Liturgy Lesson for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany: The Summary of the Law
January 30, 2011
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!
Salt & Light Course Begins February 26th
January 29, 2011
The next Salt & Light course will begin Saturday, February 26th, following Morning Prayer.
Classes will be held from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM every Saturday.
Father Chip Harper, who teaches the course, describes it as Anglicanism 101. The class is open to anyone who has not taken it, anyone who hasn’t taken the course within the last three years, or anyone who would like to refresh their understanding of the Anglican faith. Anyone confirmed by Bishop Jones who has not taken the class needs to attend this session.
Please contact the parish office at 210-344-1920 or admin@allsaintsanglican.net to register for the class to ensure enough workbooks ($15 each) are available.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” ~Matthew 5:13-14
Episcopal Visit and Confirmation photos from Sunday, January 23rd, 2011
January 27, 2011
Special thanks to Deborah Cavanaugh for the photography!
What’s It All About? by Father Ed Morgan
January 25, 2011
When I was first ordained, I had all kinds of ideas for the local parish and how we could become relevant in today’s society. I put all my energies into various programs. I failed in the sense that all the programs and ideas I had were met with disdain and anger. Even when I enlisted the so-called experts to come in and help me, nothing of significance lasted. I was crushed that God would allow me to crash. I crashed so hard that I vowed I would never do this again, and one way to insure that was to never take a parish ever again. You see, I knew about God and all the academic theologians and their theology. I knew about Jesus, but I did not know Him. The Holy Spirit was just an afterthought. I was socially acceptable at the academic level. I considered the people in the local church as poor uneducated misguided goobers, who were not as smart as me. My arrogance regarding God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit was really astounding, and it really hurts when I look back at my actions.
I thought I really was equipped to do ministry and by the world’s standard I was, but not by God’s standard. I remember when one of my best friends went over the edge and accepted the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. I remember my first impression was that poor Tom had got entangled with those emotionally misguided churches. I didn’t understand what it is all about.
It took 15 years for God to get my attention and redirect my ministry. I experienced rebirth in the Holy Spirit and became a new creation in Christ; I even experienced speaking in tongues. Things began to change. God took the next 20 years to train me. I am still in training and not at all sure I ever want to be out of training, where the Holy Spirit is the Senior Drill Instructor. So, to make sure that I am available to God, He put me in a local parish. Not just any parish, but one that believes in the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Word of God. A parish that wants to be Warriors for God and the Body of Christ at work in the world. You see God never really gives up on those He calls for His purposes. God in His mercy allows me to remember my pride, my arrogance, my shame, yet He forgives me.
Now when I get a feather in my hat and start thinking I could do this or that better, I ask God for forgiveness for my arrogance and pride, BECAUSE IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!
Remembering when I tried to do things under my own power and the fruitlessness of it allows me to ask God not to let me get in His way. My constant prayer is that the Lord not allow me to be an embarrassment to Him, His message or anything else of His. I promise you I am very sincere in that prayer, BECAUSE IT IS NOT ABOUT ME! IT IS ABOUT GOD’S PURPOSE NOT Fr. Ed.
Amen and Amen.
Our Roots in Him
January 24, 2011
Bible Reading: “These have no root.”– St. Luke 8:13
Bonus Readings: Mal 3:8-12; Deuteronomy 12:10-12; St. James 1:17; St. Luke 13:6-9
This is not my favorite time of year. It’s colder than a cradle Texan like myself likes. The trees have no leaves. Most of the plants are likewise bare, or just brown and dried up. But I know there’s hope in the coming spring—our world rises to life because of the roots.
Funny thing about those roots. We don’t usually see them, but they are so important…and are made stronger or weaker over the growth period of spring and summer, depending on how they are cared for. They sustain the plants and trees during the colder, harder times. Each plant grows them, deeper and deeper, as they receive light, water and nutrition.
Our life in the Lord is like that. Our roots in Him can benefit from His Light, Living Water, and Nutrition. Scripture teaches us “all good things come down from us from the Father of Lights.” Everything we need for life, and a whole lot of what we want. No wonder St. Paul begged us on the First Sunday after Epiphany, by the mercies of God, that we present ourselves as living sacrifices. It’s not just duty…it leads us to blessing in Him. Unlike the plants, though, we have a choice in our roots’ growth. That brings me to Malachi.
The little prophecy of Malachi occupies a unique position. The last book of the Old Testament era, it begins a four-hundred-year period when God gave no fresh revelation. When He spoke again, it was to announce that He was only mere months away from keeping the promise that he had made very early in human history—to send his Son, the Messiah.
