Above:  St. Mary’s Hospital, London, England

Image in the Public Domain

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WILLIAM JOHN SPARROW-SIMPSON (JUNE 20, 1859-FEBRUARY 13, 1952)

Anglican Priest, Hymn Writer, and Patristics Scholar

Also known as William John Sparrow Simpson

William John Sparrow-Simpson comes to this, A Great Cloud of Witnesses:  An Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, via The Methodist Hymnal (1966) and his collaboration with composer John Stainer (1840-1901) on an oratorio, The Crucifixion (1887).

One procedural issue is whether to hyphenate.  Title pages of our saint’s books, published during his lifetime, vary on this point.  Some list him as Sparrow Simpson, but others print his name as Sparrow-Simpson.  (I checked archive.org and saw both forms of his name.)  I choose to hypenate.

William John Sparrow-Simpson was an Anglo-Catholic, a priest, a scholar, a poet, a hymn writer, a bookworm, and a famous preacher and orator.  He, born in London, England, on June 20, 1859, was a son of the Reverend William Sparrow-Simpson, a minor canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Rector of St. Vedast’s Church, London.  Our saint, educated at St. Paul’s School, then at Trinity College, Cambridge, (B.A., 1882; M.A., 1886; B.D., 1909; D.D., 1911) distinguished himself academically.  He departed Trinity College, Cambridge, with a first class in theology and the Chancellor’s Prize for English Verse.  Sparrow-Simpson, ordained to the priesthood the following year, served in various congregations until 1904.  Then, from 1904 to 1952, our saint was the chaplain of St. Mary’s Hospital, Great Iliff, London.  That position afforded Sparrow-Simpson time to research and write.  He availed himself of those opportunities.  Topics included:

1. Liturgics;
2. St. Augustine of Hippo (Sparrow-Simpson was an expert on the great theologian);
3. The role of women in the church (Unfortunately, he never favored the ordination of women.);
4. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London;
5. Nineteenth-century French Roman Catholicism;
6. The resurrection of Jesus; and
7. Papal infallibility (He opposed it.).

Perhaps most people alive today who have encountered the legacy of Sparrow-Simpson have done so via his libretto for The Crucifixion (1887).  Five of our saint’s six hymns listed at hymnary.org came from that oratorio.  They were:

1. “All for Jesus;”
2. “Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow;”
3. “Holy Jesus, By Thy Passion;”
4. “I Adore Thee, I Adore Thee;” and
5. “Jesus, the Crucified, Pleads for Me.”

The anthem, “God So Loved the World,” also comes from that oratorio.

Our saint’s hymn not related to The Crucifixion (1887) is, “Hark, the Voices of the Happy Throng.”

Sparrow-Simpson, aged 92 years, died in London on February 13, 1952.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MAY 13, 2020 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF HENRI DOMINIQUE LACORDAIRE, FRENCH ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST, DOMINICAN, AND ADVOCATE FOR THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

THE FEAST OF FRANCES PERKINS, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF LABOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT GEMMA OF GORIANO SICOLI, ITALIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC ANCHORESS

THE FEAST OF SAINT GLYCERIA OF HERACLEA, MARTYR, CIRCA 177

THE FEAST OF UNITA BLACKWELL, AFRICAN-AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

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O God, you have endowed us with memory, reason, and skill.

We thank you for the faithful legacy of [William John Sparrow-Simpson and all others]

who have dedicated their lives to you and to the intellectual pursuits.

May we, like them, respect your gift of intelligence fully and to your glory.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Psalm 103

Philippians 4:8-9

Mark 12:28-34

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

MARCH 6, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT CHRODEGANG OF METZ, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF EDMUND KING, ANGLICAN BISHOP OF LINCOLN

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Above:  The Immediate Lineage of the United Lutheran Church in America (1918-1962)

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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JOSEPH AUGUSTUS SEISS (MARCH 8, 1823-JUNE 20, 1904)

U.S. Lutheran Minister, Liturgist, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator

Joseph Augustus Seiss was an important figure in U.S. Lutheran history.  He was, in fact, more complicated than the Lutheran hymnal companion volumes I consulted hinted.  I found evidence of this fact when I started skimming his books available at archive.org.  Seiss was, for example, a Premillenialist and a Dispensationalist, opinions which would have made C. I. Scofield happy yet were (and remain) heretical in the vast majority of Christianity in general and within Lutheranism in particular.  Seiss also had a bizarre theology regarding the Great Pyramid at Giza, which, according to him, was “a Miracle in Stone.”  (The Egyptian laborers who constructed that pyramid knew that it was not a miracle, I suppose.)  Seiss and I would have disagreed strongly regarding issues such as eschatology, pyramids, and the authorship of the Book of Daniel and the Epistle to the Hebrews, but none of that prevents me from adding him to the Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days.  I have added him mostly on the basis of his contributions to hymnody and liturgy.

Seiss entered the world at Graceham, Maryland, on March 18, 1823.  His father was a miner and his family attended the local Moravian church.  Seiss, confirmed in the Unitas Fratrum at age fifteen, did not remain for long.  From 1839 to 1841 he attended a Lutheran school, Gettysburg College and Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, yet did not graduate.  He studied theology privately, and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Virginia licensed him to preach in 1842.  Ordination followed six years later.

