tribute of my lips, and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes for ever and to the end.
Psalm 119: Samekh Iniquos odio habui (Samekh have hated)
113 I hate those who have a divided heart, but your law do I love.
114 You are my refuge and shield; my hope is in your word.
115 Away from me, you wicked! I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be disappointed in my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, and my delight shall be ever in your statutes.
118 You spurn all who stray from your statutes; their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 In your sight all the wicked of the earth are but dross; therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles with dread of you; I am afraid of your judgments.
Psalm 81 Exultate Deo (rejoice in God)
1 Sing with joy to God our strength and raise a loud shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and sound the timbrel, the merry harp, and the lyre.
3 Blow the ram's-horn at the new moon, and at the full moon, the day of our feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob.
5 He laid it as a solemn charge upon Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt.
6 I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, "I eased his shoulder from the burden; his hands were set free from bearing the load."
7 You called on me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered you from the secret place of thunder and tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you: O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."
11 And yet my people did not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts, to follow their own devices.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I should soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last for ever.
16 But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat and satisfy him with honey from the rock.
Psalm 82 Deus stetit (God stands)
1 God takes his stand in the council of heaven; he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2 How long will you judge unjustly, and show favor to the wicked?
3 Save the weak and the orphan; defend the humble and needy;
4 Rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5 They do not know, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 Now I say to you, 'You are gods, and all of you children of the Most High;
7 Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.'"
8 Arise, O God, and rule the earth, for you shall take all nations for your own.
When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, "Joseph's brothers have come," Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, 'Do this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan. Take your father and your households and come to me, so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may enjoy the fat of the land.' You are further charged to say, 'Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Give no thought to your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'" The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey. To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments. To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way." So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them. But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die."
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-- as in fact there are many gods and many lords-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
Mark 6:13-29
They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Some were saying, "John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him." But others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised." For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias 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." And he solemnly swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom." She went out and said to her mother, "What should I ask for?" She replied, "The head of John the baptizer." Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John's head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
Psalm 119: Mem Quomodo dilexi! (O how I love!)
97 Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind.
98 Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study.
100 I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments.
101 I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word.
102 I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me.
103 How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth.
104 Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way.
Psalm 119: Nun Lucerna pedibus meis (Nun a lamp to my feet)
105 Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path.
106 I have sworn and am determined to keep your righteous judgments.
107 I am deeply troubled; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.
108 Accept, O LORD, the willing tribute of my lips, and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, but I have not strayed from your commandments.
111 Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; truly, they are the joy of my heart.
112 I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes for ever and to the end.
Psalm 119: Samekh Iniquos odio habui (Samekh have hated)
113 I hate those who have a divided heart, but your law do I love.
114 You are my refuge and shield; my hope is in your word.
115 Away from me, you wicked! I will keep the commandments of my God.
116 Sustain me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be disappointed in my hope.
117 Hold me up, and I shall be safe, and my delight shall be ever in your statutes.
118 You spurn all who stray from your statutes; their deceitfulness is in vain.
119 In your sight all the wicked of the earth are but dross; therefore I love your decrees.
120 My flesh trembles with dread of you; I am afraid of your judgments.
Psalm 81 Exultate Deo (rejoice in God)
1 Sing with joy to God our strength and raise a loud shout to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song and sound the timbrel, the merry harp, and the lyre.
3 Blow the ram's-horn at the new moon, and at the full moon, the day of our feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob.
5 He laid it as a solemn charge upon Joseph, when he came out of the land of Egypt.
6 I heard an unfamiliar voice saying, "I eased his shoulder from the burden; his hands were set free from bearing the load."
7 You called on me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered you from the secret place of thunder and tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you: O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and said, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."
11 And yet my people did not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me.
12 So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their hearts, to follow their own devices.
13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 I should soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last for ever.
16 But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat and satisfy him with honey from the rock.
Psalm 82 Deus stetit (God stands)
1 God takes his stand in the council of heaven; he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2 How long will you judge unjustly, and show favor to the wicked?
3 Save the weak and the orphan; defend the humble and needy;
4 Rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5 They do not know, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 Now I say to you, 'You are gods, and all of you children of the Most High;
7 Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.'"
8 Arise, O God, and rule the earth, for you shall take all nations for your own.
Daily Meditation for March 2, 2016
From Forward Day by Day
Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! All the day long it is in my mind.
In practice, I tend to think about rights more than laws. I am grateful to live in a country with freedom of speech, freedom to practice my religion, and many other freedoms. A couple of times in my life, I received speeding tickets. At the moment I saw those flashing lights in the rearview mirror, I was not feeling grateful for laws. But I have to also think about how that 25 miles per hour speed limit keeps a neighborhood safe. As frustrating as that ticket is, the consequences of breaking a law are there to encourage us all to obey a reasonable law.
I imagine many Christians treasure our freedom in Christ. We like to think about the things we can do, the ways God will love us no matter what. But there is also a great blessing in God’s law, knowing that by following God’s law, we are encouraged to keep our world and ourselves safe.
Psalm 119:97 Oh, how I love your law! All the day long it is in my mind.
In practice, I tend to think about rights more than laws. I am grateful to live in a country with freedom of speech, freedom to practice my religion, and many other freedoms. A couple of times in my life, I received speeding tickets. At the moment I saw those flashing lights in the rearview mirror, I was not feeling grateful for laws. But I have to also think about how that 25 miles per hour speed limit keeps a neighborhood safe. As frustrating as that ticket is, the consequences of breaking a law are there to encourage us all to obey a reasonable law.
I imagine many Christians treasure our freedom in Christ. We like to think about the things we can do, the ways God will love us no matter what. But there is also a great blessing in God’s law, knowing that by following God’s law, we are encouraged to keep our world and ourselves safe.
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