The Third Sunday in Lent

Today was the Third Sunday in Lent. After last week’s weather, the time for sun rise came at Mount Olympus, bringing 45°F and drizzly rain, by the time church started, we had 54°F and pouring rain. Nonetheless, we ended up with 19 attendees.

As those 19 of you know who were at church know, the service was a bit out of order today. Your Beadle forgot the video projector, while church was being set up, the Under Beadle went home to get it. To keep things flowing, Father Acker did his sermon before the service and the pre-service class fit into the sermon’s spot. Your Beadle apologizes and congratulates Father Acker on his flexibility. Also the slides were combined today into a single unit with both the class and the music on screen. The congregation liked the effect. We will change the slide setup so there is only one stained glass window to reduce distraction and increase contrast on the slides with text.

Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class - Around the Bible in 140 days by popular demand
Today was the fourth in a twenty week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching each Sunday, beginning at 8:30am. The class started with one of the Collects for the Day, applicable to the subject at hand, in this case the Second Sunday in Advent:

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Second Sunday of Advent BCPp92

We have been making our way through the Bible and arrived at the Book of Joshua, (Hebrew: Sefer Y'hoshua ספר יהושע), sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book stands as the first in the
Former (or First) Prophets covering the history of Israel from the possession of the Promised Land to the Babylonian Captivity.

The book of Joshua contains a history of the Israelites from the death of Moses to that of Joshua. After Moses' death, Joshua, by virtue of his previous appointment as Moses' successor, receives from God the command to cross the Jordan River. In execution of this order Joshua issues the requisite instructions to the stewards of the people for the crossing of the Jordan; and he reminds the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half of Manasseh of their pledge given to Moses to help their brethren.

The book essentially consists of three parts:
1. The history of the conquest of the land (1-12).
2. The allotment of the land to the different tribes, with the appointment of cities of refuge, the provision for the Levites (13-22), and the dismissal of the eastern tribes to their homes. This section has been compared to the Domesday Book of the Norman Conquest (though significantly shorter, and not the work of one man; i. e. not comparable in impressiveness).
3. Return of the Transjordan Tribes and farewell addresses of Joshua, with an account of his death (23, 24).

After the death of Moses, God calls on Joshua to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and take possession of the promised land. God guarantees victory in the military campaign and vows never to leave the Israelites so long as they obey his laws.

The people swear their allegiance to Joshua, and he sends two spies across the river to investigate the territory. The men enter Jericho, where a prostitute named Rahab hides them in her home and lies to the city officials regarding the spies’ presence. Rahab tells the spies that the Canaanites are afraid of Israel and its miraculous successes. Professing belief in the God of the Israelites, she asks for protection for her family when the Israelites destroy Jericho. The spies pledge to preserve Rahab and return to Joshua, telling him of the weakened condition of Israel’s enemies.

The Israelites cross the Jordan River, led by a team of priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. As the priests enter the water, the flow of the river stops and the Israelites cross the river on dry land. Arriving on the other side, the Israelites commemorate the miracle with an altar of twelve stones from the river bed (representing the twelve tribes of Israel).

The people begin to eat the produce of the new land—thus halting the daily supply of manna—and the Israelite men perform the ritual of circumcision in preparation for battle.

Approaching Jericho, Joshua encounters a mysterious man who explains that he is the commander of God’s army but that he is neither for nor against Israel. Joshua pays homage to the man and passes on.

Following divine instructions, Joshua leads the Israelites in carrying the Ark around Jericho for six days. On the seventh day, the Israelites march around the city seven times. Joshua rallies them to conquer the city and kill everyone except for Rahab. They are to refrain from taking any of the city’s religious items. At the sound of the Israelite war cry, the walls of Jericho collapse, and the Israelites destroy the city and its inhabitants.

Joshua’s fame spreads throughout the land, but the Israelites are humiliated in their attempts to take the next city, Ai. God attributes the disaster to the disobedience of Achan, an Israelite who has stolen a wedge of gold and a fine Babylonian garment from their temple, the Hebrews fail to capture the city of Ai. After the people stone Achan, the renewed attempt against Ai is successful as Joshua masterminds an elaborate ambush against the city’s forces with thirty thousand Hebrews.

The Israelites celebrate by erecting an altar to God and publicly reaffirming their commitment to God’s law. Fearful of the marauding Israelites, the people of Gibeon visit the Israelite camp in disguise, claiming to be travelers in the land and requesting peace with Israel. Joshua does not inquire with God and makes a hasty treaty with the men, only to discover later that the Gibeonites are natives of the land to be conquered. The Israelites refrain from attacking the city, but five other local kings attack Gibeon for making peace with Israel. The Israelites come to Gibeon’s aid and destroy the five armies. Joshua helps by commanding God to make the sun stand still during the fight. God listens and stops the sun’s movement—the only time in history, we are told, when God obeys a human.

The Israelites continue to destroy the southern and northern cities of Canaan, killing all living inhabitants, as God has stipulated. While much of the promised land still remains to be conquered, the people of Israel begin to settle in the land, dividing it amongst the twelve tribes.

After God gives Israel rest from its enemies for many years, an ailing Joshua makes a farewell pronouncement to the nation of Israel. Joshua goads the Israelites to be strong and to obey all of God’s laws, throwing away any idols and refraining from intermarriage with the native peoples. The people assure Joshua they will be faithful to the covenant, but Joshua reluctantly accepts this assurance, worried that obedience for Israel will prove quite difficult.

Scholars dispute the historical accuracy of the Book of Joshua. Although the writer claims to be writing in the thirteenth century BC, it is unlikely Joshua was written so early, and it is unlikely that the conquest of Palestine by the Hebrew people was as clean and neat as the first twelve chapters of Joshua suggest.

Some scholars choose to read the book not as an inaccurate record of history but as an accurate record of Hebrew cultural memory of the original invasion of Palestine by the wandering Israelites.

Unlike Genesis and Exodus, Joshua contains detailed accounts of political and military battles, and more than half of the book is devoted to listing the allotment of land to each of the twelve tribes. Few of the characters are as dramatic as those in the first books of the Old Testament, and God interferes little with human lives.

In this sense, Joshua reads more like an ancient Hebrew history textbook than a collection of separate myths and legends. The Book of Joshua carefully structures its description of the invasion of Palestine. The strict organization of the book emphasizes that the description of the conquests is a literary interpretation, and shows the importance within this interpretation of the idea of land. Israel’s conquest is divided into two parts: the first twelve chapters tell the story of the conquest itself, and the final twelve chapters tell the story of how the land was allotted. These two sections are each subdivided into two sections. In these four parts, Israel prepares for the conquest, the campaigns themselves are carried out, the conquered land is allotted, and a concluding section exhorts Israel to remain loyal to God.

The geographic organization of the book is equally rigorous; both the conquests and the division of lands are grouped according to whether the lands are in the north, south, east, or west. In the process, the idea of land plays a role as antagonistic as any character’s.

