2007 The Fourth Sunday in Lent

Today was the Fourth Sunday in Lent, the Sunday known as Refreshment Sunday or Rose Sunday; more on that in the sermon. It was clear on Mount Olympus and the marine layer quit right at the Tavern Road exit, the church was also in the clear. Skies were blue, the wind was calm and the temperatures were in the high 60°s at the start of the service and in the low 70°s by the time we finished up. With almost perfect weather, we had 23 members present by the time the service started.

For those of you who are historians, trivia buffs or bean counters, this is the first anniversary of the Beadle’s Report. For the rest of you, it’s the first anniversary issue, but you won’t notice. By the way, all the back copies are available on CD.

Today in his Twenty-Eighth Sunday of Confirmation – Reception classes in preparation for Bishop Boyce’s visit in late-Spring, Father Acker discussed Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper comes from the Passover Supper the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, as recorded by both Saint Mark and Saint Paul and is one of the two sacraments given us directly by Him:

Saint Mark
And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.

Saint Paul
That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Jesus had come in to Jerusalem for the Passover, one of three pilgrimage feasts of the Jews, the other two being Pentec and Tabern. “And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.”

But why Passover?

When Moses was plaguing Egypt, the last of the ten plagues was the Angel of Death killing all the first born. God told the Jews to mark their door posts with the blood of a Lamb or Goat, a year old, perfect without spot, a blood sacrifice. They did so and the Angel of Death passed them over.

So Jesus would be our perfect sacrifice, unspotted from the world, one sacrifice, one time for all mankind for all time.

For the Jews, Passover is the main remembrance of their freedom from the slavery of Egypt. For us, the Holy Communion is a remembrance of our freedom from the slavery of this world. Both came at a great cost, for us the check was picked up by our Lord.

A side note, for many reasons bread eaten at Passover is without yeast, that is to say unleavened or flat. Yeast has been compared to sin, spreading throughout the dough, a little going a long way. Also, traditionally, the Passover coming just before the Exodus, the people did not have time to bring risen bread. Thus, our communion wafers are also unleavened or flat made from the purest white flour.

Patti Jones read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, starting at the Twenty-First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” Once again, with the Holy Spirit, we find meaning in the Old Testament lesson. We have a choice free or bond? Sometimes the bond looks easier, but in the end we are meant to be free.



This morning’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of Saint John, starting at the First Verse of the Sixth Chapter. It tells one of the stories of Jesus feeding a multitude, this time Jesus feeds 5,000 men with five barley loaves and two small fishes from a young boy:
“Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 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 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.”

Sermon
We are halfway through Lent, or close to it, 22 days down, 18 to go. Many people do not realize that Lent has 40 days, as Sundays are not counted. Sundays are not fast days, as we celebrate every Sunday in remembrance of the glorious resurrection of our Lord. Situated halfway through Lent, this Sunday is often called Refreshment Sunday after the Gospel, with the loaves and fishes. The liturgical color lightens from purple to rose as a break in our fasting. It is also the time when English children traditionally came home from boarding schools for Easter. It also is observed as Mother’s Day in England for that very reason.

Halfway through Lent, an honest evaluation of your progress would likely find that you have not prayed as much as you resolved, denied yourself much or given all that much of yourself. Probably true, but we are imperfect creatures living in an imperfect world aspiring to perfection. Our real goal is unity with God in His perfection, but here on earth our motto must be: Progress, not Perfection. Progress leads towards perfection. Settling only for perfection means by definition settling for nothing as we cannot be perfect except in Christ. We need to do our best, be honest with ourselves and not be unduly harsh when we fail, as we will, to be perfect. God never asks us to do more than our best. Yet He asks that of us each and every day.

Lent is not about making yourself miserable, but rather about reminding ourselves we need His help. In the words of the Morning and Evening Prayer Confession, “O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name.”

In the Windows World, the F5 Key is the refresh key, press the F5 Key and your data reloads and an uncorrupted screen reappears on your computer. As a Christian, in our baptism, we were forgiven our sins. The more we realize how imperfect we are, the more joyous we should be to be Christian. The best of us fall short, far short, of perfect; not to worry, press the F5 Key and get on with life. Reload the data that shows how lucky you are. Sometimes we take that forgiveness very lightly, time for the F5 Key and realize how lucky we are.

