Into Thy hands, O Lord, we commend ourselves and I all who are dear to us this day. Be with us in our going out and in our coming in. Strengthen us for the work which Thou hast given us to do. And grant that, filled with Thy Holy Spirit, we may walk worthy of our high calling, and cheerfully accomplish those things that Thou wouldest have done; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

–Hebrews 11:1-6

February is celebrated as the month of LOVE. What if we looked deeper than the culture’s view, and set our eyes on a Godly definition of love, one of covenant, self-sacrifice, and lasting commitment? You can be a part of our Celebration of Marriage, a special 20/20 focus on the bonds that keep couples together – through thick and thin, through ups and downs, through joy and sorrow.

Read on for 3 new vehicles to care for, celebrate, and strengthen marriage. There’s something for everyone. Take part in one or take advantage of all three, it’s up to you….

Read it all.

The Latest Edition of the Parish Newsletter from Christ St Paul’s, Yonges Island, #SouthCarolina https://t.co/pVIGb4UaM3 #anglican #parishministry pic.twitter.com/yIhqJQN5EG

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 2, 2020

Novak Djokovic wins his eighth Australian Open title after defeating Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller https://t.co/zfRYhOQbVu pic.twitter.com/r0BF6U1vsn

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) February 2, 2020

Second, this fulfilment is rooted in Scripture. Every line of the Nunc Dimittis echoes one of the promises in Isaiah 40–66.

And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. (Is 40.5)

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. (Is 42.6)

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. (Is 60.1)

(See also Is 46.13, 49.6, 52.10 and 56.1).

Thirdly, this biblical pattern of promise is also personally fulfilled. Just as God has promised something to his people, which he now fulfils in Jesus, so God has promised something to Simeon (that he will not die…) which he now fulfils in Simeon’s encounter with Jesus (…until he has seen with his own eyes). The Spirit of God in Simeon has brought the word of God to Simeon, just as the Spirit has brought the word of God to his people in scripture.

Fourth, all these announcements are marked by joy and wonder, as have all the events around Jesus’ birth, both for those bringing the word of disclosure and for those who hear those words. The theme of joy continues to be a significant part of Luke’s account, both in the gospel and in Acts.

Fifth, and in some contrast, they also include warnings of division and pain.

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Reflection for Sunday, the Presentation of the Lord. You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected. https://t.co/DcfdqFU3Gh pic.twitter.com/zCM5gJnteH

— Deacon Paul O’Connor (@deaconpauloc) February 2, 2020

‘The blessed Mary offered her sacrifice to God with the child, as it was appointed in God’s law. It was so appointed in the old law, by God’s command, that those who could afford it should bring a lamb of one year old with their child, as an offering to God, and a pigeon or a turtle-dove. But if any woman were so poor that she could not obtain those things, then she should bring two young pigeons or two turtle-doves.

This smaller offering was offered for Christ, that is, the birds, which were the offerings of the poor. The Almighty Son of God was very mindful of our needs in all things; not only did he choose to become man for us, though he was God, but he also chose to become needy for us, though he was mighty, so that he might give us a portion in his kingdom and communion with his divinity. A lamb betokens innocence and the greater kind of goodness; but if we are so wretched that we cannot offer to God that greater goodness, then we should bring him two turtle-doves or two young pigeons; that is, a twofold burgeoning of awe and love. A person experiences this burgeoning in two ways: first, he dreads the torments of hell, and mourns for his sins; then afterwards he feels love to God, and he begins to murmur, and it seems to him too long a time until he shall be taken from the afflictions of this life, and brought to eternal rest.’

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‘On this day the true Light, Christ, was borne to the temple’. An Anglo-Saxon Sermon for Candlemas: https://t.co/cfIDnVrGBL pic.twitter.com/QwjH1zY0QC

— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) February 2, 2017

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly beseech thee that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord It occurs 40 days after Jesus’ birth also known as Candlemas day due to the blessing & lighting of candles as a symbolic representation of the words of the prophet Simeon concerning Christ as a “light to reveal God to the World.” pic.twitter.com/Eb39t8CF3j

— Fr. Grant Ciccone ☩ (@FrGrantCiccone) February 2, 2020

Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory!