Various people’s desire for and loyalty to specific regions is a source of great conflict, and God’s covenant with Israel is physically manifested in his promise of land. The Book of Joshua describes Joshua as an echo of Moses who engages in the same actions, only of lesser magnitude and with lesser effect. Moses leads the Israelites out of their oppression in Egypt; Joshua leads them into their domination of Canaan. Furthermore, Joshua causes the Jordan River to run dry in the same way that Moses parts the Red Sea. Finally, both Joshua and Moses perform similar administrative actions, sending out spies and allotting land to tribes. However, the differences between Moses’ and Joshua’s stories almost always indicate that Moses was a grander leader and prophet. While Moses communes directly with God, speaking with him face to face as though to a friend, God’s presence in the Book of Joshua is largely symbolic. God exists for them in the Ark of the Covenant, a container that contains the text of Mosaic law. He does not, however, take physical form. Moses both foreshadows and overshadows Joshua.

This simplified rendering of the military campaign is contrasted by a lingering ambivalence in the behavior and the future of the Israelite people throughout Joshua. Rahab may display a blind faith in God, and the treaty with the Gibeonites may be the result of a deception, but by sparing these figures the Israelites disobey God’s ongoing commandment to destroy all the native inhabitants of the promised land.

Equally perplexing is the man or angel who is “the commander of the army of the Lord.” He claims to be neither for nor against Israel, yet his presence at the battle of Jericho seems to connote God’s blessing on Israel’s military exercises. The ten chapters describing the allotment of tribal lands also undercut the decisive victories depicted in the first half of the book. Israel’s resettlement is a project of enormous proportions, occurring before all the land has even been conquered. In fact, it is not clear if the remaining lands will ever be conquered; but, although God requires the total conquest of the promised land, he nevertheless gives them rest from battle (23:1).

Finally, in his farewell to Israel, Joshua commands the people to throw away their religious idols and to refrain from allying with the native peoples. At no point do the people agree to either stipulation. Instead, they merely affirm that they will serve God (24:18, 24). Paradoxically, Joshua responds, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. ” (24:19). The ambivalence of the people regarding obedience to God in light of Joshua’s persistence suggests that the future of Israel is uncertain at best.

Alice Acker read the Epistle for today, which came from the Fifth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning at the First Verse. He echoes the advice of St. James in his general epistle, to be Christians, not just claim to be followers of Christ, when James wrote, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

BE ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

The Gospel for this morning came from in the Eleventh Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke beginning at the Fourteenth Verse.

JESUS was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Sermon - to be like God, try being human
God would like us to have our lives are to look like Jesus:

• We aren’t to settle for shallow perversions of humanity.
• We need to be more human if we are to love like God.
• We are to be “A Sweet Savor Offering.”
 
Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, 
and hath given himself for us.
From today’s Epistle
If our life is to look like Jesus’ life:

• Don’t strive for anything less.
• Don’t be a “bent” (Lewis), a twisted perversion
• Realize, we are made to “love like God.”
• Not lust, but “the union of husband & wife”
• Not greed, but being “givers” of gifts.
• Not putting ourselves, or someone or something at the center of our lives, but a perfect relationship to God and his family.
• Not Married with Children, or the Simpsons
• We have a vision of that Perfect Family

We’ve all had deal with some manipulative aunt or uncle, and brat grandniece or weasel nephew. One who is twisted, who is bent. That is not who we want to emulate, rather look towards Jesus for an example, if you need one.
 
Our lives are to look like Jesus who says: Blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it.

• It is to know the reality of divine love lived out.
• Not avoiding the pleasures, which were all made by God.
• It is to enter in more fully—to be more human (hybrid--Lewis)
• That the physical sharing of yourself should be as God intended it—not some cheap, impersonal “hooking up.”
• Not some titillation of silicon and oil.

That the riches, the abundance we have…

If you have a toilet you are one of the rich folk of the world—40% don’t have a toilet!

We are to be givers of gifts—not hoarding or letting our goods control our decisions.
 
How? Look to Jesus: A sweet savor offering. Voluntary.

What was the offering described in Leviticus? Perfect, without spot or blemish, the best you had. That is what God did for us. He offered His first born son, Jesus, without spot of si to be a sweet savor offering.

Can you dedicate your life to the Lord, to be a sweet savor offering?

Why settle for a shallow perversion of humanity when the real thing is right there for the taking.

We need to be more human if we are to love like God.
We are to be “A Sweet Savor Offering.”
 
Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, 
and hath given himself for us.
From today’s Epistle

Birthdays and Anniversaries
No birthdays today; but, we celebrated the Arnolds 21st Anniversary with them.

After Church Hospitality
Holly Lizak brought the snacks today. Whether she knew the Arnolds were celebrating their anniversary or not is not clear, but she brought the most favored snack, egg salad sandwiches, heavy on black olives. They are so wonderful! There were also curried chicken sandwiches (also very good), pumpkin bread and red flame seedless grapes.

Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley on travel visiting his parents in Las Vegas, Barrista Ben Lizak stood in with help from Assistant Barrista Don Patton. The coffee was great. Father Acker managed to get up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade.

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.
Tim and Stephanie are on travel this week.
Mark on travel this week visiting his father who is nearing the end of his life on the East Coast.

Sick or in need of healing

Healing
Annie, Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Uni, Bethany (collision), Greg (shoulder surgery),  Kathy, Richard, Christian, Trish, Marie, Wanda,  Sarah, Tina, Mark, Lois, Jennette, Linn, Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Theresa, Don (post surgery), Melanie, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Betty, Terri, Mary, Edward, Bert, Jesusa (difficult pregnancy), Sheila, Michele, Marybeth (broken foot, stroke), Bill (infection), Kevin, Bruce, Susanne

Guidance
Christiana, Alexander, Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, Ken, Maruja, Stella, Shelly, William, Joe, Alexander, Jonathan, Phil, Sandy, Larraine, Brad, Brian, Cindi, Uni, Jennifer, Greg, Ed, Ruthie, Rick, Carol, Susan, Curtis, Stephen, Donny, Chris, Andrew, Keith

Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie

Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Patrick, Justin, Tim, Evan, Jim, Jason, JR, Matt, Phillip

Holy Passing
Mark’s father

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.

Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC – www.freeteenguitarclass.com)
The Free Teen Guitar Class is underway on Wednesdays with new times:

New Beginning Class 3:00-3:45pm String 1 and very basics.
Continuing Book Class 3:45-4:30pm We are doing pages 38 & 39 Key of G.
Techniques Class 4:30-5:15pm Starting improvisation on Ionian scale & rhythm part for Surfing with the Alien.

All classes are open to new students. You might know someone who already plays some and wants to join in. If you know someone who wants to play and does not have a guitar, we have a few loaner beginner guitars. If you haven’t done so, have a look at our website: http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com. I think you will like it.

Email me if you want a new FTGC Flyer! frkeitha@alpineanglican.com

The next performance opportunity is March 3rd.
- Father Ironhand

Free Teen Guitar Class Performs at the new Albertson’s
Saturday, mid-day, from 1100 – 1500 (11:00 am to 3:00 pm) Father Acker and Jack Arnold from the Free Teen Guitar Class performed at the new Albertson’s Very Super Market at Old Highway 80 and South Grade during their very first community service event.

