Thanksgiving Eve
This has been an action packed week! Wednesday evening Father Ironhand’s Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC) provided the music for the Alpine Ecumenical Thanksgiving Evening Service held at 1900L (7:00pm) at the lovely Queen of Angels Roman Catholic Church. We had eight members present for the service there. Jack Arnold played with Father Ironhand’s the FTGC kids who provided music. If you were there, you know how much they enjoyed their participation and we enjoyed their music.
If you were not there, you surely missed a great time. Your Beadle is certainly not the most ecumenical of fellows, being Anglican to the Bone, as they say; but even he enjoyed worshipping with our fellow believers, with one minor exception. The treats afterwards were exceptional, thanks in no small part to the efforts of our ladies. The beautiful night brought out about 65 people.
As the organizer of the event, it fell to Father Acker to provide the sermon. He did a great job talking on why we should be thankful and to whom. Excellent sermon.
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday brought us Thanksgiving Day; a day known primarily for the excess consumption of food in the company of all available family members. Sometimes we forget the origin of the thanksgiving in Thanksgiving Day. While we are, or certainly should be, grateful to God every day for the wonderful world, country and family He has given us, this is the day our country has set aside to give thanks to God. Not thanks in general, but thanks to God. If you look at other countries and other times, you cannot be but thankful to God we live here and now. The list of things to be thankful to God is endless, but if nothing else, give thanks that you are here and now and able to praise Him.
The Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity celebrated Thanksgiving Day with a 0930L (9:30am) Holy Communion Service at Victoria House. We were very fortunate to have Father Acker’s parents join us for the service. With eight communicants present, we had too many for the small chapel. What a terrible problem to have to deal with. Ever resourceful, the service was held in the dining room of Victoria House.
The Epistle for Thanksgiving Day came from the Epistle of St. James, the First Chapter, beginning at the Sixteenth Verse. James counsels us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” God is the perfect source of good. What is good is of God. Through His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, we have been given instructions on how to act. Many of us have listened and claim to be followers of Christ. But James warns us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man be-holding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” With so much about us, we need ask, what is it to do the work of the Lord? The answer is simple, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
Being able to fluently and glibly talk the talk is meaningless, if you will not walk the walk. You have to fulfill with your body the promises you made with your mouth.
Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man be-holding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
The Gospel for Thanksgiving Day comes from the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew beginning at the Twenty-Fifth Verse. Jesus tell us to “Trust in God and Dread Nought”. He reminds us that by worrying, none of us can add even one cubit, or one second for that matter, to the span of our life here on earth. In a very graphic example He points out that not even the raiment of Solomon, the most glorious of all kings, could approach the beauty of a lily, who toiled not at all. Do as God asks, put your faith in Him and all you need will come to you. Understand, this means doing as He asks, not just sitting by and watching the world go by. Note the words of James in the Epistle.
Jesus said, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? And why are ye anxious for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore be not anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
After service goodies were on hold as the Ackers headed north right after the service for Thanksgiving Dinner with his family in Orange County. Jack and Rede Acker will be leaving Orange County after a short stay there for their home in Colorado.
If you have not been to a service at Victoria Chapel, you are really missing an opportunity to participate in an intimate celebration of our faith. Join us sometime.
Sunday Service
Sunday, we celebrated the Sunday next before Advent and the Feast of Christ the King, finishing our Christian Year as we started it, with Christ and the Father at the forefront. Weather on Mount Olympus was cool, with a high thin overcast which extended down the hill, 40°F when we awoke. By the time church was over there was still a high thin overcast with temperatures in the upper 60°sF. Even though we had many people on travel and some sick, nonetheless we had 20 members present by the time the actual service started.
The Gloria in Excelsis and Doxology
In today’s pre-service class, Father Acker discussed the Gloria in Excelsis and Doxology. At the end of the Holy Communion Service, after the Prayer of Thanksgiving on Page 83, you will find the following:
¶ Then shall be said the Gloria in excelsis, all standing, or some proper Hymn.
83
______________________________________________________
Holy Communion
GLORY be to God on high, and on earth peace, good will towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we
worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father
Almighty.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord
God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the
sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest
away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that
sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy
upon us.
For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only,
O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory
of God the Father. Amen.
& Then, the People kneeling, the Priest (the Bishop if he be present) shall
let them depart with this Blessing.
THE Peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: And the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you, and remain with you always. Amen.
For people whose only exposure to the Book of Common Prayer is the abomination of 1979 claiming to be a Book of Common Prayer, the Gloria may seem to be in a strange place. However, the end of the Holy Communion Service is its traditional place, where it has been since the Second Book of Common Prayer, referred to as the 1552 edition.
The Gloria is associated with Jesus and the Apostles at the Last Supper, reading from the Book of Matthew, the Twenty-Sixth Chapter, Verses Twenty-Seven through Thirty, we find:
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives.
Remember, the Last Supper was a Passover meal. When they had finished the Passover Meal in the upper room, they sang a hymn or psalm. (Psalms 113-118; p.484 BCP)
Hallel or Praise was chanted in the temple whilst the Passover lambs were being slain. It was chanted also on other festival occasions, as at Pentecost, the feast of Tabernacles, and the feast of Dedication. The Levites, standing before the altar, chanted it verse by verse, the people responding by repeating the verses or by intoned hallelujahs.
Psalms 116-118 probably formed the basis of the hymn which our Saviour and his disciples sung at the conclusion of the Passover supper kept by them in the upper room at Jerusalem. This was a hymn of thanksgiving to the Lord for his mercy and loving kindness.
It was seen as the realities of the Old Covenant where made a reality in the New Covenant as Jesus now went to the Mount of Olives, the place from which the Messiah would enter the Temple. Jesus would enter Jerusalem bound for sacrifice, for the true Passover offering to bring God’s mercy to his people in his death and resurrection. In the Eastern Church it is the Angelic Hymn or Great Doxology. We often substitute the shorter Doxology, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Jan Macauley read the Epistle for today, which came from the Book of Jeremiah, the Twenty-Third Chapter, beginning at the Fifth Verse. Foretelling the arrival of Jesus, Jeremiah prophesied, “I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Foreshadowing the New Covenant, he wrote, “They shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.”
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint John, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the Fifth Verse. John relates one of the feeding the masses in the wilderness events. This event occurring long before there was a Thanksgiving Day, seems very appropriate for the weekend and also forshadows the arrival of the Christ at Christmas coming to feed our spiritual needs in the wilderness of this world.
With five thousand men with them looking for food in the wilderness, “One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down…” Reminding us that if the Son of God gave thanks to God for His food, so ought we, “Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”
Compare to saving our souls and feeding the inner hunger we have for God’s love, feeding a mere 5,000 men is child’s play, but then Jesus said we should accept God and His love through Him as the children do. So perhaps it really is child’s play.
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the frag-ments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Sermon - Expect God to Act
The Gospel this morning gets me stirred up. And well it should, for this is Stir Up Sunday, whose name comes from the Collect for the Day:
The Sunday next before Advent.
The Collect.
STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In the gospel for today, Jesus has everyone sit down on the grassy hillside and
miraculously turn five small loaves of bread, more the size of large dinner rolls, into bread for five thousand. Often, people who don’t want to understand will explain the miracle by saying Jesus shamed the people by pointing out the young boy giving up his lunch and they took out their hoarded dinner out of the shirt pockets.
John would not have written about that. That would make the change in our nature the miracle. If you think “I” am the miracle, you fall victim to Edging God Out – EGO.
God takes what we give him, even a little, he makes something great, that goes beyond what we can imagine. The only miracle in us is the miracle God makes of us. It is a miracle that God takes my life, your life, and uses it to produce something more than we could have ever expected.
You may think you have little to offer. Yet, un-offered it will remain little; brought before God and put to His use, it becomes great. God will use what you give him to accomplish something great. People will know that God has touched their lives by what you have done in Jesus’ Name. It is something great.
God will not be able to act in you if you do not let Him into your life, putting Him in control of your life. You must expect God to act.
On this last Sunday of the Christian Year,
We come to our Lord, our Savior, our King,
To serve Him; To give our life to Him.
More like the Stirrup on a horse saddle. To give us a leg up.
To live as Servants of the King.
Stir Up, Get cooking, Get a leg up, knowing we serve Jesus our Lord, our Savior, and our King.
This Sunday is also the Feast of Christ the King, a fitting feast for the end of the Christian Year.
Like the Christian Year, our lives start with the gift of our lives from God, through Christ. We live our lives here on earth, then leave. If it is a good life, like the year, we end with Christ. Our souls come here all alike, built, equipped and destined for eternity. Built for eternity, but with free will; able to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. We live our lives here in many ways. How we live determines where we go when we leave. God does not test us. Confounding comes not from God, but from the devil. God does watch how we react to the difficulties we face, from the devil or otherwise. As with last week’s Gospel, He expects us to be doers, not just hearers.
Life on earth has been compared to the dust jacket of a book; a catchy picture and title (your name) on the cover, a very brief summary on the back. The real story is not the dust cover, but rather the book inside. Likewise life here on earth is only a glimpse of life in heaven. CS Lewis calls earth the Shadowland, whereas life in heaven was real with real color and real life. If we want to get from the Shadowland to the real world when we leave and not the pit, we must do what God asks. Again CS Lewis says, “There are two kinds of people: Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way.”
As we end the year and look ahead to a new year, we have a chance to revisit our actions of the last year and re-think how to act in the new year. Will we improve our actions in the New Christian Year ahead? God is doing His best to “Prepare you on earth for a beautiful birthday in heaven.” Are you?
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Annie Springer was set to bring goodies today, but Mike had to work due to the fire recovery effort. In a miracle of donuts and no fishes, Alice Acker made a quick run to the local donuttery and the food was on. Dog Nuts of many kinds. Not nearly as healthy as Annie would have brought, but eaten they were.
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today.
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Ken is on travel this week.
Ryan is on travel.