The coming of the Lord Jesus was simultaneously a vindication and an indictment. The vindication belonged to God. The time between the giving of the promise and the fulfillment of it was so long that it often appeared that it was all a pipe dream. The coming of Christ triumphantly proclaimed the complete and utter faithfulness of God. The indictment belongs to all those who doubted God’s promise.
Malachi’s prophecy is not a dead message to people of a long ago time. It still lives! Written so very long ago, it addresses the people of God today with a power that shows that it came from God. The prophet ministered at a time when vibrant faith was rare, and crippling doubt was common. It was an era in which people were more often than not weary in spiritual things, eager to embrace the easy way out, and careless and casual about the commandments of the Lord.
Sound familiar? They could choose, even then.
Malachi will find us out and help us out. He will show us what is going wrong in our hearts and tell us how to fix it. He will tell us if we are sick and prescribe good medicine for us. In fact, his text shows us how we choose our root growth…or not. Whether we get God’s blessings…or not. Listen to God’s promise for us, documented in Malachi, if we will bring Him our tithes: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.11″Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12″All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts,”
It’s our choice. We can choose to “rob God” as Malachi puts it—a term meaning “defraud.” Or we can choose the blessing instead. And the great thing here—this is the only time in history the God of the Universe challenged us to test Him on anything. Jesus clarified it in St. Luke’s Gospel:
“Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
So, here’s the question: Is our soil well turned, soft and receptive, or have we allowed the weather to make it hard and brittle—not ready for the seed of His Word? If we really want a crop for the spring, now’s the time to prepare our soil. How? St. Luke documents how. Jesus spoke about the unfruitful tree planted in the vineyard—the owner wanted to cut the tree down and toss it in the fire, but the vinedresser interceded, asking him to allow him to till the soil, and fertilize it. A key here is the word for “fertilize”—actually means “drop” or “toss.”
We drop our baggage. Our preconceptions. Our worldly priorities. Allow the Holy Ghost to turn us a bit, break up our hard surfaces, feed us, and grow our roots. Then we bear fruit. Otherwise, as Jesus said in St. Luke 13, our tree may be cut down and tossed in the fire. And to be blessed, we remember some other words of Jesus: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Here’s the bottom line: do we have roots? Can we make through the winter times of life to the blessing of spring, new life and fruit? God wants to bless us…but we can choose.
Let’s make this practical: God doesn’t need our money, time or talent. But we need to give it to Him. And consider a short list of those who began to tithe when they were poor and became rich:
Henry P. Crowell, Quaker Oats
William Colgate, Colgate Soaps
Harvey Proctor, Ivory Soap
Matthias Baldwin, Baldwin Locomotive Works
John P. Rockefeller, Standard Oil and world’s wealthiest man
Pray about it: “Lord, do I bring in my tithe of time, talent and treasure in so your House may be supplied? Can I afford not to give?
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
Liturgy Lesson for the Third Sunday after Epiphany: Confirmation – the Ordination of the Laity
January 23, 2011
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!
Man Plans, God Laughs…Leave your Baggage at the Foot of the Cross! by Kabrena Rodda
January 22, 2011
The following was originally posted on Facebook. If you are not already, connect with All Saints on Facebook.
This past Sunday was my second time worshipping at Koinonia* at All Saints Anglican Church. It’s a long story but in the interest of saving space I will simply say that Alice Goodwin, a dear friend, knew I was looking for a new church home and told me about All Saints, so I decided to check it out. I’m glad I did. After an hour or so of deep, Spirit-led worship that day, Fr Chip announced people would be available after the service to pray for anyone desiring it. I thought about it and had almost decided to forego it. But then, on a whim, I decided to come forward anyway and take chance. What followed was an intensive prayer session that left me with the undeniable recognition that 1) I had found home and 2) unbeknownst to me before I arrived at All Saints that night, what I had thought was just me checking out one of many possible places of worship was really a divine appointment. So I decided to come back this week and after talking it over with Fr Chip I brought my electric fiddle so I could join in with the band. Before going into that experience, however, a bit of background is in order….
The prayer session last week stirred up some things I had kept deep inside for a long time (word to the wise: if you receive intercessory prayer be prepared for the Holy Spirit to rock your world!). When I arrived at All Saints yesterday I was trying to settle down and was also feeling a little disappointed in myself for taking so long to get up the gumption to try All Saints. I was sad because on the one hand I felt like I finally came home, that something deep inside has finally been set right, and that I’ve known the people I’ve met and spoken with so far at All Saints my whole life. On the other hand, when I arrived last week I did so with the knowledge that I will be transferring to a new job this coming July, in Washington, DC. I came here not expecting, nor wanting, to find home. I was content to just bide my time until the clock wound down. Yet here I am. I think that’s why I felt so unsettled after the prayer last week. How could I so completely, so suddenly, feel right at home after just one visit? It’s bittersweet. I know good opportunities await me in DC but I don’t know of another time in my life when things just clicked like this. I’ve felt welcomed in other churches before, but this was like hanging out in my jammies in front of the TV.
