Festival of St. Timothy, Bishop and Confessor
Posted on January 24, 2023 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 4:38-44 (NKJV)
4:38 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.
40 When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
42 Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; 43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” 44 And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.
Devotion
The demons were saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” In Matthew 7:21-23 our Lord says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Those who are truly faithful will serve and be humble, because such are the works of His Holy Spirit in us. But many are full of pride, and refuse to serve, even using the name of Jesus in their vanity. This is tragic, and frustrating, but it is how things are and will continue to be in this broken, sinful world until Christ comes again in glory at the end of the age. Until then, He continues to teach us, bless us, and heal us according to His Word and Sacraments. These holy blessings were entrusted to His Church and faithful servants like St. Timothy so that we would continue to be blessed throughout the ages. Christ is with us through such saints and the work of His Holy Ghost in the Church. May He also make us to be diligent and faithful in service to His holy work through all our days.
Prayer: O Lord, as Thou didst preserve faithful Timothy to a steadfast confession of Thy Holy Word, even as he instructed those who would be set apart for ministry in Thy Church, we pray that Thou wouldst so bless Thy people in this generation with steadfast confessors, through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Third Sunday after Epiphany
Almighty and Everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities, stretch forth the right hand of Thy Majesty, to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
