Today was the Third Sunday after Trinity. Like last Sunday, 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, including your Beadle, we ended up with 21 people.
Continuing the series of Christian Education Class on discovering Church Membership Father Acker talked about the solution to our problems. What problems? All of our problems. What is the solution?
Jesus is the solution.
Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me! John 14:6
God came to earth as a human being (Jesus) to bring us back to Himself.
• If any other way would have worked, Jesus would not have needed to come.
• What we couldn’t do on our own, God does for us.
• “The Way” is through the person of Jesus!
Christians believe God took on our human nature so we could see the reality of God in the person of Jesus. [Incarnation—in-the-flesh]
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
Jesus has already taken care of your sin problem when he died upon the cross!
God is on one side and all people are on the other side, and Christ Jesus, Himself man, is between to bring them together, by giving His life for all mankind.
1 Timothy 2:5
IMAGE: God on one side + you on the other
A great canyon in between
God places the Cross in between
Why did God send Jesus to die in your place?
God did this for you because
• He loves you and
• Wants you to know Him.
God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still separated from God, by sin, Christ died for us.
Rom. 5:8
God has already done His part to restore our relationship to Him.
• He took the initiative.
• Now he waits for each of us to individually
• ACCEPT what He has done for us.
4. What does God want me to do?
1. Acknowledge that God has not been “first place” in your life and to ask him to forgive your sins.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from every wrong.
1 John 1:9
2. Recognize that Jesus died in your place for your sins, that he rose again, and is alive today.
If you confess that Jesus is your Lord, and you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (Jesus) by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:12
3. Receive God’s free gift of salvation with gratitude . Don’t try to earn it.
For it is by grace you are saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Ø Our relationship to God is not restored by anything we do,
Ø But on the basis on what Jesus already did for us!
Ø What we do in response to God’s gift should show our thankfulness,
Ø Not paying back God’s gift.
4. Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life and to be the “Director” (Lord) of your life.
To all who receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God. All we need to do is to trust Him to save us. All those who believe this are reborn! ... not a physical rebirth ... but from the will of God!
John 1:12-13
Jesus says, 'Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in ... ‘
Rev. 3:30
You can take these steps by a simple prayer committing yourself to God. It can be something like this:
Dear Jesus, I thank you for making me and loving me even when I’ve ignored you. I’ve gone my own way. I confess that I have sinned, in what I’ve thought, said, and done. I am sorry and I ask for your forgiveness. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Please come into my life and direct my life. I want to follow you from now on. I commit myself to you and receiving your gift of salvation. Give me your help to grow in your love.
Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Romans 10:13
Holly Lizak read the Epistle, which came from the Fifth Chapter of St. Peter‘s First Epistle, beginning at the Fifth Verse. Peter asks us to cast our care on God, to let him carry our worries, to trust in him that we might do what needs to be done here on earth, rather than to worry. He admonishes us to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking who he may devour”. A powerful visual to remind us to, Trust in God and dread nought.
“All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Today’s Gospel started in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the First Verse. This is a story of Jesus, rather than one of his stories. The Pharisees were appalled that those who were particularly sinners in their very qualified eyes were attracted to Jesus and even worse, he talked to them, even breaking bread with them. To the Pharisees, Jesus told the story of the shepherd who loses a sheep and searches for it. When he finds it he carries it back to the flock on his shoulders. He goes on to tell the story of the woman who loses a piece of silver and turns her house inside out to find it. That story ends in a very interesting word play in English, “Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece (peace) which I had lost.” Jesus ends the story with, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Having said that, there is also joy when we do not sin, but choose God’s way. And we enjoy it more also.
“Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes mur-mured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
Sermon - For the Love of God
Father Acker talked on the role of John the Baptist who as “one crying in the wilderness” who was not worthy to loosen the latchet of the shoes of He who came after him”, prepared the way for Jesus’ arrival. John’s mother to whom Mary turned when she agreed to bear the Christ child.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
If there were any birthdays or anniversaries today, they did not make it to York and will be reported on next week.
After Church Hospitality
As you can see from the photograph, there clearly were goodies today, but like the birthdays or anniversaries, they did not make it to York and will be reported on next week.
Travel
Aaron and Traci are traveling
Don, Sandy and Nick are in Texas and surrounding areas
Hap is in the UK
Tim and Jan are in Vancouver, BC
Sick or in need of healing
Betty Cooke
Diane Chase
Muriel Pappin
Fran Dexter
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. Greg Chase is going to see if he can make that wish come true.
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..
Donna Dingwall is doing quite a bit better. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Back Door Lending Library
Emilie Springer is doing a great job setting up and taking down The Back Door Lending Library.
We have some new 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.
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.
Sunday’s Pop-Up Concert in the Park
The always popular free “Concert in the Park” at the Alpine Community Center Park was scheduled to start up the summer series when the warm-up act for the very first Sunday cancelled at the last minute. Knowing that a guitar class meets regularly at the Community Center, the concert organizer made a phone call. Father Acker, who teaches the Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC) called some of his senior students to pull a program together. The 10 song set of Classics was very popular with the audience and turned into an old fashioned sing along. “I’m very proud these kids could learn so many new songs in just a few days,” said Father Acker.
The Free Teen Guitar Class is still scheduled for its regular performance this coming Sunday, July 1st. Their program is designed to showcase everyone from the new beginners to the more advanced students. The class has been preparing over the last couple of months. “The FTGC is designed for teens to learn the guitar in just a couple of months; not starting on a few chords, but reading music and learning the theory so that they will understand what they are playing and be able to pick up music on their own.”
Father Acker has been teaching free classes to teenagers in Alpine the last 4 years. The program is sponsored by the Alpine Community Center and by Alpine Anglican Church (where Fr. Acker is the pastor). “We give the kids a chance to play once a month at our 8:30am service at Alpine Elementary School Auditorium, but we gear up for a broader selection of music for the “Concert in the Park.”
Most people go to a concert for the “headliner.” People like to come early to set up their chairs and get their picnic organized. But watching the band set up and test the sound equipment can be boring. Fortunately there is a large pool of local talent willing to play just for the joy of performing.
“It’s a great atmosphere playing outdoors with folks walking about and greeting friends. Sure, you’d always like to have a crowd waiting for “your act,” but the growing crowd was very positive and we were focused on the performance. People coming in with their lawn chairs & blankets, setting up their picnic dinner or carrying dinner back from the food shack is part of the fun and experience of the Concert in the Park,” commented Father Acker.
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.”
We have completed our two month trial with zero results, positive or negative. 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.
Epistle Readers
In response to requests from the congregation and the readers, we will be posting the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report from henceforth. This way, you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.
Date Reader
1 July 2007 Stephanie Boyd
8 July 2007 Dru Arnold
15 July 2007 Hap Arnold
22 July 2007 Mike Springer
29 July 2007 Jan Macauley
Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Fourth Sunday after Trinity. Summer is getting a firm grip on our area. We have a lot of people on travel. The Continuing Education Class should be back 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
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