We continue to progress through that season of the church year which is known officially as “after Pentecost,” but unofficially as Ordinary Time. This is when the “green season” starts to get a little long. Relief is on the way, however: the principal feast of All Saints (November 1) comes in just two weeks, and Advent is less than two months away. This is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, but the more relevant technicality is that it is “Proper 24,” always the Sunday closest to October 19. This is the scheme that determines what scripture readings are used today, and therefore what hymns are selected, and, in all likelihood, influences the content of the sermon. There is no overarching theme that binds the season together, such as expectation in Advent or penitence in Lent. Instead, we work out way systematically through one of the gospels (Mark, in this case) and several of the epistles (James most recently, now Hebrews for a while).

This week gives us two major holy days, and one lesser feasts. On Monday we celebrate St Luke the Evangelist. Reputed to be a physician, Luke was among St Paul’s travelling companions, accounting for the first person narrative in large sections of Acts, which is the second of a two-volume work, the first volume being the gospel that bears his name.  On Friday the church remembers St James of Jerusalem, brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. James was not one of the apostles, but after the Ascension he quickly assumed a leadership position and became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. According to tradition, he was martyred by being thrown from the pinnacle of the temple.