The Twelfth Night of Christmas
Tonight we celebrated the twelfth and final night of the Christmas season in the Twelfth Night of Christmas. Seventeen members of the congregation gathered at the Rectory for a very short prayer service, about three minutes, followed by the traditional burning of Christmas greenery and a lovely trifle. In this case, actually, two trifles, one regular and one sugar free. Oh, yes, and sherry, champagne, sparkling apple juice, hot chocolate and coffee. And, did I mention red seedless grapes? What Anglican gathering would be complete without red seedless grapes?
We gathered together on the front porch of Victoria House. Father Acker gave a short history of the 12th Night of Christmas, then read a short prayer. Jan Macauley read a series of Bible verses, with Tim holding the flashlight. Father Acker read a couple more prayers, then the burning began.
One of the traditional events of a 12th Night celebration is a bonfire with all the old Christmas greenery, such as the cut Christmas trees of old. Having gone up weeks before Christmas, by the 12th Night, they would be pretty dry and ready to burn.
At least among those attending, our congregation had zero cut Christmas trees and little in the way of greenery. What we did have was remarkably lively and did not want to burn!
Nonetheless, it was all a roaring success, except the fire , which we almost gave up on. But, as you can see by the photographs, it finally caught. For a while, we thought we had the pillars of smoke that led the Jews in the desert! Anyway, we had a great time! If you did not make it, resolve to do so next year. It was a really great time. Many thanks to Alice Acker, our lovely hostess!
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles
What a long title for a simple thought. The Epiphany is the title of the feast recalling the arrival of the Magi to pay homage to the Lord Jesus. Epiphany means revealing or becoming aware. Our Lord was revealed first to the Hebrews through the shepherds. The first gentiles (non-Hebrews) to whom He was first revealed were the Magi or Wise Men who came from afar to pay Him honor.
Tonight we had a normal Holy Communion service at Victoria House at 1830 (6:30 pm) with 4 members present. You might think that is a small number. Consider the prayer of Saint John Chrysotom that God doth “promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy Name thou wilt grant their requests.” Seems like we had enough. Those of you who were there know how wonderful it felt to celebrate the coming of the Lord to us gentiles. By the way, a “normal” service is about 25 minutes, start to finish; shows how much time singing takes up on Sunday.
Jack Arnold read the Epistle for the evening, which came from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians beginning at the First Verse of the Third Chapter:
FOR this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is given me to you-ward: how that by revela-tion he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
The Gospel for the evening came from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the Second Chapter beginning at the First Verse:
WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they depart-ed into their own country another way.
Sermon - A light to lighten WHO?
In the words of Simeon in the temple, Jesus came “To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.” Unlike the Jews, Christians are commanded to spread the Word. We are not to be “good Christians” and live apart from the world, but rather we are to live as good Christians in the world. To be an example to the people of the world, that the light of Christ might shine through us to show the way for them in the dark.
When you have a candy bar and you share part of it, you have less for your self. That is truth self-evident to any three year old. Yet, if you share the candy bar with a friend you may gain more than you lose. On the other hand, the light of our Lord, the Love of God is significantly different. If you keep that light under a bushel basket, you have no more light and far less to see than if you bare it to the world. Sharing God’s love gives you more love, not less. Sharing with the three other people here tonight does not mean each of us have ¼ of the love, but rather that each of us has four times the love.
Not modern math, but God’s love.
,
Gentiles, the ball is in your court. What are you going to do with it?
Thought for the Day
The Epiphany service was not much different than that first Epiphany. There were three wise men, who chose to make the trek and one lovely lady to greet us. We had a great time worshipping. Join us sometime, it is a lot of fun. It seems as if there is always plenty of room in the inn when there is church service going on. Cold outside, though!
The First Sunday after the Epiphany
Today was the first Sunday after the Epiphany and Second Sunday of the New Year 2009. Sunrise temperature on Mount Olympus was a warm 57°F under sunny skies with a mild Santa Anna condition. Down the hill at church, the temperature picked up to quite comfortable 72°F. With an incredibly beautiful day, we had 17 people present:
Father Acker’s Pre-Service Class - Around the Bible in 370 days by popular demand
Today continued the fifty-three week tour of the Bible, 10 minutes of teaching each Sunday, beginning at 8:30am. As is customary, 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 made our way through the Bible to the end of the Old Testament. Skipping the Apocrypha, we are starting on the New Testament. Today, taking a page out of last week, Father Acker summarized the New Testament in 10 minutes, so that we might have a frame of reference as he goes through the books one at a time.
