2007 Fourth Sunday after Easter

Today was the Fourth Sunday after Easter, as well as being the Sunday before both Rogation Sunday and Mother’s Day. It was clear and slightly windy on Mount Olympus, and clear and calm at church. You could see all the way to the Coronado Islands. Temperatures were in the low to mid 70s. Perhaps it was the lovely weather, perhaps it was the first Sunday of the month with Father Acker’s Free Teen Guitar Class playing, but whatever it was, it brought out 33 attendees.

For this Thirty-Fourth Confirmation Reception class, Father Acker cleared up questions that have been posed to him from various members of the congregation on the concepts of Confirmation and Reception.

Confirmation
Christians are Christians, there are not grades of Christianity, baby Christians, kid Christians, teenage Christians, adult Christians, in the sense that there are grades or levels. What we do have is babies, kids, teenagers and adults who are Christians. At baptism, God made you a full fledged Christian. What you do with your gift is up to you.

From infant or adult baptism you are a Christian. Then what? You learn more and then use what you learned to do what you are supposed to do. What would that be? Spread the Word of God, living as Jesus’ disciple; doing what He asks: love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

After living as a Christian and learning those things called for by the Church, one is confirmed. This confirmation is a two way confirmation. You confirm or reaffirm your baptismal vows, either made by you or your sponsors; the church confirms its acceptance of you into the church as a full fledged member and minister. In a sense it is the graduation from under graduate church member. You now have a license to learn and help more. No one expects you to be perfect, you don’t need to know all the answers, but you should have some idea where to look. As a confirmed member of the Church, you are expected to do what Jesus asks, to go forth and spread the Word.

Some are ready to graduate at 10, some at 100, and others never get there. Are you ready to be “Christ’s faithful soldier & servant until your life’s end?”

Those confirmed by Bishop Boyce on 20 May 2007 will be confirmed into the Anglican Province of America (APA) for ministry in the Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity.

Reception
But, what if I was already confirmed in another arm of the church than the Anglican Province of America? You need to be received. It is really the second half of the confirmation process above. You have already re-affirmed your commitment to God, now you just need a new license. Kind of like moving to another state and getting a new driver’s license.

Your confirmation is valid so long as it is an orthodox arm of the catholic church, catholic in the universal sense. Other churches generally held to be valid from the standpoint of confirmation are the Church of England, the various Anglican, Episcopal, Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Churches. If you have any doubts, check with the vicar.

As an apostolic church, we do our work under the authority of a bishop who traces his authority to Jesus through the Apostles who laid hands on successors, who laid hands on successors, who laid hands on successors, so on and so forth until Bishop Boyce. The succession is both literal and, in the case of the continuing church, faithful.

Father Acker was the first member of our congregation to be received into the APA on 2 December 2005. Given the varied background of our parish members, he has conducted training for the past 34 Sundays so that we would all be prepared to be either confirmed or received into the Church when Bishop Boyce became available for the event.

Father Acker invites you to consider and pray: are you ready to be Jesus’ disciple here in Alpine, in this Family of God, to make Christ known. If you’re undecided, that’s okay. Commit to learn more

Are you ready?

Free Teen Guitar Class
In addition to being the Fourth Sunday after Easter and the Sunday before Mother’s Day, it was also the first Sunday of the month. Each first Sunday of the month, Father Acker’s Free Teen Guitar Class provides the music for our service. Participation today was good with six of the class showing up. We were a lot more organized than last month and the kids did a great job. It was obvious they had been practicing the songs a lot and the music went smoothly. We really enjoy singing to the guitars; for some reason, it encourages the congregation to really participate in singing the hymns. Father Acker got the new sound system up and running with zero problems, it really sounded great! Or, more likely, the guitarists sounded great and the sound system let us hear it.

Stephanie Boyd read today’s Epistle, which came from the First Chapter of the Book of St. James beginning at the Seventeenth Verse. St. James tells 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. 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.

In God there is the constant of truth, if you find confusion and temptation, it is not of God. We are to be a kind of first fruit of His creatures.

In his epistle, St. James cautions us to be:

¬ Swift to hear;
¬ Slow to speak;
¬ Slow to wrath.

For, the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.

Today’s Gospel started in the Twenty-Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John beginning at the Fifth Verse. “ Jesus said unto his disciples, Now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

He had just told the disciples he would be leaving them. They did not know where he was going and had not asked, but were sorrowful to hear of his leaving. This is the time he tells them the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit or the Comforter would be coming when he left. The Holy Ghost was to come upon them and guide them to the truth and to understanding. Unless He left, the Holy Ghost would not come. Thus, like much else happening at the time, what needed to happen would happen and in the correct order.

Sermon - Starbucks spirituality
Father Acker started his sermon with the voice request, “I’ll have a triple Venti, sugar-free, vanilla non-fat latte.” He got what he wanted from the barrista, but it was a good thing he provided the notes, because your Beadle was the next person in line, “Black Coffee, please.”

“Columbian, Sumatran, Javan, Borneo or mild organic from the three blind mice of the jungle?” queried the barrista.

“Black,” the confused Beadle replied.

Father Acker helped the Beadle out, “He’ll have the Coffee of the Day.”

What is the meaning of this little story? People today want to pick and choose, to use the fast food phrase, “Have it their way.” Unlike Starbucks, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Burger King, God wants you to have it His Way.

God’s Way is a one way street, an einbahnstrasse to use the German term. You don’t get to pick and choose. But, what did Jesus say about this? As recorded by Saint Matthew in his gospel, the Twenty-Eighth Chapter, beginning at the Twentieth Verse:

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Notice, He did not say, “Tell them what will make them happy and so you can get them to join us.” Nor did He say, “Tell them to be good and nice. That will be enough.”

