Liturgy Lesson for All Saints’ Day: Christians and Halloween
October 30, 2011
You’ve probably heard it: should Christians celebrate Halloween? Taken from the Old English term for Hallowmas Eve, it has its roots in Samhain, the Celtic New Year, celebrated on November 1, and a significant time for divination. The Church, “seizing the land” from our Adversary, replaced the pagan Samhain with the celebration of “All Hallows”—a term for “All Holy.” The word “Holy” rendered in Latin is Sanctus (set aside or reserved), from which we derive our word saint, hence the derivation of the term “All Saints” for this festival. The Eucharist, then, rightly honored “All Saints,” and was originally called Hallowmas (mass for all the saints). During this period of 8 days of prayer, called an octave, we tenderly celebrate the lives and our connection, through the Communion of Saints, to all Christians, living with God or on Earth, by remembering their names in the Lord’s courts, especially during Holy Communion. The main difference between Samhain and All Saints Day is that Samhain recognized and feared the evil spirits, whereas All Saints celebrated life lived eternally before God without fear. Our Anglican fathers were wise in their selection of Scripture emphasizing this difference—exemplified by our Gospel today, in St. Matthew 5—describing our rewards as people set aside for God. Should a Christian be part of Halloween? We can read St. Matthew 5:13, where Jesus calls us “Salt of the Earth” and ask ourselves honestly if taking part in the ancient pagan tradition trumpets “All Saints” to the World around us —or not.
Liturgy Lesson for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity:Commemorating St. Simon and St. Jude.
October 23, 2011
Fall Festival: Plan to Help Now and Have Fun Next Week
October 21, 2011
Fall Festival is next Saturday, October 29, 10 AM – 5 PM.
Come out for music, food, fellowship, bargains, books, games, and fun!
Between now and then, you can help make this a huge success.
- Bring your donations of new and gently used items for the garage sale to Elisha House during normal business hours.
- Bake your favorite goodies for the bake sale.
- Volunteer to help at the festival. Contact Barry Kowald at events@allsaintsanglican.net.
Come out and enjoy the beautiful weather, the fabulous music, the outstanding food, the joyous fun, and the special All Saints fellowship!
Liturgy Lesson for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity: Inhabit Us, Holy Ghost
October 16, 2011
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’” Jesus’ words amplify how important it is Christians take Holy Communion as often as possible—and why this is central to Christian worship. It conveys life. Yet, it’s not the ceremony that imparts God’s Grace and mystery—it’s the Spirit empowering it and the attitude of our hearts. Ultimately, this is the case for all worship—liturgical and ancient, or contemporary and unstructured. Our attitude determines our altitude. In short, how do we approach the Lord? Are we doing the “church thing” or are we, as we pray in the Kyrie, Confession, and Prayer of Humble Access approaching the Lord with an understanding of our brokenness—dependent on His Grace? This goes to the heart of the Gifts of the Spirit—the governance of our souls—that is, our minds and emotions. As disciplined adults, we can usually control our outward expression of inner dysfunctions, but God looks on the heart—and, without the intervening influence of God the Holy Ghost and His Gifts, we won’t be able to effect that change of heart required to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth. In short, the liturgy will remain only well-founded Scriptural words said in a proscribed, traditional manner, without Divine help to the contrary. On the other hand, if we call the Holy Ghost into our lives, receiving Him in the manner the Church Fathers intended in the sacraments, we will have life in us—abundantly! Inhabit us, then, Holy Ghost—govern our hearts and bring power to our worship!
Fall Festival, October 29, 2011
October 15, 2011
Saturday, October 29th
10 AM – 5 PM
This will be a wonderful family-friendly event, with a variety of music, great fellowship, and fun in a Godly environment.
Download a flyer to invite your family, friends, and neighbors.
