The week starting on Palm Sunday and continuing through the Saturday before Easter is commonly called Holy Week and the week in which the passion of our Savior is commemorated. The week starts with the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with the death of the Savior on the Cross and the burial of his body in the tomb. It is a week of ups and downs without parallel and precedes the most joyous day of the year, the Day of the Resurrection or Easter Sunday.
Jesus has a triumphant entry into the city on the First Day of the Week (Sunday); on Thursday night he celebrates the Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room, he prays and agonizes over what he knows is coming in the garden of Gethsemane; Judas betrays him early Friday morning, his most trusted disciple denies him; the Jews condemn him to Pilate who in turn orders him to be beaten and humiliated; that does not satisfy the Jews and at their request, Pilate condemns a man he knows to be innocent to a horrible death to pacify the crowd of Jews assembled by the priests; Jesus is crucified, asks John to take care of his mother and gives up the ghost; his body is taken down and buried; the disciples are dispersed and discouraged; they have listened to their Lord, but not understood.
Think of this week from the disciples’ perspective, on the first day they enter with their leader into Jerusalem in triumph; mid-week they celebrate the joyous feast of the Passover, then their leader is betrayed, defends himself not and is killed. At the time they surely could not think of this as a Holy Week and certainly not a Good Friday. Yet on the first day of the week that follows, our Lord is Risen, Risen indeed and delivers the promise of salvation in person.
What a week!
Thursday
The day after the Seder brought Maundy Thursday. The word "maundy" comes from the Latin "mandatum" which was the Latin translation for "commandment." Jesus said during the Last Supper on Thursday of Holy week, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15:12) "Maundy Thursday" is also known as "Commandment Thursday."
Thursday is the day of the Last Supper, all the more meaningful for those who attended the Instructional Seder the last few years. After the Passover dinner at which Jesus set forth the instructions for what was to become our Holy Communion service, he spent time in Gethsemane garden. Gethsemane (oil-press) is the name of an olive-yard at the foot of the Mount of Olives, to which Jesus retired with his disciples, and which is particularly memorable as being the scene of his agony.
A Holy Communion Service was held at Victoria Chapel with 9 attendees. The Maundy Thursday service includes the ceremonial washing of the feet by the priest, following the example set by Jesus at the last supper and ends with the stripping of the altar.
Greg Chase read the Epistle for the evening which came from the Eleventh Chapter of the First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians beginning at the Twenty-Third Verse:
I HAVE received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.
This epistle recalls the institution of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion when Jesus blessed the Passover matzah before the meal then broke it; with the symbolism of his body given for us, rather than the breaking of the bondage. Then after the mean, He took up the cup at the Passover meal set aside for Elijah.
The Gospel for Maundy Thursday comes from the Gospel according to Saint John, the Thirteenth Chapter, beginning at the First Verse and describes Jesus’ actions at the Last Supper:
NOW before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him; Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; he riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
After the Creed, in the place normally taken by the Sermon, Father Acker put on a towel and washed the feet of each of the congregants.
Many people find the washing of the feet by the priest uncomfortable. On his hands and knees, Father Acker washes your foot, dries it and looks up at you, “Thank you for your service to our Lord.” In your heart, you remember the words of the General Confession from Morning and Evening Prayer. How many times this past year, or week for that matter, have you done what you wanted, not what you should have done. How many times did you put off doing what you should have, what Jesus wanted, so you could do what you wanted. And he is thanking you…
How much more uncomfortable were the Apostles who had their feet washed by our Lord?
Friday
Good Friday was the day in which Jesus was tried by the Jews, tried by Pilate, condemned, crucified, died and was buried . Except in hindsight, this was not a Good Friday at all.
Pilate’s actions made famous the line, “I wash my hands of this.” While he might have attempted to wash the guilt for the murder of the world’s one truly innocent man on to the Jews, he remains the one who condemned him to death. Pilate was nothing if not a politician and bureaucrat. The condemnation was to him the simplest solution to the problem of a Jewish hierarchy’s manufactured crowd’s anger. What was the death of one Jew to him? Yet he was worried enough to attempt to wash his hands of the guilt.