The two musicians played non-stop for all four hours! There were quite a few people who stopped by, including our Senior Warden Ben Lizak and his lovely wife Holly. There was one teenager who would like to learn to play the guitar and another lady who asked for one of the handouts on our church. Many of the people thanked the two for providing music for the event. The Albertson’s Manager gave them a special thanks. She said she had been looking for a music player or radio or something to provide music when they started playing. She thought the music was much better than the box she had been looking for.

If you take a look at Father Acker or Jack’s hands, you will see the results of four hours of non-stop strumming. If you go to http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com/080223albertson/index.html, there are more pixs!

Excellent work, you two! Thanks for spending your day playing for our church!

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

2 March 2008 Stephanie Boyd
9 March 2008 Ben Lizak
16 March 2008 Holly Lizak
23 March 2008 Alex Boyd (Easter)
30 March 2008 Jan Macauley

The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent.

Pre-Service Class
Next Sunday will also be the sixth Sunday in Father Acker’s new pre-service class series, Around the Bible in 70 Days, a ten week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching that begins at 8:30am on Sundays. The class provides an overview of the entire bible. This is the forest view for those feeling lost among the trees. Actually it a good reminder on the overall story and our reading it as God’s story.

The 10 minute teaching series begins at 8:30am each Sunday! This is an excellent opportunity to bring a friend who would like to know more about the Bible and Christianity.
 
Lenten Book Study
Each Wednesday in Lent, we are meeting at 1815 (6:15pm) at the SCAIR Center in Alpine to discuss the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. This week we are covering Chapters 13 – 18.

Evening Prayer 1815 (6:15 pm)
Soup Dinner Starts 1830 (6:30 pm)
Discussion Starts 1915 (7:15 pm)
Discussion Ends 2000 (8:00 pm)

John J. Miller, National Review Political Reporter -

CS Lewis once complained that writing The Screwtape Letters brought him no pleasure. “I never wrote with less enjoyment, ” he said. “The strain produced a spiritual cramp. ” That’s because Screwtape is a devil, and his letters are pieces of fiendish instruction sent to Wormwood, an apprentice demon who is trying to tempt a soul into Hell. “The world in which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch, ” said Lewis. “Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded. ”

And yet The Screwtape Letters, The Guardian in 1941, is one of Lewis’s best-loved books — it is probably more widely read than any of his titles, with the exception of Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia. It might even be said that in certain respects it was the most important book he ever wrote, if only because it “made Lewis a household name, ” according to biographer A. N. Wilson. Would we know Lewis if he had never written Screwtape? Probably. But it’s a little like asking whether we’d know Shakespeare if he had never written Hamlet — removing it from his opus diminishes him.

Anybody who has dipped into the book can sense its power. The concept of a devil writing letters to his subordinate is pure genius, and The Screwtape Letters if full of crackling-good prose. Here’s a sample, from the first letter in the book:

Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to having a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily “true” or “false, ” but as “academic” or “practical, ” “outworn” or “contemporary, ” “conventional” or “ruthless. ” Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true! Make him think it is strong or stark or courageous — that it is the philosophy of the future. That’s the sort of thing he cares about. This is at once a firm denunciation of moral relativism, a bracing plea for coming to grips with its seductive power, and a clear message of warning to readers. Lewis believes that by creating a fictional devil and trying to plumb his ways, his audience will improve its faith.

Screwtape is continually mystified by the agenda of the Enemy — i. e., the God that he and his fellow devils have rejected. This gives rise to one of the best passages in the book, from Screwtape’s eighth letter:

One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propaganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself — creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like his own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to his.... He cannot “tempt” to virtue as we do to vice. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do the Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.

There are 31 such letters. They vary slightly in length but average perhaps 1,000 words each. Lewis was a speedy writer, spending only a few hours on each one, and they initially appeared in a weekly newspaper in serial form. (He donated the initial proceeds to a fund for the widows of clergymen.)

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

Chapter Topics from the Devil’s point of view
• Preventing Conversion
• The Church
• The Family
• Prayer
• The War
• War & Fear
• Extremes
• The Law of Undulation
• Temptation in Trough Periods
• Acquaintances
• Laughter
• The Safest Road to Hell
• Repentance
• Humility
• Time
• Attending the Parish Church
• Gluttony
• Sexual Temptation, Marriage & Family
• God's Love and Being "In Love"
• Sexual Temptation, Continued
• Ownership
• "Losing in Love"
• Theology, Politics & "The Historical Jesus"
• The Christian "Inner Ring"
• Change
• Unselfishness
• Prayer, Free Will & Old Books
• Life & Death
• Cowardice & Courage
• Reality

Doubt not: this study will be entertaining, the food great, and when you are done, you will feel far more comfortable and be far stronger in your Christian beliefs. If you have not ordered your copy, either call Father Acker or scrounge in the Lending Library (there are some there).

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

Message from Bishop Richard J. Boyce - Anglican Province of America - Diocese of the West

This message is in response to questions about the position of APA and the Diocese of the West in particular regarding the Common Cause Partnership (CCP).

You have asked each of us for our response in regard to CCP. Although you are aware of my general position already, the following is a statement of why I believe CCP is a necessary commitment for us at present.

1) Biblical Mandate: We are a province which is committed to the authority of Scripture, holding "the One Faith revealed in Holy Writ," maintaining the "Doctrines, Sacraments and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded in His Holy Word." (from "Solemn Declaration" of the APA Constitution). That Lord is specific in His desires "that they [believers] all may be one, as You Father are in Me and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." ( St.John 17:20-23), among other passages, with the thought repeated by St.Paul that we are one Body. Although we have many optional practices, oneness is not, not only because you cannot in fact divide Christ but also because it is crucial to the salvation of those who watch us, "that the world may believe." It is a command therefore that we seek diligently to achieve oneness. Those who resist this are no more followers of Biblical authority than the Jesus Seminar or Spong.

2) Anglican Unity; "We declare this Church to be... in full communion with all traditional Anglicans throughout the world, as an integral portion of the One Body of Christ" (also from "Solemn Declaration"). If in particular, we are to be "classic Anglicans" it is clear both from this Declaration and from the very definition of what constitutes an Anglican, that the apostolic and episcopal nature of our Faith requires common cause with other faithful Anglicans. If, as we allege, some, such as the TEC leadership, have strayed from Biblical norms and Anglican Tradition and order, we are hypocritical to then do the same along a different path related primarily to Donatism or sectarian self-righteousness rather than sexual and authority issues. In short, Anglicans belong together unless separated by drastic deviations such as TEC has done. We have been going around saying for a decade or so the Global South, REC and Forward in Faith churches are orthodox Anglicans- therefore what excuse can we possibly use to not talk with them about our shared Faith?

