Donate Easter Lilies
March 12, 2011
You can donate Easter lilies to decorate the nave on Resurrection Sunday. Donation amount is $10 per lily, and you can sign up on the sheet in Ballard Hall.
All proceeds go into the All Saints Building Fund.
Questions? Contact Deborah Cavanaugh at flowers@allsaintsanglican.net.
Rector’s Devotional: Whoever Will
March 11, 2011
Bible Reading: “Whosoever will.”– St. Mark 8:34-36 (KJV)
Bonus Readings: St Luke 13:23-28 ; 1 Sam 16:7; Romans 10:9
Who are the real Christians? Who will Christ receive?
The answer: whosever will. Not whosever gets everything right.
Whosever will confess Him as Lord and savior. Do His Word. Give Him their lives, without holding back. Serve Him with abandon, knowing He intends us good and not evil. He’s not waiting to play some kind of cosmic “gotcha game,” waiting for us to make a misstep or misjudgment of what He wants.
This is a matter of heart-to-heart faith. Our hearts to His. Doesn’t matter what we do on the outside, God sees and knows our hearts, because that’s where we meet Him and where He changes us from slaves to sin into Kingdom partners. This is His living tabernacle…the place where our covenant takes place with the Lord of Life—our secret place, deep inside us. And it’s not dependent on getting all the details 100% correct.
We recently heard discussion about “the protesting Church”—a term for “protestant.” This discussion had a pejorative and divisive tone that is not the Mind of Christ for us, as His Body. God would not honor that. One Faith, one Lord.
Jesus prayed in Gethsemane—as He faced the horrors of the Cross—that all His followers be one, as He and the Father were one. The Church was later born of this unity at Pentecost—they were assembled, in prayer, for the same purpose. It did not say they all agreed on everything. After all, Jesus Himself asked to be relieved of the burden of the Cross, but then qualified that request by saying not His will, but the Father’s will be done. The disciples in that Upper Room at Pentecost demonstrated that same willingness to labor in unity with the Father’s purpose, facilitating the coming of the Holy Ghost, the supernatural gifting of the disciples/apostles and history’s most productive homily. In short, big-time results. All from unity. One Faith, one Lord.
So, God never wanted division among His people. He ordained one Church…one Faith, one Lord. Our hearts to His heart. Together. All the “whosever will” folk. Of course, we know that is not always the case in Christ’s Body, the Church. According to Christianity Today, there are 38000 Christian denominations…certainly not a compelling picture of unity. However, denominations don’t have to mean disunity, although styles and understanding doubtlessly vary, and, sadly, conflict occurs. But this is not the “more excellent Way” St. Paul wrote of. He intended unity in love. So, of course, we’re not there, yet. But we can work the issue.
One of the biggest fissures in this mosaic of the Faith is the protestant-catholic rift. For some reason, a lot of us seem to think that “catholic” and “protestant” are mutually exclusive sets. Not so in the Kingdom of God, especially in an Anglican parish like ours. One Faith, one Lord.
As Anglicans, we are, indeed, catholic…anyone visiting us at one of our well-polished liturgies can tell that in a nanosecond. However, anyone understanding the construction of the term “catholic” knows it means “according to the whole”—a term meaning ALL of Christ’s One Church, and not referring to any one denomination. This has to mean the entirety of those called by our Lord…to come out of the World and be separate…holy…to Him, and faithful to the Apostolic mission—being sent by Him into a desperate world. What some may not know is our link to protestant faith, as well.
A lot of folks may not know the term “protestant” derives from the Latin, meaning “a public witness.” So, the term “protestant” actually does not mean “protesting” but, more properly, means “affirming.” Easy to sign up to that. But what does it mean for us?
As an Anglican parish, we embrace the best of evangelical belief, while retaining the heart of the “Faith once delivered”— the time-tested catholic devotions, customs, and liturgies and powered by a personal, active Holy Ghost. This is essence of who we are in Christ at All Saints.
Since we’ve captured the best of these approaches to the Lord, we believe we have a very Scripturally-correct, but still Spirit-filled and orthodox faith—in short, the Church the ancient Fathers intended, living in the Truth the Holy Ghost led them into. This does not mean we impeach the rest of His Holy Church, simply because they may not see things as we do. Who is more correct is a
matter best left for God’s judgment, not ours. Our job, through His Holy Spirit and canon Scripture is to be about His work through faithful prayer and devotion. One Faith, one Lord.
In Christ, then, there is no separation among denominations. We understand: one Faith, one Lord. And we give each other grace…knowing that if we are for Jesus, we are against our old Enemy, Satan. We’re allies, partners, family… assembled for the same purpose, just like that day in the Upper Room, when the Holy Ghost rushed in like a mighty wind. This means we are still together, even if we disagree on the best way to worship and praise our wonderful Lord. We don’t have to agree. We do have to love and accept each other. One Faith, one Lord.
The wonderful thing about Anglican Christians, then, is that, in addition to our firm catholic faith, we’re linked us with our protestant brothers, understanding that we have elements of both expressions of Christian faith under our roof, and—interestingly enough—on the title page of our 1928 Book of Common Prayer. So, in practical terms, we are both protestant and catholic, as we have both expressions of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Together, not apart. THAT facilitates the coming of the Holy Ghost among us—our unity, not our differences. We’re a place of reconciliation in that old rift…not division. We are both, all at once. One Faith, one Lord.
