2007 Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday in Lent

This report covers both Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday in Lent.

Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday services were held at Victoria Chapel. With very nice weather sunny in the morning and dark (what a surprise!) at night, the 0930 (9:30am) service drew three people; the 1830 (6:30pm) service did a bit better with twelve people in attendance. Due to the larger number of people for the evening service, it was held in the dining room of Victoria House.

Why Ashes on Ash Wednesday?
Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus on His retreat.

The Lenten period is calculated to extend from Resurrection Sunday back for forty days, not including Sundays. Sundays are not included because they commemorate Christ's glorious resurrection on "the day after the Sabbath," "the first day of the week," "the Lord's day." Sunday is always a joyful celebration of the Resurrection. Therefore, the first day of Lent in the western Church is always a Wednesday.

Biblical societies relied very heavily on wood fires for heating and cooking, which meant that keeping ashes under control was a major housekeeping task. Then as now, if a person was preoccupied with something serious, they didn’t always tend to the housekeeping—it’s the least of their concerns. Imagine that there is a death in the family. A friend stopping by to pay their respects might gently say, “Did you know you have ashes on your face? ”

So ashes became a sign of remorse, repentance, and mourning. Today someone might wear a black armband to signify that they are in mourning; back then people put ashes on their foreheads.

You can find biblical examples of this in 2 Samuel 13:19, Esther 4:1-3, Job 42:6, and Jeremiah 6:26. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads. The custom has persisted in the church as secular society has changed around us. It is most appropriate on Ash Wednesday, when we begin a period of sober reflection, self-examination, and spiritual redirection.

Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come from burning the palm fronds from the previous years’ Palm Sunday celebration and are like sour dough starter kept for centuries.

Ash Wednesday should remind Christians that they are sinners in need of a savior, and that their salvation comes at the sacrifice of God's Son:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb. 9:11-12)

Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus’ life: Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas. True friends also watch and pray with Him on Maundy Thursday, stand by Him at the cross on Good Friday, and go with Him into the wilderness during Lent.

On Ash Wednesday, your Beadle was in Dallas, Texas, where he managed to locate a Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), the Church of the Holy Communion, to attend for Ash Wednesday. The building is a classic Anglican Church building reminiscent of an inverted Viking Long Boat. The 1900 (7:00pm) evening service was well attended with 41 members of the congregation, 16 members of the choir, three priests, two acolytes and Bishop Sutton. Your Beadle brought four of his work colleagues with him, all of whom are committed Christians, none of whom had ever previously attended an Anglican Service. All enjoyed the service, one seemed likely to look up an Anglican Church in their hometown. The REC service was straight 1928 BCP, very enjoyable to your hardline Beadle. They had a wonderful organ with an excellent organist. But as you may know, the Beadle prefers very light musical accompaniment as the organ almost completely drowned out the singing. Nonetheless, it was a great experience for all and we thank the Church of the Holy Communion for sharing their service with us.

Lent
The word Lent has an obscure origin, and is probably a corruption of Lencten, or a similar term in ancient Anglo, Saxon, and Germanic languages, all of which referred to spring, new life, and hope. Although it is generally considered to be a time of mourning and repentance, it is also designated as a time of new life and hope because by means of the death of Christ, we receive new life.

Many avoid Lent and Holy Week because it isn’t a happy and uplifting time—but to be honest, neither is most of life. Sometimes we come to church all scrubbed up, dressed nicely, with smiles on our faces, and when people ask how we are, we reply that everything is fine and we even boast how wonderful things are—but is it? Life is not always uplifting, or wonderful, or pleasant, or joyous. To claim it is, is to miss the whole point of the incarnation! God became flesh in Jesus Christ. Jesus faced temptation, He suffered hunger and thirst, He suffered the agony of crucifixion. Jesus our God did not face these things so that we would be exempt from them, He faced these things so that we would have dignity in them.

The forty days commemorate the significant "forty" periods in Scripture (although forty is not always significant), including the forty years the Jews wandered in the desert after they had been rescued by God from Egypt, and which did not end until they repented. Jonah preached to Nineveh that God's judgment would come on them in forty days. During that time the people repented and thus were spared God's judgment. Jesus was tested by the Devil in the desert for forty days before He began His public ministry, announcing salvation to the repentant and judgment to those who continued to rebel against God. Jesus prophesied that God's judgment would come against Israel for rejecting Him as Messiah within the time of His own generation (Matt. 24; Luke 21; Mark 13). Within forty years of His death, burial, and resurrection, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was so ravaged that "not one stone [was] left here upon another" (Matt. 24:2). The Jewish Christians, however, escaped this judgment of God by fleeing to Pella before the final Roman siege, just as Jesus had warned them to do (Matt. 24:16-21).

