A Toast to St. Cyril of Alexandria

Good evening, my dear brothers. I pray you give me audience for a short time that together we may hear of the faith of our sainted brother and father, and give honor where honor is due. And in as much as the God of all glory shares His glory with His saints, we toast and praise the faith more than the man, not that they can be separated, but that without the faith, the man is less than a man, and by faith the man becomes as one of the sons of God. So we will in short order raise our glasses in honor of the glorified One who deigned to share His glory. And for the measure of the glory shared, the measure of the grace bestowed, we in kind give praise to Our Lord, who has given us this brother and father, that we would be strengthened, guided, and even raised by his faith, hope, and charity. 

Let us honor our brother and father, the Blessed St. Cyril of Alexandria. His Eminence, who bears the most worthy title of "Cyril, Pillar of the Faith," once wrote, "We must follow the divinely inspired Scriptures and not go beyond what is fitting." And so, the blessed St. Cyril arrives at the faithful conclusion that Mary is, in fact, Theotokos, the Mother of God. 

The doctrine of the Church, what the Scriptures teach, is then handed down through the ages, the Church always acting in accordance with the teachings of the Blessed Apostles and Prophets. St. Cyril's confession was shaped by those who came before him, especially the Holy Apostles, and the Spirit sent him to preserve the blessed doctrine. He took great pains to ensure that he was always in the Spirit of the Father during his ministry, heeding the voice of Christ who says of his disciples, "He who hears you, hears Me."

So raise high your glass and give honor where honor is due: to the man whom the Lord set apart to serve as shepherd and bishop of Alexandria, to battle false doctrine, who defended the Mother of God with faith and wisdom, who gave to the ancient world witness to the Truth born of the Virgin, who has given His Church a living witness to the Scriptures. To St. Cyril of Alexandria: "Seal of the Fathers" and "Pillar of the Faith."

PASTOR MARK LOVETT received his MDiv from Concordia Theological Seminary in 2006 and, since being sent to Kansas, has served as sole and senior pastor of three churches, often as Circuit Visitor, and on various boards and committees of the Kansas District of The Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod. Pastor Mark was installed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in 2020.