Of course, we think our liturgy and understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in our Holy Communion is the best and most powerfully Scriptural grasp of this life-giving Sacrament. We also understand that there are those Christians who practice that meal with a different understanding, but still, in obedience to our Lord’s command, with love and faith in Him and His Grace, so we can’t condemn them and neither will Jesus, despite what may be said to the contrary. The Lord will see their heart, know that they are among the “whosever will” and will accept them, because they have called upon His name and are saved, according to the Scriptures. He will look on their hearts and know. Jesus Himself said that we are either for Him, or against Him, and, so, if the Christians anywhere name Him as Lord and are doing everything in their power to be obedient to His Word, then they are our brothers and sisters in Him…allies in the Good Fight that St. Paul talked about, and coinheritors of the Kingdom of God along with all His Church. They are NOT subject to rejection by Lord as “workers of iniquity” if they are honestly doing their best to be doers of His Word.
Family of Faith, the mind of Christ for us all is unity for His purpose—which, St. John says, is to destroy the work of the Devil. When dealing with other Christians who worship differently from us, we need to understand—we’re all products of Grace—God’s unmerited favor, and are One Church…a Holy Church…a Church called out from the World and sent on a mission to bring life to a dead world. That’s what we’re here for…until we’re called home from this life. One Faith…One Lord. Whoever will!
Pray about it: “How do I practice unity in the Body of Christ and work toward its mission?
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
Shrove Tuesday, All Saints Anglican Church, March 8, 2011
March 10, 2011
Special thanks to Deborah Cavanaugh for the photographs!
Ash Wednesday and the Vigil at the Altar of Repose
March 9, 2011
Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011
12:15 PM Imposition of Ashes
7:00 PM Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes (bulletin)
NO Wednesday Night Supper Club
On Maundy Thursday, the altar is stripped of everything that can be removed and everything else is draped in black. The congregation leaves in dark and quiet, and the priest carries the Reserve Sacrament to the Altar of Repose. From that time until sunrise on Easter morning, we keep the vigil, volunteering for one hour at a time – remembering that Jesus asked His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane if they could not watch with Him one hour – to pray.
Signup for the Vigil starts on Ash Wednesday following the service of Holy Communion with the Imposition of Ashes. The Men’s Group will provide security.
Liturgy Lesson for Ash Wednesday: Contrition Before God
March 9, 2011
Today is the first day of Lent, called Ash Wednesday, derived from the Latin, dies cinerum (day of ashes) liturgy found in eighth century copies of the Gregorian Sacramentary—a worship and devotional guide for the ancient Church. On this day, devout Christians, according to ancient custom, approach God’s altar before the Holy Eucharist starts, where the presbyter (priest), using ashes blessed for worship, thumbs Christ’s cross in ash on their foreheads as a mark of our separateness from the World and our inward contrition before God. Ashes on the head are also a very ancient demonstration of mourning—a broken spirit—and convey our intention to fast to demonstrate our repentance, deepen our life in the Lord, mortify our flesh, and unite us more closely with God in our own spirit. Fasting before God is an ancient, venerable spiritual discipline and not only models many great Old Testament examples, but also follows Jesus’ own practice, teaching us discipline and self-control through self-denial. The important concept here is not the ritual, but a Spirit-led personal desire for repentance and revival to better equip us for God’s work for each of us. If we do this by the leading of the Holy Ghost and in prayer, these devotions and spiritual disciplines can enrich our lives and bring us to a fuller, more personal presence of God with us. May the Spirit, then, so enable us as we walk the Wilderness with Jesus in this season.
Supersize Thy Life
March 8, 2011
Does All Saints Accept Confirmation from the Episcopal Church?
March 8, 2011
Anglican Answers
Q: Does the Anglican Church /All Saints accept the confirmation from the Episcopal Church?
A: We generally accept Holy Confirmation from The Episcopal Church, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, or Old Catholic (Dutch) Church. Call us if you have questions—we love ‘em! 210-344-1920.
Grace and peace,
Father Chip
Liturgy Lesson for Quinquagesima: Lent is Almost Here
March 6, 2011
This Sunday is Quinquagesima (50 days before Easter) and points us to our immediate spiritual task, beginning Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a special period of six weeks preceding Holy Week marked by fasting, penitence, and prayer. “Lent” is an Old Saxon word, meaning spring, and corresponds roughly to the 40 days of fasting our Lord submitted to in the Wilderness. The first day, this coming Wednesday, is called Ash Wednesday, owing to the ancient custom of sprinkling ashes on the heads of penitents—a Biblical token of a personal choice to humble ourselves in sorrow for sin or to entreat God for His mercy. Wisely, the Church Fathers provided this season as a tool to drive a deeper personal seeking of God among the faithful and for them to enter into a Spirit-led examen to prepare their hearts for more complete and spiritually-edifying celebration of our Lord’s Resurrection. It is the original revival (meaning new life) of God’s Holy Church, as it is intended to infuse us with His new life by asking the Holy Spirit to help us clear out space for God to be Lord in our lives, through our discipline and devotion. May God speak to us in each of our lives as we seek His voice in the wilderness of Lent!
The Terrible Alternative
March 5, 2011
“From the moment a creature becomes aware of God as God and of itself as self, the terrible alternative of choosing God or self for the centre is opened to it. This sin is committed daily by young children and ignorant peasants as well as by sophisticated persons, by solitaries no less than by those who live in society; it is the fall in every individual life, the basic sin behind all particular sins: at this very moment you and I are either committing it, or about to commit it, or repenting it.” ~ C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Help the Homeless with “Crochet Love”
March 2, 2011
We need your plastic bags for an outreach called “Crochet Love.” Please see the video below explaining the making of crochet sleeping mats for the homeless and needy.
You can participate in this outreach effort by donating plastic bags, preparing the bags, and/or crocheting the bags into sleeping mats. You can place your donated plastic bags in the CAM donation box located in Ballard Hall.
If you’re interested in being a part of this outreach effort or if you have any questions, please contact Bill Wimp at outreach@allsaintsanglican.net.