From 1844 to 1904 Seiss ministered in congregations.  He was at Martinsburg and Shepherdstown, Virginia, for three years, followed by a stint (1847-1852) at Cumberland, Maryland.  Our saint served as the pastor of Lombard Street Church, Baltimore, Maryland, from 1852 to 1858.  The rest of his pastoral career played out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, first at St. John’s Church (from 1852 to 1874), then at the Church of the Holy Communion, of which he was the founding minister and the pastor for the first thirty years or so of its existence.

Seiss also led on the synodical and denominational levels.  He was, for a time, the President of the German Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States, the oldest Lutheran synod in the United States.  He also helped to form the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (1867-1918), of which he served as the President also.

Seiss published in excess of 100 works.  Some of them are available at archive.org:

1. Popular Lectures on the Epistle of Paul, the Apostle, to the Hebrews (1846);
2. The Baptist System Examined, the Church Vindicated, and Sectarianism Rebuked:  A Reviews of Dr. Fuller and Others on “Baptism and the Terms of Communion” (first edition, 1854; second edition, 1858; third edition, 1859);
3. The Last Times:  An Earnest Discussion of Momentous Themes (first edition, 1856; second edition, 1859); The Last Times and the Great Consumation:  An Earnest Discussion of Momentous Themes (fifth edition, 1863; sixth edition, 1866); The Last Times, or Thoughts on Momentous Themes (seventh edition, 1878);
4. The Arts of Design:  Especially Related to Female Education (1857);
5. The Gospel in Leviticus; or, an Exposition of the Hebrews Ritual (1859);
6. The Evangelical Psalmist:  A Collection of Tunes and Hymns for Use in Congregational and Social Worship (1859);
7. The Day of the Lord (1861);
8. The Parable of the Ten Virgins:  In Six Discourses, and a Sermon on the Judgeship of the Saints (1862);
9. The Assassinated President; or, the Day of National Mourning for Abraham Lincoln, at St. John’s (Lutheran Church), Philadelphia, June 1st, 1865 (1865);
10. The Apocalypse:  A Series of Special Lectures on the Revelation of Jesus Christ with Revised Text, Volumes I, II, and III (1865);
11. Church Song (second edition) (1875);
12. A Miracle in Stone; or, the Great Pyramid of Egypt (1877);
13. Recreation Songs (1878);
14. Voices from Babylon; or, the Records of Daniel the Prophet (1879);
15. The Gospel in the Stars; or, Primeval Astronomy (first edition, 1882; tenth edition, 1910);
16. The Golden Altar:  Forms of Living Faith (first edition, 1882; second edition, 1898), a book of home liturgies;
17. Luther and the Reformation:  The Life-Springs of Our Liberties (1883);
18. Right Life; or, Candid Talks on Vital Themes (1886);
19. The Letters of Jesus:  Lenten Lectures (1889);
20. Church Song:  A Repertory of Music for the Rendering of the Responses, Canticles, Psalms and Hymnals of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (1889);
21. Beacon Lights:  A Series of Short Sermons (1899); and
22. Lententide Sermonettes (1901).

Seiss also wrote and translated hymns.  I have added some of his texts to my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog.

Seiss died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 1904.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 14, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS MACRINA THE ELDER, BASIL THE ELDER, EMILIA, NAUCRATIUS, AND PETER OF SEBASTE, FAITHFUL CHRISTIANS OVER THREE GENERATIONS

THE FEAST OF CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYRS AND ACTIVISTS

THE FEAST OF RICARDO MONTALBAN, ACTOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT SAVA, FOUNDER OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,

thank you for those (especially Joseph Augustus Seiss)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

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Above:  Luther Rose

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

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ALFRED RAMSEY (APRIL 12, 1860-JUNE 20, 1926)

U.S. Lutheran Minister and Hymn Translator

Alfred Ramsey translated German hymns into English.  I have added some of his translations to my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog.

Ramsey, born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 12, 1860, studied at Thiel College, Greenville, Pennsylvania, then at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In 1885 the German Evangelical Lutheran Ministerium of Pennsylvania and Adjacent States ordained him.  From 1885 to 1905 he ministered, in order, in the following places at congregations of the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America (1867-1918):

1. Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania;
2. Uniontown, Pennsylvania;
3. Minneapolis, Minnesota; and
4. Stacy, Minnesota.

Then, for thirteen years, he was a Professor of Historical Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Chicago, Illinois.  He died on June 20, 1926.

His hymn translations survive him, fortunately.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 13, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME

THE FEAST OF SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF HUBERT HUMPHREY, UNITED STATES SENATOR AND VICE PRESIDENT

THE FEAST OF KENTIGERN (MUNGO), ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF GLASGOW

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Alfred Ramsey and others, who have translated hymn texts.

May we, as you guide us,

find worthy hymn texts to be icons,

through which we see you.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:1-3a, 5-15

Psalm 147

Revelation 5:11-14

Luke 2:8-20

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH

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Above:  Ribe Cathedral, Ribe, Denmark

Image in the Public Domain

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HANS ADOLF BRORSON (JUNE 20, 1694-JUNE 3, 1764)

Danish Lutheran Bishop, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator

Bishop Hans Adolf Brorson was among the greatest Danish Lutheran hymn writers and translators.  Not only did were his texts of great quality, but they were also of impressive quantity–in the hundreds.