Don, Sandy and Nick are on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Jack Arnold – Hap Arnold’s uncle, was recently released from the hospital and is now in a step down unit. Just past his 95th birthday, he seems to be failing rapidly. Your prayers are asked that he either somehow gather strength to recover sufficient to allow him to go home or that he pass from this world to the next with the clear confidence he has expressed countless times in the past.
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) were in town with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church today with her daughter Kathy, both looking lovely.
Annie Springer did not make it to church this morning because Mike had to work because of the aftermath of the fires. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church six weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Dru Arnold missed church today due to a knee problem. We trust it will resolve shortly, but ask God’s help.
Greg Chase seemingly pulled a muscle in his back lifting a trash can. He did not ask for the unction for the sick as it was a “minor” problem, but is limping around nonetheless. We trust it will resolve shortly, but ask God’s help.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
Advent Calendars
As we did last year, we have Advent Calendars. For those of you who are not familiar with them, the calendars count down the days of Advent to Christmas.
The calendars are a bit generic, in that they number the days sequentially, presumably so they can use the same artwork year to year. There are twenty-four numbered doors to open as you count down towards Christmas. Behind each of the doors numbered one through twenty-four is a piece of chocolate. You can either start early on 1 December and end up on 24 December or you can open one door a day starting on Advent Sunday with Day 1 and then pig out with what is left on Christmas Eve!
Where did the Doxology come from?
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The four lines of the Doxology have been the most frequently sung words of any known song for more than three hundred years. Even today nearly every English-speaking Protestant congregation still unites at least once each Sunday in this noble ascription of praise. It has been said that the doxology has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theological books ever written.
The Doxology (Hymn 139, The Old Hundreth) is actually the last verse of a hymn written by Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711AD):
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise,
To pay thy morning sacrifice.
Thy precious time misspent, redeem,
Each present day thy last esteem,
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.
By influence of the Light divine
Let thy own light to others shine.
Reflect all Heaven’s propitious ways
In ardent love, and cheerful praise.
In conversation be sincere;
Keep conscience as the noontide clear;
Think how all seeing God thy ways
And all thy secret thoughts surveys.
Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
High praise to the eternal King.
All praise to Thee, who safe has kept
And hast refreshed me while I slept
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake
I may of endless light partake.
Heav’n is, dear Lord, where’er
Thou art,
O never then from me depart;
For to my soul ’tis hell to be
But for one moment void of Thee.
Lord, I my vows to Thee renew;
Disperse my sins as morning dew.
Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with Thyself my spirit fill.
Direct, control, suggest, this day,
All I design, or do, or say,
That all my powers, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.
I would not wake nor rise again
And Heaven itself I would disdain,
Wert Thou not there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
As a matter of interest, on British warships without chaplains, the Doxology is customarily sung on Sunday mornings in lieu of a church service.
Anglican Bishop Thomas Ken was born at Little Berkhampstead, England, in 1637. Orphaned in early childhood, Ken was educated at Winchester School where he was raised under the care of an older sister and her famous husband, Izaak Walton, distinguished in history as the most eminent angler of his time. Ken later attended Oxford University. In 1662, he was ordained in Church of England. His career was stormy and colorful. Following ordination, he served as chaplain to the Bishop of Winchester. In 1679 he was sent to Holland, where he was the English chaplain at the royal court at The Hague. Ken was so outspoken in denouncing the corrupt lives of those in authority in the Dutch capital that he was compelled to leave the following year. Upon his return to England Charles II appointed Ken as one of his own chaplains. Ken continued to reveal the same spirit of boldness in rebuking the moral sins of his dissolute English monarch. Despite these rebukes Charles always admired the courageous chaplain. He referred to him as "the good little man" and, when it was chapel time, he would usually say, "I must go in and hear Ken tell me my faults." Before his death, the King appointed Ken Bishop of the Bath and Wells area. Just twelve days after Ken was consecrated as a Bishop, Charles II died. Soon Ken incurred the wrath of the new monarch, papist James II, by refusing to read the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, and with six other Anglican Church leaders he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Although Ken was eventually acquitted, he was later removed from his bishopric in 1691 by the next ruler, William III. The remaining years of Ken's life were spent in quiet obscurity with a devoted friend, Lord Weymouth, at his home in Longleat, Wiltshire, where Ken died in 1711 at seventy-four. The historian Macaulay gave a tribute to Bishop Ken when he stated that he came as near to the ideal of Christian perfection "as human weakness permits."
Bishop Ken wrote a number of hymns, and it was always his desire that Christians be allowed to express their praise to God without being limited only to Psalmody and the Bible canticles. He was one of the first English writers to produce hymns that were not merely versifications of the Psalms.
In 1673 Thomas Ken wrote a book entitled A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In one of the editions of this manual, Ken included three of his hymns that he wanted the students to sing each day as part of their devotions. These hymns were called "Morning Hymn," "Evening Hymn," and "Midnight Hymn." Each of these hymns closed with the familiar four lines we now know as the Doxology.
Thought for the Day – What is Advent and what’s with the wreath?
According to Webster’s Advent is the first or the expected second coming of Christ; as well as the period including the four Sundays before Christmas. Advent Sunday is the first Sunday in the season of Advent, being always the nearest Sunday to the feast of St. Andrew (Now. 30). Advent is the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown. Oddly enough Advent is also a town in West Virginia.
The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light. Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world. Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent.
Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. Purple is still used in Catholic churches. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. This points to an important connection between Jesus’ birth and death. The nativity, the Incarnation, cannot be separated from the crucifixion. The purpose of Jesus’ coming into the world, of the "Word made flesh" and dwelling among us, is to reveal God and His grace to the world through Jesus’ life and teaching, but also through his suffering, death, and resurrection.
To reflect this emphasis, originally Advent was a time of penitence and fasting, much as the Season of Lent and so shared the color of Lent. In the four weeks of Advent the third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice"). The shift from the purple of the Season to pink or rose for the third Sunday Advent candles reflected this lessening emphasis on penitence as attention turned more to celebration of the season. Churches other than Anglican have changed colors and emphasis on the whole wreath, we remain true to tradition.
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival. " The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate. Scripture reading for Advent will reflect this emphasis on the Second Advent, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life. In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live "between the times" and are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the church celebrates God’s inbreaking into history in the Incarnation, and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which "all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption, " it also confesses its own responsibility as a people commissioned to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" and to "love your neighbor as yourself. "
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. It appears we will need to adjust our original plan to allow for further introduction to the Anglican Church for the local priests. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Father Acker hoped to get Bishop Boyce together with Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, while he is in the States later this month to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Fire Update
In rural eastern San Diego County, response groups estimated 52 percent of the 283 homes destroyed by the Harris fire had no insurance and long-term assistance is needed to help the families affected.
And even for homeowners throughout fire-stricken areas who had insurance, many might find themselves underinsured and unable to pay the additional costs for repairs or rebuilding, said Mel Curry of Mennonite Disaster Service.
"In the last (Cedar) fire, on several of houses we rebuilt they had insurance but the insurance was only enough to pay for materials," Curry said.
Until the long-term recovery efforts gets under way, individual faith-based groups and community service organizations were trying to fill the void by providing food, water, clothing and other essentials to people whose homes were damaged or destroyed. Cleanup efforts were ongoing. Plans were also being made to hold Thanksgiving dinners at several locations for people who had nowhere to celebrate the holiday.
As a matter of record, many of the people who lost homes in the Cedar fire four years ago have just now gotten back in their homes, including local congressional representative Duncan Hunter.
Advent Book Study
On Wednesday, 12 December 2007 from 7:00-8:30pm at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2518 Alpine Blvd Father Acker will lead a book study on the fairly new book: The Gospel According To Starbucks. This is designed to be a one shot deal, but it might stretch out, depending.
If you want to come and have not ordered a book through Father Acker for a mere $10.00, order your own from Amazon or go shopping on you own.
Fair Notice – This is going to be a really fun time. You will be sad you could not spare the time to come. Being coffee time, you won’t get the great Lenten Soup special, but you will enjoy it!
Epistle Readers
We post the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report each week so you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
The Week ahead, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent. It is also the first Sunday of the month and the Free Teen Guitar Class will be playing for us. With all of that fun, there is still the ongoing drama of waiting to see what Father Acker will talk about at the pre-service class and sermon. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs and simple text is available at:
http://thebeadle.blogspot.com/
or with one photograph per issue and colorful text at
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
2007 Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity
Today was the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity and the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The Santa Ana was back, fall was gone at least in San Diego County. On Mount Olympus, the morning brought a warm 60°F. At church, temperatures were in the mid 70°s, with clear skies, although looking down the hill, we could see a marine layer. Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was the promise of Jack and Father Acker playing the guitars and our lovely organist Marianne back from travel. Whatever it was, we had 27 people in church by the start of the service.
The Anglican Way or One Ring to Rule them All.
Continuing his series on the Anglican Church, Father Acker discussed What is Anglicanism?, reviewing the tract included in this morning’s bulletin.
Anglicanism is a word used to describe a Confederation of National Churches, throughout the world, in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, maintaining the historic Christian faith and order of the undivided Church. The Anglican Churches owe their historic origin to the mother Church of England. There are some 80 million Anglicans living in around the world. Our congregation is a member of the Anglican Province of America, which is a member of the Common Cause Partnership and the Federation of Anglican Churches in North America.
Anglicanism is bound, above all, to Holy Scripture for the Bible is the “Word of God.” The Bible is the record of God’s revelation in Christ, the story of what God did, out of which the Good News comes all people of the world. In the Old Testament (Hebrew scriptures) God prepares people for his promise of a savior. In the New Testament God fulfills his promise. Together they tell of the story of divine redemption given to the Christian Church.
Anglicanism gives allegiance to the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed; and through these statements of faith, to the central Christian dogmas which the Creeds express. Every creedal statement is to be believed insofar as it may be proved (that is, tested) by an appeal to Scripture [Articles of Religion, Article 8 in the Book of Common Prayer].
Anglicanism has no official theologian in its history. It welcomes contributions from many theologians but it finds absolute authority in none. We learn from Augustine and Aquinas, and from Luther and Calvin, but we are not bound to any one or any set of theologians or school of thought.