3) What Are We Joining?: CCP is not a jurisdiction nor church. It is a voluntary association of orthodox Anglicans. I know some of our people are still traumatized by the big boot of ECUSA leadership back when they left the Episcopal Church. But this is not the same. We can quit as easily as we can join. To be sure, the clear purpose of CCP is to shape the formation of a new province. That is what Jesus wants (see point #1 above). Surely we don't need to spell out that it should therefore be what we want. Further, the opportunity to sit at the table and help shape the new province is a wonderful way to do mission for classic Anglicanism. Our input as the "elder brother" of American orthodox Anglicanism is invaluable and could reawaken the traditional sense in people who have had to live with pressure from the other direction for a long time. My impression is that Bp. Duncan in particular has gone out of his way to invite our participation in this and it is unthinkable that we would pass it up. Even if our input is not accepted to the point where we could become an integral part of a new province, at least we have had a chance to shape the future of Anglicanism. To withdraw from these discussions, as is now proposed, and then sit back and criticize the outcome when instead we could have shaped the outcome is totally irresponsible. It will have a negative impact not only on the new province but also on us, as we become a marginalized sect of soreheads with nothing Anglican to offer.

4) Polity We talk of the congregationalist mindset and bewail it. But if we leave CCP, we have confirmed it as our real polity. Anglicans, as all catholics, see the basic unit as the diocese not the congregation. We have the right to expect the integrity (sorry about the word, but it is a good one even if the wrong people sometimes claim it) of our dioceses and hopefully the decency to respect the rights of others. But we need to be where the Anglican bishops are.

5) Who Loves Ya? as Kojak used to say. The Global South churches have come to our defense, because we proclaimed the Gospel, the same one they proclaim. They have been punished for this and suffered financial loss, many in areas of desperate poverty. It has been a real blow for them, but they have stuck with us. Now are we to proclaim they are not good enough, either, to even talk with us about the Anglican future of America? No wonder the criticism of our stand has been pretty strong.

6) What Are the Fears?
a) Women will rule our altars.
b) People, especially bishops, we don't like are part of this.
c) We will be forced to change- our parishes will be incorporated into other dioceses, maybe even ones which ordain women, or are (choose one) Anglo-Catholic or Evangelical.
d) We will be forced to use the 1979 BCP, and/or wave our arms in the air at prayer.

To answer:

a) 1.CCP is a discussion group. It has no power to force anything.
2. The great majority of orthodox Anglicans in the world do not ordain women as priests. The situation is the reverse of the ECUSA experience, and it is the minority who ordain women who will be asking for tolerance.
3. Once out of TEC, many who endured women priests have renounced their past (witness Jeffrey Steenson of Rio Grande).
4. The Church of Nigeria does not ordain women as priests, despite rumors and silly statements to the contrary.
5. It appears each jurisdiction will be free to follow its own practice but not to enforce it on others; we could help make sure of this if we sit at the table; some may even phase out women priests.
6. The fail/safe: In the unlikely event the other 5 reasons all are wrong, we do not have to join a new province if it happens. We would be justified in not doing so if this were imposed on us, having tried in the formation talks to prevent it. It is certainly not a reason to refuse to talk to people, most of whom, like ourselves, find women's ordination incorrect.

b) Not liking some people has been the greatest sin in the Continuum and the primary cause of its failure, from 1977 on, to be more than a fragmented and continually fragmenting bunch of ineffective sects instead of the Anglican voice in America. Much of what is happening now would have happened decades ago and in a better way if it were not for our sinful ego preference to trash personalities instead of preach the Gospel. God in His patience and mercy is now giving us a second chance. Unfortunately, obnoxious people are ever with us, and CCP has no monopoly on them. Let us bear our cross about them, remembering Jesus died for them too. They are never a valid reason for dividing Christ's Body.

c) There is no evidence currently of attempts to force polity or bad theology on us. Indeed the opposite is true. Again, if this happens by some ugly turn of events, all we need to do is leave, having done our best in the formation discussion to avoid it. But leaving in anticipation of an unlikely event when unity and the relevance of our Anglicanism to the rest of the church is at stake is unseemly and unfaithful.

d) This kind of pressure is even less likely.

Rumors
Bearing false witness is not taken lightly by God. All the hen talk about which bishops are really running things and how they will pollute the new province with heresies and bad ideas is beneath us. I understand some people would prefer to have church by themselves and never confront the mission being asked of them. That feeling in itself defines them as not Anglican. When such people then employ weapons from rumor through threats of withholding money or "quitting the church," they have by such acts disqualified themselves from contributing to the discussion. When they do so over simply joining an exploratory group, it is clear they are at the least overreacting. I would appeal to anyone opposed to these talks to review what it is they are really afraid of, given that we can decline joining a new province if it is not going to be truly orthodox. They may or may not have a case when we are asked to be a part of a jurisdictional structure. They have no case regarding CCP.

8) An Anglican Church My group joined APA because it was open to Anglican unity. We need a united voice, a good seminary or two, a Christian education resource, a national magazine, a profile to help announce the Gospel to a needy nation. We need to be part of a world of inspiring orthodox Anglican leaders. Should I give all that up to join an isolated cult of complainers?

All this is not intended to offend, just to plead with the worried among us to rethink our CCP participation.

- Written by Winfield Mott
Suffragan Bishop, Diocese of the West
Approved by Richard J. Boyce
Bishop of the Diocese of the West
Anglican Province of America

The Second Sunday in Lent

Today was the Second Sunday in Lent. After a snow storm that closed Interstate 8 and kept some of our people from getting home earlier in the week, the weather was superb. Sunrise brought a lovely 45°F on Mount Olympus and by the time church began, the temperature climbed to about 60°F and it was about 70°F by the end of the service. Perhaps it was the lovely weather or perhaps the birthday girls or anniversary kids (more later) anyway, we ended up with 25 attendees.

Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class - Around the Bible in 70 Days, soon to stretch out to 140 days by popular demand
Today was the fourth in a ten week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching each Sunday, beginning at 8:30am. This week was the first week of the new slide series with all the Bible verses on the screen. Everyone seemed to appreciate the extra work on Father Acker’s part and the organization kept the class right at 10 minutes.

As of late, the class started with one of the Collects for the Day, applicable to the subject at hand, in this case the Second Sunday in Advent:

BLESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Second Sunday of Advent BCPp92

We have been making our way through the Bible. As many of you know, the first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch and are also part of the Jewish Torah, which in turn is the first part of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) and comprises five books. For that reason it is also called the Pentateuch, Chumash, or "the Five Books of Moses".

The five books of the Pentateuch are:
• Genesis (בראשית, Bereshit: "In the beginning...")
• Exodus (שמות, Shemot: "Names")
• Leviticus (ויקרא, Vayyiqra: "And he called...")
• Numbers (במדבר, Bamidbar: "In the desert/wilderness...")
• Deuteronomy (דברים, Devarim: "Words", "Discourses", or "Things")

The Hebrew names are taken from initial words within the first verse of each book. See, for example, Genesis 1:1.

Jews have revered the Torah through the ages, as have Samaritans and Christians. It is traditionally accepted as the literal word of God as told to Moses. Christian Bibles incorporate the Hebrew Bible (with some variations) into its canon under the name of Old Testament. Though different Christian denominations have slightly different versions of the Old Testament in their Bibles, the Five Books of Moses (or "the Law") are common to them all.