Brorson’s family had been prosperous prior to his birth, but he entered the world at a time when they struggled with debts.  His father, Broder Broderson, a Lutheran pastor, died when our saint was ten years old.  Brorson’s mother, Catherine Clausen, eventually stabilized the family by remarrying.  Her second husband and our saint’s stepfather was another Lutheran minister, Ole Holbech, who died in 1721.

Brorson was studious and intelligent.  He graduated from the Latin school at Ribe before, from 1712 to 1717, studying theology, philology, history, and philosophy at the University of Copenhagen.  Bad health forced him to leave the University, so he became a tutor in the home of his maternal uncle, a superintendent in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark.  After four years of that our saint completed his final exams at the University in 1722.  That year he also became a minister in the state church and married his first wife, Catherine Steenbeck Clausen (d. 1741), who gave birth to thirteen children.

Brorson rose from the office of parish minister to bishop in nineteen years.  From 1722 to 1729 he served at Ronderup.  Then he joined the pastoral staff of the German-Danish parish at Tonder.  He worked closely with Pastor and hymn writer Johan Herman Schrader and wrote Danish-language hymns to supplement the German-language ones the congregation sang.  In 1737 Brorson became a superintendent.  Four years later he became the Bishop of Ribe, a position he held for the rest of his life.

Brorson published hymns in a volume, The Rare Jewel of the Faith (1739).  In his later years, beset by various afflictions, he composed more than seventy hymns, which a son published in 1765, the year after our saint died.

Brorson was a faithful Christian, but he was also a Pietist, unfortunately.  Pietism has several faults, including downplaying the efficacy of the sacraments, as in the first stanza of a Brorson hymn which George Alfred Taylor Rygh (1860-1942) translated in 1908:

O Father, may Thy word prevail

Against the gates of hell!

Behold the vineyard Thou hast tilled

With thorns and thistles filled.

‘Tis true, Thy plants are there;

But, ah, how weak and rare!

How slight the power and evidence

Of word and sacraments!

—The Lutheran Hymnary (1935), hymn #245

For obvious theological reasons Confessional Lutheran hymnals exclude that Brorson text.  I, a ritualistic Episcopalian, make common cause with my Confessional Lutheran brethren in opposing the heresy of Pietism.

On a happier note, Brorson wrote well-crafted, theologically dense hymns, many of which exist in English translations.  I have added some of them to my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog.

Brorson’s earthly pilgrimage ended at Ribe on June 3, 1764.  He would have celebrated his seventieth birthday seventeen days later.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 13, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME

THE FEAST OF SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF HUBERT HUMPHREY, UNITED STATES SENATOR AND VICE PRESIDENT

THE FEAST OF KENTIGERN (MUNGO), ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF GLASGOW

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Dear God of beauty,

you have granted literary ability and spiritual sensitivity to

Hans Adolf Brorson and others, who have composed and translated hymn texts.

May we, as you guide us,

find worthy hymn texts to be icons,

through which we see you.

In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 44:1-3a, 5-15

Psalm 147

Revelation 5:11-14

Luke 2:8-20

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

APRIL 20, 2013 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINTS AMATOR OF AUXERRE AND GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS; SAINT MAMERTINUS OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT MARCIAN OF AUXERRE, ROMAN CATHOLIC MONK

THE FEAST OF JOHANNES BUGENHAGEN, GERMAN LUTHERAN PASTOR

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARCELLINUS OF EMBRUN, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF OLAVUS AND LAURENTIUS PETRI, RENEWERS OF THE CHURCH

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Above:  Lititz Moravian Church, Lititz, Pennsylvania, November 1942

Photographer = Marjory Collins

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-USW3-011809-D

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BERNARD ADAM GRUBE (JUNE 21, 1715-MARCH 20, 1808)

German-American Moravian Minister, Missionary, Composer, and Musician

The hit parade of pious Moravian Church musicians continues with Bernard Adam Grube (1715-1808).  The native of Walschleben, near Erfurt, Germany, studies theology at Jena.  He, ordained in 1740, served congregations in The Netherlands and in Livonia (Latvia).  Then, in 1748, he arrived in America as a missionary to Native Americans.  He learned the Delaware language and traveled in New England, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.  His ministerial career continued at Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he served as the pastor from 1765 to 1785.  There he organized the choir and the collegium musicum.  Such musical activity was natural for Grube, who had a life-long interest in music and who had started teaching music at age seventeen.  He also composed sacred vocal works.  Subsequent pastorates were at Hope, New Jersey, and at Bethlehem and Emmaus, Pennsylvania.

In 1778 Grube married for a second time; his first wife had died two years prior.  Wife number two was Sara Van Vleck Eberhardt (1727-1793), of the Van Vleck family, prominent in U.S. Moravian musical history.  I have read about that family during my self-directed education in Moravian musical history.  In fact, I have made plans to add some Van Vlecks to this, the Ecumenical Calendar of Saints’ Days and Holy Days, soon.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 7, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF FRANCIS FENELON, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAI

THE FEAST OF SAINT ALDRIC OF LE MANS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF JULIUS WELLHAUSEN, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR

THE FEAST OF SAINT LUCIAN OF ANTIOCH, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

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Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Bernard Adam Grube,

whom you called to preach the Gospel to Native Americans in New England, Pennyslvania, and North Carolina.

