The Liturgical Calendar: The Church Remembers

Today the church remembers Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836.

Frequently, when a person has an overpowering and deeply personal religious experience he will turn away from the relatively cold, static, and worldly institutional church. This need not and should not be the case. Charles Simeon is a beautiful example of an evangelical Christian whose life was changed by a personal religious experience while a young man, but who remained all his life a most loyal churchman. He always saw the church as his proper home and as a real vehicle of grace for all people. He was one of the foremost evangelical preachers of his day, yet remained, also, a staunch advocate of The Book of Common Prayer and of bishops. Although his position was reasonable, sound, and just, it exposed him to severe criticism from both the High Church and the Evangelical parties. He was ridiculed, insulted, and threatened with physical violence by one group and then by the other.

Charles Simeon spent his entire ministry at Cambridge University. There his academic ability, his talent as a preacher, and his genuine concern for people enabled him to exert a great influence for good on a generation of Cambridge. He was an excellent student of the Bible and led many young men to discover the sacred book's relevance and message for their lives. He was one of the founders of the Church Missionary Society.

Change our lives through your scriptures, O God, that we might share your Word with the world. Amen.

Read the Wikipedia article here.

O loving God, we know that all things are ordered by your unerring wisdom and unbounded love: Grant us in all things to see your hand; that, following the example and teaching of your servant Charles Simeon, we may walk with Christ in all simplicity, and serve you with a quiet and contented mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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