There was a service at Victoria Chapel with 7 attendees which included the Veneration of the Cross and Holy Communion, albeit in a simple fashion.
Alice Acker read the Epistle for Good Friday, which comes from the Tenth Chapter of Saint Paul’s letter to the Hebrews beginning at the First Verse.
THE law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God: he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from hence-forth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; then saith he, And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The Gospel, much like the Gospel for Palm Sunday was read as a participatory reading and was so effective as to make the hair on the back of one’s neck stand up at points. The Gospel came from the Nineteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the First Verse:
PILATE therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment-seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every sol-dier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Saturday
Seven of our members gathered for the Easter Vigil and lighting of the Paschal Candle with traditional flint and steel.
From the time Jesus left his body on the cross until the resurrection, little is known. It is said in the Apostle’s Creed that “He descended into hell”, where he did battle with the Devil for our souls, a battle the Devil was destined to lose. Remembering the Jewish day starts at sundown, sundown on Saturday brings the Easter Vigil and the lighting of the Paschal Candle with traditional flint and steel.
It also is the first of the celebration of the resurrection, the Easter Feast, the most joyous day of our Christian year.
This year it also brought the first breaking of the Lenten Fast with wonderful cakes and brownies which were enjoyed by all.
Easter Sunday
Today we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, “Christ the Lord is Risen today!” Good Friday and Holy Saturday were dark and stormy as befits the time. In fact, it snowed on Wednesday. Having committed to an outdoor Easter service we were concerned about the weather. For all our worry about things we could not control, God’s provision for us was clear and so was the weather. Sunrise on Mount Olympus found the mercury at 31°F under bright clear blue skies, the temperature at the park was about 45°F at the very start of the service and 56°F by service end. Best of all, the sun came out right at communion time. To ask for better weather, you would have to describe it; though we must admit, Mr. Heater, party of four, was a welcome addition to the congregation.
Even though we had seven of our normal attendees on travel, today’s outdoor, California Sunrise (0830) celebration of the Feast of the Resurrection known far and wide as Easter brought 29 people to worship.
Some of our members have difficulty in negotiating stairs and expressed concern about the venue. Not to worry, look, we have a drive in church!
Gathering Songs
As usual, Father Ironhand and Nick Patton played the gathering or welcome songs for the service.
• In Christ Alone
• Forever
• Amazing Grace
• Lord, I lift your Name on high
• Celebrate, Christ is Risen!
We do the gathering songs for a number of reasons. It allows people a chance to “drift in” without being late. It gives us a bit of variety in our music. We can have more contemporary music before the service and still have organ music in the service, thus having something for everyone. It also a hit with our guitarists who love to play!
The gathering songs worked well today. We had 15 when they started and 29 when they finished. At least we did not drive anyone off!
If you were there, you know how much fun we had. If you weren’t, you will have to take the Beadle’s word for it.
So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
St. John iii. 16.
Easter makes good the promise – I am the life, I am the resurrection!
There was no pre-service class due to all the singing and such. Father Acker took the opportunity to remind us the Holy Communion Service, sometimes also referred to as The Holy Eucharist or Mass, begins on page 67 of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and works its way through to page 84. There near the beginning of the service, on page 70, we will be reading the Collect for the Day, Epistle and Gospel, these are referred to as The Propers. There are separate Collects, Epistles and Gospels for each Sunday and some special days. They are found a bit further back in the BCP starting on page 90 and in particular for Easter, they are on page 163. After the Collect, Epistle and Gospel, we come back to page 71 for the Nicene Creed and go page by page afterwards.
We take this opportunity each year to thank those who provide our music on a consistent basis, our lovely and talented organist Marianne Lane, Father Acker, Nick Patton and Jack Arnold on the guitars and the first Sunday of the month, when the spirit moves them, the Free Teen Guitar Class kids.
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers: special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding. The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. If you have a hard time remembering, “Do I read the Collect from last Sunday or next Sunday during the week?” Remember Sunday is the first day of the week. There are also two Bible readings, the Epistle and the Gospel. While they are “lessons”, they are not the First Lesson and the Second Lesson, they are the Epistle and the Gospel. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the priest as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the priests and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained priest.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead. Red Letter Feast, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers for today are found on Page 163-164, with the Collect first:
Easter Sunday.