Today Father Acker discussed Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Pentateuch and of the Old Testament. In form it is a set of three sermons delivered by Moses reviewing the previous forty years of wandering in the wilderness; its central element is a detailed law-code by which the Children of Israel are to live in the Promised Land.

In theological terms the book constitutes a covenant between Yahweh, the god of Israel, and the "Children of Israel", his "chosen people"; this is the culmination of the series of covenants which begins with that between Yahweh and all living things after the Flood (Genesis 9). One of its most significant verses constitutes the shema ("Hear, O Israel, the Lord (YHWH) is our God, the Lord (YHWH) alone!"), which today serves as the definitive statement of Jewish identity.

The bulk of the book appears to have been composed in the late 7th century BC, during the religious reforms carried out under king Josiah of Judah, with later additions from the period after the fall of Judah to the Neo-Babylonian empire in 596 BC. Its essential concerns mirror the thrust of Josiah's reforms: Yahweh is to be accepted as the sole God of Israel, and worshipped only in one place.

Their Story

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. (Num 13:1-2)

We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great.
(Num 13:27-28a)

And Caleb…said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. (Num 13:30-31)

Plains of Moab
Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:
(Deuteronomy 32:1-2)

Mt. Nebo into Promised Land
And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.(Deu 34:4-6)]

Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses. (Deu 34:7-9)

And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, In all the signs and the wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. (Deu 34:10-12)

So, what does all this mean?

God was taking the Jewish people out of four hundred years of slavery and molding them into a people who would conquer the “Promised Land.” Except for two, none of those who left Egypt would make it, yet the people would. Moses knew he would not be one of those to make it, but he wanted those who did to move along the trail God had marked for them.

Jack Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came from the Fourth Chapter of Paul’s First letter to the Thessalonians beginning at the First Verse:

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 forewarned 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, the Fifteenth Chapter, beginning at the Twenty-First Verse.

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:

We 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 - Crumbs under the Table
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. - 1Thes4

In today’s Gospel, Jesus went from Galilee Northwest to the Seacoast region, Tyre was the main seaport. An area with many Gentiles, non-Jews, and few Jews. Thus, it was surprising when the Canaanite woman called unto Jesus, “Lord, son of David.”

This is not what you would expect of a Canaanite. Words mean something, both good and bad. Take care when you use them.

People notice what you do as a Christian.

Notice what the Caannite woman said when she sought Jesus, “Have mercy on me.”

Notice what she did not say - I want/I deserve.

Jesus’ reply was, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Salvation only comes through God’s plan—Israel.

Yet, she knew there were scraps falling from the table. Scraps the Jews of the time would not eat of. She knew the scraps: every gift from God is good, even the small things, were good. More than that, great.

"O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

Study in prayer: Come to Jesus: Have mercy upon me, O Lord. Through prayer and listening to the Holy Ghost, you will know what God wants for you. Then, you need to ask for God’s gifts.

Do you want to grow in your prayer life? Do these three things:

• Come seeking God’s mercy.
• Learn what God wants
• Ask for what you think you need, God will provide.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
Today was a cornucopia of celebration! We celebrated Evelyn Hunt’s 85th birthday, Muriel Pappin’s 81st birthday and Jan and Tim Macauley’s 42nd anniversary. What an exciting time!

After Church Hospitality
Dru Arnold brought the snacks today. While not as fancy as some days, she showed what you can do if you are really tired the day before, but remember to stop at both Costco and Smart and Final on the way home. There were four kinds of big fancy cookies , pound cake, hamantashen pastries (traditionally served on Purim ), Marcona almonds and red flame seedless grapes, of course.

Sadly, there are no photographs of the congregation sitting around enjoying this feast, but they did (for real).

Command Master Chief Brewer Macauley was back on the job, anniversary or no anniversary, and the coffee was great. And as Ben Lizak found out hot. Father Acker managed to get up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade.

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.
Walt and Fran are on travel this week.
Tim will be back on travel this week visiting his very ill parents in Las Vegas.
Mark on travel this week visiting his father who is nearing the end of his life on the East Coast.

Sick or in need of healing

Healing
Annie, Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Kathy, Richard, Christian, Trish, Marie, Wanda, Karen, Sarah, Lois, Jennette, Linn, Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Theresa, Melanie, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Betty, Terri, Mary, Edward, Bert, Jesusa (difficult pregnancy), Michele, Marybeth (broken foot), Kevin, Bruce, Susanne, Jack

Update from Sunday afternoon –Tim’s parents are both still in hospitals, but different ones across town. Bill is recovering from an infection and Betty from a minor stroke and high blood pressure.

Guidance
Christiana, Alexander, Katie & family (death of a child), 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, Keith

Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie

Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Patrick, Justin, Tim, Evan, Jim, Jason, JR, Matt, Phillip

Holy Passing
Mark’s father

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.

Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC – www.freeteenguitarclass.com)
The Free Teen Guitar Class is underway on Wednesdays with new times:

New Beginning Class 3:00-3:45pm String 1 and very basics.
Continuing Book Class 3:45-4:30pm We are doing pages 38 & 39 Key of G.
Techniques Class 4:30-5:15pm Starting improvisation on Ionian scale & rhythm part for Surfing with the Alien.

All classes are open to new students. You might know someone who already plays some and wants to join in. If you know someone who wants to play and does not have a guitar, we have a few loaner beginner guitars. If you haven’t done so, have a look at our website: http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com. I think you will like it.

Email me if you want a new FTGC Flyer! frkeitha@alpineanglican.com

The next performance opportunity is March 3rd.
- Father Ironhand

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

24 February 2008 Alice Acker

The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Third Sunday in Lent.

Pre-Service Class
Next Sunday will also be the fifth Sunday in Father Acker’s new pre-service class series, Around the Bible in 70 Days, a ten week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching that begins at 8:30am on Sundays. The class provides an overview of the entire bible. This is the forest view for those feeling lost among the trees. Actually it a good reminder on the overall story and our reading it as God’s story.

The 10 minute teaching series begins at 8:30am each Sunday! This is an excellent opportunity to bring a friend who would like to know more about the Bible and Christianity.

Lenten Book Study
Each Wednesday in Lent, we will be meeting at 1815 (6:15pm) at the SCAIR Center in Alpine to discuss the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.

Evening Prayer 1815 (6:15 pm)
Soup Dinner Starts 1830 (6:30 pm)
Discussion Starts 1915 (7:15 pm)
Discussion Ends 2000 (8:00 pm)

The Screwtape Letters, originally published in The Guardian in 1941, is an epistolary novel in the form of Letters from the demon Screwtape to his nephew, the apprentice demon Wormwood. Each Letter is a beautifully crafted description of how the forces of evil seek to subvert good men and turn them away from Christianity. From Lewis's Introduction:
I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of "Admin." The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid "dens of crime" that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed, and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voice. Hence naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the offices of a thoroughly nasty business concern.