Raise up in this and every land evangelists and heralds of your kingdom,

that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

–Isaiah 52:7-10

Psalm 96 or 96:1-7

Acts 1:1-9

Luke 10:1-9

–Adapted from Holy Women, Holy Men:  Celebrating the Saints (2010), page 716

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Above:  A Map of France, 1741

Image in the Public Domain

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CHARLES COFFIN (OCTOBER 4, 1676-JUNE 20, 1749)

Roman Catholic Priest and Hymn Writer

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He is one of the few French hymn writers whose poems have become a part of the worship material of America.

–William Chalmers Covert and Calvin Weiss Laufer, eds., Handbook to The Hymnal (Philadelphia, PA:  Presbyterian Board of Christian Education, 1935), page 517

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Father Charles Coffin, born in Buzancy, France, in 1676, received his education at Duplessis College of the University of Paris.  In 1701 he joined the faculty of the College of Doirmans-Beauvais of that university.  Eleven years later our saint became the Principal of the College.  In 1718 Father Coffin became Rector of the University of Paris, a position he held for five years before reverting to Principal of the College of Doirmans-Beauvais.  Those are particulars, mostly of Coffin’s academic career, but not very interesting relative to what follows.

Our saint wrote hymns, some of which exist in English translation.  Perhaps the best summary of Father Coffin’s hymns is that they were

direct and fitted with the spirit of grace.

–Fred L. Precht, Lutheran Worship:  Hymnal Companion (St. Louis, MO:  Concordia Publishing House, 1992), page 575.

I have added translations of some of those graceful hymns to my GATHERED PRAYERS weblog.

Here is the Yattendon Hymnal (1899) translation of a Coffin masterpiece:

Happy are they, they that love God,

Whose hearts have Christ confest,

Who by His Cross have found their life,

And ‘neath His yoke their rest.

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Glad is the praise, sweet are the songs,

When they together sing;

And strong the prayers that bow the ear

Of heaven’s eternal King.

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Christ to their homes giveth His peace,

And makes their loves His own;

But, ah what tares the evil one

Hath in His garden sown!

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Sad was our lot, evil this earth,

Did not its sorrows prove

The path whereby the sheep may find

The fold of Jesus’ love.

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Then shall they know, they that love Him,

How all their pain is good;

And death itself cannot unbind

Their happy brotherhood.

And here is the John Chandler (1806-1876) translation of an Advent hymn:

The advent of our God

Our prayers must now employ,

And we must meet him on his road

With hymns of holy joy.

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The everlasting Son

Incarnate deigns to be;

Himself a servant’s form puts on

To set his people free.

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Daughter of Sion, rise

To meet thy lowly King,

Nor let thy faithless heart despise

The peace he comes to bring.

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As Judge, on clouds of light,

He soon will come again,

And all his scattered saints unite

With him in heaven to reign.

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Before the dawning day

Let sin’s dark deeds be gone;

The old man all be put away,

The new man all put on.

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All glory to the Son,

Who comes to set us free,

With Father, Spirit, ever One,

Through all eternity.

Coffin, who composed Latin poems, published some of them in 1727.  Nine years later, at the command of the Archbishop of Paris, Coffin prepared the Paris Breviary, which contained most of his hymns.  The Archbishop favored replacing old Latin hymns with new Latin hymns.  (If one is to discard the old in favor of the new, Charles Coffin compositions are the way to go.)  Also in 1736, our saint published Hymni Sacri Auctore Carolo Coffin, containing about a hundred hymns.  A posthumous two-volume set of his complete works followed in 1755.

There was an unfortunate and needless shadow–one which commends Father Coffin in my mind–at the end of his life.  This holy man received neither the last rites nor a Christian burial because a certain priest, citing church politics, denied them.  Our saint had, along with many other French clergymen, objected the papal bull Unigenitus (1713).  Pope Clement XI condemned Jansenism, a movement within the Roman Catholic Church, as heretical.

Many papal bulls were, partially or entirely, bull.  Unigenitus was certainly at least partially bull (less so if one is of a Reformed perspective and more so if one leans toward the Wesleyan-Arminian end of the spectrum).  The document condemned a long list of Jansenist assertions as heresies.  Among these were the following:

1. There is no role for human free will in salvation.
2. It is both necessary and useful for all sorts of people to study the Bible.
3. It is harmful to laity not to study the Bible.

Our saint found parts of the papal bull unacceptable and said so.  This made him a political hot potato at the end of his life, unfortunately.  But I praise God that such a talented and courageous man lived.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JANUARY 13, 2014 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS, FOUNDER OF THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME

THE FEAST OF SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP

THE FEAST OF HUBERT HUMPHREY, UNITED STATES SENATOR AND VICE PRESIDENT

THE FEAST OF SAINT KENTIGERN (MUNGO), ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF GLASGOW

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Holy God, whose majesty surpasses all human definitions and capacity to grasp,

thank you for those (especially Charles Coffin)

who have nurtured and encouraged the reverent worship of you.