During Lent, Christians should contemplate their sinfulness, repent, ask God's forgiveness, and realize the infinite sacrifice God made on their behalf. It is to be a time of quiet contemplation, but not a time of despair, since it culminates in the commemoration of the resurrection. Traditionally, those who are joining the church spend this period in special instruction regarding Christian doctrine, practice, and responsibility. Historically, prospective members ("catechumens") did not participate in the Lord's Supper portion of the Sunday services until they were received into full membership on the Sunday of the Resurrection of Our Lord. For them, this first experience of Ash Wednesday and Lent has special significance as God's eternal plan of salvation is applied to them personally.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, He didn’t say, “If you elect to pray, do it this way…” and when He taught about fasting, He didn’t say, “If you elect to fast, do it this way…”

He said, when you pray, don’t do it for show like the hypocrites do. It’s a conversation between you and God. And He gave us the Lord’s Prayer as an example of what we should pray about:

Address God
“Our Father, who art…”
Submit to God’s will
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…”
Ask for your physical needs
“Give us this day our daily bread…”
Ask for forgiveness
“Forgive us our trespasses…”
To the degree that you yourself are willing to forgive…
“As we forgive our trespassers…”
Ask for help with temptations
“Lead us not into temptation…”
And preservation from evil
“Deliver us from evil…”

Similarly, Jesus told us that when we fast (not if) we are not to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. A fast is different from a hunger strike: a fast is a personal act of devotion to God, while a hunger strike is a public act most often used to shine a spotlight on injustice. A fast is also different from anorexia nervosa: it is disciplined diet, not total abstention from food. During a religious fast, you still eat, you just abstain from certain foodstuffs. Traditionally, people have fasted by eliminating luxury items from their diets, such as meats. A fast can consist of eating whatever you want, but drinking only water.

More positively, you can fast in other areas beyond food, you can commit to a something that can benefit the church, such cutting back in an entertainment area, using that time for Bible study and donating the savings to the church.

On Palm Sunday, there were crowds who cheered Jesus as the King, but where were all those fair-weather friends when Jesus prayed in agony on Gethsemane, and where were they when He hung upon the cross? Let us be bold to join Him, fasting in the wilderness for forty days during Lent; let us be bold to pray with Him in the garden on Maundy Thursday, let us fearlessly stand at the foot of His cross on Good Friday, so that we may witness His Resurrection and His Ascension, and join in His triumphant reign.

The Epistle for Ash Wednesday’s evening service was read by Susanne Barrettt and came from the Old Testament’s Book of Joel, the Second Chapter, beginning at the Twelfth Verse, With a New Testament approach, Joel writes, “Turn ye even to me, saith the LORD, with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

The Gospel for Ash Wednesday begins in the Sixteenth Verse of the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, where Jesus tells us how to fast, “When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” This is a familiar theme, we are constantly told to do what is good and what is right and not seek credit amongst man, for man easily impressed and easily corrupted. It is not man we should look to for praise, but rather God. Do what is right and what is needed and do not worry about who gets credit for it. Jesus goes on to tell us that we should consider what is important and put that first, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The First Sunday in Lent

Today was the First Sunday in Lent. After snow on Friday, the weather was superb, a beautiful clear blue sky before church with temperatures about 55°F; by the time church ended temperatures climbed to about 68°F and there were light cirrostratus clouds. Even with a number of people sick and on travel, we ended up with 21 attendees.

Today marked the Twenty-Fifth Sunday of the Confirmation – Reception classes in preparation for Bishop Boyce’s visit in mid-Spring. Today Father Acker continued his discussion of Lent. The word Lent is thought to have its roots in Lencten, a lengthening of days, the Anglos-Saxon word for Spring. Lent has been documented to have been observed before 100AD, since the time the church came to England. It was similar to the Jewish preparation for Passover and coincidental in time. Lent is a period of renewal of our spiritual life, a time for learning, practice and renewal; a time to get back to basics.

Purple is the liturgical color, signifying penitence. A time to repent and remove the barriers we create between us and God.

The traditional observance of Lent has three aspects:

• Focus on God
• Personal Preparation
• Almsgiving

The whole aim of Christianity is for us to move from an EGO-Centric universe to a God Centered universe. Doing God’s will, rather than satisfying our whim or need of the day, is the goal. God created us imperfect creatures with free will, not an easy combination to deal with. So, when we focus on God, prepare ourselves and give to meet the needs of God’s people, a perfect plan, we can rationally expect to be less than perfect in our execution. But, that does not mean we should not try. You will never hit your target if you aim low. As any operator will tell you, aim high, you can always slack off on your lead.