This metaphor, of course, proved to be more prescient than even Lewis could have foreseen. For as the Letters were being published, bureaucrats in Berlin and Moscow were exterminating humans by the millions and the Depression and the War would give rise to increasing huge and intrusive Welfare State bureaucracies, bent on destroying Religion, Family, Community, any institution which could rival the power of the State.

All the while, and ever so gradually, citizens were willingly ceding more and more of their autonomy (their hard won Free Will), as we slid into the modern Liberal godless Hell. To read Lewis now is to realize that things could have been different; that a few voices, crying in the wilderness, warned of the authoritarian netherworld that Western man exiled himself to for much of this Century as he abandoned God and Christianity in favor of the State and statism. We are now in the midst of a twilight struggle that will decide whether we retain sufficient confidence in our ultimate god-given dignity to reclaim our freedom from the grasp of the State, or whether Western man's crisis of confidence will lead us back to the Garden of Eden, with our needs taken care of and our souls extinguished.

There is no better way to gird yourself for the battle than to read this book.


THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

Chapter Topics from the Devil’s point of view
• Preventing Conversion
• The Church
• The Family
• Prayer
• The War
• War & Fear
• Extremes
• The Law of Undulation
• Temptation in Trough Periods
• Acquaintances
• Laughter
• The Safest Road to Hell
• Repentance
• Humility
• Time
• Attending the Parish Church
• Gluttony
• Sexual Temptation, Marriage & Family
• God's Love and Being "In Love"
• Sexual Temptation, Continued
• Ownership
• "Losing in Love"
• Theology, Politics & "The Historical Jesus"
• The Christian "Inner Ring"
• Change
• Unselfishness
• Prayer, Free Will & Old Books
• Life & Death
• Cowardice & Courage
• Reality

Doubt not: this study will be entertaining, the food great, and when you are done, you will feel far more comfortable and be far stronger in your Christian beliefs. If you have not ordered your copy, either call Father Acker or scrounge in the Lending Library (there are some there).

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

Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday in Lent

This report covers both Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday in Lent.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday services were held at Victoria Chapel. With very nice weather sunny in the morning and dark (what a surprise!) at night, the 0930 (9:30am) service drew ten people; the 1830 (6:30pm) service did almost as well with nine people in attendance. Due to the large numbers of people, the services were held in the dining room of Victoria House.

Why Ashes on Ash Wednesday?
Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. By observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus on His retreat.

The Lenten period is calculated to extend from Resurrection Sunday back for forty days, not including Sundays. Sundays are not included because they commemorate Christ's glorious resurrection on "the day after the Sabbath," "the first day of the week," "the Lord's day." Sunday is always a joyful celebration of the Resurrection. Therefore, the first day of Lent in the western Church is always a Wednesday.

Biblical societies relied very heavily on wood fires for heating and cooking, which meant that keeping ashes under control was a major housekeeping task. Then as now, if a person was preoccupied with something serious, they didn’t always tend to the housekeeping—it’s the least of their concerns. Imagine that there is a death in the family. A friend stopping by to pay their respects might gently say, “Did you know you have ashes on your face? ”

So ashes became a sign of remorse, repentance, and mourning. Today someone might wear a black armband to signify that they are in mourning; back then people put ashes on their foreheads.

You can find biblical examples of this in 2 Samuel 13:19, Esther 4:1-3, Job 42:6, and Jeremiah 6:26. During Lent, ancient Christians mourned their sins and repented of them, so it was appropriate for them to show their sincerity by having ashes on their foreheads. The custom has persisted in the church as secular society has changed around us. It is most appropriate on Ash Wednesday, when we begin a period of sober reflection, self-examination, and spiritual redirection.

Traditionally, the ashes for the Ash Wednesday service come from burning the palm fronds from the previous years’ Palm Sunday celebration and are like sour dough starter kept for centuries.

Ash Wednesday should remind Christians that they are sinners in need of a savior, and that their salvation comes at the sacrifice of God's Son:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Heb. 9:11-12)

Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus’ life: Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas. True friends also watch and pray with Him on Maundy Thursday, stand by Him at the cross on Good Friday, and go with Him into the wilderness during Lent.

Lent
The word Lent has an obscure origin, and is probably a corruption of Lencten, or a similar term in ancient Anglo, Saxon, and Germanic languages, all of which referred to spring, new life, and hope. Although it is generally considered to be a time of mourning and repentance, it is also designated as a time of new life and hope because by means of the death of Christ, we receive new life.

Many avoid Lent and Holy Week because it isn’t a happy and uplifting time—but to be honest, neither is most of life. Sometimes we come to church all scrubbed up, dressed nicely, with smiles on our faces, and when people ask how we are, we reply that everything is fine and we even boast how wonderful things are—but is it? Life is not always uplifting, or wonderful, or pleasant, or joyous. To claim it is, is to miss the whole point of the incarnation! God became flesh in Jesus Christ. Jesus faced temptation, He suffered hunger and thirst, He suffered the agony of crucifixion. Jesus our God did not face these things so that we would be exempt from them, He faced these things so that we would have dignity in them.

The forty days commemorate the significant "forty" periods in Scripture (although forty is not always significant), including the forty years the Jews wandered in the desert after they had been rescued by God from Egypt, and which did not end until they repented. Jonah preached to Nineveh that God's judgment would come on them in forty days. During that time the people repented and thus were spared God's judgment. Jesus was tested by the Devil in the desert for forty days before He began His public ministry, announcing salvation to the repentant and judgment to those who continued to rebel against God. Jesus prophesied that God's judgment would come against Israel for rejecting Him as Messiah within the time of His own generation (Matt. 24; Luke 21; Mark 13). Within forty years of His death, burial, and resurrection, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was so ravaged that "not one stone [was] left here upon another" (Matt. 24:2). The Jewish Christians, however, escaped this judgment of God by fleeing to Pella before the final Roman siege, just as Jesus had warned them to do (Matt. 24:16-21).

During Lent, Christians should contemplate their sinfulness, repent, ask God's forgiveness, and realize the infinite sacrifice God made on their behalf. It is to be a time of quiet contemplation, but not a time of despair, since it culminates in the commemoration of the resurrection. Traditionally, those who are joining the church spend this period in special instruction regarding Christian doctrine, practice, and responsibility. Historically, prospective members ("catechumens") did not participate in the Lord's Supper portion of the Sunday services until they were received into full membership on the Sunday of the Resurrection of Our Lord. For them, this first experience of Ash Wednesday and Lent has special significance as God's eternal plan of salvation is applied to them personally.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, He didn’t say, “If you elect to pray, do it this way…” and when He taught about fasting, He didn’t say, “If you elect to fast, do it this way…”

He said, when you pray, don’t do it for show like the hypocrites do. It’s a conversation between you and God. And He gave us the Lord’s Prayer as an example of what we should pray about:

Address God
“Our Father, who art…”
Submit to God’s will
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…”
Ask for your physical needs
“Give us this day our daily bread…”
Ask for forgiveness
“Forgive us our trespasses…”
To the degree that you yourself are willing to forgive…
“As we forgive our trespassers…”
Ask for help with temptations
“Lead us not into temptation…”
And preservation from evil
“Deliver us from evil…”

Similarly, Jesus told us that when we fast (not if) we are not to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. A fast is different from a hunger strike: a fast is a personal act of devotion to God, while a hunger strike is a public act most often used to shine a spotlight on injustice. A fast is also different from anorexia nervosa: it is disciplined diet, not total abstention from food. During a religious fast, you still eat, you just abstain from certain foodstuffs. Traditionally, people have fasted by eliminating luxury items from their diets, such as meats. A fast can consist of eating whatever you want, but drinking only water.