May their work inspire us to worship you in knowledge, truth, and beauty.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

1 Chronicles 25:1-8

Psalm 145

Revelation 15:1-4

John 4:19-26

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF SAINT JAMES INTERCISUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR

THE FEAST OF HENRY SLOANE COFFIN, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN THEOLOGIAN

 A Box

God Does Not Fit Into Any Theological Box

The Sunday Closest to June 22

Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

JUNE 20, 2021

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FIRST READING AND PSALM:  OPTION #1

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49 (New Revised Standard Version):

[Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel,

Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.

And the Philistine said,

Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.]

David said to Saul,

Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

Saul said to David,

You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.

But David said to Saul,

Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.

David said,

The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.

So Saul said to David,

Go, and may the LORD be with you!

Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul,

I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.

So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David,

Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David,

Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.

But David said to the Philistine,

You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand.

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Psalm 9:9-20 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

9  The LORD will be a refuge for the oppressed,

a refuge in time of trouble.

10  Those who know your Name will put their trust in you,

for you never forsake those who seek you, O LORD.

11  Sing praise to the LORD who dwells in Zion;

proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.

12  The Avenger of blood will remember them;

he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13  Have pity on me, O LORD;

see the misery I suffer from those who hate me,

O you who lift me up from the gate of death;

14  So that I may tell of all your praises

and rejoice in your salvation

in the gates of the city of Zion.

15  The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug,

and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.

16  The LORD is known by his acts of justice;

the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.

17  The wicked shall be given over to the grave,

and also all the people that forget God.

18  For the needy shall not always be forgotten,

and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.

19  Rise up, O LORD, let not the ungodly have the upper hand;

let them be judged before you.

20  Put fear upon them, O LORD;

let the ungodly know they are but mortal.

FIRST READING AND PSALM:  OPTION #2

1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16 (New Revised Standard Version):

On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.  Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”  And David answered,

I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.  Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.  Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.  David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army.  And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.

The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day.  Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear, for he thought,

I will pin David to the wall.

But David eluded him twice.

Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.  So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army.  David had success in all his undertakings; for the LORD was with him.  When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him.  But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.

Psalm 133 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1 Oh, how good and pleasant it is,

when brethren live together in unity!

2 It is like fine oil upon the head

that runs down upon the beard,

3 Upon the beard of Aaron,

and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

4 It is like the dew of Hermon

that falls upon the hills of Zion.

5 For there the LORD has ordained the blessing;

life for evermore.

FIRST READING AND PSALM:  OPTION #3

Job 38:1-11 (New Revised Standard Version):

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind:

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,

I will answer you, and you shall declare to me.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements–surely you know!

Or who stretched out the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone

when the morning stars sang together

and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb?–

when I made the clouds its garment,

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

and prescribed bounds for it,

and set bars and doors,

and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stopped?”

Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):

1  Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

and his mercy endures for ever.

2  Let all those whom the LORD has redeemed proclaim

that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

3  He gathered them out of the lands;

from the east and from the west,

from the north and from the south.

23  Some went down to the sea in ships

and plied their trade in deep waters;

24  They beheld the works of the LORD

and his wonders in the deep.

25  Then he spoke, and a stormy wind arose,

which tossed high the waves of the sea.

26  They mounted up to the heavens and fell back to the depths;

their hearts melted because of their peril.

27  They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits’ end.

28  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress.

29  He stilled the storm to a whisper

and quieted the waves of the sea.

30  Then were they glad because of the calm,

and he brought them to the harbor they were bound for.

31  Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy

and the wonders he does for his children.

32  Let them exalt him in the congregation of the people

and praise him in the council of the elders.

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 (New Revised Standard Version):

As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

At an acceptable time I have listened to you,

and on a day of salvation I have helped you.

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return– I speak as to children– open wide your hearts also.

GOSPEL READING

Mark 4:35-41 (New Revised Standard Version):

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples,

Let us go across to the other side.

And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him,

Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,

Peace! Be still!

Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them,

Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?

And they were filled with great awe and said to one another,

Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

The Collect:

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Some Related Posts:

Proper 7, Year A:

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/06/proper-7-year-a/

Proper 7, Year B:

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/proper-7-year-b/

I have chosen to focus on the reading from Job, not that I have ignored other lessons.

David, Goliath, Jonathan, and Saul:

http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/08/week-of-2-epiphany-wednesday-year-2/

http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2011/06/09/week-of-2-epiphany-thursday-year-2/

Mark 6:

http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/week-of-3-epiphany-saturday-year-1/

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

False certainty is not helpful.

The Book of Job consists of poetry combined with some prose.  It is a work of literature and a fictional story containing deep theological truth.  In this old epic, Job, a wealthy and righteous man, suffers greatly not because of any sin he had committed but because God permitted it.  For much of the book Job argued with three alleged friends–Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar–who insisted, among other things, that Job’s suffering must have resulted from some sin or sins he had committed.

Thus the Book of Job refuted a popular idea in ancient theology.  Yes, sometimes we suffer the negative consequences of our actions, but this fact does not account for all our suffering.  In face, we cannot account for the causation of some suffering.  Uncertainty can be unnerving, so we might prefer the simple formula “sins lead to suffering.”