In a sense the New Testament is the Good News of Christ and salvation brought to us in the fullness of time. The first four books, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John start off the New Testament. The word Gospel comes to us through Middle English from the form of GOOD SPELL, which itself comes from the Greek euangélion or evanggelion which in turn means GOOD NEWS. The word Gospel has come to mean many things, among them: TRUTH; the story of Christ's life and teachings, particularly as contained in the first four books of the New Testament, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; glad tidings, particularly concerning salvation and the kingdom of God as announced to the world by Christ.
It is critical to understand the fullness of time concept. Christ came in a window of opportunity, at no time before and not since have conditions been right for spreading the Gospel. Rome ruled the entire civilized world of the west. There was a common language in the empire, surprisingly, that language was Greek, not Latin. Rome kept its empire in peace. They built roads to facilitate military movement, which in turn allowed commerce and communications throughout the empire. One could travel in relative peace with relative ease from one end of the empire to the other.
Conditions in the Jewish world had deteriorated to the point of the Pharisees and the Law being paramount, the Will of God being of secondary importance. It was time for God to send His Son.
Next week, we will start at the beginning, Matthew Chapter One, Verse One!
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came from the Seventh Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans beginning at the First Verse. Paul asks not only those long gone Romans, but us, as well, to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” He tells us our home is in heaven. Life here is not the end, rather the stepping off point, either to heaven or hell. Thus were are “not conformed to this world: but to be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Some of us may be better than others, but all fall short of the minimum standard. Through Christ we attain eternal life. In the meantime, each of us should not “think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Each of us has a place in the church, a reason to be and job to do. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”
I BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
The Gospel for today came from the Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke beginning at the Forty-First Verse. It tells the story of when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after the Passover Feast in his twelfth year. When they were done, the family group, for they likely traveled with their extended family for safety, left together. After the first day’s travel they stopped for the night and could not find Jesus. So, fearing the worst, they headed back at night for Jerusalem. Braving robbers and worse, they made their way back. After looking for three days, they went to the temple, where lo, they found him. He was among the learned men “both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.” His parents were amazed and confounded. He asked them why they worried and why they did not understand that he was about his Father’s business. It is interesting to see that Jesus at twelve was able to “hold his own” with the learned scholars of Judah. He was able to out reason those who lived to dissect the Law. “A little child shall lead them,” Isaiah 11:1-10
NOW his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Sermon - Who is Jesus?
The simple answer is our Lord and Savior. He who will rule our hearts and give us true peace, if only we will let Him.
Look to the Old Testament: Solomon had best run country country in the world. He gave them the best of everything. It was a perfect place to live, except he didn’t have a heart for God. He was Ethical, moral, respected, wise. He just wasn’t “into” God. David, on the other hand, did some awful things. He was a lech and murderer. He betrayed his own soldiers. But, he had a heart for God. He repented. He knew he needed God, desperately. As his world came crashing down, he looked to God to enter in and save him.
So, who do we trust in? Yourself? Probably not a good idea. People have “believed” in themselves and died lost in a one mile square wood. Science? How many times has science been wrong? Bad idea. Government? Certainly the government knows best. The government that cannot balance a checkbook. Probably not a good idea.
Look at the Jews for an example. When they followed God, they prospered. When they ignored God, they got in trouble.
Can you learn a lesson there? The whole Old Testament points to that single lesson: Follow instructions from a perfect being, do well. Ignore instructions from a perfect being and follow your own inner self and get in big trouble.
Why would you think it is any different today? Center your life on God. Follow Christ’s instructions. In the words of Saint Paul, present yourselves as a living sacrifice, be transformed by the renewal of your mind and soul.
Focus outward, drive forward.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported birthdays or anniversaries today.
After Church Hospitality
Today Muriel Pappin brought after church snacks. There were muffins, blueberry was the one your Beadle sampled, nuts and literally eight kinds of cookies. Very nice and very tasty. Thank you Muriel!
Command Master Brewer Macauley was on brew duty today and produced wonderful coffee, Father Acker made his signature low carb lemonade.
After church goodies providers as currently signed up:
Date Name
18 January 2009 Martha Stevens
25 January 2009 Holly Lizak
1 February 2009 Dru Arnold
8 February 2009 Betsy and Marianne Lane
15 February 2009 Greg and Diane Chase
22 February 2009 Dru Arnold
1 March 2009 Jan Macauley
New Nametags
We had no new nametags today.