In the Creed we have the essence of Scripture. Our system depends on the individual member keeping priests and bishops honest. If a priest or bishop teaches or preaches contrary to scripture, members are not only allowed, but rather expected to call them on it. As much as we adore our Book of Common Prayer and believe its editor Thomas Cranmer to have been divinely inspired in his editing, we recognize it as just that, editing. Bishop Cranmer simply recompiled scripture into a format that would allow more effective worship. He invented nothing and would be horrified if anyone thought he did.
We work to more fully understand the mind and working of God. God embodies, defines truth—He does not change. As truth, He cannot change. Sometimes our perception changes as we learn more about Him.
The correct interpretation of the Scriptures is critical as it records the truth of God’s saving acts is passed down to us. We need to read and understand what Jesus said and did, which is recorded in Scripture, the Gospels. We need to read and understand to what Jesus’ Apostles learned from Him and put into practice, which is recorded in Scripture, the Acts of the Apostles and the various Epistles. This is the Word of God written by eyewitnesses and those who heard their stories.
Anglicanism does not intend to preclude theological development nor deny the right use of human reason. However, it insists that nothing can be taught as necessary to salvation which is not contained in the Holy Scriptures. This is used to test any development as valid.
Anglicanism flourishes knowing that the basis for the Christian faith is in the saving acts of God, recorded in Holy Scripture. Likewise, Anglicanism appeals to history or tradition, believing the ancient Fathers of the Church provided an invaluable insight into the correct interpretation of the Scriptures which is sound and accurate—a standard by which later interpretation of the Scriptures should be judged.
Anglicanism is committed to thoughtful study and careful reasoning to spiritual, and indeed, every other realm of experience. If we are to appeal to Scripture and to its interpretation by the Fathers of the Church (the first four centuries of Christian faith), we must employ our minds; fruitful Christian living demonstrates that our experience is enriched and deepened by the truth.
Anglicanism is not so much the statement of particular truths as it is a way of understanding and evaluating all truth. Instead of focusing on absolutes, it emphasizes the fullest expression of the truth for our Christian living. It does recognize the rightful place of divine authority. Anglicanism strives to embody orthodox living, evangelical zeal, and catholic (universal) belief.
Anglicanism is a network of national churches headed by Primates, or Archbishops, in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury rather than a centrally controlled worldwide church like the Roman Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the titular head of the Anglican Communion, but has no “special powers” as to theology. While the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury has a special place in the church, he cannot himself move the church from its theological position. At this time, the Archbishop of Canterbury seems to be moving his office away from its foundation of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition following The Episcopal Church (TEC) rather than leading the worldwide communion. The drift away from the trifoil of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition has resulted in the development of a defensive “communion of bishops and congregations” been necessary as laity and clergy need to embody in their own daily life and fellowship this foundation of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition. It is hoped that the continuing churches will come together to form a new national church in the Anglican tradition.
Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity invites you to explore God’s purpose for your life with a focus on Scripture, Reason, and Tradition. Every Sunday, at 0830 (8:30am) before the start of each service, we conduct a ten minute class to help us understand God’s purpose for our lives. We experience God’s presence so that we enjoy the abundant life God has planned for the present and into eternity.
A
lmighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Stephanie Boyd read the Epistle for today which was written in the First Chapter of the Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, beginning at the Third Verse. Writing to the people of Colossus, Paul tells them that he is constantly praying for them and exhorts them to do their very best to actually fulfill the promises they have made to God, to Walk the Walk, not just Talk the Talk; to study hard the Word and use the strength they will get from God to act on the things they have learned and professed.
W
e give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
The Gospel was written in the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Eighteenth Verse. While Jesus was talking to some of the disciples of John the Baptist, one of the local politicians whose daughter had just died came to Him with faith that He could return her to life. As he was leaving His meeting with the disciples to follow the politician, a woman who had been ill for many years, reached out in faith to “touch His garment.” She knew He was the key to her life, though she likely had no real understanding of just how. She had faith in Jesus. As she touched his garment, He turned saying, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” She was instantly healed. Like the Faithful Centurion: Truth set her free, faith made her whole. Jesus continued on to the politician’s house and returned his daughter to the living.
W
hile Jesus spake these things unto John’s disciples, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
Sermon - Secret Santa
While Secret Santa by its name may seem like a Christmas topic, today we are looking at it from the Thankgiving perspective. Most of us have been involved in the Secret Santa scheme: you are given someone’s name and you choose a gift for them. All anonymous. The real challenge is to figure out who the giver is based on the gift. In giving and receiving a gifts, we see something about the giver and the person to whom the gift is given, the giver and the givee, if there be such a word.
A great Secret Santa when looking for a gift, looks for that gift the givee needs and cannot or would not for themselves procure. The gift tells as much about the giver as the givee. How well one knows the other, or not as the case may be.
As we come on Thanksgiving, we should be thankful for that most powerful of all “Secret Santas”, that Person who gave His Son, that we would get the gift we cannot procure for ourselves, Eternal Salvation and Life Everlasting. The gift which came to you the first you heard the Gospel and knew the Grace of God.
God gives us grace, saving grace. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God gives us life. In God’s saving grace we come to know God - who “saved a wretch like me.” But, wait, there’s more: He provides the opportunity to know ourselves , as he “fills you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that His Spirit gives.” “to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him” “produce all kind of good deeds” “grow in your knowledge of God” “made strong” “able to endure everything with patience and with joy.”
He “brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son, by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.” Col 1.13-14 (TEV)
God is big,
I mean big,
really
big!
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Alice Acker brought the goodies today. There were cranberry bars, sherry cake and diabetic friendly gingerbread cakes, as well as some very non-friendly chocolate bars. Your Beadle thought the gingerbread was the best, then he had one of the sherry cake slices. That was Superb! So were the second and third pieces. This was the first time ever for the sherry cake, which came from a recipe brought down from Colorado by Father Acker’s mom, Rede.
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today. Father Acker’s mom and dad, Rede and Jack Acker were visiting. In addition, Ashley brought a friend, whose name did not get recorded.
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Ken is on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) were in town with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church four weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer did not make it to church this morning because Mike had to work. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church five weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. It appears we will need to adjust our original plan to allow for further introduction to the Anglican Church for the local priests. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Father Acker hoped to get Bishop Boyce together with Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, while he is in the States later this month to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Advent Book Study
On Wednesday, 12 December 2007 from 7:00-8:30pm at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2518 Alpine Blvd Father Acker will lead a book study on the fairly new book: The Gospel According To Starbucks. This is designed to be a one shot deal, but it might stretch out, depending.
If you want to come and have not ordered a book through Father Acker for a mere $10.00, order your own from Amazon or go shopping on you own.
The main idea of this book is not Starbucks. The author uses Starbucks to show how they connect with their customers. He urges the church to observe what they do. He uses Starbucks to show how they have connected with the culture–in fact they have transformed the culture. If you go to Starbucks they expect you to know “their” language -Venti, Grande and Tall (large, medium and small).
The author says people go to Starbucks not for the coffee but for the experience. He says that is what the church should be. People should come to connect with God not just go through the motions. He uses a acronym EPIC to describe what the church should be like:
• E- Experiencial
• P- Participatory
• I- Image-rich
• C- Connective
Experience- Sweet asks when is the last time you saw people lined up to go to church? Well, Everytime I’ve been to Northpoint in Alpharetta I have been in a line. The atmosphere is electric. Sweet says we should be so authentic at our churches that people will line up to hear the message that we have preached through our lives. Again, this isn’t about looking cool or trendy tricks, it is about being authentic.
Participatory-Sweet told a funny story about when he went to a Starbucks in Ohio and ordered a “Black eye” and the bartista said that wasn’t in the Starbucks Bible (their handbook). He said Starbucks makes people learn their language and he is multilingual. Sweet said we need to become G.O.O.D. Get Out Of Doors. He said churches need to be less of the Staff perfoming and more of the church participating.
Image-rich-Sweet said we live in an image rich society. When you go to Starbucks it has an image-rich atmosphere. He said the church needs to preach with passionate images much like Jesus did. He used metaphors. I think I have this one down in my speaking. I usually have about 100 slides per message.
Connective-Finally people love to connect over coffee. Sweet said the church used to be the central place in the community. Meetings such as homeowners, government planning meetings, AA, etc… used to be held at churches. Not much anymore. He said the church should be like the front porch in a home where people feel welcome and hang out. He asks this question:
If your church fails as a sacred space for connection, what is missing? (p.133)
Come join in our discussion with dessert & Starbucks Decaf Coffee!
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
The Week ahead, as well as Next Sunday
Wednesday evening at 1830 (6:30pm) our church is sponsoring the Alpine Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at Queen of Angels Roman Catholic Church. Father Acker will be running the service and the Free Teen Guitar Class will be playing for the service.
During the week - Father Acker reminded everyone of the Alpine Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, held at Queen of Roses at 1900 (7:00pm) on Wednesday, 21 November 2007 and the Thanksgiving morning Holy Communion at 0830 (8:30 am) on Thursday, 22 November 2007, at Victoria Chapel. For directions to the chapel, call the church office (619) 722-1772.
Next Sunday is the Sunday Next before Advent, as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
The Anglican Way or One Ring to Rule them All.
Continuing his series on the Anglican Church, Father Acker discussed What is Anglicanism?, reviewing the tract included in this morning’s bulletin.
Anglicanism is a word used to describe a Confederation of National Churches, throughout the world, in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, maintaining the historic Christian faith and order of the undivided Church. The Anglican Churches owe their historic origin to the mother Church of England. There are some 80 million Anglicans living in around the world. Our congregation is a member of the Anglican Province of America, which is a member of the Common Cause Partnership and the Federation of Anglican Churches in North America.
Anglicanism is bound, above all, to Holy Scripture for the Bible is the “Word of God.” The Bible is the record of God’s revelation in Christ, the story of what God did, out of which the Good News comes all people of the world. In the Old Testament (Hebrew scriptures) God prepares people for his promise of a savior. In the New Testament God fulfills his promise. Together they tell of the story of divine redemption given to the Christian Church.