- Music: we are expecting at least five bands
- Vendors: arts and crafts, authors autographing books, other goodies
- Garage sale
- Games for the kids
- OUTSTANDING BBQ from Flaming Hogs BBQ
- Ministry, prayer, and outreach booths
Evangelism
October 12, 2011
“Political correctness notwithstanding, Christianity is an evangelistic religion. Its aim is to proclaim the good news that there is eternal life in only one: Jesus Christ. Its aim, by the grace of God, is to bring about the deliverance of men and women out of the domain of darkness into the kingdom of light. There are some things, no doubt, for which Christians ought to apologize, but declaring that faith in Jesus Christ is essential for eternal life isn’t one of them. We should never hesitate to proclaim the ‘mystery of Christ’ or shrink back from seeking the conversion of every soul.” ~ Sam Storms, The Hope of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians
Honoring Our Clergy on Clergy Appreciation Day
October 9, 2011
October is Clergy Appreciation Month and the second Sunday in October is often observed as Clergy Appreciation Day, a good time to honor our All Saints clergy and thank God for their selfless service.
Our rector, Father Chip Harper, is a leader who always stands strong in his beliefs and tempers his strength with love.
Our associate rector, Father Ed Morgan, is a practical and plain-speaking preacher and teacher.
Both of these servants of God love the Lord with all their hearts and with all their souls and with all their minds, and they love their neighbors as themselves. They have servants’ hearts and are beloved by parishioners. Though imperfect mortals, they practice in their lives what they preach in the pulpit. All Saints is truly blessed to have such Godly men as our spiritual leaders.
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. ~ Hebrews 13:7 (NIV)
We especially remember Father Chip and Father Ed during Clergy Appreciation Month, but we appreciate our wonderful clergy year-round.
Clergy with Servants' Hearts and Hands
Prayer for Clergy:
ALMIGHTY God, giver of all good things, who by thy Holy Spirit hast appointed divers Orders of Ministers in thy Church; Mercifully behold all thy servants in all Orders of Ministers [especially Fr. Chip and Fr. Ed]; and so replenish them with the truth of thy Doctrine, and adorn them with innocency of life, that, both by word and good example, they may faithfully serve thee in their Office, to the glory of thy Name, and the edification of thy Church; through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen. ~ from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer
Liturgy Lesson for Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity: the Apostles’ Creed
October 9, 2011
The Apostle’s Creed is our most ancient summary of the Faith, frequently linked to the Apostles themselves. In this “Cliff’s Notes” of Christianity, there has always been questions about the statement “He descended into Hell,” referring to Christ’s entry to the nether regions after His death on the Cross. To some, the descent into hell represents the physical agony of death upon the Cross. To others, the word hell means Hades or Sheol, the collective abode of the dead, divided into Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom—the state of God-fearing souls—and Gehenna, the state of ungodly souls. Thus the descent into hell suggests the Son conveyed the sins of the world to hell; or preached the Good News of deliverance to the godly dead such as Lazarus beggar and the repentant thief. A third-century Syrian Creed speaks of Jesus, “…crucified under Pontius Pilate and departed in peace, in order to preach to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the saints concerning the end of the world and the resurrection of the dead.” Still others believe the descent provides God’s justice by providing an opportunity for all mankind—in eternity as well as in time—to hear the message of redemption from the Word Himself. Whatever interpretation we accept, we should study the Scripture this teaching derives from closely. Some of the standard texts are Job 38:17, Psalm 68:18-22; Matthew 12:38-41; Acts 2:22-32; Romans 10:7; Ephesians 4:7-10, 1 Peter 3:18-20, and 1 Peter 4:6. However we approach it, we must remember the outcome—Christ came forth, leading captivity itself captive, and holding the keys of Death and Hell. He is our victory and life—and will never leave us!
The Goal of Discipleship
October 7, 2011
“The overall goal of discipleship is not simply to grow in self-discipline, but to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.” Ann Spangler, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
Garage Sale Donations Needed
October 6, 2011
One of the many features of the All Saints Fall Festival on October 29th will be a garage sale.
Now is a great time to do some fall cleaning and gather items to donate to the garage sale. You can get rid of items that you no longer use (or maybe never used), and someone else can find something they’ve been wanting (or maybe never heard of but decide they can’t live without).
Please drop off your new and gently used garage sale items at Elisha House during normal business hours (Wed-Fri 10am-5pm & Sat 10am-2pm).
Questions? Contact Carter Dreesman at events@allsaintsanglican.net.