People in our Prayers - http://www.blessedtrinityprayerteam.blogspot.com/
Prayer is an extremely important activity.
It is not that God knows not our needs, for He surely does. Yet, Jesus commanded us to ask God for those same needs. In addition to the obvious of asking God for help, offering thanksgiving and the like, prayer helps us focus our thoughts on how we might do God's work.
The Prayer Team of the Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity was established to help our members and fellow Christians pray for those in need and to give thanks as well for the blessings we have been granted.
Who can be on the list?
Do I have to be a member of the Blessed Trinity Church to be prayed for? No! The only qualification to be on the list is that you want our prayer team to pray for you. We are Christians and are happy to pray for you, no matter who you are. If you want help from God, you are our kind of people.
What is the commitment from the prayer team?
Each member of the team will pray for the desired outcome at last once per day.
How do I get myself or someone else on the prayer list?
You can email one of the prayer team leaders: Greg - gnchase@cox.net or Dru - dru@descansorodents.com, or call the church office at (619) 722-1772 or fill out a prayer card at church.
What should I ask for?
Depends on what you want. Some people merely want God to be asked to heal their ills and be mentioned by their first name, others want a specific outcome and / or have more of their personal information known to the team. Ask for what you want. It is your desire and need for prayer the team is attempting to meet. For typical examples, see the list below.
Updating the Team
If you are on our prayer list, or if you have submitted a person that you have asked us to pray for, please update one of the team members or Father Acker in person, by telephone or email. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is nice to give thanks!
Please note that on the yellow (maybe green or orange, if you get an old one) 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, you can ask that their names and purpose be kept confidential, and then only Father Acker will know to pray for them.
Repose of the Soul
Arla, Walt Dexter’s younger sister, passed away the afternoon of 15 December 2008, while in hospice care. Her two children, Debbie and Cindy, have been with their mother. She is now happy in the love of God and her Lord Jesus Christ and has made her transition in peace. Pray also for her family who remain here on earth, in particular Walt, that they might be able to put their cares and worries aside for the moment and focus on God’s love for their mother; as well as her love for them. May they concentrate on the unity and not on the temporary separation.
Travel
Father and Alice are on travel this week.
Healing
Betty, Salvador (cancer), Betty, Marge, Uni, Karl, Christian, Marie, Wanda, Lois, Jennette (Alzheimer’s), Gary, Delores, Anna, Ruth, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Nancy, Leucrecia (cancer), Michele, Marybeth (broken foot, stroke), Bill (infection), Teiko, Ernie, Ray, Betty, Hazel, Bruce (heart attack), Susanne, Paul (stroke), Ralph+ (eyes hip), Allison (kidney), Bill (ETOH poisoning and gout) , Kai, Jay, Tim, Diane, Amy (Thyroid cancer), Lise (peritoneal cancer), Joy, Evelyn, Kenny (ear surgery), Debbie, Joanna (stroke) [granddaughter of Father Holland a diocesan priest], Al (Ashley’s dad: surgery) Cyndi (successful knee replacement surgery), Scott (endocarditis and cow valve), June (cancer surgery), Al, Susan, Jeff, David (leg injury), Judy, who suffers from mental illness, is undergoing tests for cancer, Jon, Jeffrey, Joy (cancer), Jim (pain), Marie, Joe (broken neck), Loretta (cancer), Katheryn (ear surgery), Sue (surgery recovery), Greg, June (cancer), David (leg sprain), Cheri, David, Keith (ruptured disk), Kathryn (surgery Monday)
Ben Lizak contracted a very bad infection and had sepsis. He was in the local Kaiser hospital for a couple of days on IV antibiotics. In the spirit of the season, there was no room in the inn and he had to wait some time in the emergency room for a bed. He is home now and doing great. Your prayers are asked for his complete healing from the infection.
Chaplain Larry Witherspoon had a stroke on Tuesday evening, 16 December 2008. He underwent surgery at Kaiser Hospital, in Fontana. He is due to be released on Wednesday 14 January 09. He is talking and is able to carry a conversation almost normally, just in a very soft voice. He has made incredible progress. He has lost a few pounds, but looks great. No more tubes or IV's. Larry is ready to go home and sleep. Still, he comes in and out. Please continue to pray for him, his wife Sheila and his family.
Joanne has had a significant increase her shoulder pain from an injury last year. She’ll be talking with the doctors during the week.
