Meskerem 1 — September 11

A Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Today is Meskerem 1, the very first day of the year in Ethiopia. On this one day the daytime and the night-time are exactly the same length, twelve hours each.

It is a happy day to thank God, to leave behind anything unkind, and to start doing good and new things. The Bible tells us that God makes everything fresh and new in Jesus.

Behold, every work is made new in Christ.— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Job, the Patient Man

Long ago there was a good man named Job who had been very sick for a long, long time. On this day, Job washed himself in a river called the Tekaze, and God made him all better!

People remembered this happy day. When the river was full of fresh water, they would dip in it and thank God for taking care of them all year long.

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

Bartholomew was one of Jesus' twelve apostles, the close friends Jesus chose to help Him. He traveled to faraway places to teach people about God.

God did great things through him. He once prayed for a man who had died, and God brought him back to life! Because of him, so many people came to love Jesus.

A king named Agrippa did not want Bartholomew to keep teaching about Jesus, and wicked men hurt him. Bartholomew died as a martyr, staying faithful to God even though it cost him his life. He was not afraid, because he knew he was going home to God.

Abba Melyos, the Kind Church Father

Abba Melyos was a gentle church father. He was an archbishop in the great city of Alexandria, a leader who takes care of many churches. He watched over God's people lovingly for twelve years, and then he died in peace.

Abba Melki, Who Loved God More Than Gold

Abba Melki grew up in a rich family who loved God and shared with people who were poor. When Melki was a little boy, he learned to read the Bible, and he loved to pray more than he loved to play.

One day his father gave him a big bag of gold coins to throw a party. But instead, Melki gave all the gold away to people who were poor, and he even gave away his horse, because he loved God more than money. Then he went to live with his uncle, a holy monk named Abba Awgin, and Melki became a monk too, living a quiet life of prayer.

God gave Melki a wonderful gift: when he prayed, sick people got well. One day some shepherds were crying because a big snake had swallowed the son of their city's leader. Melki knelt down and prayed for a long time. Then, in the name of Jesus, he told the snake to give the boy back, and out came the boy, completely safe and not hurt at all! Everyone was amazed and thanked God.

The boy's happy father built Melki a monastery where hundreds of monks came to pray together. People brought their sick friends from far away, and God healed them through Melki's prayers.

Far off in the city of Rome, the king's daughter was very ill, troubled by an evil spirit. Only Melki could help her. God's Holy Spirit carried Melki all the way to Rome, and there he prayed and sent the evil spirit away, because God is always stronger than anything evil. The king was so thankful.

After many years of praying and serving God, Melki grew old. God called him home, holy friends came to greet him, and the angels carried him up to heaven, singing for joy.

When Melki was young, he gave away his gold to people who were poor, because he loved God more than money.

He worked hard for God in the world, and now he will live forever.— the angels' song

Raguel the Archangel

Today we also celebrate Raguel, one of God's nine great archangels. An archangel is one of God's most important angels. Long ago, Raguel told a man named Enoch about God's plans. He is called the angel of light. We ask this kind angel to pray for us all.