Liturgy Lesson for Septuagesima: Farewell to “Alleluia”
January 30, 2010
Three weeks prior to Ash Wednesday, on the day before Septuagesima Sunday, the ancient Church would chant a bittersweet hymn bidding farewell to the word “Alleluia”: “We do not now deserve to sing the Alleluia forever; Guilt forces us to dismiss you, O Alleluia.” Known as the Depositio of the Alleluia, this ceremony ushered in Septuagesima, the roughly seventy days prior to Easter that help us make the transition from the joy of Epiphany to the penitence of Lent—a season so important to ancient Christians that they actually had a separate season to prepare for it. Thus, the day after Septuagesima Sunday, they would begin a period of voluntary fasting that would grow more restrictive as it approached the fuller, obligatory Lenten fast. They would eat less, and the consumption of certain “pleasure” items, such as butter, milk, eggs, and cheese, would gradually be abandoned. Starting on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, they would abstain from meat. Thus the name for this seven-day period before Ash Wednesday is “Carnival,” from the Latin carne levarium, meaning “removal of meat.” Finally, within the week of Carnival, the last three days (prior to Lent) would be reserved for personal confession. This period, ending on Shrove Tuesday, is known as “Shrovetide” from the old English word “to shrive,” which means to have sins forgiven through absolution. In today’s Church, we mark this period of examen by putting away the alleluias, then the Gloria—a liturgical fast paralleling the physical one, using all as devotional tools to help us open our hearts to the Holy Ghost, so He can show us where we need His help, healing, and restoration to fully celebrate the Resurrection life of Easter in Spirit and Truth. May the season work in us God’s purpose to be fit clay for the Master’s Hand!
Liturgy Lesson for the Third Sunday after Epiphany: God’s Ordinance
January 23, 2010
At every Holy Communion service, we review the basics of God’s Law by rehearsing the Ten Commandments or the Summary of the Law. Both are at the heart of our Faith. In today’s service, we recite the Summary, which is “Cliff’s Notes” of God’s ordinance to us, as provided by the Lord Himself. A brief summary of the Divine Law, it conveys Christ’s own condensation and instruction for Christians. First, it sets forth our duty towards God—to love Him with everything we are—our heart (spirit), soul, and mind. This means we value God ahead of everything else—including our own selves. The second part is similar—we must love our neighbors as ourselves, valuing them, being just and unselfish toward them, and desiring their welfare as we desire our own. Jesus concludes His summary law class by telling us that “…on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” meaning God’s rule and intention for us rests on our obedience to the Summary. No wonder we review them so often—they describe how God wants our attitudes to be for Him to properly bless and interact with us. This is the conclusion St. Paul came to at his conversion to the Faith—that the Law could not be kept outside a heart changed by God the Holy Ghost and the Blood of Jesus and that our Father wanted the attitudes of our hearts and not just our outward service in worship and lifestyle. In short, we cannot fool God with outward actions, but, must ask Him to change us to His own image, as captured by the Summary of the Law. Come, Holy Spirit—change our lives!
What Do Traditional Anglicans Believe?
January 20, 2010
What Do Traditional Anglicans Believe, an overview written several years ago by a group of women from All Saints, has been recently updated to add the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). The brief overview of our basic beliefs is suitable for someone exploring or new to Anglicanism.
All parishioners should take the Salt and Light course (Anglicanism 101) to gain a deeper understanding of our faith. However, What Do Traditional Anglicans Believe? can provide a basic introduction.
Shrove Tuesday Fajita Dinner
January 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 6-8 PM
Ballard Hall
Adults: $10 (2 beef fajitas, guacamole, beans, and a drink)
Child’s Plate: $5 (1 beef fajita, guacamole, beans, and a drink)
To go plates available!
Reservation deadline: February 11th
Reservations required for planning purposes
Updated 2/14/10: Tickets available at the door.