–Psalm 24:7-10

Ps 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in pic.twitter.com/dHOuVARGej

— heine kapp (@HeineKapp) November 1, 2017

Gary and Sue were both born in Ohio and later both of their families, after several moves, ended up in Summerville, SC. They met their junior year at Summerville High School, dated while Gary was at the Citadel and after graduation, and they were married in 1984 at St. Phillips Church. They moved that fall from Charleston to Columbia so Sue could attend the University of South Carolina and major in Civil Engineering. In 1987 they moved back to Summerville so Gary could open his first Home Health business. Children followed: Gardner in ‘89, Parks in ‘92 and Mary Grace in ‘95.

They lived and served the Lord at St. Paul’s Summerville (where Gary was confirmed as a teenager, by the Rt. Rev. Fitz Allison in 1974) for over 25 years before being called into full-time ordained life. They attended Trinity School for Ministry and while there the family became involved in church planting at Southside Anglican Church.

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The Rev. Gary Beson to become the next rector of Prince George Winyah Church in the #Anglican Diocese of #SouthCarolina https://t.co/pQgNZfO32g #parishministry #christianity pic.twitter.com/FnuW5hUXA2

— Kendall Harmon (@KendallHarmon6) February 1, 2020

Your #AO2020 Women’s Singles Champion, @SofiaKenin 👏#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/EVRjos3UTo

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2020

My mother and grandparents survived the Holocaust. When I was growing up, I resented how often they read anti-Semitism into seemingly innocuous exchanges. “They will always hate us,” they warned. I naively dismissed their anxiety as paranoia, and questioned their capacity to move beyond their own pain. Now I recognize how wrong I was.

Anti-Semitism is hardly a thing of the past; it’s a constant, vicious drumbeat—and it’s louder today than it has been in decades. Anti-Semitism—cloaked and overt, polite and crass—has permeated discourse for millennia. The recent rise in anti-Semitic violence should force us to reevaluate not only the way non-Jews regard Jews, but also the way Jews have come to see themselves through the eyes of those who despise them.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., displays a “Scroll of Hitler”—Megillat Hitler, in Hebrew. It tells of the rise of Hitler, the requisition of Jewish property, and the Nazi attempt to deport Jews from North Africa. The Megillat Hitler was written by Prosper Hassine, a scribe from Casablanca. There is a copy of the scroll on display at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. This copy, according to the museum’s archives, was once owned by the Corcos family. They fled to Casablanca from Florence in 1939, hoping to escape the fate of other European Jews.

The scroll is modeled after the Scroll of Esther, a biblical story that has its own Hitler: the Persian courtier Haman.

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Anti-Semitism is hardly a thing of the past; it’s a constant, vicious drumbeat—and it’s louder today than it has been in decades.https://t.co/KI4Llg6hE8

— First Things (@firstthingsmag) February 1, 2020

Everliving God, we rejoice today in the fellowship of thy blessed servant Brigid, and we give thee thanks for her life of devoted service. Inspire us with life and light, and give us perseverance to serve thee all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.

Kilbreedy – Cill Bhríghde, St. Bridget’s Church
Cooleagh, Fethard, Co. Tipperary.#StBrigidsDay pic.twitter.com/YiUFam6XSd

— Tipperary Studies (@TippStudies) February 1, 2017

O gracious God and most merciful Father, which hast vouchsafed us the rich and precious jewel of Thy holy Word: assist us with Thy Spirit that it may be written in our hearts to our everlasting comfort, to reform us, to renew us according to Thine own image, to build us up, and edify us into the perfect building of Thy Christ, sanctifying and increasing in us all heavenly virtues. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake.

–Frederick B. Macnutt, The prayer manual for private devotions or public use on divers occasions: Compiled from all sources ancient, medieval, and modern (A.R. Mowbray, 1951)

Artifact of the Day: The Geneva Bible. When Queen Mary restored Catholicism and outlawed Protestantism in England, many Protestants went into exile. Those in Geneva published a major new English Bible in 1560. It became by far the most popular English Bible yet. pic.twitter.com/lziZD4VTkl

— Museum of the Bible (@museumofBible) June 12, 2018

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Caper′na-um. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. However, boats from Tibe′ri-as came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper′na-um, seeking Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.”

–John 6:16-27