I’ve been seeking solace in the knowledge that God is God and I am not, and that surely if He was able to orchestrate everything else that led up to Sunday night, He must have a plan—a plan worthy of my trust since He has never let me down before. All that remains is simply for me to put my trust in him. I have been keeping the words of Jeremiah 29:11 close at hand to keep everything in perspective:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – (NIV)
So back to Sunday’s Koinonia….
Eventually the time came to start the service and Fr Chip quickly told me we were going to start with another song which I did not know, we had not rehearsed, and for which there was no music…something called “Something’s Going to Happen,” or something like that (a hazard of playing violin is knowing only some of the lyrics to songs we do). As it happened I was able to pick out a line to play that sounded OK, but I must admit that at this point all I can remember is that other song by Buffalo Springfield (and I will be seeking absolution from Fr Chip about this shortly, I promise):
“Something’s happening here; what it is ain’t exactly clear….”
Regardless of which song it was, it was fitting. Fr Chip started the service by saying many folks had told him they sensed something was about to happen at All Saints. The song, therefore, was an obvious choice. The best way I can describe the rest of the evening’s worship is “ playing in the Spirit.” There are times when I’m playing worship music where it feels like my soul is connected to the strings on my violin and the Holy Spirit just does something deep inside me as I play. I think the reason this type of playing affects me so deeply is because it requires me to let my guard down and stop hiding from God. Apparently it ministers to other people too, but that’s not what I notice. I just suddenly have tears welling up and the emotions are spilling out into the music.
So there I am, playing my heart out, literally, when Fr Chip shares a prophetic word about the room we were in being holy ground. I totally lost it. I lost it because I realized I didn’t want to leave that sacred space to go home, so I told God how I felt, honestly and fully. That was different behavior for me as normally I would just bury my feelings and suck it up, assuming God had more important things to do than to worry about my wants and needs.
This time, though, I told Him. And you know what? The Holy Spirit came and filled me up. And when it was time to go it was all OK! Several people came up to me to hug me and thank me for ministering to them with the music. I told them I was glad the music ministered to them but that it really was my privilege to get to play like that, that it has been quite some time since I got to worship so deeply…and that I felt I was the one being ministered to.
I’m looking forward to being received next week…and I think you all are right. Something IS about to happen. I thank God to be here, among all of you, to see it unfold. See ya Sunday!
*For anyone who has yet to check out Koinonia on Sunday evenings at 6 PM, I urge you to give it a try. You won’t be sorry. But hold onto your hats! You’re in for a wild ride.
Blessing Bags
January 21, 2011
All Saints Blessing Bags are available for pick up in church narthex. If you haven’t seen these before, it’s one of our All Saints Outreach efforts.
Pick up a bag and give it to someone in need. The bag contains food and a drink in a plastic bag, labeled with All Saints contact information, a Bible verse (“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9), and a Bible tract.
If you would like to donate to support this outreach effort you can make your check payable to All Saints Anglican Church and designate ”Blessing Bags” on the check or place your cash donation in an envelope and write “Blessing Bags” on the outside of the envelope.
For more information, contact Bill Wimp, outreach@allsaintsanglican.net.
Confirmation and Bishop’s Reception/Koinonia, Sunday, January 23rd
January 21, 2011
The Right Reverend Derek LS Jones will confirm and receive new members at the 11:15 AM service on Sunday, January 23rd.
If you being received or confirmed, be sure the office has your information.
The 9:00 AM service will be Holy Communion as usual.
Koinonia and Bishop’s Reception at 6 PM: Fellowship, Food (Italian Feast Potluck), Prayer, Music, Teaching. Bishop Jones will be sitting in with the Koinonia band as well as teaching. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet our new Bishop, fellowship with other parishioners, enjoy great food, and experience Spirit-filled worship and prayer. If you never miss Koinonia or if you have never before attended, join us Sunday evening!
Outreach to Strong Foundation, January 27
January 20, 2011
Mark your calendars for All Saints upcoming continuing outreach effort at Strong Foundation Ministries, Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 7:00 pm-9 pmat 414 N. Hackberry, San Antonio, TX 78202. We are seeking volunteers to assist our Men’s Group and our wives with child care of Strong Foundation’s kids, while their parents are in evening programs.
Come out and spend some time with their kids and support this ministry of assisting families get out of homelessness through the “Strong Foundation” of Jesus Christ.
Questions? Contact Bill Wimp, outreach@allsaintsanglican.net.