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout Easter Week.
Don Patton read the Epistle, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, beginning at the First Verse of the Third Chapter:
IF ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
As usual, Paul is exhorting us to be the New Man, to put away the trappings of the old and go forward. He asks us to do what anyone who is successful does, hang around with those you want to be like in the end and to emulate their actions. In this case rather that earthly success, Paul is helping prepare us for eternal success through salvation.
The Gospel for this Sunday came from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of Saint John beginning at the first verse. It is the straightforward accounting of the discovery by Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and John that the Lord was risen indeed.
THE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
Sermon - Holy Lent and the Power of the Passion
Today Father Acker supplied his own summary of the sermon, so you can see just what he was trying to get across:
The Message for Easter Day
Hope has to have a Foundation.
We want a “Hope for the Future,” but these have been difficult times this past year--in our Economy, so many out of work, in our schools and spilling over to our homes. It was even in the San Diego Union this morning. What was really missing was how to get that hope and the message of Easter is it comes in Jesus, and today celebrating Jesus’ resurrection.
So where do you start? You start with building a foundation of hope. You need a solid, true ground to lay a foundation which is Jesus. You’re in trouble if it is less than true, less than solid ground.
Two years ago at Easter I told the joke about having the answer to “What is Easter” at the gate of heaven. The first Alpiner answers, “Isn’t it about a big dinner, something about turkey and pilgrims.” The second Alpiner says, “Its the plastic eggs and candy; its kind of a second Christmas. The third Alpiner says, “Easter is when Jesus kept the Jewish Passover, Judas betrayed Jesus. The Romans executed him on the cross. He died and was buried in a tomb behind a very large boulder. The gates of heaven start opening and there is a fanfare...
All excited the Alpiner adds, “Yeah, so every year on Easter Christians roll away the boulder, Jesus comes out. And if he sees his shadow, there’s 6 more weeks of Winter.”
Our foundation of hope is built on Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Yet today, 67% of Americans correctly identify Easter as a religious holiday, but few understand its meaning.
Keep in mind that Simon Peter didn’t understand starting out either. Here he was having been a follower of Jesus, chosen an apostle, and one of the three Jesus spent the most time with. But for Simon Peter things were about to head out of control. Jesus tells Simon Peter: “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” Mt26.34 But in the next 24 hours things are falling apart. Jesus is arrested, tried, taken for execution.
The important thing we see in Simon Peter is the reality that in spite of his denial of Jesus, Simon Peter kept showing up. Even in the midst of disaster, thing going out of control, and life getting very messy, Peter continues to show up.
In our life it is the foundation of the Great Commandment: Love the Lord. Will we do as Jesus asks us? Love God with all our heart, our soul, and our mind. We build a foundation of hope with this kind of Love.
Second, we need to “be raised to life.” Life is about being in motions, and we need to move to where God is working. We need to get to where God can use us to his will and his purpose. We need to move to a foundation of hope.
Peter wasn’t the first at the tomb on Easter morning--It was Mary Magdalene and the other women. John even out ran Peter when they heard the news. But what did he do when he got there?
Then Simon Peter came, following [John], and went into the tomb. Jn 20.6
Peter acted, moved in response to what God was doing.
We need to move, to have a living hope for the future. The Christian faith isn’t passive, it is to be growing and moving. So what are you doing to move and grow in a hope for the future?
The Barna Group poll reported that only 2% of Americans say that Easter is the most important holiday of the Christian faith. Without Easter, Christmas and every other aspect of Christianity has little importance for us and for our salvation.
As most of you know Anglicans are people of the Book. Not just the Bible. Not just the Book of Common Prayer (which is 90+% bible). We emphasize studying and learning how to make our lives ready and part of what God is doing in the world around us. So we work at studying, growing, learning and asking questions. We don’t know it all, or claim to have special insight--It isn’t about our coming in first.
So how do we actually Move--take action in what God is doing. We learn it and experience it our groups of two or three gathered in Jesus’ Name. We learn it and experience it in groups of 12. It was in these small groups that Jesus trained his Apostles, so that they could fulfill the Great Commission.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Mt28.19-20
You need to move to have a hope for the future--get to a group of three, or a group of twelve.