Anglicanism gives allegiance to the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed; and through these statements of faith, to the central Christian dogmas which the Creeds express. Every creedal statement is to be believed insofar as it may be proved (that is, tested) by an appeal to Scripture [Articles of Religion, Article 8 in the Book of Common Prayer].
Anglicanism has no official theologian in its history. It welcomes contributions from many theologians but it finds absolute authority in none. We learn from Augustine and Aquinas, and from Luther and Calvin, but we are not bound to any one or any set of theologians or school of thought.
In the Creed we have the essence of Scripture. Our system depends on the individual member keeping priests and bishops honest. If a priest or bishop teaches or preaches contrary to scripture, members are not only allowed, but rather expected to call them on it. As much as we adore our Book of Common Prayer and believe its editor Thomas Cranmer to have been divinely inspired in his editing, we recognize it as just that, editing. Bishop Cranmer simply recompiled scripture into a format that would allow more effective worship. He invented nothing and would be horrified if anyone thought he did.
We work to more fully understand the mind and working of God. God embodies, defines truth—He does not change. As truth, He cannot change. Sometimes our perception changes as we learn more about Him.
The correct interpretation of the Scriptures is critical as it records the truth of God’s saving acts is passed down to us. We need to read and understand what Jesus said and did, which is recorded in Scripture, the Gospels. We need to read and understand to what Jesus’ Apostles learned from Him and put into practice, which is recorded in Scripture, the Acts of the Apostles and the various Epistles. This is the Word of God written by eyewitnesses and those who heard their stories.
Anglicanism does not intend to preclude theological development nor deny the right use of human reason. However, it insists that nothing can be taught as necessary to salvation which is not contained in the Holy Scriptures. This is used to test any development as valid.
Anglicanism flourishes knowing that the basis for the Christian faith is in the saving acts of God, recorded in Holy Scripture. Likewise, Anglicanism appeals to history or tradition, believing the ancient Fathers of the Church provided an invaluable insight into the correct interpretation of the Scriptures which is sound and accurate—a standard by which later interpretation of the Scriptures should be judged.
Anglicanism is committed to thoughtful study and careful reasoning to spiritual, and indeed, every other realm of experience. If we are to appeal to Scripture and to its interpretation by the Fathers of the Church (the first four centuries of Christian faith), we must employ our minds; fruitful Christian living demonstrates that our experience is enriched and deepened by the truth.
Anglicanism is not so much the statement of particular truths as it is a way of understanding and evaluating all truth. Instead of focusing on absolutes, it emphasizes the fullest expression of the truth for our Christian living. It does recognize the rightful place of divine authority. Anglicanism strives to embody orthodox living, evangelical zeal, and catholic (universal) belief.
Anglicanism is a network of national churches headed by Primates, or Archbishops, in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury rather than a centrally controlled worldwide church like the Roman Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the titular head of the Anglican Communion, but has no “special powers” as to theology. While the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury has a special place in the church, he cannot himself move the church from its theological position. At this time, the Archbishop of Canterbury seems to be moving his office away from its foundation of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition following The Episcopal Church (TEC) rather than leading the worldwide communion. The drift away from the trifoil of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition has resulted in the development of a defensive “communion of bishops and congregations” been necessary as laity and clergy need to embody in their own daily life and fellowship this foundation of Scripture, Reason, and Tradition. It is hoped that the continuing churches will come together to form a new national church in the Anglican tradition.
Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity invites you to explore God’s purpose for your life with a focus on Scripture, Reason, and Tradition. Every Sunday, at 0830 (8:30am) before the start of each service, we conduct a ten minute class to help us understand God’s purpose for our lives. We experience God’s presence so that we enjoy the abundant life God has planned for the present and into eternity.
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lmighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Stephanie Boyd read the Epistle for today which was written in the First Chapter of the Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, beginning at the Third Verse. Writing to the people of Colossus, Paul tells them that he is constantly praying for them and exhorts them to do their very best to actually fulfill the promises they have made to God, to Walk the Walk, not just Talk the Talk; to study hard the Word and use the strength they will get from God to act on the things they have learned and professed.
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e give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: as ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
The Gospel was written in the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Eighteenth Verse. While Jesus was talking to some of the disciples of John the Baptist, one of the local politicians whose daughter had just died came to Him with faith that He could return her to life. As he was leaving His meeting with the disciples to follow the politician, a woman who had been ill for many years, reached out in faith to “touch His garment.” She knew He was the key to her life, though she likely had no real understanding of just how. She had faith in Jesus. As she touched his garment, He turned saying, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” She was instantly healed. Like the Faithful Centurion: Truth set her free, faith made her whole. Jesus continued on to the politician’s house and returned his daughter to the living.
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hile Jesus spake these things unto John’s disciples, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, he said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
Sermon - Secret Santa
While Secret Santa by its name may seem like a Christmas topic, today we are looking at it from the Thankgiving perspective. Most of us have been involved in the Secret Santa scheme: you are given someone’s name and you choose a gift for them. All anonymous. The real challenge is to figure out who the giver is based on the gift. In giving and receiving a gifts, we see something about the giver and the person to whom the gift is given, the giver and the givee, if there be such a word.
A great Secret Santa when looking for a gift, looks for that gift the givee needs and cannot or would not for themselves procure. The gift tells as much about the giver as the givee. How well one knows the other, or not as the case may be.
As we come on Thanksgiving, we should be thankful for that most powerful of all “Secret Santas”, that Person who gave His Son, that we would get the gift we cannot procure for ourselves, Eternal Salvation and Life Everlasting. The gift which came to you the first you heard the Gospel and knew the Grace of God.
God gives us grace, saving grace. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, God gives us life. In God’s saving grace we come to know God - who “saved a wretch like me.” But, wait, there’s more: He provides the opportunity to know ourselves , as he “fills you with the knowledge of his will, with all the wisdom and understanding that His Spirit gives.” “to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him” “produce all kind of good deeds” “grow in your knowledge of God” “made strong” “able to endure everything with patience and with joy.”
He “brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear Son, by whom we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven.” Col 1.13-14 (TEV)
God is big,
I mean big,
really
big!
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Alice Acker brought the goodies today. There were cranberry bars, sherry cake and diabetic friendly gingerbread cakes, as well as some very non-friendly chocolate bars. Your Beadle thought the gingerbread was the best, then he had one of the sherry cake slices. That was Superb! So were the second and third pieces. This was the first time ever for the sherry cake, which came from a recipe brought down from Colorado by Father Acker’s mom, Rede.
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today. Father Acker’s mom and dad, Rede and Jack Acker were visiting. In addition, Ashley brought a friend, whose name did not get recorded.
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Ken is on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) were in town with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church four weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer did not make it to church this morning because Mike had to work. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church five weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. It appears we will need to adjust our original plan to allow for further introduction to the Anglican Church for the local priests. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Father Acker hoped to get Bishop Boyce together with Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, while he is in the States later this month to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Advent Book Study
On Wednesday, 12 December 2007 from 7:00-8:30pm at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2518 Alpine Blvd Father Acker will lead a book study on the fairly new book: The Gospel According To Starbucks. This is designed to be a one shot deal, but it might stretch out, depending.
If you want to come and have not ordered a book through Father Acker for a mere $10.00, order your own from Amazon or go shopping on you own.
The main idea of this book is not Starbucks. The author uses Starbucks to show how they connect with their customers. He urges the church to observe what they do. He uses Starbucks to show how they have connected with the culture–in fact they have transformed the culture. If you go to Starbucks they expect you to know “their” language -Venti, Grande and Tall (large, medium and small).
The author says people go to Starbucks not for the coffee but for the experience. He says that is what the church should be. People should come to connect with God not just go through the motions. He uses a acronym EPIC to describe what the church should be like:
• E- Experiencial
• P- Participatory
• I- Image-rich
• C- Connective
Experience- Sweet asks when is the last time you saw people lined up to go to church? Well, Everytime I’ve been to Northpoint in Alpharetta I have been in a line. The atmosphere is electric. Sweet says we should be so authentic at our churches that people will line up to hear the message that we have preached through our lives. Again, this isn’t about looking cool or trendy tricks, it is about being authentic.
Participatory-Sweet told a funny story about when he went to a Starbucks in Ohio and ordered a “Black eye” and the bartista said that wasn’t in the Starbucks Bible (their handbook). He said Starbucks makes people learn their language and he is multilingual. Sweet said we need to become G.O.O.D. Get Out Of Doors. He said churches need to be less of the Staff perfoming and more of the church participating.
Image-rich-Sweet said we live in an image rich society. When you go to Starbucks it has an image-rich atmosphere. He said the church needs to preach with passionate images much like Jesus did. He used metaphors. I think I have this one down in my speaking. I usually have about 100 slides per message.
Connective-Finally people love to connect over coffee. Sweet said the church used to be the central place in the community. Meetings such as homeowners, government planning meetings, AA, etc… used to be held at churches. Not much anymore. He said the church should be like the front porch in a home where people feel welcome and hang out. He asks this question:
If your church fails as a sacred space for connection, what is missing? (p.133)
Come join in our discussion with dessert & Starbucks Decaf Coffee!
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
The Week ahead, as well as Next Sunday
Wednesday evening at 1830 (6:30pm) our church is sponsoring the Alpine Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at Queen of Angels Roman Catholic Church. Father Acker will be running the service and the Free Teen Guitar Class will be playing for the service.
During the week - Father Acker reminded everyone of the Alpine Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service, held at Queen of Roses at 1900 (7:00pm) on Wednesday, 21 November 2007 and the Thanksgiving morning Holy Communion at 0830 (8:30 am) on Thursday, 22 November 2007, at Victoria Chapel. For directions to the chapel, call the church office (619) 722-1772.