Focus on God
Take the opportunity Lent presents to move God closer to the center of your life. Try harder than you have in years gone past, listen to His guidance and try for a change to follow it. His direction is clear, it is not fuzzy. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is not hard to understand what God wants us to do; we just don’t want to do it.

Personal Preparation
This is the part that includes fasting. Elsewhere in the report, you will find a nice discussion on fasting. Suffice it to say, it has been years since an Anglican starved to death as a result of Lenten fasting. In fact, few lose any weight at all. The idea of fasting that needs to be understood is that we need to take the focus of our life off what we want and shift it to what God wants. Attend the Lenten Class, pray each day, use the Daily Office of Morning and / or Evening Prayer. We need to pick a small area and make it more like what God wants. A little bit, every year. Whether it is giving up a bad habit or picking up a good habit, change at least one habit.

Almsgiving
We are so incredibly wealthy of things of this world, we need to share with others less fortunate. No only in coin of the realm, but experience. Take the opportunity Lent provides to find a new place to share your wealth. There are many ways to do this. The simplest way to increase your contribution to the church. But that is not the only way, or maybe even the best. You can give to your local charity, increase your volunteer time, visit people in need of visits. If you need someone to talk to, ask Father Acker who you can drop in on. You can help a friend at work. Do something more than you have been doing recently.

What is the point of Lent? Fulfilling your baptismal vows. No more, no less.

Alex Boyd read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, starting at the First Verse of the Sixth Chapter. As always when Alex reads the Epistle, Paul has written the whole thing in one single sentence:

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain; (for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation; ) giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

In what at first appears to be an incomprehensible single sentence, Paul asks us to be worthy of the grace that God has given us. He tells the people when they needed him, he was there. They need to be there for those around them. They must not frustrate God’s work by showing up late, or not at all. Those around us are watching our actions in the time of testing. We have been given eternal salvation by Jesus’s sacrifice, the understanding of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost. We are at this time dying here on earth, yet progressing towards eternal life in the next world, in Jesus’ world. While we may never be wealthy here on earth, our actions can make our fellow Christians wealthy in spirit beyond measure. If you claim to be a Christian, you know what is right. If you are a Christian, you do what is right, you don’t take a vote to see what the right course of action might be. Right does not change with public opinion and we must do the right thing. It is our actions that count, in good times or bad. We are Christ’s ambassadors to this world, unfortunately we do not have diplomatic immunity.

This morning’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. This portion of the Gospel tells the story of the temptation of Christ, “Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”

Sermon
Temptation in the Wilderness and Lent. The story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness is our story, too. The wilderness can be seen to represent our physical world here on earth. Jesus having taken on the being of man, was subject to all man is subject: physical needs, food, water and the like. Yet when the devil came to him, he did not focus so much on those needs, but rather asked Jesus to prove who He was: “If you are the Son of God, …” Clearly Satan knew who Jesus was, he was tempting Him like he tempts us. Not only did Jesus know who He, Himself, was, but He knew who Satan was, the great deceiver, the great tempter, the serpent whose head would be crushed under heel as he tried to bite that heel. He offered Jesus everything of this world, food, eternal life, power. More, he challenged Him to prove His deity. There were many possible responses, discussions and arguments. What point in discussing with the devil, what compromise of your soul. How to answer?

Jesus shut him down cold; ‘Man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God; Do not tempt the Lord thy God; My kingdom is not of this world; Get thee hence Satan!’ Never a moment of doubt. Never a hesitation. A simple, Get thee hence Satan!

The world is Satan’s to give for a time. He is like a roaring lion, prowling about, seeking whom he may devour. If you want to be rich in this world and have a lot of fun, follow him. Those who follow God’s Word will never be rich on this earth, their riches will come in the world to come. Yet, paradoxically, they will never be poor in this world and while they may not have as much fun, they will always be happy. It is your choice on how you respond. No one can respond for you.

Temptation is gradual, a little bit won’t hurt you, try some, go ahead. Actually, that is technically right. A little bit won’t hurt you. It will kill you. It will kill your very soul.

There is only one answer for the sons of God, Get thee hence Satan!

Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays today. We did joyously celebrate Hap and Dru Arnold’s Twentieth Wedding Anniversary.

New Name Tags on Sunday
We had no new nametags today.