More positively, you can fast in other areas beyond food, you can commit to a something that can benefit the church, such cutting back in an entertainment area, using that time for Bible study and donating the savings to the church.

On Palm Sunday, there were crowds who cheered Jesus as the King, but where were all those fair-weather friends when Jesus prayed in agony on Gethsemane, and where were they when He hung upon the cross? Let us be bold to join Him, fasting in the wilderness for forty days during Lent; let us be bold to pray with Him in the garden on Maundy Thursday, let us fearlessly stand at the foot of His cross on Good Friday, so that we may witness His Resurrection and His Ascension, and join in His triumphant reign.

The Epistle for Ash Wednesday’s evening service was read by Greg Chase and came from the Old Testament’s Book of Joel, the Second Chapter, beginning at the Twelfth Verse, With a New Testament approach, Joel writes, “Turn ye even to me, saith the LORD, with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

The Gospel for Ash Wednesday begins in the Sixteenth Verse of the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, where Jesus tells us how to fast, “When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” This is a familiar theme, we are constantly told to do what is good and what is right and not seek credit amongst man, for man easily impressed and easily corrupted. It is not man we should look to for praise, but rather God. Do what is right and what is needed and do not worry about who gets credit for it. Jesus goes on to tell us that we should consider what is important and put that first, “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: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”


The First Sunday in Lent

Today was the First Sunday in Lent. After snow earlier in the week, the weather was superb, a beautiful clear blue sky before church with temperatures about 65°F; by the time church ended temperatures climbed to about 74°F and there were light cirrostratus clouds. Even with a number of people sick and on travel, we ended up with 24 attendees.

Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class - Around the Bible in 70 Days, soon to stretch out to 140 days by popular demand
Today was the third in a ten week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching each Sunday, beginning at 8:30am. As everyone who was there can attest to, this morning’s class was 26 minutes. It will be back to about 10, but less than 15 minutes next week.

Today’s class covered The Tabernacle and Life Centered around God. Because the Hebrews were a migratory people at the time The Law was given, their “church”, the Tabernacle was designed to be easily transported, erected and disassembled for transport again. The walls were of cloth, held up by poles, each of the “stations” within the walls were more or less self contained units.

The purpose of the Tabernacle was, like our church, a place to interface with God. And, a place to offer unto God appropriate sacrifices to meet His instructions. In the book of Leviticus, we find instruction on what an Israelite is to do if they are in a condition of sin and thus out of fellowship with God. First, in the event they offended a particular person, they are to go to that person and ask their forgiveness and repay whatever harm they did unto them. At that point, they can come to the altar at the Tabernacle and make a sacrifice. The sacrifices are offered again and again. There were five great sacrifices laid out in Leviticus:
 
• “Sweet savor” offerings
o Burnt
o Grain
o Peace
• “Non Sweet savor” offerings
o Sin
o Guilt

 “Sweet savor” offerings, a pleasing smell—Volunteer Barbeque
1.      Burnt offering—whole burnt—cooked to ashes
Praise & gratitude to God—no one eats it
2.      Grain offering—roasting flour or grain—bakery
Gift to God—some burned & some to priests
3.      Peace offering—a shared offering
Thanks to God—shared with the people
“Non Sweet savor” offerings—Non-voluntary offerings
4.      Sin offering—unintentional breaking of the Law
            a. Bringing a Sin offering: a perfect, 1 yr male lamb
                        The most valuable—as they mate to make lots more
            b. Come to the priest
            c. Lay his hands upon the head of the lamb
                        Identifying himself with the animal
            d. Confess his sins
            e. Priest gives him the knife & he opens the vein in the neck, bleeds out & dies—no mistaking it should be me!
            f. Lamb is taken inside, butchered and offered (burnt)
This is a shadow of the greater reality of the coming atonement for sin: In Baptistism, we hear: “The Lamb that takes away the sin of the world…” referring to Jesus.
A sacrifice once for all would come.
5.      Guilt offering—special designation of sin offering when it must accompanied by reparation to the offended party. You can’t make your offering to God without having satisfied the person you wronged.

The Book of Numbers starts about 13 months after the Hebrews left Egypt, the start of their second year. Numbers is a book of counting and naming. According to the enumeration, there were 603,550 males of fighting age, that is to say twenty to fifty years old. Thus the total number of people, women, children and elderly, would likely be around 2,000,000. Numbers deals with the organization of everything, including tribes, clans and families. It lays out who does what, who camps where, what sacrifice is good for what and so on and so forth.

Numbers also covers the 39 years in the wilderness in which the Hebrew slave culture was set aside and the Nation of Israel began to form. None of the men who left Egypt made it through the wilderness to the promised land, except Joshua and Caleb. The rest were left behind and the Nation of Israel came into its own. The Next Generation!

We will learn more next week of this New Generation as it enters in to the Promised Land in the Book of Deuteronomy and Moses tells the New Generation their story, their being God’s people.

Hap Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, starting at the First Verse of the Sixth Chapter. In what at first appears to be an incomprehensible single sentence, Paul asks us to be worthy of the grace that God has given us. He tells the people when they needed him, he was there. They need to be there for those around them. They must not frustrate God’s work by showing up late, or not at all. Those around us are watching our actions in the time of testing. We have been given eternal salvation by Jesus’s sacrifice, the understanding of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost. We are at this time dying here on earth, yet progressing towards eternal life in the next world, in Jesus’ world with His help. While we may never be wealthy here on earth, our actions can make our fellow Christians wealthy in spirit beyond measure. If you claim to be a Christian, you know what is right. If you are a Christian, you do what is right, you don’t take a vote to see what the right course of action might be. Right does not change with public opinion and we must do the right thing. It is our actions that count, in good times or bad. We are Christ’s ambassadors to this world, unfortunately we do not have diplomatic immunity.

WE then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain; (for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation;) giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

This morning’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. This portion of the Gospel tells the story of the temptation of Christ. In many respects, it shows how little the devil understands of Christ, and through Him, of us. If you understand how little the devil really offers you and how much Christ offers, the temptation is ever so much less.

WHEN was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Sermon - Temptation or Simple Attempted Bribery?
In today’s Gospel, Saint Matthew recounts Satan’s attempt at tempting the Lord. The temptations he tried were no real temptation to a perfect man. The Lord being perfect, saw through the hollow promises. His perfection made His hunger for food no less real than it would have been for each of us, if anything His perfection made His hunger more real. Yet, Jesus rejected the offer of food, saying, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” When that did not work, the devil twisted scripture, telling Him to demonstrate His status as the Son of God. With no thought of listening to the devil for scriptural advice, “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Then, to Him who was present at the beginning, the devil offered Him the world, the world He created. To that, the line that should be in all our hearts was the response, “Get thee hence, Satan!”