Job made his final verbal defense in Chapters 29-31.  Then, in the book as it exists today, Elihu, an arrogant young man began to speak.  He was proud of himself, what he thought he knew, and how well he said it.  He filled six chapters before departing the book’s narrative as suddenly as he entered it.

Elihu’s speeches stick out in the Book of Job because they were not part of the original text.  The book contains authorial and editorial layers.  It seems that God’s speech, beginning in Chapter 28, originally followed Job’s concluding statement in Chapters 29-31 immediately.

The summary of much of God’s speech in Chapters 38 and 39 is “I’m God and you’re not.”  The text tells us that God is speaking to Job.  Yet something strikes me as interesting and crucial to grasping the book and its message.  God’s audience could just as well be Elihu or Eliphaz or Bildad or Zophar, given the content.  Job and these men had all spoken as if they knew far more than they did.  Elihu and the alleged friends thought that they how God ran the world and Job thought that he know how God should run the world.

Job needed to admit that he knew little about God.  He needed to accept ambiguity in his theology.  And he did.  The lesson he learned was that relationship to the living God, who is beyond complete human comprehension, is the goal for which to strive.  We hold expectations of God, how God acts, or how God should behave, but sometimes (perhaps even often) our reality and our expectations do not match.

Unanswered questions make some people uncomfortable.  The failure of easy and inadequate yet neat theological formulas unnerves many of us.  Yet may we embrace the ambiguity of the unanswered question and the broken formula.  May we accept the uncertainty of “I don’t know.”

Often catastrophic events set the stage for people questioning the existence or justice of God.  ”If there is a God, why did X happen?” people ask.  Or, “If God is just, why did X happen?”  X might be a massive storm or earthquake, the Holocaust, a war, or other terrible event.  Often the complaint regards something God did not do, something God permitted or allegedly permitted to happen.

Here a message from the Book of Job becomes helpful.  The most basic certainties are that God exists and that God does not fit into our theological boxes.  ”I don’t know” is something a spiritually honest person will say often.  We can know much, but not nearly everything.  If we accept this fact, we continue on the path of wisdom.

KRT

Published originally at ORDINARY TIME DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on August 15, 2011

Honeysuckles

Image in the Public Domain

1 (Justin Martyr, Christian Apologist and Martyr, 166/167)

• David Abeel, U.S. Dutch Reformed Minister and Missionary to Asia
• Pamphilus of Caesarea, Bible Scholar and Translator; and His Companions, Martyrs, 309
• Samuel Stennett, English Seventh-Day Baptist Minister and Hymn Writer; and John Howard, English Humanitarian
• Simeon of Syracuse, Roman Catholic Monk
• William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, and Mary Dyer, British Quaker Martyrs in Boston, Massachusetts, 1659 and 1660

2 (Blandina and Her Companions, the Martyrs of Lyons, 177)

• Anders Christensen Arrebo, “The Father of Danish Poetry”
• Christoph Homburg, German Lutheran Hymn Writer
• John Lancaster Spalding, Roman Catholic Bishop of Peoria then Titular Bishop of Seythopolis
• Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, Hymn Writer, Novelist, and Devotional Writer
• Stephen of Sweden, Roman Catholic Missionary, Bishop, and Martyr, Circa 1075

3 (John XXIII, Bishop of Rome)

• Christian Gottfried Geisler and Johann Christian Geisler, Silesian Moravian Organists and Composers; and Johannes Herbst, German-American Organist, Composer, and Bishop
• Frances Ridley Havergal, English Hymn Writer and Composer
• Ole T. (Sanden) Arneson, U.S. Norwegian Lutheran Hymn Translator
• Will Campbell, Agent of Reconciliation

4 (Stanislaw Kostka Starowieyski, Roman Catholic Martyr, 1941)

• Francis Caracciolo, Co-Founder of the Minor Clerks Regular
• Maurice Blondel, French Roman Catholic Philosopher and Forerunner of the Second Vatican Council
• Petroc, Welsh Prince, Abbot, and Missionary
• Thomas Raymond Kelly, U.S. Quaker Mystic and Professor of Philosophy

5 (Dorotheus of Tyre, Bishop of Tyre, and Martyr, Circa 362)

• Elias Benjamin Sanford, U.S. Methodist then Congregationalist Minister and Ecumenist
• Orlando Gibbons, Anglican Organist and Composer; the “English Palestrina”

6 (Franklin Clark Fry, President of The United Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church in America)

• Claude of Besançon, Roman Catholic Priest, Monk, Abbot, and Bishop

• Henry James Buckoll, Author and Translator of Hymns
• Ini Kopuria, Founder of the Melanesian Brotherhood
• Johann Friedrich Hertzog, German Lutheran Hymn Writer
• William Kethe, Presbyterian Hymn Writer

7 (Matthew Talbot, Recovering Alcoholic in Dublin, Ireland)

• Anthony Mary Gianelli, Founder of the Missionaries of Saint Alphonsus Liguori and the Sisters of Mary dell’Orto
• Frederick Lucian Hosmer, U.S. Unitarian Hymn Writer
• Hubert Lafayette Sone and his wife, Katie Helen Jackson Sone, U.S. Methodist Missionaries and Humanitarians in China, Singapore, and Malaysia
• Seattle, First Nations Chief, War Leader, and Diplomat