After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens brought the goodies today. After today, we may change the description from goodies to greaties, and would if it were actually a word. Betsy Lane said the little chocolate cupcakes were great, which your Beadle seconded. Devin Houts had been eyeing the grapes from the middle of the service and was not the least disappointed in them when she finally got a chance to get at them. The lemon cake was wonderful! Martha also brought some beautiful navel oranges from home to share with us.

Tim Macauley was with us pouring freshly brewed coffee from Tim’s House of Coffee, as well as hot chocolate, sodas and water. Again today, the hot chocolate was the beverage of choice, tea coming in second. No ill reflection on the coffee, which your Beadle personally reports as very good. Father Acker got up early enough to make fresh low carb lemonade before the service, which is well favored by Vanda Houts as well as the Beadle.

People in our Prayers

God’s Guidance
The Gray Family – Please give thanks for a successful and safe ground combat tour in Iraq for Obra Gray. Please pray that Obra, Shamim, Zack, Aaron and Nadia will come to know God’s love, which can bring them happiness and strength by following the clear instructions He has given us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Travel
Ken is on a business trip;
Craig and Lynn are on travel;
Greg is on travel;
Patti is on travel;
Obra, Shamim, Zack, Aaron and Nadia on travel to Washington, DC and Pensacola;

Sick or in need of healing
Betty Cook
Muriel Pappin
Betsy Lane

Miney Farrell & Katie Benjamin, keeping bundled up against the winter chill, have had a good Epiphanytide with visits from family and enjoying the company of the household at Evening Shade Manor. They asked prayers for Bertha Rose who has been having some balance problems in addition to her blindness.

Barbara Emrich has moved to the Atrium wing of Jacob Health Center (State College Area) to a private room. We’re still having trouble getting the weekly Beadle Report delivered by post, her daughter has volunteered to drop them by. The food is very good, but there aren’t many visitors.

Gene Hunt is recovering from pneumonia again. He is hoping to move from bed to the hallway this weekend so he can see more of the folks and activities of Chase Health Center. Evelyn comes daily to visit Gene, usually at lunch time. One of the daughters is staying with her at the house, which she has found to be a big help in the evenings.

Lorraine Winkles has had a terrible bout with shingles since Christmas. Father Acker did anointing for healing this week. Please keep her in your prayers during this very painful illness.

Donna Dingwall is doing much better. She is grateful for your prayers. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Paul Shove is unknown to most of you, but Father Acker takes him communion once a month. Paul has a severe mental illness he has lived with his entire adult life. He and the Ackers have been friends for over 20 years. Paul asks for prayers of thanksgiving for the many blessings he has received during these past months.
  
Back Door Lending Library
Big news, the Front Door Lending Library has been re-located and re-named! At Father Acker’s suggestion, in Craig and Greg’s absence, Ben Lizak moved the Lending Library to a table across from the goodies near the back door. The move was a major success and at least seven books were checked out, over double the usual number!

The Lending Library has some new 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.

The Lending Library is a resource you need to use. Most of the books are short, understandable, but very powerful. Also, if you have any books you would like share, please bring them in.

Personal 1928 Books of Common Prayer
While not strictly part of the Front Door Lending Library, we have some personal 1928 Prayer Books. A church in Florida disposed of a nice quantity of personal hardback 1928 BCPs in excellent to new condition, which we were lucky enough to acquire. There are some on the Front Table. We have plenty, although we only put out a half dozen at a time. They are yours to take home as your very own. The only thing the parish asks is that if you ever go to the dark side, please return it. Otherwise, it is yours forever.

Core Singing Group
Walt and Fran Dexter have come together with Ben and Holly Lizak to form a Core Singing Group for our church. They would like a few more people to join them. Walt wants everyone to know this is not a choir, but core singing group. They aren’t planning on meeting every week for four or five hours and singing over and over. Rather they are planning on rehearsing the songs for each week so they can form a loud and clear core we can sing with. Our singing has gotten better and better each week, this should help even more.

It really doesn’t matter if you can sing, you just need to be able to read – Oh, yes, and be willing to sing loud and clear. If you want to join the group, tell Walt, Fran, Holly or Ben, they would love to have you. So would we.

Question of the Day – With an Answer
I know we are a catholic church, in the sense we are part of the universal church, Jesus’ one church, of which there are branches. But this Lent thing seems very Roman Catholic, and I am not a papist, by any means. Should we really be observing Lent?

Actually, Lent really predates the Roman Catholic Church and comes from the time there was but one church. Lent began in the apostolic era and was universal in the ancient church. Lent is observed by the various Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Anglican denominations, by Roman Catholics, and by Eastern Orthodox Churches. Anglicans observed Lent from the beginning, the Roman Catholic Church did not stop the practice when they came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066 AD. Lent continued after the split with the Roman Church at the time of Henry the Eighth.