Next Sunday is the Sunday Next before Advent, as well as the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
2007 Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
Today was the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, Veterans’ Day and the Sunday after the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Weather was definitely fall, or at least fall for San Diego County. On Mount Olympus, the morning brought a crisp 38°F. At church, temperatures were in the low 60°s, with clear skies, although looking down the hill, we could see a marine layer. Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was the promise of Jack and Father Acker playing the guitars with Betsy and Marianne on travel. In any event, the lovely weather brought out 20 people.
The Anglican Way or One Ring to Rule them All.
As many of you know, the original Church of England transitioned into the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America (PECUSA) when we cast off the Crown in this country. While the transition was less than smooth, it was more an issue of control and perhaps a bit of hard feelings over that little revolution thing than questions of basic Christian doctrine. With the decline of the PECUSA and renaming first to ECUSA and now to TEC, first people, then parishes have left the PECUSA/ECUSA/TEC for what became a splintered “Continuing Church” or “Continuum.”
Earlier, the Primates extended an apparent offer of recognition and / or acceptance to American bishops who might be inclined to lead their flocks away from the cesspool of the TEC and back to full communion with the Anglican Church Worldwide. For whatever reason, no American bishops have taken up the offer. Two bishops, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth may be so inclined. San Joaquin may join them. So far, however, no American bishop has led his flock anywhere.
On Wednesday, the Anglican Churches of the Southern Cone (Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Northern Argentina) extended itself to include diocese in North America who wish to join them. This may be of interest as these churches for the most part use a form of the 1979 so called Book of Common Prayer.
They are trying to offer a vision as the unit of the church now being a diocese rather than a province. The Archbishop of Canterbury offered the thought that this is “a sensible way forward” and provided “support for diocesan autonomy.” He opined, “The organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such.”
The vision of the Anglican Church since 37AD has been a series of co-joined national churches with a common vision. Each national church being headed by a bishop who with other national church heads formed a worldwide counsel, nominally headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a “First Among Equals”, not infallible, but hopefully at least mindful of scripture. The Worldwide Anglican Communion shares a participation in the Body of Christ, visible in our sharing of the Sacrament of the Altar; reflectiing the unity of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Way to the Father.
Our congregation is in Communion with the Worldwide Communion through our Bishop. He, in turn, is welcomed and shares Communion with the Primates of the Global South. We affirm that Communion as we participate and share in Communion; each time we share Holy Communion it is to affirm the “faith once delivered to the saints”, that is, Apostolic teachings and practices.
We should care about with whom our Bishop shares Communion! We should care that we are visibly in Communion in the Body of Christ. We have liturgical and style differences with many parts of the Communion. What we share is a commitment to the principles set out in the Creeds, both the Apostles and Nicene and the beliefs set out in the Articles of Religion. The ordained ministers of the Communion share in the Apostolic succession— To share with the apostles the same faith, to believe their word as found in the Scriptures, to receive the same Holy Spirit, assured in the laying on of hands in ordination.
• Direct link to the Apostles
o Accurate teaching
o Passing down
o Fullness of the Church
o Symbol of unity
o Autonomy
Clement I
"Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached, and they appointed their earliest converts, testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers. Nor was this a novelty, for bishops and deacons had been written about a long time earlier. . . . Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason, therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been mentioned and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry" (Letter to the Corinthians 42:4–5, 44:1–3 [A.D. 80]).
Irenaeus
"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own times, men who neither knew nor taught anything like what these heretics rave about" (Against Heresies 3:3:1 [A.D. 189]). "Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time" (ibid., 3:3:4).
Greg Chase read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians beginning at the Seventeenth Verse of the Third Chapter. Writing to the church in Philippia, Paul asks them to watch whom they follow, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, … that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” He reminds us of our ultimate goal, of that which for us should have the principal place in our minds, “For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed unto the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.”
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rethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed unto the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.
The Gospel was written in the Twenty-Second Fourth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Fifteenth Verse. Like many people today, the Pharisees
took much comfort in the fact that they followed The Law to The Letter. Not looking to what the law was trying to get them to do and to think, but rather following The Law to The Letter. Jesus presented a threat to their very existence, because he asked the people to do what God willed, not to simply cook their food a certain way, or turn down an invitation to a luau because they served roast pig and drank Bud. Being good followers of The Law to The Letter, they sought to trip Him up. “…they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” Having for so long lived The Law to The Letter, believing The Kingdom of God would be of this world, they could not see the obvious response. They were absolutely floored when Jesus said, “Shew me the tribute money.” With no thought of the answer, “they brought unto him a penny.” Jesus asked them, “Whose is this image and superscription?” Again playing the straight man, walking into the trap they had set for themselves, they answered, “Caesar’s.” Driving his point straight into their hearts, he told them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
This ended the encounter, “they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”
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hen went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
Sermon - Four Letter Words
I am not really sure where it came from, but Father Acker started talking about one of his favorite books, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. While nominally not theological, but certainly very moral, the point was made that in Lord of the Rings, “you can see how half the work of evil is done when hope is lost.” Like the frog with his hands around the pelican’s neck, as Christians, we must never never give up. In prayer, we interface with God. If we will place our faith in Him, He will give us what we need. Often not what we want, but rather what we need.
NEED
WANT
Two four letter words. They are not interchangeable, no matter how people seem to think them so.
We often think we should not ask God for little things, as Alice calls them begging prayers. Not so. Look at the Lord’s Prayer, the example our Lord himself set for us. Elegant, but a series of petitions. Elegant, but still begging. And rightly so. Who are we that we should other than beg from the God of All?
We ask because:
1. Jesus taught us
2. God is our Father and can do what we can’t
Yes, God knows our needs be for we ask,
But Jesus told us to Ask
We know “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.” {perhaps that would make a good song!}
People often think they should wait to pray for something big, I mean big, really big.
Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. When we were children, did we wait to ask our parents until it was big, I mean big, really big?
Perhaps, perhaps not. If we ask God for help in the little things, many of the big bad things won’t ever happen and if they do, they won’t be so big afterall.
God is big, I mean big, really big.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today. We celebrated Don Patton’s 45th birthday with him today.
After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens went all out on snacks again today. She brought home made brownies, several types of very fancy cookies and even celery for the points impaired. Superb!
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today. We did have guests from Northern California:
Suzanne Chrystal Nicole
Graham Father Acker’s Back
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Betsy and Marianne are on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) are planning to be with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church three weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer did not make it to church this morning because Mike had to work. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church four weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
Veterans’ Day The Sunday after the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps
As we celebrate the Corps' birthday and Veterans' Day, we are reminded that freedom is not free, it never was and it never will be. As I type this I can hear a chipper in the background being run by two young Marines, helping our family out between what was and will be their third and fourth deployments to Iraq. We had our wars, they have theirs. We are fortunate the country still produces young people who will step forward to fill the breech.
Our country was established to give a home to freedom. That freedom was purchased but never fully paid for by the people who became veterans of the Continental Army and Navy. Maintaining our freedom to live and worship freely required constant payment by members of our Armed Services.
God • Honor • Country
When our country called, people who became veterans stepped forward without regard to personal safety or convenience. They put their lives on the line for our country and what is often forgotten, they put their families on the line for our freedom.
At the end of twenty or thirty years, you look at the lines drawn through names on the Christmas card list, men who gave their tomorrow for ours, it could have been you, it wasn’t; you look back at what you missed with your family, not the missed Christmases, though there were many, but rather the missed opportunities to lead in times of crisis and hold hands and hug in times of sadness and to laugh in times of happiness, and you see the sacrifice the family made that we might be free.
All gave some,
Some gave all.
Thank you
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. It appears we will need to adjust our original plan to allow for further introduction to the Anglican Church for the local priests. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Father Acker hoped to get Bishop Boyce together with Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, while he is in the States later this month to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Advent Book Study
Starting on Wednesday, 12 December 2007 from 7:00-8:30pm at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2518 Alpine Blvd Father Acker will be leading a book study on the fairly new book: The Gospel According To Starbucks
You can order your own, of Father Acker will place an order next Sunday afternoon if you want a copy—Cost $10.00 includes shipping. A really good deal on a little book.
The main idea of this book is not Starbucks. The author uses Starbucks to show how they connect with their customers. He urges the church to observe what they do. He uses Starbucks to show how they have connected with the culture–in fact they have transformed the culture. If you go to Starbucks they expect you to know “their” language -Venti, Grande and Tall (large, medium and small).
The author says people go to Starbucks not for the coffee but for the experience. He says that is what the church should be. People should come to connect with God not just go through the motions. He uses a acronym EPIC to describe what the church should be like:
• E- Experiencial
• P- Participatory
• I- Image-rich
• C- Connective
Experience- Sweet asks when is the last time you saw people lined up to go to church? Well, Everytime I’ve been to Northpoint in Alpharetta I have been in a line. The atmosphere is electric. Sweet says we should be so authentic at our churches that people will line up to hear the message that we have preached through our lives. Again, this isn’t about looking cool or trendy tricks, it is about being authentic.
Participatory-Sweet told a funny story about when he went to a Starbucks in Ohio and ordered a “Black eye” and the bartista said that wasn’t in the Starbucks Bible (their handbook). He said Starbucks makes people learn their language and he is multilingual. Sweet said we need to become G.O.O.D. Get Out Of Doors. He said churches need to be less of the Staff perfoming and more of the church participating.
Image-rich-Sweet said we live in an image rich society. When you go to Starbucks it has an image-rich atmosphere. He said the church needs to preach with passionate images much like Jesus did. He used metaphors. I think I have this one down in my speaking. I usually have about 100 slides per message.
Connective-Finally people love to connect over coffee. Sweet said the church used to be the central place in the community. Meetings such as homeowners, government planning meetings, AA, etc… used to be held at churches. Not much anymore. He said the church should be like the front porch in a home where people feel welcome and hang out. He asks this question:
If your church fails as a sacred space for connection, what is missing? (p.133)
Come join in our discussion with dessert & Starbucks Decaf Coffee.
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
18 November 2007 Stephanie Boyd
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, it is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
The Anglican Way or One Ring to Rule them All.
