St. Polycarp was perhaps the last living link to the last of the living apostles, being a disciple of St. John the beloved apostle. St. Polycarp (whose name means “much fruit”) was martyred about 155 or 156 AD, in the ninth decade of his life on this side of the grave, for his refusal to worship Caesar. While waiting for the flames that would blaze around him at the stake, Father Polycarp was promised his freedom if he would only renounce Christ and just burn a pinch of incense in acknowledgment of the emperor’s divinity.

The grizzled warrior of the cross replied: “Eighty and six years I have served him, how then can I blaspheme my King and Savior? Bring forth what you will.” Instead of offering a pagan sacrifice to the imperial false deity, he defied the emperor by offering his life as a thank offering to the True God.

St. Polycarp’s heroic witness for the Gospel was a powerful testimony of Christ and His Church, serving to fortify the thousands of Christians who were persecuted and martyred by the Roman government. Even today, St. Polycarp continues to give courage to our brothers and sisters around the world who are still being put to the sword for the sake of our Blessed Lord and as a consequence of their good confession.

St. Polycarp’s letter to the Philippians (c. 110-140 AD) is here: (http://networkedblogs.com/zgmj). It is the only surviving written work of Bishop Polycarp, and it is chock full of quotations from Holy Scripture – showing the reverence and submission the apostolic fathers had for the Word of God. St. Polycarp was the teacher and pastor of St. Irenaeus, one of the greatest theologians and defenders of orthodoxy against the attacks of the numerous heretics and heresies of his day – whose heirs continue to this very day to do Satan’s work in attacking the two natures of our Blessed Lord Christ and the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.

We give thanks to God for the testimony of the apostolic fathers, those who learned at the beautiful feet of the holy apostles of Jesus; men who served humbly and faithfully in perilous times and places, even unto death: doctors and presbyters of the Church whose preaching was backed by their works – even the work of following Jesus by taking up the cross of suffering and martyrdom. In this, they bore “much fruit” and offered their lives as a fragrant offering to the Lord, the “Savior of our souls, the Governor of our bodies, and the Shepherd of the catholic church throughout the world” (Martyrdom of Polycarp 1:43).

May we be graced with their courage, faith, devotion to pure doctrine, and most of all, love.

(Thank you to the Rev.  Larry Beane for allowing this post of his writing. If you wish to read St. Polycarp’s epistle, it is located http://networkedblogs.com/zgmj here.)

Andrus, blind himself since he was 11 years old, served as a parish pastor in Missouri for more than a decade. Since 1998, he has been associated with blind missions for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), the second-largest Lutheran church body in North America.

In addition to preaching the sermon, Andrus will conduct a Sunday School class after the service, during which he will offer tips for sighted people on how to help the blind see Christ. He also will explain the services and outreach offered by Lutheran Blind Mission.

Update: Here is a link to the sermon by Pastor Andrus.