2007 The Second Sunday in Lent

Today was the Second Sunday in Lent. With snow still on the ground on Mount Olympus and the winds blowing 35 knots, it was a treat to come to church where the skies were clear, the winds calm and the temperature about 68°F. With the Free Teen Guitar Class’s appearance to draw the crowd, we ended up with 30 attendees.

Today marked the Twenty-Sixth Sunday of the Confirmation – Reception classes in preparation for Bishop Boyce’s visit in late-Spring. Today Father Acker discussed why the origins of our Book of Common Prayer and gave a little instruction on following the service through the book.

The service today is in a set form or liturgy. A liturgy is literally an established formula for public worship in a church which uses prescribed forms. It is a set form of worship. The service is the same, with minor variations, every Sunday. In fact, we have been using more or less the same service for the past 1,600 years! Unlike some churches, it is not free flow based on the desires or whims of the pastor or congregation. Use of a liturgy insures that everything is covered every Sunday and throughout the Christian Year. A liturgy gives a needed and reassuring semblance of order in an otherwise sometimes disorderly world. The choice of readings for each Sunday insures the highlights of the Bible are covered each year, but does not discourage reading of the Bible. The Epistle and Gospel for today are the same ones read in church 1,000 years ago. The Bible has not changed, the parts we emphasize each week has not. The liturgical service is contained within our Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

The Anglican Church uses the 1928 Book of Common Prayer (BCP), which is a direct descendant of the original 1549 Book of Common Prayer, as a means of bringing worshippers who form the Body of Christ together. The Book of Common Prayer is common in the sense it is common to us all, a means not only to worship, to share our faith, but to bind us together as a common people, the Body of Christ. Using a BCP means whatever Anglican Church you might attend, in whatever country, you will feel at home with the service. It also means the prayers you hear will be familiar to you, you will not have to wait until the end of each prayer to decide if you are willing to add the familiar “Amen” , which means you concur and affirm the foregoing prayer. The BCP is not just a collection of elegant words, it is a reordering and rearranging of Bible text to form a liturgy or order of service. The entire service is based on Biblical text. Rest assured, there is nothing in the service that cannot be found in or proved by Holy Scripture.

For those who aren’t familiar with Anglican worship, the concept of a liturgical or ordered service seems strange or even boring to use the same service week after week. On the other hand, practice makes perfect and the book itself is close to perfection, being the product of the best minds the church could gather over the centuries. It is completely true to scripture and efficient in its use of your time. Without amplification or addition, without music or sermon, the Holy Communion service takes 25 minutes. In that time all the bases are covered, without fail. As below, you know at the end of each prayer you will be able to say Amen (So be it) without reservation. That in itself takes a lot of stress out of your spiritual recharge each Sunday.

Also, there are prayers and services for every need. If you have a problem you need God's help with, there is a prayer in the BCP. It will be a good one, you can rest assured. It may be complex, but is the solution to simplify the prayer or understand the prayer? Understand, I think. As a matter of interest, Franklin Roosevelt read his 1928 BCP nightly from before the start of WWII until his death. He felt the help and guidance he needed was there.

The Gospel of St. Matthew in Chapter Six, Jesus instructs us on how to pray: But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name…

The BCP is an extension of The Lord's Prayer. Worshipful prayer in an ordered manner, making sure all is covered, each service, each week, in a manner consistent with our scripturally based beliefs.

The cover of the book says “Common Prayer.” It is the prayer of the whole church. We usually think in terms of what we can see. But you don’t stop being a Christian, being part of God’s family, known as the Church when you die. There are more Christian who have gone before us, than are alive today; many more. We are one with them!

We tend to think locally, rather than globally. But this Common Prayer is what you will find in Nigeria, in Hong Kong, in Argentina and even in Texas! The language may be different, but it is the same prayers being offered. We are hearing and saying the same Bible and Prayers no matter where you go in the Anglican Church worldwide. Common means you know what is there and know you will be able to say “Amen” at the end of the prayer.

This is very important, for instance three weeks ago at a meeting, a person was praying against someone, against some people, asking God to confuse them. Not only is it wrong - confusion is Satan’s tool, not God’s – But, he expected me to add my Amen or approval to the prayer.

There are no surprise prayers in the Book of Common prayer to surprise you or God. Everything in it is worthy of AMEN, nothing is there contrary to scripture.

In short the BCP is a book of prayer for all of us. It is written by professionals. Unlike the TV commercials, you not only can, but should try this at home.

Together the Church has prayed in Common—We are not alone!

The service this Sunday is Holy Communion, sometimes also referred to as The Holy Eucharist or Mass. The service today begins with the Litany, the first prayer translated from Latin to English, it is group of prayers asking for God’s help, then we will rejoin the Holy Communion, on page 70 of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and works our way through to page 84. After page 70, we will be reading the Collect for the Day, Epistle and Gospel, these are referred to as The Propers. There are separate Collects, Epistles and Gospels for each Sunday and some special days. The Propers for today are found a bit further back in the BCP starting on page 127. After the Collect, Epistle and Gospel, we come back to page 71 for the Nicene Creed and go page by page afterwards.

The service is very easy to follow if you just remember the jump to the Collect, Epistle and Gospel, then back to the Nicene Creed. If you notice, there are little italicized notes in the BCP which give directions for the service. These are referred to as “rubrics.” They are called rubrics, or red text, because in the older and fancier BCPs, they are printed in red. If you look at the rubrics, you will have a good idea of what is coming next.

I must warn you many parishes, this one included, add little bits and pieces peculiar to the parish. They are just one or two lines the priest will say and the congregation will respond. They kind of interrupt the service, but we come right back to what is written in BCP. You will either catch on pretty quickly to what they are, or like some of our hard line BCP people, you can just ignore them. Either way, we will be right back to what is written in the BCP.

