2007 The Twelfth Night of Christmas

This report covers the Twelfth Night of Christmas, Epiphany, as well as the First Sunday after Epiphany. This has been a jam packed two weeks, starting with Christmas Eve two weeks ago.

The Twelfth Night of Christmas

We celebrated the Twelfth Night of Christmas, the night before the Twelfth Day (Epiphany) at the Vicarage, Victoria House, with 13 people present. A tradition at our parish and others, we gathered for a short prayer, then burned our Christmas greenery, in this case a representative sample not wishing a repeat of the Cedar Fire. The Twelfth Night officially ends the Christmas Season and we move in to Epiphany. Many people take down all their Christmas decorations at this time, others leave up the Wise Men.

After the ceremonial greenery burning in the breezeway, we went inside for some wonderful desserts. There are no pictures as your Beadle was having such a good time he forgot his camera which was resting peacefully in the trunk of his black Ford. Susanne Barrett brought a special non-gluten spice cake, which with or without gluten, was wonderful. Alice Acker made what was billed as her famous trifle, but turned out to be a new recipe that was way better. Your Beadle, who has exceeded his Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight, on a points counting routine, but decided seconds of trifle were more important than dinner. Good choice. Father Acker opened his excellent sherry collection for us, as well as provided first class coffee, decaf and recaf. The kids loved the hot chocolate, which went well with some of the freezer fudge, which resurfaced just in time to be eaten.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Twelve Drummers Drumming

A coincidence, or are there twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed?
1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

Epiphany

Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th commemorates the visit of the Magi, the Wise Men (traditionally named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar) from the East, to the Christ Child. This feast is also known as the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Epiphany is the manifestation of God's Glory in human form, the revelation to the Gentiles of His redemptive power. It is the Gentiles in the form of the three Magi (sorcerers practicing the ancient occult practices) and the ceremonially unclean shepherds to whom this is revealed first, along with the Holy family. The term epiphany means "to show" or "to make known" or "to reveal." It recalls the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing "reveal" Jesus to the world as Lord and King. Syrian children receive gifts at Epiphany from the smallest camel of the Wise Men. Legend has it that when the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem, it was the smallest camel who refused to give up the long journey and was most eager to see the Christ Child. The story emphasizes how the faith of the smallest and most vulnerable can, at times, be greater than most.

Five of us gathered to celebrate the Epiphany, or revealing, at Victoria Chapel. What we may have lacked in numbers, we made up for in joy. For those of you who have never been to a service at Victoria Chapel, the Holy Communion service lasts about 30 minutes. After the service, there were no goodies for a change as all present were counting their points!

The First Sunday after Epiphany

In addition to being the First Sunday After Epiphany, today was the first Sunday of the new calendar year. A day to demonstrate the strength of ones New Years Resolution to all the world, as well as one’s self.

The number of Sundays in Epiphany depends on the date of Easter. There can be between one and six Sundays before Septuagesima Sunday. White is the liturgical color for the day and green for the rest of the season.

Christmas comes just after the Winter Solstice, as a consequence from this day forward days become longer, nights shorter. Although there is cold ahead, we look towards the warmth of summer. The county has a Santa Ana going, the further east you get the higher the wind, but the weather today in Alpine was calm and almost perfect: clear and sunny, about 60°F when the service started and 65°F when it ended. It was not only the First Sunday after Epiphany, but the first Sunday of the year and also the first Sunday of the month, the Sunday we have Father Acker’s Free Teen Guitar Class provide the music. By the time the service started, we had 28 attendees.

Today marked the Seventeenth Sunday of the Confirmation – Reception classes. Today Father Acker discussed the real meaning of Epiphany. We initially hear of the Epiphany, or revealing of Christ, to non-Jews in the first book of the New Testament, Matthew, in the Second Chapter, right in the First Verse:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. … lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

gold • frankincense • myrrh Three of the most valued treasures of that time did the three wise men bring. Why? Because, thinking in terms of this world, they could think of nothing more valuable to bring to the Lord.

The Lord brings us our very lives thorough his gift of salvation. What are we to bring Him? What does He want from us?

He gives us the answer, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

He needs nothing of this world. What can we to bring in tribute to Him who has and is everything? The sole thing He does not have, our souls. From the words of our Holy Communion service, we are to:

offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee, that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him.

You say you believe in God and are a Christian. What tribute are you bringing to Him who gave His life that you might live? Are you bringing what He has asked for? Or are you bringing a second rate gift?

Stephanie Boyd read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, starting at the First Verse of the Sixth Chapter. Paul asks not only those long gone Romans, but us, as well, to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” As discussed in the pre-service lesson, he tells us our home is in heaven. Life here is not the end, rather the stepping off point, either to heaven or hell. Thus were are “not conformed to this world: but to be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Some of us may be better than others, but all fall short of the minimum standard. Through Christ we attain eternal life. In the meantime, each of us should not “think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Each of us has a place in the church, a reason to be and job to do. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel of St. Luke, the Second Chapter, beginning at the Forty-First Verse. It tells the story of when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after the Passover Feast in his twelfth year. “When he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.