Carol DeBolt, mother of Judy, a 3rd grade teacher at Greg Chase’s school. Carol was complaining of hip pain over the Christmas period. After numerous tests it was determined that she has breast and bone cancers, both are at stage 4 and have metastasized. She just finished surgery on her hip where the femur was been replaced with a steel rod. She now has to go through 4 months of PT in order to learn how to walk again. Carol needs your prayers for her and her family to deal with not only the pain and difficulty of her present physical condition, but also the uncertainty of her life. Please pray for Carol’s peace of mind and trust in God, as well as a remission of her cancers and a physical recovery.
Rachel works with Greg as a teacher's aide in the special education department and is going to night school to get her degree to allow her to be a fully credentialed teacher. She recently went to the ophthalmologist for a second opinion and found she has a melanoma in one eye. The melanoma is inside her eye and required nuclear surgery. She had her first eye surgery several days ago and the surgery went better than expected. Her second (and final) surgery is scheduled for later on this week. Please pray for her to understand God is there throughout all this; He does not test us; we are imperfect beings, including our bodies; all things are possible through Him; He always answers our prayers, though sometimes we don’t want to hear the answer and other times do not understand the answer. Pray for Rachel’s peace of mind and trust in God, as well as a good outcome for the surgery.
Sue Anne Adkins mother of Greg’s co-worker Vicki Jones has Stage Three lung cancer. She is doing well in her treatment, but is in need of your prayers. Please pray for her to accept God’s help through the pain, discomfort and bewilderment of treatment. Pray the doctors, nurses and technicians who treat her will pay attention and do their best. Please pray Sue Anne and her family will pull with together with God in all this and accept the help He will give them.
Tina Walden is having back pain and asks that you pray for her back to feel better.
Lauralee underwent a lumpectomy on Friday after Thanksgiving and into targeted radiation therapy for 10 days. Please give thanks for the successful treatment to date and for complete remission of the cancer. Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.
Joy has non-operable abdominal cancer. She is home from the hospital, but near the end of her time here on earth. Joy will be entering hospice care. Please pray for her as she prepares to depart this world for home that she might be confident in the love of God and her Lord Jesus Christ and thus make the transition in peace. She asks God’s help to deal with the pain and discomfort while keeping a positive attitude during what is a very trying time. Pray also her family might accept God’s will and enjoy whatever time she has with them here on earth. In particular please pray for peace of mind for Joy and her husband Dewaine that they might keep their trust in God and increase their faith. Pray that her family who will remain here on earth might be able to put their cares and worries aside for the moment and focus on God’s love for their mother; as well as her love for them. May they concentrate on the unity and not on the temporary separation.
Mary Parker is home and walking all around the house, as far as her 50 foot oxygen lead will let her. She made it to the table for Christmas dinner! She does physical therapy every day and is eating very well! She is enjoying reading books and the newspaper again! She is improving on a daily basis! Her recovery is truly a God given miracle. Please give thanks for her great recovery and continue to pray for her progress.
Joe Huber was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and will undergo radiation seed implants within the next two weeks. Please pray for peace of mind for him and his family and that they might put their trust in God and increase their faith.
Binnie was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Please pray for peace of mind for him and his family and that they might put their trust in God and increase their faith.
Rod Cook has a reoccurrence of lung cancer. Prognosis is not promising. Please pray for either a miraculous recovery or a maximization of his time remaining here on earth. Pray also for his daughter Lori that she might accept God’s will and enjoy whatever time she has with her father here on earth. In particular please pray for peace of mind for both Rod and Lori that they might put their trust in God and increase their faith.
Vince (12 yrs) who has bone cancer (a teammate of Andrew B) had what appears to be successful surgery to remove the tumor and replace his knee joint on 28 November 2008. Please pray for his healing and non-recurrence of the cancer, as well as that he and his family might put their trust in God and accept His comfort and encouragement in this difficult time.
Kenny had surgery to improve his hearing which did not end up improving his hearing in the end. Please pray for his adjusting to very limited hearing in just one ear. Also, please continue to pray for his improved state of mind and faith.
Joshua Hamilton is still in a coma after a severe head trauma in July. He has gotten past the MRSA and other infections. He is in skilled nursing in El Cajon with some response to physical therapy and they are working toward independent breathing. Please continue to pray for his wife, Tulani, and two children, Isaiah & Keanu, and of course his mom, Jo Ann, and his James brother who is in our FTGC, asking for God’s presence and comfort.