It is much easier to explain who stopped observing it and why.

In the 16th century, many Anabaptists discarded all Christian holy days, on the theory that they were Roman innovations. While that may have been the best information at the time, but they were wrong. In the late nineteenth century, ancient Christian documents came to light. The Didache from the first century, the Apostolic Constitutions from the third century, and the diaries of Egeria of the fourth century; all which give evidence of the Christian calendar and holy days. The Didache and the Apostolic Constitutions were written in the east, which denies it ever recognized the institution of the papacy. Egeria was a Spanish nun, but her writings also describe practices in the east. All of these documents came to light 300 years after it was too late for the groups who had already discarded Christian holy days. Once again, Anglicans lead the way.

In many cases, Rome was the last place to observe the holy days. For example, the idea of moving All Saints Day to November 1 did not reach Rome until 700 years after it originated in England, and the idea of celebrating Holy Week as Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday, was quite elaborate in Jerusalem before the early fourth century but did not spread to Rome until the 11th century. Advent began in medieval Gaul and spread to Rome from there. Lent, on the other hand, appears to have originated in the apostolic age. The Apostolic Constitutions attribute the observance of Lent to an apostolic commandment. We can’t verify that, but we also can’t disprove it.

The Anabaptists gave rise to or influenced the Amish, the Mennonites, the Baptists, the Puritans, and the Plymouth Brethren, and this is why the Puritans made Christmas illegal in Massachusetts at one time. In the 19th century, the established denominations were slow to spread west of the Appalachians, so people who did not observe Christian holy days took up the slack. This means that most of the religious groups that were formed in the United States in the 19th century do not have a custom of observing Lent. This environment has had some influence on individual congregations in denominations that have historically observed the Christian holy days—so you will occasionally find a Methodist church that does not observe Lent.

Gradually, the holy days are returning to the churches that had lost them. The restoration quickly began with Easter. Christmas followed in the 19th century, and Advent and Holy Week became widespread among them in the 20th century. Lent is mounting a comeback in the 21st century.

Question that only you can answer
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 Catechism 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.

Very Important
This is Christ’s Church, which makes it your church; it is not Father Acker’s church, the Beadle’s church, the Senior Warden’s church; it is your church. It is up to you to make it the very best you can.

So, if you see something that needs doing, do it or ask someone else to do it. If there is something you would like to see done or not done in our church, please let us know. You have an obligation to make this the very best church you can. Tell us how to help.

Coming Up later this year
Father Acker will be continuing the pre-service classes. As the Confirmation – Reception subjects are completed, he will be discussing portions of the Bible, as well as Christian history and Anglican history in particular. We have some very nice King James Version study Bibles for those who are interested. Please contact the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for your copy.

To those receiving this report via US Mail
Due to a very heavy travel schedule on the part of your Beadle, and in no way due to slothfulness on the part of the Deputy Beadle in Charge of the Mail Room, the previous two weeks reports are being mailed with this report. Your Beadle regrets the delay, but it was unavoidable. All of the double sided printing and addressing equipment is at the office and unavailable from the field.

Lent Classes
During Lent, on Wednesdays, Father Acker will be leading a study of Ecclesiastes, Job and the Song of Songs using Peter Kreeft’s Three Philosophies of Life as the textbook. We will be meeting at the SCAIR Learning Center, 2218 Alpine Boulevard, across from the Alpine Inn. The schedule is as follows:

1815 (6:15 pm) Evening Prayer
1830 (6:30 pm) Soup Dinner
1910 (7:10 pm) Study Group begins

If you have never attended one of our mid-week events, this would be an excellent opportunity to let God into your life mid-week. We have a great time! If your vision is clear, you will see religion is fun. Reflect on what Saint Matthew gave us as instructions from Jesus on fasting, “When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Join us for that open reward Jesus promises. If you have any questions, please call the church office at (619) 722-1772.

Stations of the Cross
During Lent, on Fridays at 1830 (6:30pm), there will be Stations of the Cross held at Victoria Chapel, for details or directions, please call the church office at (619) 722-1772.

Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent. Father Acker might finish up on our motto – Scripture • Reason • Tradition in his Confirmation – Reception classes, or he might talk about Lent or maybe a new topic. But, unless you come to the service, you will have to wait until you read the Beadle’s Report to find out.

See you next week on Sunday!

Father Acker posts a .pdf version of the current Beadle’s Report on the church website:

http://www.alpineanglican.com/Beadle/beadle.pdf

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