Sermon
Depending on how you count seasonal days, today is either the last Day of Christmas, or the second Day of Epiphany, winding up on the eighth day next Saturday. Either way it is Christmastide. Christ is the reason for Christmas and Christmastide. Christmas defines us as Christians. There are three defining points that set Christianity aside from other religions:

• Jesus is God
• God came down from Heaven
• God has told us the Truth

Jesus is God
This is a concept unique to Christianity. Muslims do not say Mohammed was God, Buddhists neither believe nor claim Buddha was God. Jesus told us He was the second party of the Holy Trinity.

God came down from Heaven
Jesus is the Son of God and came to earth as God incarnate. He was not just a good man, as some would have you believe; a kind of Mother Teresa, if you will.

In his book Mere Christianity, CS Lewis says, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

God has told us the Truth
What Jesus did and what He told us is God showing us the Truth. This Truth was recorded for all time in the collection of books known as the Bible.

The Truth will set you free!
God has a plan for each of us. From His Word, from His Truth, you can discern that plan. The problem is you have to put God first, before He can help you. You have to actually follow His plan for it to work. We have to first put Christ into our Christmas, then keep Him there every minute of every day. If we do that, the plan will work and we will become one of Paul’s New Men.

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

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

Free Teen Guitar Class
As an outreach to the local community, Father Acker teaches a guitar class on Wednesdays at the Alpine Community Center. The class is known as the Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC). If you know anyone with a teenager 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, but he 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 teenagers, being in place for a 0830 Sunday service is payback.

This Sunday one of our congregation donated a jump drive to the FTGC, to be given to one of the players in a drawing. Jack Arnold won the “Snowboard Jump Drive.” Jack says he will put it to good use in his sneaker net. Thank you.

After Church Hospitality
Today Holly Lizak put on the First Feast of the Year. There was a wonderful carrot spice cake, lovely egg salad sandwiches, a spot of fudge made it there and there were grapes for the points challenged. If you run out before goodies, you are missing a superb snack; if you don’t come to church, you are in even worse shape. Father Acker managed to brew some fresh low carb lemonade. Although Tim had to work, his House of Coffee provided freshly brewed coffee under the supervision of Deputy Barrista Ben Lizak.

People in our Prayers

God’s Guidance
Shamim Gray – Please continue to pray for God’s help and guidance for Shamim as she takes care of her three young children, Zack, Aaron and Nadia while her husband Obra is in Iraq and pray for Obra’s safe return. Pray also that their entire family 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.

Commander O is back in Iraq with the Marines after two weeks R+R at home in Honolulu. Whether he is refreshed or not, no one knows, but at least it was two weeks off the tour that he was not being shot at. Please pray for him to safely complete his combat tour.

Travel
No one asked for travel prayers, so if you were not at church, you need a note from your parent.

Sick
Gene Hunt has mostly recovered from his hip surgery; but spends most of his time in his wheel chair. Evelyn comes most days to see him at Chase Healthcare Center when her back is behaving itself.

Barbara Emrich has moved around quite a bit over the last couple of months. She is now at the Jacob Health Center. “Not an ideal arrangement” but she is doing quite well after her diabetes has put her in the hospital several times over the last few months.

Miney Farrell asks your continued prayer for relief of the blurred vision in one eye. Also at Evening Shade Home, Katie Benjamin, is doing well. Although she says sometimes she feels 96, she sure does not act it!

Donna Dingwall is doing much better. She is grateful for your prayers. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Lorraine Winkles, is doing well. Perhaps we can get her a ride to a service now and again from her home in Blossom Valley.
 
Like to Sing?
We have been running the paragraph on Walt and Fran volunteering to lead a music group at church for some time with no takers. That is the bad news, the good news is people are starting to sing in the congregation. If any of you want to be more formal about the singing, talk to Walt or Fran. Otherwise, this is the last Like to Sing paragraph!

Front Door Lending Library
The 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.

Craig Maxwell and Greg Chase have picked up some new CS Lewis books, one of the most widely read Christian writers and certainly the most famous Anglican writer, as well as an eclectic group of other books. Please feel free to borrow the books for as long as you like, all Greg and Craig ask is that when you are done with them return them so someone else can read them.

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.

Order of Saint James and Saint Matthew
The needs are many, the resources few. But, like loaves and fishes there are sufficient unto the day, with God’s help through our Lord and Savior.

Saint James tells us we are to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Saint Matthew tells us to do our good without fanfare, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Saint James goes further telling us what we are to do to be doers of Jesus’ Word: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

In his role of Parish Chief Constable, your Beadle has established in his offices an Order of Saint James and Saint Matthew. If you know of a parish member who is keeping the Word, doing their duty to God and Country without fanfare, send your Beadle a note at thebeadle@mac.com for consideration of their potential admission to the order.

In keeping with the instructions of James and Matthew, details of the membership will be, as they say, closely held at the codeword level. Much like the Company, recognition is important, even if we do not tell the public.

Coming Up later this year
The pre-service lessons towards Confirmation or Reception have been very well received. Your Beadle believes he has prevailed on Father Acker to continue the classes indefinitely. 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 study Bible for those who are interested. Please contact the Beadle at thebeadle@mac.com for your copy.

Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday after Epiphany. The Confirmation – Reception classes are moving nicely. If you are one of those people who only comes to church on Christmas or Easter, that is fine. If you are not, come join us for next Sunday’s fun!

See you next week on Sunday!

A more complete version of the Beadle’s Report is available from thebeadle@mac.com