Email: events@allsaintsanglican.net
Liturgy Lesson for the Second Sunday after Epiphany: The Eucharist
January 17, 2010
In today’s worship, we will celebrate the Holy Communion, also called the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, or the Mass, where we partake of the Lord’s nature to feed us spiritually. We are sometimes asked why we celebrate this feast so often. It’s by Christ’s instruction to us! “Do this to have life,” He said. In obedience to Him, the ancient Church met daily to share their experiences in the Lord that day, fellowship among each other, rehearse the stories of the Gospel, and share the Lord’s Real Presence in the Holy Communion, using much the same form as we use today. They would also pray for each other and talk of how they would work for the Lord the next day. But above all, they strove to love each other, in obedience to our Lord’s repeated command, to “…love one another.” In this way, they modeled the Lord’s sacrifice of Himself and lived the Scriptural teaching that Christians would be known by their love for each other. Likewise, we should all meet as often as possible with like-minded Christians, taking the Sacrament and practicing His love among us all, as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Jake Hill Concert and Koinonia Band
January 14, 2010
Christian singer Jake Hill performed a concert at All Saints on the evening of January 10, 2010.
The Koinonia praise band also performed.
Brit Hume: Tiger Should Choose Christianity
January 13, 2010
Bishop Bena Confirms and Receives New Members
January 12, 2010
Pledging and Giving to All Saints
January 11, 2010
Parishioners received the following letter from our treasurer a few weeks ago. If you missed the letter or have not yet returned your pledge, you may download a copy of the pledge forms to complete and return.
Our wonderful Lord has blessed All Saints in many ways, not the least of which is through our faithfulness to God bringing His tithes into His house. And He continues His work in our parish.
Since He is clearly afoot among us by His Spirit, the people of San Antonio seeking a welcoming, reliable parish continue to find one here–where Jesus’ power and presence are distinctly evident and His people worship in firm orthodoxy with an undiluted, hard-hitting Gospel.
Our parish—a word meaning “family” in Greek—is led by a Vestry who love our Lord with all their hearts, and because of that, and their commitment to the distinctions of our parish, are also committed to ensuring every dollar contributed to All Saints is stretched as far as it can go—thereby being efficient, effective stewards of His bounty, led by the Spirit and guided by God’s inerrant Word.
And you are a partner in this family of Faith, along with our other members, through the time, talent, and treasure you give to God and His ministry in our parish, making it possible to support our day-to-day operating expenses, while also enabling All Saints to accomplish improvements and special projects. This year, through additional monetary, talent, and time donations from several parishioners, our parish got a new roof, a children’s playground, and a remodeled chapel. All of these improvements would have been much more costly for All Saints without these donations of time and treasure. But there are more improvements on the horizon for us.
So, we’re counting on your continued faithfulness to “bring in the tithes” and get God’s blessings, by prayerfully planning how best to partner with us in God’s work though your time, talent and treasure given to our parish. Make your pledge by printing out and completing a pledge form and dropping it in the alms basin.
Grace and peace,
Charles Miller, Treasurer
Liturgy Lesson for the First Sunday after Epiphany: Confirmation
January 10, 2010
Confirmation is administered to those who are baptized and have come to the “years of discretion”—meaning they can understand and answer the questions contained in the Catechism and are willing to renew and ratify the promises made at their Baptism. The word confirmation means to seal, sign, or make strong—and is the outward and visible means God employs to convey to us the empowerment and inward, spiritual grace of the Holy Ghost via the Apostolic ministry of our bishop’s laying on of hands, as first mentioned in Acts 8. It’s our license to take the Holy Communion, which is limited to those who have been confirmed or are ready and willing to be confirmed. Sometimes referred to as the “ordination of the laity,” this rite is best described by the bishop’s prayer for the confirmand, “Defend O Lord, this thy Child with thy heavenly grace; that he(she) may continue thine forever; and daily increase in thy Holy Spirit, more and more, until he(she) come unto thy everlasting kingdom, amen.” Likewise, we lay hands to receive into our communion those who were already confirmed in other apostolic faiths—not just formally admitting them to fellowship, but asking God the Holy Ghost to empower them to His purpose in the Kingdom of God. May God be now, and evermore, our home and defense and may the Holy Ghost increase in us all!
