February 21 marks the ecumenical commemoration day for Rev. Billy Graham, the world renowned evangelist and preacher. This date marks the day that Rev. Graham died in 2018. Billy was the son of a prosperous North Carolina dairy farmer. His future steered away from the family vocation when, at the tender age of 16, he made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Graham attended Trinity College and upon graduation in 1940 was ordained by the Southern Baptist Convention. He continued his education at Wheaton College where he met and married Ruth Bell, the daughter of missionaries to China. Graham considered attending seminary, but at a retreat in California’s San Bernardino mountains in 1949 Graham decided instead to simply preach the gospel. The stage was set for his lifelong service as a revivalist.
Graham’s ministry opened with a Los Angeles campaign held in a mammoth circus tent. The event was promoted by the publishing magnate William Hearst and attendance included Hollywood celebrities. Large venue meetings were the trademark of Graham’s ministry: he conducted over 400 across the US and in fifty countries overseas. Perhaps the most notable was his sixteen-week crusade at Madison Square Gardens in 1957. The outreach of the crusades was greatly expanded by TV and radio broadcasting which was innovative for the time.
Remarkably for such a prominent religious figure, Billy Graham was highly respected across denominational and political lines. People at all levels of society were drawn by his uncompromising commitment to a selfless cause. He was influential with the highest echelon of leaders including several US presidents. He had a special friendship with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
Billy Graham earned acclaim as “America’s preacher” but he never used his fame for other purposes. Graham remained focused on the message that he was called to proclaim as a youth. Hundreds of millions heard the gospel of new life in Christ due to the single-minded devotion of this humble man of God.
Collect (Prayer) of the Day
Almighty God, we thank you for the life and legacy of Billy Graham. You used his preaching and ministry to bring countless souls to faith in Jesus. May we, like he, be pliable in the hands of you, the potter, and be willing to be used for your glory wherever you may call. This we pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Bible Reading
Romans 10:9-15 (ESV)
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
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