Third, we need to trust God if we are to have a hope and a future. You may have noticed I like things in three’s being the Church of the Blessed Trinity. So we have the Great Commandment, and the Great Commission, and the third...the Great Condition. Yes, I made it up, but let’s look at Simon Peter once more. How did he come to place is whole trust in Jesus? Jesus says to Simon Peter three times:
“Feed my sheep.” Jn21
If you want hope in your life, Jesus says, Trust me. Feed others.
We are “The Church--’on behalf of others.’” The Great Condition is to be about “feeding others.” You’ll find you really will need to trust God, and be dependent on God to allow you to bring to those who are hungry the food they truly need. Our hope for the future is found when we join in God bringing hope into lives that are struggling and in need.
Easter is all about having a Hope for the Future.
God wants you Built Up;
God wants you Moving to Him;
God want you to Trust in His great love for YOU.
In this we’ll find real hope because Jesus is there at the center of our lives.
New Nametags
We had no new nametags today.
Birthdays and Anniversaries
There were no reported anniversaries today. But, we did celebrate Traci Huber’s 36th birthday with Warren counting the coin for her!
After Church Hospitality
None due to Easter Breakfast with the Kiwanis.
After church goodies providers as currently signed up:
Date Name
11 April 2010 Holly Lizak
18 April 2010 Jan Macauley
25 April 2010 Alice Acker
2 May 2010 Dru Arnold
16 May 2010 Opportunity Available
23 May 2010 Jan Macauley
30 May 2010 Holly Lizak
6 June 2010 Opportunity Available
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 least 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 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 their names and purpose be kept confidential, then only Father Acker will pray for them.
Prayer List Notice – If you have someone on the prayer list and their needs have changed, please let us know. We are loathe to just stop praying, yet some of the entries are a bit long in the tooth. We don’t mind praying, at all. We just want to be praying for what is needed!
Birthday
Traci Huber celebrated her 36th birthday this week.
Lorraine Winkles celebrated her 88th birthday last week.
Keith Acker celebrated his 54th birthday last week.
Travel
Dru and Jack are on travel for the next two weeks to Germany and the UK to visit friends.
Ryan is on travel throughout Southeast Asia until May 2010. He is still in Vietnam and is keeping his parents updated.
Stephanie is on travel this week.
Peter is traveling in China.
Departed
Justus "Buck" Humphreys, a priest of our Diocese of the West, passed away last week having had cancer for a long while. Father Buck was a priest in Texas arm of our diocese.
Tom Strouse passed away unexpectedly the morning of 22 March 2010. They had attended our church with their grandchildren for much of this past year. Please pray for the repose of Tom’s soul and for comfort for his wife Ginger and the rest of his family who remain behind.
Peaceful Transition
Beatrice
Ruth is in home hospice care.
Mona's grandmother
Remembrance
Marion on the seventh anniversary of her passing, today 4 April.
