Welcome to the St. Martin's Prime Timers A.B.F. Web Page!

You are invited to visit with us each Sunday from 10:10am to 10:50 in rooms 207-207 of the Payne Education Center. We are following a lesson plan from the National Council of Churches that just started a new season September 4th. Why don't  you join us?

This is a special edition of the Prime Timers ABF web page, because due to Hurricane Rita all the ABF classes were bundled into one class!

Our teachers for today are the Rev. Stuart Bates and the Rev. Peter Thomas. Although Houston was spared the brunt of Hurricane Rita, St. Martins had to make plans on Wednesday, when it was not clear what the track of the storm would be. The decision was made to have one service, power or not, at 11 am, and to combine all the ABF's into one class. We were privileged to hear the two Reverends give their thoughts about the events of the past week.

Thinking Theologically about Disaster and Suffering 

Rev. Bates organized his thoughts into nine topics, beginning by explaining that 1) God is Good, giving life, freedom and the possibility of sharing in Divine Life. With this there is also the possibility of suffering. We were not spared the force of the storm because we were less sinners than the people in Port Arthur or Beaumont. If that were the case, Rev. Bates said, joking, why was the French Quarter spared during Hurricane Katrina?

2) God is love, seeking our good and final glory and exaltation.

3) Eternal Death is destroyed through the death and resurrection of Christ.

4) The Life of the Kingdom of God is our aim and primary concern.

5) God cares for us: We are worth more than sparrows. Matthew 10:28-31 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

6) There is not a one to one correspondence between our personal sins and tragedy and suffering. John 9:1-3  1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
   3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. and Luke 13:1-5  1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

7) God's providence can bring about good from pain and suffering. Romans 8:28  28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. and Hebrews 5:7-8  7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.

8) Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:18-39  18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

   22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

   26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

   28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

   31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

9) Through our faith in Christ and his revelation of God we overcome the world and the difficulties of this passing age. 1 John 5:1-5  1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

Prime Timers Contact names and numbers

Mentor

The Rev. Maurice L. "Rusty" Goldsmith. D.D.
713/985-3831
rgoldsmith@stmartinsepiscopal.org

Leader

This is the Rose Window in the new church.

The rear window in the new church.

The Seal of the Diocese of Texas.

I guess you figured out by now that I don't have any photos from this Sunday's session. I blame Hurricane Rita!

The 23rd Psalm

Rev. Thomas anchors his thoughts on disaster and healing with the 23rd Psalm:

   1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

   2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

   3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

   4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

   5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

   6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Rev. Thomas made the distinction between a natural crisis event, like a hurricane, and a moral crisis event, which we create for ourselves. He emphasized that our experience will go on after the event, and that perhaps this is more important.

Nothing is the same after a crisis. We are changed for living through it in our reactions and our thoughts. Rev. Thomas believes that God continues in the flesh through us, that we are the Christ, continuing His mission, that we are responsible for the healing (anointing my head with oil) of others in time of crisis.

We are the Community of Hope, and the Community of Compassion.

 The Lesson for Sunday, October 2nd is titled "Faithful Servant"

Key Verse:  Acts 6:8

Focus of the Lesson:  Movements need committed leadership to bring about change. How do strong leaders develop? The example of Stephen shows that God's Spirit calls, inspires, and guides strong leaders in the church.

The reading is Acts 6:8-15, 7:53-60. This text is from the New International Version.

   8 Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, 10 but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us." 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Acts 7:53-60

   53 [Y]ou who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

   54 When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

   57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

   59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he fell asleep.


NIV®