April Epistle
March 31, 2008
The April issue of the All Saints Epistle is now available online.
The print edition of the newsletter will be distributed at both worship services next Sunday, April 6th.
The print edition contains member news and the prayer list that are not included in the online edition.
Moving In
March 30, 2008
We have moved the site from the test site to the All Saints domain. However, there are a few glitches with the members page, prayer request form, and audios. These issues will be resolved as quickly as possible.
If you encounter any other problems, please e-mail webmaster@allsaintsanglican.net.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition.
Ministry Schedule Available Online
March 29, 2008
The ministry assignments for the Altar Guild and Flower Guild, layreaders, acolytes, and greeters is now online on the ministry schedule. The schedule for April is posted, and a new schedule will be uploaded at the beginning of every month. Contact Robyn Tate at schedule@allsaintsanglican.net if you have any questions about the schedule.
Liturgy Lesson for the First Sunday after Easter: The Annunciation of the blessed Virgin Mary
March 29, 2008
St Luke 1:26-38 tells us God sent Gabriel to St. Mary, betrothed to St. saying,”Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” She was troubled – didn’t know the angel or what his greeting meant. He continued. “Do not be afraid, Mary…you have found favor with God… you will conceive… a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great… the Son of the Highest; and … God will give Him the throne of His father David…He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Mary had no idea why God chose her to be messiah’s mother! Astonished, she said: “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” Calming her, he said, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you… the power of the Highest will overshadow you…that Holy One … will be called the Son of God. Now … Elizabeth…has also conceived … in her old age… this is …the sixth month for her who was… barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Mary may not have grasped the message or how God would reconcile her pregnancy and virginity among her people, but, trusting Him, she said: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” She submitted to God’s purpose, even though it might mean disgrace or loss! Interestingly, from ancient times, this feast was the nesting place for Christmas – set nine months before. Like the feast, our faith is nested in too – because, like Mary, our mission for God begins with our choice to ignore our surroundings and circumstances-and trust Him, allowing the Holy Spirit to work the Father’s purpose in our lives!
Easter Message from Bishop Minns
March 27, 2008
Dear CANA Family,
Greetings from the CANA Headquarters; we share Bishop Minns’ Easter Message for 2008. Please keep Bishop Minns in your prayers as he travels to Nigeria next week to represent CANA as he participates in the Church of Nigeria’s Standing Committee. For more guidance on prayer, you may visit the Common Cause prayer blog where CANA is the featured partner for the first week of Easter at this URL:
http://prayer.united-anglicans.org/
******
An Easter Message from CANA, 2008
“But sometimes it doesn’t seem that way!” We have all had those times
in our lives when it seemed as if our world was coming to an end. I am not referring to the eschaton when all that we know of this world will come to an end but rather those moments of personal crisis when there seems to be no way forward. It can happen when we confront the spectre of terminal illness for ourselves or for someone we love; it can be prompted by the end of a friendship or breakup of a family or the loss of a job; it can be provoked through the devastation caused by an encounter with one kind of natural disaster or another. What then? How do we cope, how do we find the strength to continue? This is when the events of that first Holy Week become a personal experience and not merely a religious memory.
For those first disciples it seemed as if their world had come to an end in the days leading up to that first Easter Sunday. The darkness of despair and the betrayal by the civil and religious authorities had extinguished their dreams. They had pinned their hopes on that wandering Rabbi who had emerged out of the wilderness. He had encouraged them to look forward to a new and brighter world where God’s reign would be made visible for all to see. But now it seemed to be all over. To add insult to injury when they buried the broken body of their beloved friend they did so in a borrowed tomb and blocked entrance with a rock. They could not even honor him in his death.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The stone was rolled away and their nightmare came to an end. Jesus was gloriously raised from the dead. He didn’t simply survive it – he overcame it. But it was not simply his life that was forever changed. All those who put their trust in Him have been given the same promise that death will no longer have the last word for us. Instead we will overcome it. Like him we will be given a new body and live forever in the closer presence of the One who loves us even more than life itself. But even that isn’t the end of the story. We have also been given the promise that the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work transforming the lives of his followers.
And I have seen it. I have seen men and women who were dead to the things of God come alive. I have seen blind people be given their sight and I have seen sick people made well. I have known people who were locked into patterns of abuse and addiction set free. I have seen men and women with no hope have their dreams restored and their hopes fulfilled. I have witnessed broken marriages made whole and children who were lost brought back home. It is all part of the resurrection story. It is not just about then but it is about NOW. The good news is that the God that we serve is not only a God who offers radical inclusion but also a God who promises profound transformation.
Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with God.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
+Martyn
The Rt. Rev’d Martyn Minns
Missionary Bishop of CANA
He Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed!
March 23, 2008
Christ the Lord is risen today. Alleluia!
Celebrate the Resurrection with us. The sunrise service (7:34 AM) will be a said Eucharist in the prayer garden.
The sound of the shofar will call worshipers to the main service, which will begin at 10:30 with the blessing and procession of the Paschal candle, then the Eucharist will be celebrated.
A reception in Ballard Hall will follow the service.
Liturgy Lesson for Easter Sunday: He Is Risen!
March 23, 2008
Today is Easter Sunday, a term derived from the old Anglo-Saxon word Eostre, which designated the month of April, in which this 40-day feast most commonly begins and on which we celebrate three great facts. First, our Lord’s divinity—for while others were raised from the dead, He arose by His own inherent power, gaining victory over death for us all. Next, it established the immortality of our spirits, which before the Resurrection was only a matter of speculation. Finally, His Resurrection underscored God’s seal of approval—and validated everything Christ claimed and taught. Easter is, then, rightly the queen of all Christian festivals and is the hinge point of our faith. No wonder St. Paul wrote, “…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.” He is risen…He is risen, indeed—our Hope of Glory—alleluia!!
Our Holy Mission
March 22, 2008
“Our holy mission is to preach what Christ preached, to teach what the apostles taught, and to propagate what the holy Fathers propagated.”~
Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev, the Russian Orthodox Bishop of Vienna and Austria, at the World Council of Churches Central Committee meeting
Temporary Quarters
March 22, 2008
We are moving into our new Web home. During the transition, we’re in temporary quarters but we’ll be back at www.allsaintsanglican.net soon. In the meantime, that domain is being redirected to a temporary site while our home is under renovation.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, it should be back soon. Direct questions to webmaster@allsaintsanglican.net.
Final Stage of Faith
March 20, 2008
“The final stage in the life of faith is attainment of character.” ~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 19