Healing Marge, Karl, Christian, Lois, Jennette (Alzheimer’s), Ruth, Connie, Tom, Crystal, Thomas, Hadley, Diane, Norm, Gregory, Nancy, Bill (infection), Ernie, Ray, Hazel, Bruce (heart attack), Susanne, Ralph+ (prostate cancer; the doctors are at a loss on the decreasing cancer cell count except prayer; please add your thanksgiving to the prayers for healing.), Allison (kidney), Bill (ETOH poisoning and gout), Kai, Jay, Tim, Diane, Amy (Thyroid cancer), Evelyn, Debbie, Lona (shoulders), Paul (stroke), Doris, Charles, Marie (sprained ankle), June (cancer surgery), Susan, Jeff, David (leg injury), Judy, who suffers from mental illness, is undergoing tests for cancer, Greg, June (cancer), David (leg sprain), Cheri, Ben, Walter (skin cancer), Gabriella (surgery), Curtis, Doyle, Martha, Richard, Ralph+, Jeffrey, Rod, Gary, Mark, Jeffery, Amy (staph infection), Jennifer, Curtis, Steve (cancer), Paula, Ashton, Marjorie, Mike G, Dave (knee surgery), Karl (shoulder surgery), Jeffrey (testing), Gary (sepsis; diabetic), Jim (stomach cancer), Eunice, Jeanette (Alzheimer’s), Kathleen (breast cancer), Mrs. Alvord, Angie, Madge, Betty (Healing from cancer. Betty has completed her chemotherapy after her surgery), Jeannie (testing for breast cancer), Ed, Betty, Karl (Healing of his shoulder injury, but not having surgery), Phil (Thanksgiving for his having received a pacemaker. Phil is suffering from renal failure and other complications), Dave (We had been praying for healing from a tumor. It now may require surgery), Jacque (Healing of her rare form of cancer. It is her second recurrence), Jeannie (cancer tests), Sarah, Stephen, Curtis; Angie, Madge, Veronica, Carmen, Alice, Dave (surgery recovery), Ed S (liver failure), Greg D (leg injury. Greg is making good progress still using a knee brace; Thanksgiving for the progress and requests continued healing) John (prostate cancer surgery), Martin, Pauline, Pat A (Alzheimer’s: things are stable); Charles A (Alzheimer’s: slight improvement in general awareness that he is disappointed not being allowed to drive), Maurice (in ICU with a congenital disease), Susan, George (reoccurrence of cancer); Maggie (surgery the week of 28 Dec 09), Lillian, Rob, Ken, Marlene, Emma W (Brain tumor), Vivian, Kelly (undergoing test unexpectedly), Maya (tonsillectomy), Veronica, Irith, Shirley, TP
Warren Huber is down with the flu and hopefully mom Traci won't end up with it as well.
Emma Langstaff thought she had a kidney stone, which might interfere with her upcoming trip to the UK with her family. Turns out that she does not have one; but three, two in one kidney, one in the other! Please pray the stones will pass without incident and she will be able to make the trip.
Phyllis Chase is home from the hospital and making a good recovery.
Muriel Pappin’s back has really been causing her a lot of pain and limiting her mobility; it seems to be getting better. Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the initial horrible pain is over and pray for her continued improvement.
Rede Acker, Father Acker’s mom, is recovering from her broken leg, just above where she had a knee replacement. Rede is now putting weight on her broken leg. In just three days she is now able to transfer from bed to wheelchair. Next, going uphill from chair to bed. Please pray for Rede’s continued physical recovery and that both Rede and Jack will keep their great faith and trust in God’s help.
Wanda M is still out work due to her Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Please pray for her complete and rapid recovery, as well as her to keep her spirits up while she gets better.
Debbie Hunter has had a tumor in her chest for some time. Recently it has grown considerably. Apparently the tumor is in Debbie’s abdominal cavity and pressing on her lung causing shortness of breath. There are also tumor cells growing in her breast. There is good news in that it is believed this type of tumor does not tend to spread to other parts of the body. And, Debbie qualifies for a clinical study focused on this type of tumor that does not use IV, but rather oral (pills) which is a relief because it will allow her to maintain a more normal semblance of life. Debbie asks that you pray the clinical study works and that the skin on her chest remains healthy. Please pray also Debbie, her husband Todd and their children Jonathan and Carol might let God carry their worry and concern.
Vince (age 13), reoccurrence of cancer, recent testing found a nickel sized tumor in his lungs. The doctors are consulting with a specialist in Houston. Please pray for guidance for the medical team and for peace of mind for Vince and his family.
Brett (age 11) is hospitalized in Los Angeles, as the result of complications of a cochlear implant which has resulted in leaking spinal fluid. Please pray for guidance for the medical team and for peace of mind for Brett and his family.
Matt Alcantara, age 15, has Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), a very rare and often lethal form of cancer with limited treatment options.
Matt’s recovery seems to be going well. He is up to 100 pounds and now has a Driver’s License Learner’s Permit! Two major milestones! His attitude is great, he and his family faith is great. Pray they continue to put their trust in God as the time passes. The stress is great and His help sufficient.
Matt was in Houston for scans on Tuesday and Wednesday (23 & 24 March 2010). They were CLEAN! Please pray a prayer of thanksgiving.
