"One who is sent"

Yesterday was the feast of Junia and Andronicus. Paul describes them as "my relatives and prison companions; they are notable Apostles, and they were in Christ before me." (Romans 16:7). Through some tricky translation, earlier Bibles have rendered "Junia" (a common female name of the time) as "Junius" (an invented name, but with a masculine ending). Even though early church writers like John Chrysostom and St Jerome assumed her to be a woman, later translators thought a female apostle was too scandalous, and so changed the ending of the name. Yesterday I was with the Sisters of St Anne in Arlington where I say the Mass for them regularly, and we celebrated their day. Otherwise, I have to admit, the significance of May 18 may not have occurred to me.

Thinking about Junia, an apostle--literally, "one who is sent"--feels fitting as we prepare for Martha's service tomorrow. Martha shared her voice with us at Christ Church after a lifetime of professional singing, notably for 25 years at Old North in Boston--including one service attended by Queen Elizabeth! Martha was a faithful "apostle," using her gifts to bring others to the Gospel.

In the Anglican tradition, our theology goes that everyone is a saint; all Christians are saints. We still honor those in whose lives Christ has been known in a particularly powerful way--the traditional "saints"--we have feast days for John the Baptist, and Mary, and St Paul--but we also have feast days for Enmagahbowh, the first Native American priest (June 12, the anniversary of my ordination) and for Jonathan Daniels, an Episcopal seminarian and civil rights activist murdered in Alabama when he stepped in front of a bullet intended for a teenager who was part of the group he was with. The writer CS Lewis has a day, too. Thursday, when we celebrate her life, we'll remember Martha.

In our conception of sainthood, we're one family of saints, in community from now back to Abraham--or maybe Eve--all of us praying together in community together. At death, life is changed, not ended--we are all still alive in the presence of God. Being an apostle is being sent--we are all called, but it's true that we don't all heed that call. Our prayer for Junia and Andronicus invites us to ask for the grace to answer, as they did.

Almighty God, whose Son the Risen Christ sent forth your Apostles Andronicus and Junia to proclaim the Gospel and extend your reign; send us forth in your Holy Spirit that like them we, both men and women, may co-operate as faithful witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in perfect unity, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Junia and Andronicus witnessed to the events of Christ's ministry and life "in the flesh"--we witness to Christ's ministry and life "in the Spirit." But knowing Christ in each other also brings that reality into the present and into the real. We knew Christ in Martha, and by her grace and love she knew Christ in us, too. Thanks be to God.

Blessings,
Sara+