As many of you know, the original Church of England transitioned into the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America (PECUSA) when we cast off the Crown in this country. While the transition was less than smooth, it was more an issue of control and perhaps a bit of hard feelings over that little revolution thing than questions of basic Christian doctrine. With the decline of the PECUSA and renaming first to ECUSA and now to TEC, first people, then parishes have left the PECUSA/ECUSA/TEC for what became a splintered “Continuing Church” or “Continuum.”
Earlier, the Primates extended an apparent offer of recognition and / or acceptance to American bishops who might be inclined to lead their flocks away from the cesspool of the TEC and back to full communion with the Anglican Church Worldwide. For whatever reason, no American bishops have taken up the offer. Two bishops, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth may be so inclined. San Joaquin may join them. So far, however, no American bishop has led his flock anywhere.
On Wednesday, the Anglican Churches of the Southern Cone (Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Northern Argentina) extended itself to include diocese in North America who wish to join them. This may be of interest as these churches for the most part use a form of the 1979 so called Book of Common Prayer.
They are trying to offer a vision as the unit of the church now being a diocese rather than a province. The Archbishop of Canterbury offered the thought that this is “a sensible way forward” and provided “support for diocesan autonomy.” He opined, “The organ of union with the wider Church is the Bishop and the Diocese rather than the Provincial structure as such.”
The vision of the Anglican Church since 37AD has been a series of co-joined national churches with a common vision. Each national church being headed by a bishop who with other national church heads formed a worldwide counsel, nominally headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, a “First Among Equals”, not infallible, but hopefully at least mindful of scripture. The Worldwide Anglican Communion shares a participation in the Body of Christ, visible in our sharing of the Sacrament of the Altar; reflectiing the unity of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Way to the Father.
Our congregation is in Communion with the Worldwide Communion through our Bishop. He, in turn, is welcomed and shares Communion with the Primates of the Global South. We affirm that Communion as we participate and share in Communion; each time we share Holy Communion it is to affirm the “faith once delivered to the saints”, that is, Apostolic teachings and practices.
We should care about with whom our Bishop shares Communion! We should care that we are visibly in Communion in the Body of Christ. We have liturgical and style differences with many parts of the Communion. What we share is a commitment to the principles set out in the Creeds, both the Apostles and Nicene and the beliefs set out in the Articles of Religion. The ordained ministers of the Communion share in the Apostolic succession— To share with the apostles the same faith, to believe their word as found in the Scriptures, to receive the same Holy Spirit, assured in the laying on of hands in ordination.
• Direct link to the Apostles
o Accurate teaching
o Passing down
o Fullness of the Church
o Symbol of unity
o Autonomy
Clement I
"Through countryside and city [the apostles] preached, and they appointed their earliest converts, testing them by the Spirit, to be the bishops and deacons of future believers. Nor was this a novelty, for bishops and deacons had been written about a long time earlier. . . . Our apostles knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be strife for the office of bishop. For this reason, therefore, having received perfect foreknowledge, they appointed those who have already been mentioned and afterwards added the further provision that, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry" (Letter to the Corinthians 42:4–5, 44:1–3 [A.D. 80]).
Irenaeus
"It is possible, then, for everyone in every church, who may wish to know the truth, to contemplate the tradition of the apostles which has been made known to us throughout the whole world. And we are in a position to enumerate those who were instituted bishops by the apostles and their successors down to our own times, men who neither knew nor taught anything like what these heretics rave about" (Against Heresies 3:3:1 [A.D. 189]). "Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. To these things all the Asiatic churches testify, as do also those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the present time" (ibid., 3:3:4).
Greg Chase read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians beginning at the Seventeenth Verse of the Third Chapter. Writing to the church in Philippia, Paul asks them to watch whom they follow, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, … that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” He reminds us of our ultimate goal, of that which for us should have the principal place in our minds, “For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed unto the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.”
B
rethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed unto the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself.
The Gospel was written in the Twenty-Second Fourth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Fifteenth Verse. Like many people today, the Pharisees
took much comfort in the fact that they followed The Law to The Letter. Not looking to what the law was trying to get them to do and to think, but rather following The Law to The Letter. Jesus presented a threat to their very existence, because he asked the people to do what God willed, not to simply cook their food a certain way, or turn down an invitation to a luau because they served roast pig and drank Bud. Being good followers of The Law to The Letter, they sought to trip Him up. “…they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, ‘Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” Having for so long lived The Law to The Letter, believing The Kingdom of God would be of this world, they could not see the obvious response. They were absolutely floored when Jesus said, “Shew me the tribute money.” With no thought of the answer, “they brought unto him a penny.” Jesus asked them, “Whose is this image and superscription?” Again playing the straight man, walking into the trap they had set for themselves, they answered, “Caesar’s.” Driving his point straight into their hearts, he told them, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
This ended the encounter, “they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.”
T
hen went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Cæsar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
Sermon - Four Letter Words
I am not really sure where it came from, but Father Acker started talking about one of his favorite books, Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. While nominally not theological, but certainly very moral, the point was made that in Lord of the Rings, “you can see how half the work of evil is done when hope is lost.” Like the frog with his hands around the pelican’s neck, as Christians, we must never never give up. In prayer, we interface with God. If we will place our faith in Him, He will give us what we need. Often not what we want, but rather what we need.
NEED
WANT
Two four letter words. They are not interchangeable, no matter how people seem to think them so.
We often think we should not ask God for little things, as Alice calls them begging prayers. Not so. Look at the Lord’s Prayer, the example our Lord himself set for us. Elegant, but a series of petitions. Elegant, but still begging. And rightly so. Who are we that we should other than beg from the God of All?
We ask because:
1. Jesus taught us
2. God is our Father and can do what we can’t
Yes, God knows our needs be for we ask,
But Jesus told us to Ask
We know “You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need.” {perhaps that would make a good song!}
People often think they should wait to pray for something big, I mean big, really big.
Perhaps that is the wrong way to look at it. When we were children, did we wait to ask our parents until it was big, I mean big, really big?
Perhaps, perhaps not. If we ask God for help in the little things, many of the big bad things won’t ever happen and if they do, they won’t be so big afterall.
God is big, I mean big, really big.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today. We celebrated Don Patton’s 45th birthday with him today.
After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens went all out on snacks again today. She brought home made brownies, several types of very fancy cookies and even celery for the points impaired. Superb!
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today. We did have guests from Northern California:
Suzanne Chrystal Nicole
Graham Father Acker’s Back
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Betsy and Marianne are on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) are planning to be with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church three weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer did not make it to church this morning because Mike had to work. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church four weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
Veterans’ Day The Sunday after the 232nd Birthday of the United States Marine Corps
As we celebrate the Corps' birthday and Veterans' Day, we are reminded that freedom is not free, it never was and it never will be. As I type this I can hear a chipper in the background being run by two young Marines, helping our family out between what was and will be their third and fourth deployments to Iraq. We had our wars, they have theirs. We are fortunate the country still produces young people who will step forward to fill the breech.
Our country was established to give a home to freedom. That freedom was purchased but never fully paid for by the people who became veterans of the Continental Army and Navy. Maintaining our freedom to live and worship freely required constant payment by members of our Armed Services.
God • Honor • Country
When our country called, people who became veterans stepped forward without regard to personal safety or convenience. They put their lives on the line for our country and what is often forgotten, they put their families on the line for our freedom.
At the end of twenty or thirty years, you look at the lines drawn through names on the Christmas card list, men who gave their tomorrow for ours, it could have been you, it wasn’t; you look back at what you missed with your family, not the missed Christmases, though there were many, but rather the missed opportunities to lead in times of crisis and hold hands and hug in times of sadness and to laugh in times of happiness, and you see the sacrifice the family made that we might be free.
All gave some,
Some gave all.
Thank you
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. It appears we will need to adjust our original plan to allow for further introduction to the Anglican Church for the local priests. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Father Acker hoped to get Bishop Boyce together with Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, while he is in the States later this month to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Advent Book Study
Starting on Wednesday, 12 December 2007 from 7:00-8:30pm at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2518 Alpine Blvd Father Acker will be leading a book study on the fairly new book: The Gospel According To Starbucks
You can order your own, of Father Acker will place an order next Sunday afternoon if you want a copy—Cost $10.00 includes shipping. A really good deal on a little book.
The main idea of this book is not Starbucks. The author uses Starbucks to show how they connect with their customers. He urges the church to observe what they do. He uses Starbucks to show how they have connected with the culture–in fact they have transformed the culture. If you go to Starbucks they expect you to know “their” language -Venti, Grande and Tall (large, medium and small).
The author says people go to Starbucks not for the coffee but for the experience. He says that is what the church should be. People should come to connect with God not just go through the motions. He uses a acronym EPIC to describe what the church should be like:
• E- Experiencial
• P- Participatory
• I- Image-rich
• C- Connective
Experience- Sweet asks when is the last time you saw people lined up to go to church? Well, Everytime I’ve been to Northpoint in Alpharetta I have been in a line. The atmosphere is electric. Sweet says we should be so authentic at our churches that people will line up to hear the message that we have preached through our lives. Again, this isn’t about looking cool or trendy tricks, it is about being authentic.
Participatory-Sweet told a funny story about when he went to a Starbucks in Ohio and ordered a “Black eye” and the bartista said that wasn’t in the Starbucks Bible (their handbook). He said Starbucks makes people learn their language and he is multilingual. Sweet said we need to become G.O.O.D. Get Out Of Doors. He said churches need to be less of the Staff perfoming and more of the church participating.
Image-rich-Sweet said we live in an image rich society. When you go to Starbucks it has an image-rich atmosphere. He said the church needs to preach with passionate images much like Jesus did. He used metaphors. I think I have this one down in my speaking. I usually have about 100 slides per message.
Connective-Finally people love to connect over coffee. Sweet said the church used to be the central place in the community. Meetings such as homeowners, government planning meetings, AA, etc… used to be held at churches. Not much anymore. He said the church should be like the front porch in a home where people feel welcome and hang out. He asks this question:
If your church fails as a sacred space for connection, what is missing? (p.133)
Come join in our discussion with dessert & Starbucks Decaf Coffee.
