A Bundle of Myrrh

Wonderful and Glorious Fall is coming! I’m very ready for this season, my favorite, so I get pretty excited to observe these Autumnal or September Ember Days, (Wednesday the 18th, Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st). What are Ember Days you ask?

“The Ember days, which fall on a Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the same week, occur in conjunction with the four natural seasons of the year. Autumn brings the September Embertide, also called the Michaelmas Embertide because of their proximity to the Feast of St. Michael on September 29.  Winter, on the other hand, brings the December Embertide during the third week of Advent, and spring brings the Lenten Embertide after the first Sunday of Lent. Finally, summer heralds the Whitsun Embertide, which takes place within the Octave of Pentecost.” That comes from HERE

Being pregnant most of the year and because really I’m just not that disciplined, I’m not one to observe Fasting and Penance which traditionally in the Roman Church are emphasized during these days, but I do like to use this time to teach my babies to give thanks to God for His creation, to stop and notice the changes taking place in that Creation, reflect on what Season is passing and prepare for the next Season.

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Today the Church remembers the 16th century English martyr Robert Barnes burned at the stake for the sake of the Gospel and unfortunate political motives. A friend of Martin Luther and convert to Lutheranism persecuted for his stand on Justification by Faith and his lack of support for King Henry VIII’s divorce.

You can listen and learn more about Robert Barnes HERE.

On this day I’m reminded to pray for pastors who suffer religious and political persecution in our own country.

“Preserve your Word and preaching.
The truth that makes us whole,
The mirror of your glory,
The power that saves the soul.
Oh, may this living water,
This dew of heavenly grace,
Sustain us while here living
Until we see your face.”

Preserve your Word, O Savior LSB 658

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5: 11-12

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” I Peter 5:6-7

Yesterday, June 29th, the Church remembered Sts. Peter and Paul.

“We praise You for St. Peter;
We praise You for St. Paul;
They taught both Jew and Gentile
That Christ is all in all.
To cross and sword they yielded
And saw Your kingdom come;
O God, these two apostles
Reached life through martyrdom.”

From By All Your Saints in Warfare LSB 518

You can listen to this hymn HERE, a few words different from the one in my hymnal.

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