8 (Clara Luper, Witness for Civil Rights)

• Bliss Wiant, U.S. Methodist Minister, Missionary, Musician, Music Educator, and Hymn Translator, Arranger, and Harmonizer; and his wife, Mildred Artz Wiant, U.S. Methodist Missionary, Musician, Music Educator, and Hymn Translator
• Charles Augustus Briggs, U.S. Presbyterian Minister, Episcopal Priest, Biblical Scholar, and Alleged Heretic; and his daughter, Emilie Grace Briggs, Biblical Scholar and “Heretic’s Daughter”
• Gerard Manley Hopkins, English Roman Catholic Poet and Jesuit Priest
• Henry Downton, Anglican Priest, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
• Roland Allen, Anglican Priest, Missionary, and Mission Strategist

9 (Columba of Iona, Celtic Missionary and Abbot)

• Giovanni Maria Boccardo, Founder of the Poor Sisters of Saint Cajetan/Gaetano; and his brother, Luigi Boccardo, Apostle of Merciful Love
• José de Anchieta, Apostle of Brazil and Father of Brazilian National Literature
• Thomas Joseph Potter, Roman Catholic Priest, Poet, and Hymn Writer
• Will Herzfeld, U.S. Lutheran Ecumenist, Presiding Bishop of the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and Civil Rights Activist

10 (James of Nisibis, Bishop; and Ephrem of Edessa, “The Harp of the Holy Spirit”)

• Frank Laubach, U.S. Congregationalist Minister and Missionary
• Frederick C. Grant, Episcopal Priest and New Testament Scholar; and his son, Robert M. Grant, Episcopal Priest and Patristics Scholar
• Getulius, Amantius, Caeraelis, and Primitivus, Martyrs at Tivoli, 120; and Symphorosa of Tivoli, Martyr, 120
• Landericus of Paris, Roman Catholic Bishop
• Thor Martin Johnson, U.S. Moravian Conductor and Music Director

11 (BARNABAS THE APOSTLE, CO-WORKER OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE)

12 (Edwin Paxton Hood, English Congregationalist Minister, Philanthropist, and Hymn Writer)

• Christian David Jaeschke, German Moravian Organist and Composer; and his grandson, Henri Marc Hermann Voldemar Voullaire, Moravian Composer and Minister
• Enmegahbowh, Episcopal Priest and Missionary to the Ojibwa Nation
• Joseph Dacre Carlyle, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer
• Milton Smith Littlefield, Jr., U.S. Presbyterian and Congregationalist Minister, Hymn Writer, and Hymnal Editor
• William Cullen Bryant, U.S. Poet, Journalist, and Hymn Writer

13 (Spyridon of Cyprus, Bishop of Tremithus, Cyprus; and his convert, Tryphillius of Leucosia, Bishop of Leucosia, Cyprus; Opponents of Arianism)

• Brevard S. Childs, U.S. Presbyterian Biblical Scholar
• Sigismund von Birken, German Lutheran Hymn Writer

14 (Methodius I of Constantinople, Defender of Icons and Ecumenical Patriarch of Constaninople; and Joseph the Hymnographer, Defender of Icons and the “Sweet-Voiced Nightingale of the Church”)

• David Low Dodge, U.S. Presbyterian Businessman and Pacifist

15 (John Ellerton, Anglican Priest and Hymn Writer and Translator)

• Carl Heinrich von Bogatsky, Hungarian-German Lutheran Hymn Writer
• Dorothy Frances Blomfield Gurney, English Poet and Hymn Writer
• Evelyn Underhill, Anglican Mystic and Theologian
• Landelinus of Vaux, Roman Catholic Abbot; Aubert of Cambrai, Roman Catholic Bishop; Ursmar of Lobbes, Roman Catholic Abbot and Missionary Bishop; and Domitian, Hadelin, and Dodo of Lobbes, Roman Catholic Monks

16 (George Berkeley, Irish Anglican Bishop and Philosopher; and Joseph Butler, Anglican Bishop and Theologian)

• Francis J. Uplegger, German-American Lutheran Minister and Missionary; “Old Man Missionary”
• John Francis Regis, Roman Catholic Priest
• Norman Macleod, Scottish Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer; and his cousin, John Macleod, Scottish Presbyterian Minister, Liturgist, and Hymn Writer
• Rufus Jones, U.S. Quaker Theologian and Co-Founder of the American Friends Service Committee
• William Hiram Foulkes, U.S. Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer

17 (Samuel Barnett, Anglican Canon of Westminster, and Social Reformer; and his wife, Henrietta Barnett, Social Reformer)

• Edith Boyle MacAlister, English Novelist and Hymn Writer
• Emily de Vialar, Founder of the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition
• Jane Cross Bell Simpson, Scottish Presbyterian Poet and Hymn Writer
• Mark Hopkins, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Theologian, Educator, and Physician
• Teresa and Mafalda of Portugal, Princesses, Queens, and Nuns; and Sanchia of Portugal, Princess and Nun

18 (William Bingham Tappan, U.S. Congregationalist Minister, Poet, and Hymn Writer)