Glenn Finch gives thanks for near total recovery from the brain injury sustained in his cycling accident. He asks your continued prayer for the aortal aneurysm discovered during his treatment for the brain injury. Please pray for Glenn’s continued healing and trust in God.
Evelyn Hunt has pain in her jaw, face, & neck. The doctors haven’t been able to diagnose the cause. She has been very limited in getting out, but continued to do her walking in the house. Most importantly, pray for her to keep a good attitude and maintain a trust in God, so she will not worry.
Miney Farrell has had pain and weakness in her leg that has been limiting her activity.
Lorraine Winkles is still dealing with shingles (now over 28 months). The level of discomfort varies but the condition is persisting. She is in amazing spirits and sends her love to all.
Lona Walsh is in significant discomfort, but it looks like it is not Lupus. She asks that you continue your prayers for healing.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) – called this week. She is still home and still doing wonderfully well! Mrs. Kay asks that everyone who is praying for her know how grateful she is for their prayers. As always, she retains her trust in the Lord and her positive attitude.
Nicole Ethridge - age 27, mother of two - Has a form of liver disease, which is causing her liver to shut down. She is near dialysis and would like you to pray for her disease to go into remission so that she can keep off dialysis and avoid a liver transplant. She asks that you pray for her continued faith and good spirits, as well as strength to take care of her children.
Caroline (age 11, leukemia recurrence) is home in Escondido after her bone marrow transplant in July. Please continue in prayer that her leukemia will not reoccur; after the transplant, the chance of recurrence is 40%. Please keep praying for this sweet girl to make a full recovery and live a long life, devoted to God. She and her family are Catholic Christians.
George, a friend of Susanne Barrett who lives in northern Georgia, experienced a recurrence of bladder cancer earlier this year. His tumor has completely disappeared, but he has experienced a blood clot in his lower calf. He has returned to work (pharmacist) on a part-time basis. Please pray George will regain all his strength and stamina. George will be having CT scans this week if his creatinine levels normalize. Please pray George’s kidney function will return to normal, and his creatinine levels will come down to normal. Please pray the CT scans will continue to show that all is normal (no bladder cancer/tumor). They have decided to not attempt the clot-busting surgery as the clot has been there too long. Please pray the blood clot in George's leg will dissolve and disappear, and George will regain his mobility, and not suffer pain, swelling, and discomfort.
Guidance
Tom, Mary, Lloyd & Jennifer, Bob to be guided to a church
Ashley, Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, Ken, Maruja, William, Joe, Alexander, Jonathan, Phil, Sandy, Larraine, Brad, Brian, Uni, Jennifer, Greg, Margie, Phyllis, Walter, Rick, Carol, Susan, Curtis, Stephen, Donny, Chris, Eric (job), Andrew, Keith (job decision), Sara, Mark, Alexandra, Nelson, Perlita, Lewis, Sam, Susie, Jack (test), Alfred, Marie, Dru, Jack, Hap, Estelle, Tina
Sarah is still struggling with custody arrangements for her children and would appreciate our continued prayers. Sara asks you pray God’s will for these children will be realized and they will be put in the best custody situation possible. Please pray for God’s guidance in the lives of the ex-husband, John and Sara and that they might hear Him.
Paul S suffers from severe schizophrenia remains stable with his medication, but needs God’s guidance. He gives thanks for improvement in his housing situation.
Guidance and Protection
Christina, Sarah
Economic Guidance and Assistance
Matt and Tracey very good friends of the Hubers. Matt is looking for a new job and they have two young children. Please pray that they are able to find employment soon.
Keith is shutting down his current business and entering the handyman field. Please pray for God's leading him to work or work to him. Pray for Susanne as she tutors and teaches online classes while home schooling their four kids, that she may remain strong and able to do all she needs to do to teach their kids and help with finances despite her physical condition (rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.). Pray for them also to not fear for the future, but to trust in the Lord.
Eric and Eric both to find a job that will allow them to use their skill and talent to make their new company more successful.
Sonny and Carol have lost their business, their home is in foreclosure. Please pray that they might find an opportunity for gainful employment where they can use their talents to make a positive impact on the world.
Mark’s business is very very slow, he asks that God point him to new markets and give him guidance in following God’s will that his business might survive and his employees not lose their livelihood.
Please give thanks for Kevin in the UK who has found a job. While not what he was looking for, he is grateful for work. Please continue to pray that he will find a position that will maintain his family and where he can use his talents to make a positive impact on the world. Please pray also for his family, in particular his wife Beverley, that they might open their hearts and minds to God’s guidance for their future.
Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie
Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Justin, Evan, RJ, Matt, Phillip, Julian, Joe (USAF - Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait), John Kelly (USN - USS Ronald Reagan), Evan (USMC – Afghanistan)
Thanksgiving
Sara Simmons gives thanks for a full recovery from an emergency appendectomy: In her words:
Special thanks to the Blessed Trinity Prayer Team and all to all those individual and collective heartfelt thoughts and prayers which have lifted me up, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and even physically. It was a very long 4 weeks of recovery, but I turned the corner, returned to the office this past week, and have been trying to catch up. Please let everyone know that they should never ignore a persistent pain in the lower right abdomen . (Your Beadle visited Sara the week before she finally told someone about her pain. She looked like weasel spit, except worse. Your Beadle promises never to be polite about something like that again.) As I have expressed before, please know that I have the Prayer List and continue to pray for all those I know, and all those whose names are unknown to me. Always I reflect how blessed I am in every respect when I read each week of those for whom circumstances of Life are so heartbreaking, or so much more painful or difficult or challenging than I have ever had to face. Bless you all. ~Sara
Free Teen Guitar Class
Please join us in praying that the Free Teen Guitar Class will be an opportunity for God to work in the lives of the kids and their families. Help us to let the love of our Lord shine through us into their lives, putting Him first, so that He might enter in to their hearts and lives.
Thought for the Day
The Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone – This is a term used to describe something, while it may or may not be ‘nice’ or ‘pretty’, is in fact totally useless, serving only itself. Think of it: a wonderful tasty ice cream cone that licks itself. Nothing for you to do. No work required on your part. On the other hand, what good is it?
The challenge from Christ is to build His church, not a Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone, existing to serve only itself. Following Christ’s personal example, our church is to be a servant to the world around it. We are to bring the Word, education and help to people who have need of it. A church which devotes all its energy into maintaining a building and lovely grounds and has no time, money or energy left to do what Jesus set out as our mission is not a Church of Christ. Are we to be servants of Christ or of the Temple; Christians or Temple Servants? One cannot serve two masters .
From the Bishop
The Bishop sent a great slide presentation of those in other countries who have nothing. It goes right in line with Father Acker’s sermon and the the paragraph above about the Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone. E-mail the Beadle and he will forward it to you.
The following is a summary of the narrative slides that followed: Observe around you and be thankful for all that you have in this transitory life. God has put us in a land where we can easily earn much more than we need meet all our needs. To be content takes more, it takes following the Word of our Lord. Remember what our founding fathers did for us and do not feed a continual cycle of self-centered life ignoring the Word of our Lord. Reach out and help your brother and sister.
Comment
Your Beadle points out that all the misery above is in countries without a government under God and with the rule of law that we have in this beautiful country. Keep in mind what happens when man looks to man for the definition of right and wrong, fair and not fair.
Here is the text of a recent interview with a well-known person who claims to be Christian. If you think for a second, you will see why one might question the person’s true religion:
GG: What is sin?
ANSWER: Being out of alignment with my values.
Sadly this interview was in a Christian forum and no one there seemed to find anything odd about the answer.
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 you want to write something, please forward your item to the Beadle (with a note as to whether or not you would like editing help) to: thebeadle@mac.com.
Free Teen Guitar Class (FTGC – www.freeteenguitarclass.com)
No class Wednesday 14 January 2009. There is a new Class Schedule in effect:
FTGC New Class Schedule:
Advanced 2:30-3:20pm
Continuing 3:20-4:00pm (Beginners shift to Intermediate having learned all 6 strings and get to move on to chords)
Beginning 4:00-4:50pm (A new class & those redoing the material; it’s okay to do both Intermediate and Beginner classes)
For anyone wanting to start again this is the time!
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
18 January 2009 Ben Lizak
25 January 2009 Holly Lizak
1 February 2009 Don Patton
8 February 2009 Stephanie Boyd
15 February 2009 Tim Macauley
22 February 2009 Jack Arnold
The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Friday and Saturday
Bishop Duncan will be speaking in Orange County, for details contact Father Acker.
Sunday
Next Sunday is the Second Sunday after the Epiphany.
Sunday 25 January 2009
Annual Parish Meeting
See you next week on Sunday!
Alternate Sources of The Beadle’s Report
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/BeadleBlog/Blog/Blog.html
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from:
thebeadle@mac.com
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