His family asks for your prayers for Matt and we ask you to pray also for his family in this time of great stress. You can look at http://www.mattalcantara.com for information. If you want to follow Matt's progress, look at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mattalcantara.
Danielle’s neck surgery to remove her lymph nodes and damaged tissue was successful. A recent CT Scan, blood work and examination have given her a clean bill of health so far. Danielle will be following up monthly. Please pray a good outcome and peace of mind for Danielle and her family.
Lee Thomas fell and required a trip to the ER with a 5 inch gash on his head with many staples and stitchesPlease pray for Lee, his family, and the care staff. Please pray for Lee, Sandy and their children to maintain their trust in God and to look towards Him for guidance. Pray also for the medical team treating Lee that God might guide and direct their assessment and treatment.
Vicky developed a brain aneurysm, which ruptured the morning of 28 October 2009. She has moved to a rehabilitation facility which specializes in brain injury patients and seems to be making progress. Please pray for Vicky’s recovery and for peace of mind for her family, that they might keep their trust in the Lord.
Obra is doing considerably better and looking forward to a visit from his family at Eastertide. Please pray he will keep his trust and faith in God and turn his heart outward to the world, remembering God put him here to make a difference; that he will let his heart be open to God’s grace.
Cerrus, daughter in law of Hy, has had a relapse of her cancer. Please pray for a successful treatment and remission.
David is suffering from shingles and asks that we pray for a remission of the symptoms and a return to normalcy.
Jimmy had a stroke along with triple bypass heart surgery. Miney Farrell asks you pray for his recovery and positive frame of mind during his recovery.
Annie S has experienced some return of her hearing. She was unable to take one of the medications, so the recovery is slow. She continues receiving dialysis as she awaits a kidney transplant. She has been added to the kidney transplant wait list. Please pray for healing of her diabetic condition causing complications.
Jackie was involved in a rollover car accident, her passenger was not injured, but she sustained a serious head injury. She has regained consciousness and is up and walking. Pray for the medical team treating her that they might do their best. Pray for her and her family who are very worried about her.
Bashir Ahmed, father of Shamim Gray, father in law of Commander Obra Gray for whom we prayed while he was deployed to Iraq and on various carrier deployments, is gravely ill. Bashir lives in London. Please pray God will deliver a miraculous recovery for Bashir; if that not be God’s will, a departure in peace to His world for him. Please pray God will extend His Grace to Bashir and his family and that they will accept. Shamim keeps her faith in the Lord. Above all, pray for his family to open their hearts to accept all God’s love will bring them.
Lise, originally diagnosed with "peritoneal cancer", has undergone multiple surgeries and chemotherapy. Lise's doctors hope she is in remission, but are uncertain and do not know if she will be with us for more than a year. Her friend requests you please pray for continued healing and full remission for Lise; and, and please pray that God might give wisdom and guidance to all of her medical providers. Lise appreciates your support and prayers.
Jan has just recovered from her fifth cancer surgery. Her friend asks you pray for Jan's continued healing and complete remission; and, please pray God might give wisdom and guidance to all of her medical providers.
Mary Parker is recovering from bronchitis. "I'm going to surprise everyone one of these Sundays," Mary said, by making it to our Sunday morning service.
Evelyn Hunt is still waiting on the results of some tests to help explain her symptoms. She has had a rough time in the change over from one medication to another.
Miney Farrell had a couple more falls, but nothing as dramatic as a few weeks ago. Being sore and hurting has just slightly dampened her enjoying life on ninety-plus. One of the big pluses are her two doxies and the good folks at the board and care.
Lorraine Winkles who just celebrated her 88th birthday, is recovering from an outpatient cancer removal from the side of her head. This is the second time she has had growth there. But the arthritis and all the other things to consider, "I'm not doing too bad," said Lorraine.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) is still home and doing pretty well considering the bones in her neck and hands are degenerating as a side effect of her kidney failure. Her thumbs are not particularly useful any more. Mrs. Kay asks 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.
