June 21st is St. Leufredus’ Day. St. Leufredus was a monk who lived around A.D. 738 and is the patron saint against flies. Legend says that one evening St. Leufredus stopped at a house to pass the night. The saint found the flies so troublesome that he couldn’t sleep, but when he bent his head in prayer, all the flies flew away. So yes, there is a patron saint against flies.
However, I doubt many of you think of St. Laufredus or fighting filthy flies this month. Okay, some will deal with flies and they may be on your mind, but you did not know there was a day dedicated to fighting them. It is also highly unlikely that you would be aware that June 4th is Hug Your Cat Day. My cat does and it is her favorite day of the year but since you don’t get the hugs, you may not care.
This month a few may actually remember us dads and recall that Father’s Day is upon us. In case you were wondering, ideal gifts include gift cards to Sears (Craftsman tools), Home Depot (more tools), The Bass Pro Shop (various dad toys), or the Sportsman’s Warehouse (more toys) . . . I’m just saying.
Alas, more than likely what we remember June for is June weddings. It is a joyous time when two people pledge their love and commitment to each other before a plethora of witnesses. They have gone from initial attraction to courting to engagement to full blown commitment.
Our relationship with Christ began in similar fashion. The initial attraction and courting phase took on many faces but it was the time when we heard the Gospel, had some interest, and then followed up with a more concentrated focus. For some of us this phase went from zero to sixty in no time flat, for others it was a bit more drawn out but eventually arrived at the same spot, the engagement. The engagement phase communicates “we are going to enter into a covenant relationship.” However, it is a declaration of intent, not a declaration of fact. In a marriage, the fact comes in when we say those words designed to last a lifetime, “I do.” Like a marriage, we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ when we used a few more words to communicate “I do.” Many of us from the Restoration Movement (if you don’t know what that is, come see me) proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and we accepted Him as Lord and Savior. We then gave evidence of that commitment by obediently entering into the waters of baptism. I am more of an old school guy and prefer that the baptism follow the proclamation as quickly as possible, but we will leave that for another conversation.
This month, you may not think of hugging your cat or what to get Dad. You may not even think of June weddings. Take time to contemplate and remember the day you entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and what that means. It is a new life; a transformed life; a life of hope and a life with purpose. “We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5 ESV). Now there’s a good reason to celebrate the month of June.
Blessings,
Vic
However, I doubt many of you think of St. Laufredus or fighting filthy flies this month. Okay, some will deal with flies and they may be on your mind, but you did not know there was a day dedicated to fighting them. It is also highly unlikely that you would be aware that June 4th is Hug Your Cat Day. My cat does and it is her favorite day of the year but since you don’t get the hugs, you may not care.
This month a few may actually remember us dads and recall that Father’s Day is upon us. In case you were wondering, ideal gifts include gift cards to Sears (Craftsman tools), Home Depot (more tools), The Bass Pro Shop (various dad toys), or the Sportsman’s Warehouse (more toys) . . . I’m just saying.
Alas, more than likely what we remember June for is June weddings. It is a joyous time when two people pledge their love and commitment to each other before a plethora of witnesses. They have gone from initial attraction to courting to engagement to full blown commitment.
Our relationship with Christ began in similar fashion. The initial attraction and courting phase took on many faces but it was the time when we heard the Gospel, had some interest, and then followed up with a more concentrated focus. For some of us this phase went from zero to sixty in no time flat, for others it was a bit more drawn out but eventually arrived at the same spot, the engagement. The engagement phase communicates “we are going to enter into a covenant relationship.” However, it is a declaration of intent, not a declaration of fact. In a marriage, the fact comes in when we say those words designed to last a lifetime, “I do.” Like a marriage, we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ when we used a few more words to communicate “I do.” Many of us from the Restoration Movement (if you don’t know what that is, come see me) proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God and we accepted Him as Lord and Savior. We then gave evidence of that commitment by obediently entering into the waters of baptism. I am more of an old school guy and prefer that the baptism follow the proclamation as quickly as possible, but we will leave that for another conversation.
This month, you may not think of hugging your cat or what to get Dad. You may not even think of June weddings. Take time to contemplate and remember the day you entered into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ and what that means. It is a new life; a transformed life; a life of hope and a life with purpose. “We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph. 2:4-5 ESV). Now there’s a good reason to celebrate the month of June.
Blessings,
Vic
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