Free Teen Guitar Class
In addition to being the Second Sunday in Lent, 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 seven of the class showing up, Ryan Howell, Casey Howell, Kurtis Walden, Christian Engstrom, Alex Boyd, Ashley Turner and Jack Arnold. Next time, we will be a bit more organized, but 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.

Stephanie Boyd read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. “We beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have fore-warned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.

This morning’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, starting at the Twenty-First Verse of the Fifteenth Chapter. Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

This story surfaces again in the Book of Common Prayer in the Prayer of Humble Access, on page 82:

W
e do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.

Sermon
Due to time demands of the litany and the FTGC there was no sermon today. Father Acker had written an interesting sermon based on Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians which read as our Epistle today. With luck, he will add a bit to it and we will hear it next week.

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

New Name Tags on Sunday
We had no new nametags today, although there were a couple of guests, parents of the FTGC kids, who we would love to have back.

After Church Hospitality
Alice Acker brought the goodies today. There was a cranberry pound cake, which was incredibly good, as well as an angel food and fruit cake which was reportedly excellent.

Ben Lizak was barrista today, pouring for Tim’s House of Coffee, as well as providing hot chocolate, sodas and water. Father Acker got up early enough not only to get all the guitar gear together, but to make fresh low carb lemonade before the service.

Baptismal Bible and Book of Common Prayer
One of our parish traditions is to present a leather bound Bible and Book of Common Prayer to each member baptized in our church. The supplier was out of stock and we were not able to make the presentation to Nick Patton on the day he was baptized, but the books finally came in and Father Acker presented him with his very own Bible and Book of Common Prayer, along with his Baptismal Certificate. While Nick may continue to use his own personal red Book of Common Prayer for the service, he now has a combination Bible and Book of Common Prayer that will serve him well the rest of his life.

Free Teen Guitar Class
Father Acker teaches a new Free Teen Guitar Class as an outreach to the local community on Wednesdays at the Alpine Community Center. The class is known as the Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC), but due to a scheduling miracle, the class is now open to Third Graders. If you know anyone with a youngster who would like to learn to play the guitar, have them contact Father Acker. This is an excellent opportunity.

Do not let the word Free in the title mislead you. Many people think something that is Free is not worth anything. That is not the case. Just in case you were not aware of it Father Acker is a professional class guitarist. And at least as important is he is not only a good teacher, but a superb guitar teacher.

Many people can play. Father Acker is not just a world-class guitarist, but he can teach others to play. Plus, the class is not really free. Once a month, on the first Sunday of the month, the class plays for our 0830 service. If you know much about kids, being in place for a 0830 Sunday service is payback.

Free Teen Guitar Winner
After the service each first Sunday of the month, there is a drawing for a prize limited to the guitar players who come to the service to provide the music. The prize is usually a music or computer oriented goody. The first month Jack Arnold won a 2Gb Jump Drive, last month Alex Boyd won a web-camera for her computer, this month Ryan Howell won a color printer.

The drawing is fun for all of us and really fun for the FTGC kids and the most fun for the winner, of course.

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 moving his household;
Patti is on travel;

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

Lona Walsh (Wanda Michaelis' mother) who is going to have surgery next week. Father Acker stopped over with some Cranberry bread for medicinal purposes after the service today. She is in good spirits and says she isn’t the least bit worried. Nonetheless, we ask you to pray for her in anticipation of the upcoming surgery.

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) 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 has had a terrible bout with shingles since Christmas. Father Acker did anointing for healing again 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
The Back Door 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
How come Easter isn’t the same Sunday each year?

The answer is that it is a movable feast. And, in addition to being a term to describe a wonderful picnic, or a great name for a catering company, the term movable feast means:

A feast day that falls on the same day of the week each year but which has a date that varies.

The Christian moveable (or movable) feasts are those holy days set by the date of Easter Sunday. Over the centuries there have been many disputes over how Easter should be calculated, involving differing views concerning the calendar and religious observance. This rather complex canonical rule is the one used now in the Christian Church:

[Easter Day is] the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon (which is the 14th day of an astronomical new moon) that occurs on or after the day of the Vernal Equinox (March 21st).

Other religions also have holy days or feasts with variable dates and they have adopted the same term.

Easter sets the date for numerous Christian feasts or fasts. For example:

Ash Wednesday 46 days before Easter. This is the first day of Lent.
- Shrove Tuesday: 47 days before Easter. This day is also known as Pancake Day in the UK and, in several places around the world, notably Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans, Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)

Pentecost 49 days after Easter. This is also known, especially in the UK, as Whitsun. This name derives from White Sunday, making reference to the white robes worn by those who were baptized on the previous Easter.

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.

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. Please contact the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for your copy.

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!

Your Beadle reports the Black Bean Soup last week was the best soup he has ever eaten, the salad wonderful and the rolls went with the soup and salad beautifully. Being Lent, there was no dessert, but the Mandarin Oranges were darn close and darned good!

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 Saturday - Amazing Grace – The Movie
Next Saturday, Father Acker will be leading a trip to Parkway Plaza theater to see Amazing Grace, a movie about William Wilburforce, the Anglican who lead the movement to eliminate the slave trade in England. If you bring a friend, the church will cover the cost of both your ticket and theirs; but, friends from church can’t bring each other! Meet at the ticket booth between 1330-1345 (1:30pm – 1:45pm) for the 1400 (2:00pm) show. We will be getting a snack afterwards to discuss the movie, our own version of Siskel and Ebert!

Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Third 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