The Episcopalian is a series of articles written by Deacon John for our newspaper "VISIONS". They are instructive and interesting and I hope to keep adding to them. They are on several pages and are in no particular order.
The following is
taken from the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church:
STOLE: A liturgical vestment consisting of a long narrow strip of silk. Its origin is doubtful. It was possibly first used in the manner of a neck-cloth or a handkerchief in the East, where the deacon's stole is first mentioned in the 4th century. In the West it is first attested for Spain in the 6th cent. When it came to Rome in the 8th century it was worn under the dalmatic (an over-tunic reaching to the knees worn in the Western Church by deacons). The priest's stole is not mentioned in the East until the 8th century, but was in general use in the West from the 9th century. At Rome the stole was Originally called 'orarium.' The stole has become the distinctive vestment of the deacon, who wears it like a sash over the left shoulder, its ends being fastened together under the right arm. It is, however, also a regular vestment of the priest who always wears it round the neck, with its ends failing straight down in front, as does the bishop. Besides its use at Mass, it is also worn when touching the Blessed Sacrament, when administering the Sacraments, and very generally when preaching. Its color depends on that of the other vestments and on the occasion, e.g. when hearing confessions the priest wears a purple stole. In the Eastern rite the priest's stole is called an 'epitrachelion', that of the deacon an orarion.'
Deacon John 9/98
Archbishop Carey's Pastoral Letter on the Lambeth Conference replaced the sermon on September 27"', but I couldn't let the parable of Lazarus and the rich man pass without comment. A beggar, covered with sores, lies at the gate of a rich man's home, surviving on hand-outs. The rich man lives in great wealth (one might say, conspicuous consumption). They die on the same day. The beggar goes to heaven ('the bosom of Abraham") while the rich man goes to Hades. This parable is unique in many ways, among which are (1) its description of heaven and hell and (2) it is the only parable in which one of the major characters has a name! In fact, there are some people who believe that this is not a parable at all, but a historical event. Their reasoning is based on the fact that Jesus identified the beggar by name.
There is also an interesting tradition about Lazarus. Most of us think of St. Peter and the guardian of the Pearly Gates of heaven based on the fact that Christ gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom. But there is a monastic tradition that the guardian of the entrance to heaven is not St. Peter, but rather the beggar Lazarus. As a prayer for a departed brother, these monks say "May he be recognized by Lazarus." I found the idea that Lazarus was the keeper of the gates a little disturbing when I first read it, but after some thought I like it. The concept that Lazarus is the gate keeper goes to the issue of how we serve our fellow human beings. In any event, in case the monks have it right, May you be recognized by Lazarus!
Deacon John 10/98
I think of all Scriptures that I have heard people ask about, the Parable of Dishonest Steward has to rank near the top. We heard this a few weeks ago. The master calls in his steward and tells the steward that he is going to be dismissed and instructs him to give an accounting of his management. Now the steward thinks about this turn of events and concludes that he is not strong enough to dig, and too ashamed to beg - what is he to do when he is let go? Actually, he comes up with an interesting plan: he calls in his master's debtors one at a time and discounts each of their debts - by so doing, he becomes a "good guy" in the eyes of the debtors and is welcome in their homes. So far it all makes sense. Unfortunately, the master finds out what is going on. However, instead of getting angry with the steward, we are told that the master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness. Come again?
If it is of any consolation, most commentaries concede that this is a "difficult" parable. Now there is no such thing as "the answer" to what a parable means, but the general consensus seems to be that this is a parable about the end times (being called in to account for your management). The steward is not commended for being dishonest, but because he saw that hard times were coming and took steps to mitigate the impact. He prepared for the time of judgment. Some commentaries see this as a word-to-the-wise at the personal level and others believe that it was advice to the Jewish nation.
The last three weeks in the Season of Pentecost (the end of November) and the Season of Advent look at the end times. If this parable made you stop and scratch your head a bit, then it will have been a good introduction to the forthcoming lectionary.
Deacon John 11/98
November 29th marks the first Sunday in Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year. Since the number "3" goes into 1998 evenly, the new year beginning in Advent of 1998 will be Year "A." During each of the three liturgical years, we emphasize one of the synoptic Gospels, with the Gospel of John being used during special seasons in each of the three years. Luke was our companion for the last year (Year "C") and Mark is featured in year "B." That leaves Matthew for the coming year.
Matthew appears first in the New Testament canon, but was probably written second after Mark. The most likely date is somewhere after 70 AD, and Antioch is often suggested as the location. Matthew was probably written for Jewish Christians (as opposed to the Greek Christian community). There are more references to the Hebrew Scriptures in Matthew than any of the other gospels, with some 120 quotations covering 20 books.
There are three principal themes in Matthew: Christ - Church - Morality. Matthew is the only gospel to actually use the word "church.," but does not specifically describe church order or leadership.
The word "Matthew" comes from the Hebrew words "he gave" and "Yahweh" -meaning "gift of God." I hope that our journey through the Gospel of Matthew will truly be a gift of God for you.
Deacon John 12/98