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
18 November 2007 Stephanie Boyd
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, it is also the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
2007 Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
Today was the Sunday after All Saints’ Day and the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity, as well as the first Sunday of the month (Free Teen Guitar Class Sunday). The fires across the county are all out or under control, the marine layer was back down the hill, extending to Dunbar Lane. At church, the temperature was about 75°F with a light Santa Ana breeze blowing under a very thin overcast. The beautiful weather and the guitar kids brought out 30 people.
Free Teen Guitar Class
Today was the first Sunday of the month. This is the customary Sunday for Father Ironhand’s Free Teen Guitar Class to play for our service. Playing today were:
Ryan Howell Alex Springer Jack Arnold Father Ironhand
Father Acker teaches the Free Teen Guitar Class on Wednesdays. The class plays for us on the first Sunday of the month. They have about six other performances throughout the year around the village. If you know a young person who would like to learn the guitar, call Father Acker or check out the website:
http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com/
Dying to Know?
Father Acker is nearing the end, so to speak, of his short series on Death from the Christian Perspective.
In talking about the Christian view of death, we’ve talked about everything from Paradise to the cost of Cremation. With Halloween and All Saints’ Day just past, it is a good time to talk about Christian Holidays. As Christians, we have events to celebrate and remember. As humans, exposed to seasonal change, we have a year to live, with its four seasons, first pagan, then Christian. As CS Lewis said, "Boiling an egg is the same process whether you are a Christian or a Pagan."
Throughout the ages, Christians have placed their feasts around the year at times similar to those of pagans, to allow Christians something to celebrate all year. It had the dual effects of providing enjoyment and edification to Christians, as well as eliminating the draw of a pagan event.
As winter approached, particularly in the time of old, also approached the reality of winter, Hardship, Starvation and Death. A time of “Evil.”
Halloween comes from the ancient Celtics religion. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning. Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (1 May), and Samhain at the end of summer (1 November). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds thinned, hostile supernatural forces were active; ghosts and spirits were free to wander.
The Celtic priests (Druids,) members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, performed their rituals: offering sacrifices, of animals and humans, to placate the gods; ensuring the sun would return after the winter; frightening away evil spirits. To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals and human were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. The practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.
Samhain was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. This is the origin of our present day "trick-or-treat." They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. Villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property if not placated.
The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else, human or not, nice or not- so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.
Trick or Treat has been thought to have come from a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.
In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century and they developed into 'trick or treat'.
The Jack-O-Lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead. When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since. Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror, thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night. Bats, owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead. Black cats has religious origins as well. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.
To this odd time, Christians brought a new message of one God who was a God of Life, a victory of life over death—Jesus raised from the dead. Not a haunting, but Life with God for eternity. Christians didn’t ignore the Night of the Dead, rather they gave it new meaning. They made it an 8 day celebration of the saints. We celebrate the saints, the holy ones, the hallows, who accepted God’s victory over death. Chrysostom tells us that as early as the fourth century, the Eastern church celebrated a festival in honor of all saints.
In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on 13 May. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saints’ Day from 13 May to 1 November and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. 31 October thus became All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint'). Many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity.
As long as we keep in mind that the message of Halloween is that tomorrow is All Saints’ Day when we honor those who have gone before us, then the ghouls, goblins and the like are harmless fantasy.
We focus on the Good News, the All Hallows message: Jesus’ victory of Life over Death and Evil; a reminder of the hallows who have gone before us in Victory, the saints.
Ben Lizak read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians beginning at the Third Verse of the First Chapter. Writing to the church in Philippia, Paul sends his greetings letting them know he has been praying for them constantly. He tells them that the good work God has begun in them will surely continue until Christ returns to them. Paul tells them he prays that they will find more and more joy in following the will of God. Continually reminding people of the joy of being born a new person, Paul prays that their “love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
The Gospel was written in the Twenty-Eighth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Twenty-First Verse. On the subject of confession, repentance and forgiveness, knowing the rabbis had ordained forgiving one’s transgressors three times Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Knowing Jesus as he did, Peter no doubt expected Jesus to say more times than three, but 490 may have been somewhat more than he expected. In one of the more important stories in the Bible concerning God’s forgiveness of us and our obligation to forgive others, Jesus went on to say, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Peter said unto Jesus, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take ac-count of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Sermon - Learning to Forgive Like God
If you read the Lord’s Prayer or today’s Gospel from Mark, it is clear that as we have accepted God’s forgiveness purchased at great cost for us by Jesus, we too are called on to forgive those who “trespass against us.” Jesus has instructed us “those who believe on Him (me), keep His (my) sayings.” God calls on us to be like Him. If we repent, He will forgive us. If we can be forgiven of mortal sin, can we not forgive our fellow imperfect beings?
Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is waiting for us, watching from the Widow’s Walk. He doesn’t wait inside, He sees us driving up the road to come home. God is always ready at the door, hoping you’ll ask.
God wants you to be happy. He knows that anger, like a festering sore, brings no good. Accept the apology, welcome the repentance and move on towards God in you life.
Let not the sun set on your anger.
Follow the examples given. Look out for the opportunity to forgive. Yet, be not misled, God does not call on you to forgive those who will not repent.
We repent, we vow to do better, we fail. We are human. Thus the admonition to forgive seventy times seven, not literally, but figuratively. Thanks be to God our parents could not count to 490. Not to worry, God can, but He won’t.
Now, it is your turn:
Forgive Like God
First Communion
Today Nick Patton, our junior acolyte, had his first communion. Nick has been studying hard to learn and understand the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed. Good work Nick! Welcome to the Lord’s Supper.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays or anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens went all out on snacks today. She brought baby brownies, which look for all the world like cupcakes, roll cookies, brownies and sugar free apple pie. For the points impaired, she had red-flame seedless grapes. Wonderful!
Barrista Ben Lizak took time off his Epistle reading duties to make coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today.
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Betsy and Marianne are on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she’s has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) are planning to be with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church two weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer made it to church this morning. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church three weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
How about a film review? What can you tell me about The Golden Compass?
The Golden Compass is a forthcoming fantasy film based upon Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. The children’s fantasy film stars Nicole Kidman and features a little girl on a quest to kill God. The anti-religious themes get progressively stronger with each book in the trilogy; in the final installment, the characters succeed in killing a character called God — who turns out to be a phony, and not God after all.
Just in case you are wondering where Pullman is coming from, he has said they are in response to C. S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," the popular children's fantasy series of which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the first book — written by Lewis to teach Christian ideals to kids.
"I loathe the 'Narnia' books," Pullman has said in previous press interviews. "I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.
In spite of complaints about the forthcoming film, Pullman fans and atheists are still excited about the exposure it will give his novels. They say the American literary market is sorely lacking material for those who don't believe in God, and they scoff at the idea that the series is hazardous to children.
"Philip Pullman and I would say it is religion that poisons everything," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheist advocacy group the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a co-host of Freethought Radio, a talk show that recently went national on Air America Radio.
Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, are to be diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. In an attempt to avoid a religious backlash, the Magisterium will instead be a critique of all dogmatic organizations. Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly. Attempting to reassure fans of the novels, Weitz said that religion would instead appear in euphemistic terms, yet the decision has been attacked by some fans, anti-censorship groups, and the National Secular Society (of which Pullman is an honorary associate), which said " they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it", "this is part of a long-term problem over freedom of speech."
I think you can be assured that your Beadle will not be seeing this movie.
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. If we it looks like we can move further forward, we will start solicitations for funding this second phase. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, and Bishop Ackerman are planning to meet in November to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
11 November 2007 Greg Chase
18 November 2007 Stephanie Boyd
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, it is also Veterans’ Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
Free Teen Guitar Class
Today was the first Sunday of the month. This is the customary Sunday for Father Ironhand’s Free Teen Guitar Class to play for our service. Playing today were:
Ryan Howell Alex Springer Jack Arnold Father Ironhand
Father Acker teaches the Free Teen Guitar Class on Wednesdays. The class plays for us on the first Sunday of the month. They have about six other performances throughout the year around the village. If you know a young person who would like to learn the guitar, call Father Acker or check out the website:
http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com/
Dying to Know?
Father Acker is nearing the end, so to speak, of his short series on Death from the Christian Perspective.
In talking about the Christian view of death, we’ve talked about everything from Paradise to the cost of Cremation. With Halloween and All Saints’ Day just past, it is a good time to talk about Christian Holidays. As Christians, we have events to celebrate and remember. As humans, exposed to seasonal change, we have a year to live, with its four seasons, first pagan, then Christian. As CS Lewis said, "Boiling an egg is the same process whether you are a Christian or a Pagan."
Throughout the ages, Christians have placed their feasts around the year at times similar to those of pagans, to allow Christians something to celebrate all year. It had the dual effects of providing enjoyment and edification to Christians, as well as eliminating the draw of a pagan event.
As winter approached, particularly in the time of old, also approached the reality of winter, Hardship, Starvation and Death. A time of “Evil.”
Halloween comes from the ancient Celtics religion. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning. Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (1 May), and Samhain at the end of summer (1 November). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds thinned, hostile supernatural forces were active; ghosts and spirits were free to wander.
The Celtic priests (Druids,) members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, performed their rituals: offering sacrifices, of animals and humans, to placate the gods; ensuring the sun would return after the winter; frightening away evil spirits. To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words "bone fire," literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals and human were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. The practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.
Samhain was the supreme night of demonic jubilation. Spirits of the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruit and nuts. This is the origin of our present day "trick-or-treat." They began the tradition of placing plates of the finest food and bits of treats that the household had to offer on their doorsteps, as gifts, to appease the hunger of the ghostly wanderers. Villagers feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property if not placated.
The problem was... if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else, human or not, nice or not- so-nice. The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. Wearing masks and other disguises and blackening the face with soot were originally ways of hiding oneself from the spirits of the dead who might be roaming around. This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other demonic creatures.
