Sundays 24th and 31st August

Bartholomew the Apostle and 11th Sunday after Trinity

Today in the Church calendar we celebrate Bartholomew the Apostle. Bartholomew is named in the Gospels as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. So far, so great. But apart from that the New Testament tells us nothing more about him. So why celebrate him?

We know next to nothing about what most of Jesus’ closest friends did after the ascension – their stories have not come down to us. But we do know that the Gospel spread rapidly and widely, far beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire, and these two handfuls of men laid the foundations of a worldwide and enduring faith within a single generation. Tradition suggests that Bartholomew took the Gospel to Armenia and Azerbaijan, where he was martyred. Unsung, largely unknown, even obscure, the fame of most of the Apostles became less important than the story of the Christ they proclaimed. And probably that is how they would have wanted it. Had Jesus not taught them to do their acts of service in secret (Matthew 6:1-6)?

Some of us can point to the influence of a famous person on our lives; more of us owe a great debt to someone whose contribution went unnoticed by others, but which changed us for ever, and for good. And so it continues to be. The growth of the church through time and space owes more to the Bartholomews than to the Pauls and Peters. Some spreaders of faith are more effective for being unnoticed, and today is to celebrate them.

Every blessing,

Roger.