2007 First Sunday after Trinity

Today was the First Sunday after Trinity. There was typical June Gloom down the hill, but the gloom stopped just before Tavern Road and it was bright and clear in Alpine. With almost perfect weather, though slightly warm, even though we had several families on travel, one teaching school, one attending school and one on call, we ended up with 21 people.

In the third of the series of our continuing Christian Education Class on discovering Church Membership;

• What does it mean to be a Christian?
ϖ What does it mean to be a Christian in a local church?
• Who are Anglicans and what do Anglicans believe?
• What does it mean to be a part of Alpine Anglican Church?

Father Acker started on the membership commitment and why we need to be a member of a church, attend and participate regularly. The membership commitment introduces us to:

1. Our Salvation (What God has done for us)

2. Our Statement (Why we exist as a church)

3. Our Strategy (How our Alpine Anglican Ministry fulfills the purposes of the church)

4. Our Structure (What is the game plan)

Our Salvation - The Why & The What

What God has done for us:
So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have been made like him. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians -you are one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26-28 (NLT)
Why?
Most people live their entire lives without ever knowing "WHY?" They exist year after year with no idea of God's purpose for their lives. The most basic question a person can ask is, "What is the meaning of my life?"
 
Everyone wants to be happy. People try many ways:

• Some look for happiness through friendships;

• Some look for happiness through “pleasure” experiments;

• Some look for happiness through popularity and power.

Real happiness comes from not only understanding one’s purpose here on earth, but acting on that understanding.

The questions and the answers

1. Why am I here?
God created me.
2. What does God want from me?
He wants me to be me.
a. Why?

God says,  I have loved you with an everlasting love!
Jeremiah 31:3

Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be His through our union with Christ ... because of His love, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ He would make us His children - this was God's pleasure and purpose.
Ephesians 1:4-5 (GN)
3. What else does He want?
God made you to be in a personal relationship with God and to rule over and be good stewards of all of the rest of God’s creation! This makes us special!
 
So God created human beings, making them in His image. He blessed them, and said, ... live all over the earth and bring it under control. I am putting you in charge.
Genesis 1:27-28(LB)
God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
1 Timothy 6:17
4. How can knowing and following God help my life?
Following His clear directions produces tremendous benefits in our lives:
· Clear Conscience Romans 8:1
· Life & Peace Romans 8:6
· Help with Weakness Romans 8:26
· Purpose Romans 8:28
· Confidence Romans 8:31
· Security Romans 8:39
· Power & Strength Philippians 4:13
· Fulfillment Philippians 4:19
· Freedom John 8:32, 36

This is the kind of lifestyle God intends for us to live!
 
Jesus said, I have come in order that you might have life - life in all it’s fullness!
John 10:10

5. If this is true, why aren't most people really happy?
The problem is Humanity has an inclination to self-centeredness and for the most part ignore God's principles for living.
 
This inclination and ignorance to God’s way of living is communicated in our words and lifestyle:

• "Look out for #1.”
• “I want what I want, when I want it”
• “Do your own thing."
• “If it feels good, do it! Who cares what God has to say about it?"
• "It's my life and I'll do what I please!"

The bible calls this attitude SIN.
 
Sin is a biblical word that means “to miss the mark.”
 
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, and each of us has turned to his own way.
Isaiah 53:6

If we say that we never sin, we are only fooling ourselves, and refuse to accept the truth.
1 John 1:8

Sin breaks our close relationship with God. Sin separates us from God and causes us to live our lives outside of His will. Sin leads to death as the end result of sin is permanent separation from God.
 
The trouble is that your sins have cut you off from God.
Isaiah 59:2 (LB)
All have sinned and fall short of God's glorious ideal.
Romans 3:23
Sin separates you from God. We need to have that separation removed between you and God.

All the best attempts in the world won’t bridge that separation. Many people say things like:
• "My mother was a Christian so ..."
• “I’m a really good person.”
• "I'll give up all my bad habits."
• "I'll work real hard and earn it."
• "I go to church all the time.”
 
The results of these attempts don’t fill the separation. The Bible teaches us that our attempts lead to DEATH. A relationship with God is NOT based on anything you DO.
 
There are ways that seem right to man, but they only end in death.
Proverbs 16:25

When our relationship to God is not right, it causes problem throughout every part of our lives: friendships, school, parents, jobs, finances, etc.


Just like the street sign, there is but one way to both happiness and heaven for mortals.

New Guitarist
One of the students from Father Acker’s Free Teen Guitar Class, Christian Engstrom has joined us to lead the guitar music for us each week.

Christian is a great guitarist, getting better every week. We really enjoyed the help he provided today and look forward to having him every week.

Hap Arnold read today’s Epistle, which came from the Fourth Chapter of St. John‘s First Epistle, beginning at the Seventh Verse. John pointed out that if we do not love our brethren here on earth who we have seen and touch, how then can we claim to have love for God, whom no man hath seen? “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

This reading covers the same ground as Jesus’ Summary of the Law, the second portion, “That he who loveth God love his brother also.” God is love, not hate.

Today’s Gospel started in the Sixteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Nineteenth Verse. It is a story Jesus told of Lazarus, not the Lazarus whom he raised from the dead, but a fictional character. “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Sermon - Salvation, I believe
The question is, what is essential to salvation?
Believe in Jesus - simple as that, but not quite. But, sometimes simple does not mean what it seems, for, “Even the devils believe.”

In the Articles of Religion we find articles eleven and twelve:

XI. Of the Justification of Man.
We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.

XII. Of Good Works.
Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.

What this says, is you not only have to “believe”, but to act on those beliefs. When we say the Creed, “I believe”, it means Doing Something.