Trick or Treat has been thought to have come from a European custom called "souling". Beggars would go from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead relatives of the donors. At the time, it was believed that the dead remained in limbo for a time after death, and that prayer, even by strangers could guarantee a soul's passage to heaven.
In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as 'Mischief Night', which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century and they developed into 'trick or treat'.
The Jack-O-Lantern is the festival light for Halloween and is the ancient symbol of a damned soul. Originally the Irish would carve out turnips or beets as lanterns as representations of the souls of the dead or goblins freed from the dead. When the Irish emigrated to America they could not find many turnips to carve into Jack O'Lanterns but they did find an abundance of pumpkins. Pumpkins seemed to be a suitable substitute for the turnips and pumpkins have been an essential part of Halloween celebrations ever since. Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they'd run away in terror, thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night. Bats, owls and other nocturanal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead. Black cats has religious origins as well. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.
To this odd time, Christians brought a new message of one God who was a God of Life, a victory of life over death—Jesus raised from the dead. Not a haunting, but Life with God for eternity. Christians didn’t ignore the Night of the Dead, rather they gave it new meaning. They made it an 8 day celebration of the saints. We celebrate the saints, the holy ones, the hallows, who accepted God’s victory over death. Chrysostom tells us that as early as the fourth century, the Eastern church celebrated a festival in honor of all saints.
In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on 13 May. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saints’ Day from 13 May to 1 November and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. 31 October thus became All Hallows' Eve ('hallow' means 'saint'). Many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity.
As long as we keep in mind that the message of Halloween is that tomorrow is All Saints’ Day when we honor those who have gone before us, then the ghouls, goblins and the like are harmless fantasy.
We focus on the Good News, the All Hallows message: Jesus’ victory of Life over Death and Evil; a reminder of the hallows who have gone before us in Victory, the saints.
Ben Lizak read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians beginning at the Third Verse of the First Chapter. Writing to the church in Philippia, Paul sends his greetings letting them know he has been praying for them constantly. He tells them that the good work God has begun in them will surely continue until Christ returns to them. Paul tells them he prays that they will find more and more joy in following the will of God. Continually reminding people of the joy of being born a new person, Paul prays that their “love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
The Gospel was written in the Twenty-Eighth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Twenty-First Verse. On the subject of confession, repentance and forgiveness, knowing the rabbis had ordained forgiving one’s transgressors three times Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Knowing Jesus as he did, Peter no doubt expected Jesus to say more times than three, but 490 may have been somewhat more than he expected. In one of the more important stories in the Bible concerning God’s forgiveness of us and our obligation to forgive others, Jesus went on to say, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Peter said unto Jesus, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take ac-count of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Sermon - Learning to Forgive Like God
If you read the Lord’s Prayer or today’s Gospel from Mark, it is clear that as we have accepted God’s forgiveness purchased at great cost for us by Jesus, we too are called on to forgive those who “trespass against us.” Jesus has instructed us “those who believe on Him (me), keep His (my) sayings.” God calls on us to be like Him. If we repent, He will forgive us. If we can be forgiven of mortal sin, can we not forgive our fellow imperfect beings?
Like the father in the story of the prodigal son, God is waiting for us, watching from the Widow’s Walk. He doesn’t wait inside, He sees us driving up the road to come home. God is always ready at the door, hoping you’ll ask.
God wants you to be happy. He knows that anger, like a festering sore, brings no good. Accept the apology, welcome the repentance and move on towards God in you life.
Let not the sun set on your anger.
Follow the examples given. Look out for the opportunity to forgive. Yet, be not misled, God does not call on you to forgive those who will not repent.
We repent, we vow to do better, we fail. We are human. Thus the admonition to forgive seventy times seven, not literally, but figuratively. Thanks be to God our parents could not count to 490. Not to worry, God can, but He won’t.
Now, it is your turn:
Forgive Like God
First Communion
Today Nick Patton, our junior acolyte, had his first communion. Nick has been studying hard to learn and understand the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed. Good work Nick! Welcome to the Lord’s Supper.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays or anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens went all out on snacks today. She brought baby brownies, which look for all the world like cupcakes, roll cookies, brownies and sugar free apple pie. For the points impaired, she had red-flame seedless grapes. Wonderful!
Barrista Ben Lizak took time off his Epistle reading duties to make coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Once again, Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, a sacrifice much appreciated by your Beadle.
New Nametags
We no new nametags today.
People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!
Travel
Betsy and Marianne are on travel this week.
Sick or in need of healing
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
Martha Stevens
Betty Cooke has good days and some not so good. She occasionally gets picked up to go out to lunch from time to time. She and Shilo, her cat, are enjoying the sunshine streaming in her living room as she’s has a makeover going on in her front yard.
Victor – Donna Dingwall’s husband, is recently out of the hospital and is in need of prayer for increased strength. Please pray for his rapid recovery.
Marie “Rede” Acker – Father Acker’s mother broke her good shoulder on 14 July 2007. She is doing very well in her recovery. She is now in her 4th week of major muscle rehab for her shoulder. She and Jack (Father Acker’s dad) are planning to be with the Ackers for Thanksgiving; prayers of thanksgiving are in order.
Evelyn Hunt is doing very well. She was at church two weeks ago with her daughter Kathy.
Annie Springer made it to church this morning. She still has problems with her vision which preclude her from driving right now. They are working on stabilizing her diabetes and blood pressure medications. Your continued prayers are asked for successful stabilization of her medications, as well as improvement of her vision to allow her to return to driving. In addition, please pray for strength for the Springer family.
Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.
Miney Farrell was in church three weeks ago. She is doing great. Thanks to Greg Chase, she will in here at least once a month.
Lorraine Winkles is showing small increments of improvement with a prolonged case of shingles. She appreciates our praying for her on Sunday mornings.
Donna Dingwall is doing well enough that she and her family were able to do a bit of travel. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
We have some new Amazing Grace books of several flavors, in addition, there are still several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy. There are also Annotated Holy Communion Books. These books have the Prayer Book Holy Communion service on the left page and an explanation on the right page. They are a great way to learn about the service. Pick one up when you come in and use it for the service, if you like.
Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.
How about a film review? What can you tell me about The Golden Compass?
The Golden Compass is a forthcoming fantasy film based upon Northern Lights, the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials. The children’s fantasy film stars Nicole Kidman and features a little girl on a quest to kill God. The anti-religious themes get progressively stronger with each book in the trilogy; in the final installment, the characters succeed in killing a character called God — who turns out to be a phony, and not God after all.
Just in case you are wondering where Pullman is coming from, he has said they are in response to C. S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia," the popular children's fantasy series of which "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is the first book — written by Lewis to teach Christian ideals to kids.
"I loathe the 'Narnia' books," Pullman has said in previous press interviews. "I hate them with a deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away." He has called the series "one of the most ugly and poisonous things" he's ever read.
In spite of complaints about the forthcoming film, Pullman fans and atheists are still excited about the exposure it will give his novels. They say the American literary market is sorely lacking material for those who don't believe in God, and they scoff at the idea that the series is hazardous to children.
"Philip Pullman and I would say it is religion that poisons everything," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the atheist advocacy group the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and a co-host of Freethought Radio, a talk show that recently went national on Air America Radio.
Several key themes of the novels, the rejection of organized religion and the abuse of power in a fictionalized Catholic Church, are to be diluted in the adaptation. Director Weitz said "in the books the Magisterium is a version of the Catholic Church gone wildly astray from its roots" but the organization portrayed in his film would not directly match that of Pullman's books. In an attempt to avoid a religious backlash, the Magisterium will instead be a critique of all dogmatic organizations. Weitz said that New Line Cinema had feared the story's anti-religious themes would make the film financially unviable in the US, and so religion and God will not be referenced directly. Attempting to reassure fans of the novels, Weitz said that religion would instead appear in euphemistic terms, yet the decision has been attacked by some fans, anti-censorship groups, and the National Secular Society (of which Pullman is an honorary associate), which said " they are taking the heart out of it, losing the point of it, castrating it", "this is part of a long-term problem over freedom of speech."
I think you can be assured that your Beadle will not be seeing this movie.
Question that only you can ask
What would you like to know about our history, what we believe, what we do or how we operate? Father Acker is looking for material for the continuing education class and the Beadle is looking for Thought for the Day material. Help us help you. Please send your question to the Beadle so we all can get an answer. Just because you don’t know the answer to your question doesn’t mean you are the only one who doesn’t know. But, if you don’t ask, no one will know.
Missionary Diocese of Viet Nam
If you did not get the initial briefing on the Anglican Missionary Diocese of Vietnam, please look at the Beadle’s Report for 22 July 2007.
Now that Bishop Boyce and Father Mai have returned from Vietnam, we will be working on a plan for Phase II. If we it looks like we can move further forward, we will start solicitations for funding this second phase. We note that there is no Book of Common Prayer currently available in Vietnamese. This will be a priority, in addition to funding the new priests and deacons.
Archbishop Chew, of the Province of Southeast Asia, and Bishop Ackerman are planning to meet in November to discuss possible cooperation on the Missionary Diocese of Vietnam.
We invite you to join in the prayers we have been praying each night that:
• The people of Vietnam will not lose their ardor for the church;
• The people here will provide the support they can;
and where prayer is most needed:
• The church hierarchy will not place roadblocks in the way of the Lord's Work.
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
11 November 2007 Greg Chase
18 November 2007 Stephanie Boyd
25 November 2007 Jan Macauley
2 December 2007 Dru Arnold
9 December 2007 Hap Arnold
16 December 2007 Jack Arnold
23 December 2007 Alice Acker
30 December 2007 Alex Boyd
Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, it is also Veterans’ Day.
You need to come to church to find out what Father Acker is going to say in the next of his pre-service classes. They are really more interesting in person than the Beadle’s dull summary. Don’t miss it! Come to church so you won’t want to wait for the Beadle’s Report to find out what happened.
See you next week on Sunday!
Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:
http://alpineanglican.com/BeadleReports.htm
An alternative version of the Beadle’s Report without photographs is available at:
http://web.mac.com/thebeadle/iWeb/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
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