The First Sunday after Christmas Day

Today was the First Sunday after Christmas Day. The sunrise temperature Mount Olympus was a cool and calm 31°F. Down the hill at church, skies were clear, visibility unlimited, the wind calm and the temperature 58°F. Another incredibly beautiful day brought out 20 people to worship.

Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class
The pre-service class was replaced today with Christmas carol singing. Today we sang:

Hymn 236 Once in royal David’s city
Hymn 30 First Noel
Hymn 319•775 Joy to the World
Hymn 19 It came upon a midnight clear
Hymn 12 O Come, all ye faithful

While we missed the interesting class, it was nice to have more than one chance to sing the carols! Many thanks to Marianne for the lovely organ work!

Stephanie Boyd read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. Paul reminds us, as well as those long gone in Galatia, we are to do God’s will, but through our Lord, we are not servants, but children of God, for “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the First Chapter, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse.

The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Sermon - CRV
Today Father Acker started out by discussing the California Redemption Value of recyclable containers. It turns out that those plastic and aluminum containers you purchase your drinks in have a redemption value. All you have to do is take them into a redemption center and you get cash back.

There is a lot more similarity than you might think between those plastic and aluminum cans and our lives. The link is CRV, for the bottles and cans - California Redemption Value, for our lives - Christian Redemption Virtue.

The redemption had been predicted a long time:

In Genesis, Chapter Three, we read, “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head…” The birthplace of the redeemer is predicted in Micah, Chapter Five, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace…”

To do something, to redeem for instance, you need to be Ready, Willing and Able. To be ready, you need to be the right person. In Matthew, we find that Jesus is the Son of David on his earthly father Joseph’s side. In Luke, we find that Jesus is the Son of David on his mother’s side. While the Hebrews counted their lineage through the father, their claim to Jewishness came through their mother. Thus, both sides were covered and Jesus was the Right person, Ready to redeem.

To do something you must be Willing. Jesus was willing of His own free and perfect will to offer himself up as a single perfect sacrifice, offered one time for all mankind.

To do something, you must be Able. Jesus was completely without sin. He could offer Himself in sacrifice. A single perfect sacrifice, offered one time for all mankind.

When you come upon a bottle or can, the California Redemption Value is already paid for. All you have to do is take it to a redemption center and you can redeem it for a pre-paid dollar amount. Likewise, when you come upon a soul, yours or another’s, it has already been paid for, all you have to do is redeem it. Take it to a redemption center and cash it in!

Just like any other redemption center, the church is here to turn base metal into gold. This is a different gold than that you get for your California Redemption Value. Your Christian Redemption Virtue will redeem a treasure beyond compare. For you are cautioned to take care how and where you value your treasure:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. St. Matt. vi. 19, 20.

Next time you see the bottle or the can, think. Are you ready for redemption yourself?

A soul is a terrible thing to waste.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today. We joyously celebrated Hap Arnold’s 58th birthday today.

After Church Hospitality
Holly Lizak brought the goodies today; curried chicken sandwiches, three kinds of fudge, brownie and lemony things, as well as some almond roca-like flat candy beyond wonderful.

Once again, your Beadle got his snacks and then got sidetracked, thus there are no photographs of the congregation sitting around enjoying the snacks. Your Beadle apologizes, but hopefully you will trust the congregation was there.

Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley handled the coffee on behalf of Tim’s House of Coffee. Today’s coffee was the special Christmas blend. Father Acker got up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade, then your Beadle failed to unload it from the trailer. He did move it, but not inside! Very sad.

New Nametags
We had no new nametags today.

People in our Prayers
If you are on our prayer list, or you have submitted a person for us to pray for, please update Father Acker in person, by telephone or e-mail. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is good to give thanks!

Please note that on the green cards at church, you can ask that those to be prayed for have their names disseminated to the “prayer team”, those names will be said in church and appear here. Or, your can ask that the names and purpose be kept confidential, then only Father Acker will know to pray for them.

Travel
Ken is on travel this week.

Sick or in need of healing

Illness
Annie, Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Fran (poison oak), Kathy, Richard, Christian, Trish, Marie, Wanda, Karen, Lois, Jennette, Linn, Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Theresa, Melanie, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Betty, Terri, Mary, Edward, Bert, Joseph, Jesusa (difficult pregnancy), Michele, Kevin, Bruce, Susanne
Guidance
Christiana, Alex, Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, Ken, Maruja, Stella, Shelly, William, Joe, Alexander, Jonathan, Phil, Sandy, Larraine, Brad, Brian, Cindi, Uni, Jennifer, Greg, Rick, Carol, Susan, Curtis, Stephen, Chris, Andrew, Alex
Homebound/Aged and Infirm

 Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie
Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Patrick, Justin, Evan, Jim, Jason, JR, Matt

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 & Bibles
During his many travels and general rooting around, your Beadle has come across some very nice personal 1928 Prayer Books, including a couple with Hymnals attached and leather bound Bibles. If you would like one, please contact him directly.

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.

I’d like to get a different point across or announce something
If you have a different point of view, I would be happy to give you room to get your point across. While this publication is my perspective on events, I recognize not everyone may agree and that some people would like to express their own opinion.

If want to write an article or make an announcement, please forward your item to the Beadle (with a note as to whether or not you would like editing help) to the following address: thebeadle@mac.com.

Epistle Readers
We post the list of Epistle Readers in the Beadle’s Report each week so you can either plan your attendance or your pre-reading as the spirit so moves you.

Date Reader

6 January 2008 Stephanie Boyd
13 January 2008 Greg Chase
20 January 2008 Ben Lizak
27 January 2008 Holly Lizak


The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday after Christmas and there is a lot going on in the next little bit. Next Sunday, Father Acker will be starting a new class series. Or, maybe he will talk a bit more about the liturgical year. You need to come to church to find out before the Beadle’s Report comes out.

1 January 2008 - The Circumcision of Christ
There will be a morning Holy Communion Service at 0930 (9:30am) at Victoria Chapel.

1 January 2008 – New Year’s Day Trail Ride
Following Holy Communion, there will be a Jeep trail ride starting at 1100 from the Arnolds’ home. Drivers are encouraged to show at 1000 to get their vehicles ready. The plan is to leave at 1100, drive out a little over an hour, picnic and drive back. We expect to return about 1400 (2:00pm). This is a very sedate and smooth ride, think “Sunday Drive” do not think “Indiana Jones”. Nonetheless, we will have a great time. If you want to go and you have a four wheel drive vehicle, great! Bring it. If you want to go and don’t have one, we will have lots of open seats and a couple of spare vehicles .

There is some question as to weather, perhaps it will be a cold Santa Ana. If it is miserable, we will weather cancel. Also, you need to let us know you are coming so we can plan the picnic. Please check in with Dru Arnold – (619) 659-3608 or dru@descansorodents.com or dru@arnoldoffice.com.

12th Night Celebration
On Saturday, 5 January 2008, the 12th night of Christmas, we’ll have a burning of the greenery for the lighting of the Epiphany at Victoria House. Bring a piece of your dry Christmas greenery to add to the brazier (no more than 6 inches with the fire danger). If you don’t have any, we’ll have some extras. After the service we’ll have dessert and sherry to close our Christmas season and welcome Epiphanytide.

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 a single photograph and simple text is available at:
http://thebeadle.blogspot.com/

or with one photograph per issue and colorful text 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