• Adolphus Nelson, Swedish-American Lutheran Minister and Hymn Writer
• Bernard Mizeki, Anglican Catechist and Convert in Southern Rhodesia, 1896
• Johann Franck, Heinrich Held, and Simon Dach, German Lutheran Hymn Writers
• Richard Massie, Hymn Translator
• Vernard Eller, U.S. Church of the Brethren Minister and Theologian

19 (John Dalberg Acton, English Roman Catholic Historian, Philosopher, and Social Critic)

• Adelaide Teague Case, Episcopal Professor of Christian Education, and Advocate for Peace
• Michel-Richard Delalande, French Roman Catholic Composer
• William Pierson Merrill, U.S. Presbyterian Minister, Social Reformer, and Hymn Writer

20 (Joseph Augustus Seiss, U.S. Lutheran Minister, Liturgist, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator)

• Alfred Ramsey, U.S. Lutheran Minister and Hymn Translator
• Bernard Adam Grube, German-American Minister, Missionary, Composer, and Musician
• Charles Coffin, Roman Catholic Priest and Hymn Writer
• Hans Adolf Brorson, Danish Lutheran Bishop, Hymn Writer, and Hymn Translator
• William John Sparrow-Simpson, Anglican Priest, Hymn Writer, and Patristics Scholar

21 (Aloysius Gonzaga, Jesuit)

• Carl Bernhard Garve, German Moravian Minister, Liturgist, and Hymn Writer
• Charitie Lees Smith Bancroft de Chenez, Hymn Writer
• John Jones and John Rigby, Roman Catholic Martyrs, 1598 and 1600

22 (Alban, First British Martyr, Circa 209 or 305)

• Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch Roman Catholic Priest, Biblical and Classical Scholar, and Controversialist; John Fisher, English Roman Catholic Classical Scholar, Bishop of Rochester, Cardinal, and Martyr, 1535; and Thomas More, English Roman Catholic Classical Scholar, Jurist, Theologian, Controversialist, and Martyr, 1535
• Gerhard Gieschen, U.S. Lutheran Minister and Hymn Translator
• James Arthur MacKinnon, Canadian Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr in the Dominican Republic, 1965
• Nicetas of Remesiana, Roman Catholic Bishop
• Paulinus of Nola, Roman Catholic Bishop of Nola

23 (John Gerard, English Jesuit Priest; and Mary Ward, Founder of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary)

• Heinrich Gottlob Gutter, German-American Instrument Maker, Repairman, and Merchant
• John Johns, English Presbyterian Minister and Hymn Writer
• Vincent Lebbe, Belgian-Chinese Roman Catholic Priest and Missionary; Founder of the Little Brothers of Saint John the Baptist
• Wilhelm Heinrich Wauer, German Moravian Composer and Musician

24 (NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST)

25 (William Henry Heard, African Methodist Episcopal Missionary and Bishop)

• Domingo Henares de Zafira Cubero, Roman Catholic Bishop of Phunhay, Vietnam, and Martyr, 1838; Phanxicô Đo Van Chieu, Vietnamese Roman Catholic Catechist and Martyr, 1838; and Clemente Ignacio Delgado Cebrián, Roman Catholic Bishop and Martyr in Vietnam, 1838
• William of Vercelli, Roman Catholic Hermit; and John of Matera, Roman Catholic Abbot

26 (Isabel Florence Hapgood, U.S. Journalist, Translator, and Ecumenist)

• Andrea Giacinto Longhin, Roman Catholic Bishop of Treviso
• Pearl S. Buck, U.S. Presbyterian Missionary, Novelist, and Social Activist
• Philip Doddridge, English Congregationalist Minister and Hymn Writer
• Theodore H. Robinson, British Baptist Orientalist and Biblical Scholar
• Virgil Michel, U.S. Roman Catholic Monk, Academic, and Pioneer of Liturgical Renewal

27 (Cornelius Hill, Oneida Chief and Episcopal Priest)

• Arialdus of Milan, Italian Roman Catholic Deacon and Martyr, 1066
• Hugh Thomson Kerr, Sr., U.S. Presbyterian Minister and Liturgist; and his son, Hugh Thomson Kerr, Jr., U.S. Presbyterian Minister, Scholar, and Theologian
• James Moffatt, Scottish Presbyterian Minister, Scholar, and Bible Translator
• John the Georgian, Abbot; and Euthymius of Athos and George of the Black Mountain, Abbots and Translators

28 (Teresa Maria Mastena, Founder of the Institute of the Sisters of the Holy Face)

• Clara Louise Maass, U.S. Lutheran Nurse and Martyr, 1901
• Plutarch, Marcella, Potanominaena, and Basilides of Alexandria, Martyrs, 202
• William Mundy and John Mundy, English Composers and Musicians

29 (PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES AND MARTYRS)

30 (Johann Olaf Wallin, Archbishop of Uppsala, and Hymn Writer)

• Gennaro Maria Sarnelli, Italian Roman Catholic Priest and Missionary to the Vulnerable and Exploited People of Naples
• Heinrich Lonas, German Moravian Organist, Composer, and Liturgist
• Paul Hanly Furfey, U.S. Roman Catholic Priest, Sociologist, and Social Radical
• Philip Powel, English Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr, 1646

Floating

• First Book of Common Prayer, 1549

 

Lowercase boldface on a date with two or more commemorations indicates a primary feast.