Many people confuse the purpose of confession. We are not really confessing our sins to a God who does not know what we have done. He knows. We are really telling Him so that we can tell ourselves. Don’t think you can hide your sin from God; He knows. That is what omniscient means. But don’t worry so much about them, He will forgive you: if you repent and actually try your best to sin no more. Also, it is very likely your friends and family know every one of your sins. Other people seem to see us more clearly than we see ourselves.

We have a choice, free or bond. All of this world and none of the next or the good of this world and all of the next. Do we choose the part of the son of the freewoman (the church) the Bride of Christ; or the part of the son of the bondwoman (the world) and success therein?

Jesus took our sins to the Cross. Do not lose sight of what Jesus did for you; the New Life He has given you.

As we prepare ourselves to celebrate Jesus’ victory for us over death, hit the F5 Key and refresh your life.


Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays or anniversaries today.

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

After Church Hospitality
It is not clear if Jan Macauley knew in advance of “Refreshment Sunday” or not, but once again the Macauley Machine came through. There was orange zucchini cake, deviled eggs (both curried and regular) spinach squares, fudge jumbies and for the points challenged, two kinds of grapes. Your Beadle would like to tell you which was his favorite; but alas, he cannot. Each was THE BEST!

Don Patton is this month’s barrista. As pointed out last week, Don does not drink coffee or tea. Oddly, coffee consumption is up dramatically. He may not drink it, but he sure can make it. Father Acker got up in time to make fresh low carb lemonade before the service.

People in our Prayers

Rest in Peace
Our friend Katie Benjamin passed away the morning of 14 March 2007 at San Diego Hospice where she had been transferred the previous day. Having suffered a stroke at 96 last week, she was resting comfortably. Father Acker will be doing the funeral service on Monday 19 March 2007, in Hemet where her husband was also buried. Most of you didn’t know Katie except from Father Acker’s notes in the Beadle’s Report. She was a good friend to all of the folks living at Evening Shade Manor in El Cajon and a joy to be around.

Rest eternal, grant unto her, O Lord.
And let light perpetual shine upon her.
May her soul and all the faithful departed
rest in peace. Amen

God’s Guidance
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
No reported travel this week.

Sick or in need of healing
Betty Cook
Muriel Pappin
Betsy Lane
Ken Abbiss is recovering from surgery for skin cancer on his nose. He was in church albeit with a couple of bandages.

Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) surgery had been scheduled for this past week, but it was put off.

Miney Farrell is keeping bundled up against the winter chill and is happy it has turned warmer. She still enjoys the company of the household at Evening Shade Manor, however everyone there misses Katie Benjamin. She asks 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) in a private room. 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 so he can see more of the folks and activities of Chase Health Center. Evelyn comes daily to visit Gene, usually at lunchtime. One of their daughters is staying with her at the house, which she has found to be a big help in the evenings.

Lorraine Winkles seems to be doing better after her a terrible bout with shingles since Christmas.

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
The Back Door Lending Library still has several sets of the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis, as well as some background books on the series. If you have never read the series, both the Beadle and his family highly recommend it. There are plenty of sets, so don’t be shy.

You need to get started on this, because the Amazing Grace books are set to come in next month!

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.

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 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.

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 a gift from Christ to you. 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, if there is something not being done right, tell someone. Let Father Acker, the Beadle or one of the Vestry know. You have an obligation to make this the very best church you can. Tell us how to help.

If you have a suggestion, criticism or query, tell the Vicar, the Beadle, one of the Vestry, or drop a note in the plate. We must have your help.

Church is like a bank: you get a certain return on your investment; but, if you don’t put anything in, you won’t get anything out.

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, there is always one on the Back Door Lending Library table. We have more, but they are heavy, so we only bring one each week. Like the Books of Common Prayer, 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.

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

It isn’t too late to start, the classes are kind of self contained, you can start any time. 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!

Your Beadle reports the week Dru Arnold kept the soup contest alive and well with a meatless lentil soup and a wonderful barley mushroom soup. Once again, the salad was wonderful and the rolls went with the soup and salad beautifully. As it is Lent, there was no dessert. But, the fourth bowl of soup served as the Beadle’s dessert.

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 Fifth Sunday in Lent, commonly called Passion Sunday. Father Acker might still talk a bit about the movie Amazing Grace, maybe more on Holy Communion, perhaps the Articles of Religion, more on Lent or maybe a new topic in his Confirmation – Reception classes. 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