These temptations are nor more and no less than the same temptations of this world that we are all find ourselves subject to:

• Physical
• Spiritual
• Worldly

Physical—the flesh, here food—false satisfaction
. Good things of this world are just copies of True, what CS Lewis calls the Shadowlands: The Law is a shadow of the order of heaven, the earth a mere shadow of life in heaven.

Spiritual—We all want to pick and choose to get our own way
; to use religion to get what we want
; to place ourselves at the center of the altar.

Worldly—We all want to control the people and events around us
: Home, School, Work, and our Bank Account.

To counter these temptations, we find the fundamental actions in the spiritual life of Jews:

• Doing alms
• Prayer
• Fasting

Alms—combat the world—Give freely of what you have, don’t be possessed, Give your first fruits to glorify God.

Prayer—combat the devil—Put God at the center of everything, setting your hopes & desires before God for his answer; listening for His voice.

Fasting—combat our “internal desire”, surrender your desires & wants to God allowing Him to satisfy that emptiness and brokenness of your lives.

You Can Grow Spiritually. You can fight the good fight.

Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays, but we celebrated Fran and Walt Dexter’s 27th wedding anniversary today.

After Church Hospitality
Martha Stevens brought the snacks today, with Valentine’s Day coming up this week, the theme was pink and red, the snacks were special. There was cherry pie, the red, there were little chocolate hearts, the pink, as well as red flame seedless grapes, both red and pink, then the best of all French vanilla roll tacos.

Ben Lizak brewed today and Father Acker managed to get up early enough to make his famous low carb lemonade. Thanks to both.

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.
Tim and Jan are on travel this week.

Sick or in need of healing

Healing
Annie, Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Kathy, Richard, Christian, Trish, Marie, Wanda, Karen, Sarah, Lois, Jennette, Linn, Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Theresa, Melanie, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Betty, Terri, Mary, Edward, Bert, Jesusa (difficult pregnancy), Michele, Marybeth (broken foot), Kevin, Bruce, Susanne, Jack

Guidance
Christiana, Alexander, Katie & family (death of a child), 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, Keith

Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie

Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Patrick, Justin, Tim, Evan, Jim, Jason, JR, Matt, Phillip

Departed
Malcom

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.

Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC – www.freeteenguitarclass.com)
The Free Teen Guitar Class is underway on Wednesdays with new times:

New Beginning Class 3:00-3:45pm String 1 and very basics.
Continuing Book Class 3:45-4:30pm We are doing pages 38 & 39 Key of G.
Techniques Class 4:30-5:15pm Starting improvisation on Ionian scale & rhythm part for Surfing with the Alien.

All classes are open to new students. You might know someone who already plays some and wants to join in. If you know someone who wants to play and does not have a guitar, we have a few loaner beginner guitars. If you haven’t done so, have a look at our website: http://www.freeteenguitarclass.com. I think you will like it.

Email me if you want a new FTGC Flyer! frkeitha@alpineanglican.com

The next performance opportunity is March 3rd.
- Father Ironhand

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

17 February 2008 Jack Arnold
24 February 2008 Alice Acker

The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday in Lent.

Pre-Service Class
Next Sunday will also be the fifth Sunday in Father Acker’s new pre-service class series, Around the Bible in 70 Days, a ten week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching that begins at 8:30am on Sundays. The class provides an overview of the entire bible. This is the forest view for those feeling lost among the trees. Actually it a good reminder on the overall story and our reading it as God’s story.

The 10 minute teaching series begins at 8:30am each Sunday! This is an excellent opportunity to bring a friend who would like to know more about the Bible and Christianity.
 
Lenten Book Study
Each Wednesday in Lent, we will be meeting at 1815 (6:15pm) at the SCAIR Center in Alpine to discuss the book The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.

Evening Prayer 1815 (6:15 pm)
Soup Dinner Starts 1830 (6:30 pm)
Discussion Starts 1915 (7:15 pm)
Discussion Ends 2000 (8:00 pm)

In his 1961 preface to Screwtape, Lewis wrote that his purpose in writing these letters "was not to speculate about diabolical life but to throw light from a new angle on the life of men." The book makes some uncomfortable, viewing life from the devil’s point of view. A devil’s advocate so to speak. If it makes you uncomfortable, you are not alone, Lewis said of writing Screwtape: "Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment." Lewis explained the reason as follows: "The work into which I had to project myself while I spoke through Screwtape was all dust, grit, thirst, and itch. Every trace of beauty, freshness, and geniality had to be excluded."

“We must picture Hell as a state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.”
Preface to the 1961 edition of "The Screwape Letters" by C. S. Lewis

The fresh look at how the devil works combined with the fact that Lewis shows us human temptations from a different angle, the inverted world of Screwtape, makes for fun reading and good spiritual nourishment as well. Of course, one has to turn the book upside down in order to get the nourishment, but the extra effort is worth it.

The original preface:
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

To J.R.R. Tolkien

"The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn."—Luther

"The devill . . the prowde spirite . . cannot endure to be mocked."—Thomas More

PREFACE
I HAVE no intention of explaining how the correspondence which I now offer to the public fell into my hands.

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. The sort of script which is used in this book can be very easily obtained by anyone who has once learned the knack; but disposed or excitable people who might make a bad use of it shall not learn it from me.

Readers are advised to remember that the devil is a liar. Not everything that Screwtape says should be assumed to be true even from his own angle. I have made no attempt to identify any of the human beings mentioned in the letters; but I think it very unlikely that the portraits, say, of Fr. Spike or the patient's mother, are wholly just. There is wishful thinking in Hell as well as on Earth.

In conclusion, I ought to add that no effort has been made to clear up the chronology of the letters. Number XVII appears to have been composed before rationing became serious; but in general the diabolical method of dating seems to bear no relation to terrestrial time and I have not attempted to reproduce it. The history of the European War, except in so far as it happens now and then to impinge upon the spiritual condition of one human being, was obviously of no interest to Screwtape.
C. S. LEWIS
MAGDALEN COLLEGE
July 5, 1941

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

Chapter Topics from the Devil’s point of view
• Preventing Conversion
• The Church
• The Family
• Prayer
• The War
• War & Fear
• Extremes
• The Law of Undulation
• Temptation in Trough Periods
• Acquaintances
• Laughter
• The Safest Road to Hell
• Repentance
• Humility
• Time
• Attending the Parish Church
• Gluttony
• Sexual Temptation, Marriage & Family
• God's Love and Being "In Love"
• Sexual Temptation, Continued
• Ownership
• "Losing in Love"
• Theology, Politics & "The Historical Jesus"
• The Christian "Inner Ring"
• Change
• Unselfishness
• Prayer, Free Will & Old Books
• Life & Death
• Cowardice & Courage
• Reality

Doubt not: this study will be entertaining, the food great, and when you are done, you will feel far more comfortable and be far more strong in your Christian beliefs. If you have not ordered your copy, either call Father Acker or scrounge in the Lending Library (there are some there).

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