To grow in our faith requires the nutrients that come from deep roots in faith. We need not only what we want from Jesus, but all His commandments.

The real thing.

As the great Anglican writer, CS Lewis said in A Grief Observed, “I come and receive this cold, tasteless wafer” that isn’t anything like Jesus. But I don’t want a reminder, “I want the real Jesus.”
• “And they shall hear my voice…
• “Do this in remembrance of me.”
• “When he, the Spirit of God is come, he will lead you into all truth.”
• “Do this in bringing your present self into my reality.”
• “Be with me.”

How do we do this?

The answer? In Word, Sacrament and Spirit.

Don’t concentrate on perfection. Rather progress towards perfection. Center your life on God. Use the license you are given to learn. Study scripture, study history. Find out what Jesus said from the source. Don’t rely on someone else’s editorial comments. Go to the source. Learn more about what Jesus tells us to do and how to act. Grow deep.

Quoting from last week - Center your world on God, set your course and set out. Use the freedom God has given you as the servant of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the King.

Trust in God and Dread Naught.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
Today had two birthdays to celebrate: Betty Cooke’s 81st and Alex Springer’s 14th. There were no reported anniversaries.



After Church Hospitality
Alice Acker brought the goodies today, crustless quiche, bagels and cream cheese, blueberry bars and the obligatory red grapes. All wonderful, so the Deputy Beadle reports. Your Beadle sadly missed out on the crustless quiche as it was devoured by locusts, or perhaps the Deputy Beadle, before he could get to it. Coffee was brewed and dispensed by barrista Ben Lizak for Tim’s House of Coffee, as Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley was on travel. Nonetheless, the coffee was superb. Father Acker made his customary low carb lemonade, which was much appreciated by your Beadle.

Travel
Holly Lizak is on travel.
Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley was on travel.
Muriel Pappin will be traveling shortly.
Ken Abbiss is on travel.

Sick or in need of healing
Betty Cook
Muriel Pappin
Ken Abbiss is recovering nicely from surgery for skin cancer on his nose and the bandages should be almost gone by now.

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

Miney Farrell is doing well. She asks your prayers for Bertha Rose’s balance problems are compounded by her blindness.

Barbara Emrich was enjoying the warm day on Friday of this last week and hearing about the Easter service.

Evelyn Hunt is recovering from being in the hospital for severe back pain. She is at home, but not able to drive to see Gene who said, “No use complaining.”

Lorraine Winkles thinks she is having some improvement. She’s been down with this very painful version of chicken pox since Christmas.

Donna Dingwall is doing quite a bit better. She had a great time on the cruise with her family. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

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.

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 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.

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
After the service today, the Vestry met at the SCAIR Center for the scheduled monthly meeting. One of the topics discussed was off budget items needed by the parish and our commitment to spread the Word worldwide. The parish made a commitment of $200.00 to assist the APA Diocese of the East with a clinic project in India. In addition, the Vestry identified items that the parish now needs that were not in this year’s budget:

Trailer – Our parish’s worldly possessions, while small by church standards, are getting pretty big by Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla and Scion Xa standards and that is how they get to church. Plus, the constant double loading and unloading is taking a toll on the equipment. The church would like to buy a single axle 6X10 covered utility trailer with a side door and a V nose, along the lines of a Wells Cargo, to use a brand name you may be familiar with. 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.

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 have committed to two months advertising to see if it has any positive effect. The advertisement follows the general layout of our bumper sticker and patches for “brand recognition.” 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.

Coming Up later this month – Bishops Visit and Second Annual Beadle’s Party
Bishop and Mrs. Boyce will be with us on 20 May 2007 for both Confirmation and Reception. Afterwards, they will be joining us for the Second Annual Beadle’s Barbeque at the Arnolds’. Confirmation is a very significant milestone in our spiritual lives, as is the Reception into the Church, for those confirmed. We are expecting a big turnout as those who are confirmed bring family and friends.

As those who attended the First Annual Beadle’s Barbeque can attest to, the Beadle’s Barbeque is not an event to be missed.

A Beadle’s Party (in this case really a Chuck Wagon BBQ, less the “Crusty Chuck Wagon Cook”) is traditionally held to allow church members to better get to know one another to help us work together to spread the Word of our Lord. These are very informal events, but always a lot of fun. All members are not only invited, but really encouraged, to come. Please bring your families and guests who might be interested in getting to know our Church.

We would like you to join us after Church, but if you are going to miss Church for one reason or another, we would still like you to join us!

2007 T-Shirts
This year’s T-Shirts are in. We started handing them out today. As you can see, they have the quote from John Newton on the back. In addition to the church’s traditional green, there were two other colors. If you wanted one of the other colors, you should have gotten to church early on Sunday. Now there is just green and a couple of pink (salmon for Ben) shirts available.

The T-Shirts will be the UOD (Uniform of the Day) for the Bishop’s service on 20 May 2007, as well as for the Beadle’s Party.

Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Fifth Sunday after Easter, Mother’s Day Sunday and also Rogation Sunday. This Sunday was originally so called because of the words in the gospel for the day: "Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give to you". (The Latin is 'Rogare' - to ask.)
 
This is the Sunday where the priest will often bless growing crops in fields and gardens, on young lambs, calves and other animals. In the agricultural cycle, the main themes are seed sowing and the tending of the young plants and animals. This does not pre-suppose that all sowing takes place around Rogation. Sowing is done all the year round, as is the birth and rearing of the young, but it is convenient to fix on one particular festival as the time to remember these before God in a public way.

Rogation takes place in the springtime, when there is a renewing of the earth. In this country, it follows Easter, the season of resurrection. Renewal and resurrection therefore are also underlying themes of this occasion.

Your Beadle is not sure where the sermon track is leading. He is betting on it tying the Epistle and Gospel to the pre-service class. 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