• It’s not just the words
• It’s not some thing external to us
• It’s not “say the magic words”
• It is a statement of the reality of Jesus the Son of God touching our life.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, then God dwells in him & he dwells in God. Thus we come to know and believe the love God has for us. We come “to know and believe” God’s love for us.
 
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God.
1Jn4.7KJV

Did the “certain rich man” in the gospel believe? No one knows? Did he act upon those beliefs? That we know.

If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Luke16.31
Do you believe?

• If you do believe, then are you going to act on those beliefs that you claim?

• If you are going to act, what are you going to do this week?
 
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Today we had no reported birthdays or anniversaries.

After Church Hospitality
Alice Acker brought the goodies today. Alice decided to visitate points on the rest of us and made a lovely nectarine pound cake. She also brought green seedless grapes and the best cherries of the year. Tim was back in charge of coffee and Father Acker made his customary low carb lemonade.

Travel
Ben and Holly are in Arizona.

Sick or in need of healing
Betty Cooke
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Mike Springer

Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery has been put off.

Miney Farrell is doing well, however her brother William passed away this week. She asks your continued prayers for Bertha Rose’s balance problems which are compounded by her blindness. Miney would also like to come to church at least once a month. So, if you live in, or pass by El Cajon, perhaps you would pick her up. For information on this opportunity to serve, talk to Father Acker.

Barbara Emrich wishes she had better mail service as she has to wait for Father Acker to bring her the Beadle’s Report.

Gene Hunt celebrated his 87th Birthday last week. Evelyn’s doing much better and is back to driving to see Gene on most days.

Lorraine Winkles is finally recovering from shingles. Her dog Misty, a 16 year old schnauzer, died the week before last.

Donna Dingwall is doing quite a bit better and is in fact on travel at present. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Congratulations
Kirsten Nyland graduated from High School on Thursday.

Back Door Lending Library
The Back Door Lending Library is happy to announce the availability of 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.

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.

God, Honor, Country and Paris Hilton
Events of the past week have made ever so clear the difference direction makes in one’s life. Paris Hilton seems to be the epitome of self-direction. She does what she wants and does it when she wants, with no thought of consequence or eventual outcome. At least until she got a chance to spend a couple of days in jail. Apparently, she did not like it enough to go back without crying.

The question is not why she was part of the catch and release program, but rather, “Why did she go to jail in the first place?” The answer is simple, she did not have an exterior source of direction, a lodestar upon which to guide. She may claim to be a Christian, truly I have no idea, but clearly she is self-guided. The blind leading the blind.

On the other hand, lately we have had need of help around the house. Rather than use illegal aliens, we have been visiting a website:

http://www.hirepatriots.com/

In stark contrast to Paris Hilton, we have had the pleasure of working with a quite a few US Marines. Following God’s direction, upholding their personal honor and that of their service, they are the first line of defense for our country. More pleasant company one could not ask for. Some have been from poor backgrounds, other rich and some in between. All are believers, who take their direction from their maker, have a strong sense of honor and country. They know right from wrong and most importantly, they do not think right and wrong change depending on the audience or the situation. Our Marines demonstrate the results when you depend on God for direction.

I know whom I would rather have in my family and upon whom I can depend.

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.

Bumper or Window Stickers
The church’s stickers are finally in. You can get them from the front door table or the Lending Library table, or ask Father Acker or the Beadle. If you are a long distance reader, you can request one from Father Acker or the Beadle.

Church Patches
The parish patches are in. They are embroidered, four inch and round. They are available either Velcro backed or plain. The plain are designed to be sewn on, the Velcro backed are designed to be stuck to furry Velcro patches sewn to the garment or whatever.

Opportunity to help the parish
The Vestry identified items that the parish now needs that were not in this year’s budget:

Trailer – Our parish trailer is quite a hit with the Ackers and the Arnolds who now have their cars back. We are working on the interior and hope to have it completed by mid-July. We also are looking forward to getting out logo on the outside for advertising. If you would like to donate, you can write a check, or just add a bit to your normal contribution and put a note in the memo area.

Signs – Our Sunday morning signs have become quite worn. We are looking to get a set of new signs to match our bumper sticker and advertisements in the Alpine Sun, with snap on lower panels for times and special announcements. We are looking for people to donate towards that end. If you would like to donate, you can write a check, or just add a bit to your normal contribution and put a note in the memo area.

Advertisement – If you pick up the Alpine Sun, you will find a half page advertisement; at the suggestion and with the financial support of Muriel Pappin and a few others, we committed to two months advertising to see if it had any positive effect. The advertisement follows the general layout of our bumper sticker and patches for “brand recognition.”

It did not seem like the advertisement drew any new interest and we are going to cut back to a small listing for now. If you have any other ideas for advertising talk to Father Acker or the Beadle.

Betty Cooke’s Birthday Tea
A couple of weeks ago, Betty Cooke celebrated her 81st birthday. This past Friday, Martha Stevens put together a birthday tea for Betty at the Cobblestone Cottage Tea House in Alpine. As you can see above the group had a great time.

I think you can safely say that a great time was had by all.

Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday after Trinity. Summer is taking hold and it will also be Father’s Day. We expect the Continuing Education Class will continue on track as we learn what it takes and what it gives to be a Christian in a local church. Perhaps the sermon will interface with that and maybe tie the propers in. For sure? No and unless you come to the service, you will have to wait until you read the Beadle’s Report to find out.

This will be a great Sunday, do not miss it.

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