Megabit 9 — March 18

Andrianus and His Brave Friends

Today we remember a man named Andrianus and his wife, and their friends Eusebius and 'Arma, and forty other people who all loved God very much. Together they were a big, happy family of believers.

In their land, some people prayed to idols. An idol is a statue made of gold or silver that people pretended was a god, even though it could not see or hear or help anyone. The leaders wanted Andrianus and his friends to bow down to these idols too. But they would not, because they knew the one true God.

Then they said something very brave. They told everyone exactly Whom they loved and trusted.

Because they would not stop loving Jesus, wicked men hurt them, and they died as martyrs, faithful to God right to the end. But they were not afraid, because they knew God was waiting to welcome them home. In heaven, God gave each of them a beautiful crown, the way a king gives a prize to a brave and faithful friend.

We worship the God of heaven and of earth, our Lord Jesus Christ.— Andrianus and his friends

The Many Friends of Abba Nob

On this day we also remember a great many people who loved God and stayed close to a holy man named Abba Nob. ("Abba" is a kind word that means "father," the way we might speak of a beloved teacher or shepherd.)

There were two thousand of them. That is a huge crowd, more people than fit in a great big church! They all chose to be faithful to God together, holding on to their faith like good friends holding hands.

Just like Andrianus and his friends, these brave believers stayed true to Jesus no matter what, and they became martyrs for Him. We thank God for giving so many people such strong and loving hearts. Today they are all safe and joyful with God forever.

Saint Kueten, Whose Prayers Helped People

Long, long ago, when Jesus' apostles were still walking from town to town teaching about God, a baby boy named Kueten (you can say it KOO-ten) was born in a country called Syria. His mother and father did not yet know the true God. They used to pray to the stars in the sky.

As Kueten grew up, everyone could see he was special. He was kind, gentle, honest, and very clever. One night God's angel came to him, just as an angel once came to a good man named Cornelius in the Bible, and taught him all about Jesus. So Kueten went to one of Jesus' apostles and was baptized. (Baptism is when water is poured to show you belong to God and His family now.)

Kueten loved to pray, and God gave him a special gift. He could help people who were troubled by evil spirits. One day a man who served evil came near, and Kueten simply prayed and told the evil spirit it was not a god at all. The evil spirit had to admit the truth in front of everybody. When the people saw this, they shouted for joy and chose to follow the one true God too, because God is always stronger than anything bad.

Even Kueten's own mother and father, and his wife, and all his family came to love Jesus because of him. A ruler once tried to frighten Kueten and hurt him, but the whole town loved Kueten so much that they came running to rescue him. The ruler ran away, and the people gently washed Kueten's hurts and carried him safely home.

Kueten lived a long, happy life, praying every day and helping everyone he met. When he was old, God called him home in peace. The people built a church to remember their kind friend, and God did much good there.

O God, have mercy upon me in Thy knowledge.— Saint Kueten's prayer