Caroline (12 year old whose leukemia returned two years ago) is still really struggling with the Graft Vs. Host Disease (GVHD), and her doctors have just added a second medication that has side effects similar to chemotherapy. Her face and body are very swollen, her skin extremely blotchy and itchy, and it's very difficult for her to write or even hold a pencil, much less paint, sew, and do the other handicraft activities she so loves to do.
But, the good news is that the leukemia remains at bay. Caroline will reach the two year post-transplant anniversary in July, and if she remains cancer-free until then, she has much-improved odds for survival. Please keep Caroline, her sister Jane, and her parents Carmen and Jeff in your prayers--they so appreciate your dedication to praying for Caroline over the years.
Natalie (age 10, leukemia recurrence) has not responded to any treatment since her relapse. Please pray for God’s grace for Natalie and her family to give them peace of heart, soul and mind.
Guidance
Adam, Tom, Mary, Lloyd & Jennifer to be guided to a church
Breyana, Vie, Asha, Cory, Heather, Holly, William, Phil, Rick, Susan, Curtis, Donny, Chris, Andrew, Keith (job decision), Sara (God's grace and His patience), Mark, Alexandra, Perlita, Lewis, Susie, Dru, Jack, Tina, William, Christina, Tuck, Jeff, Christiana (God’s grace), Tara (divorce), Patricia & her family, Errin, Elizabeth, Brandon, Steven, Nelson, Ashley, Betty who is considering moving into an assisted living home, Nick, Pat, Caroline, Stephen, Greg (vocation guidance and training for the diaconate), Stephanie, Richard, Daniel,, Sheryl, Edward, Jeannie, Rachel, Mikaela, Patrick, Mary (adoption); Ashley (job); Curt; Angelina & Ron C; Steven (strength); Vanessa H (trust), Jackie (God's grace), Sandy (Relief from stress; Her husband has severe medical problems), Jennifer, Margie, Phyllis, Sam (guidance on direction of his business), Tara (divorce), Virginia, Darin & Brian (mom’s health issues), Jeanie (upset over her husband's cancer problems), Curt (Still providing care for his wife, Jacque, who is undergoing chemotherapy), Alex, Emilie, Stephen, Daniel S, Jan, Sean (court case), Tamera (her house is being taken by eminent domain and is in settlement phase; pray for a fair settlement)
Jack A (making choices for the health care for his wife)
Ali is searching for spiritual meaning; may the Holy Ghost guide those around her to help her in coming to Christ.
Jacquie to open her heart to God and accept His Love and Grace.
Noriene for God's comfort as she mourns her mother and for her turning to God for His healing.
Paul S asked everyone to give thanks that his doctor is adjusting his medication for severe schizophrenia.
Hap asks you to pray that he might be able to trust God will help him make the right decisions at the right time and not to worry uselessly and that he will open his heart to the Holy Ghost.
Guidance and Protection
Christina, Sarah
Economic Guidance and Assistance
Keith has been unable to find any full-time work since his custom home drafting business of 25 years really dropped off last year. He is working as a handyman, doing tile work, painting, home repairs, etc. Their family has a great deal of debt from Susanne’s medical needs. Pray also for God's peace to comfort them and for His leading and wisdom to be very evident to them.
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.
Toni is applying for a promotion and asks God’s guidance.
Please give thanks for Kevin in the UK who has found a job. Please continue to pray 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.
To Find Employment
Father Keith is looking for additional employment to supplement his part-time stipend at Blessed Trinity. Keith believes his expertise lies in web site development and guitar teaching, both of which he is clearly good at. Please pray the Holy Ghost will enter into his heart and give him inspiration and guidance to lead him to a job which will use his considerable skills to support his family, bless the company he joins and further God’s Work, all together.
Freddy is looking for a job in the San Diego area and asks for your prayers for him during his search and interview process which he starts on 8 March 2010.
Obra, known to us as Commander O, has retired from the Navy after 20 years and now must find employment to support his family. Please pray for him to find a position which will use the skills he has and the training he got from the Navy to support his family and make his new employer more successful.
Jack has been laid off from his job as a construction manager in East San Diego County; due to the economy jobs in the field are hard to find. Please pray that Jack will find a job, not necessarily in the construction, that will allow him to use his considerable skills and talents to make his new employer more successful; guide him and his family is this difficult time.
Brad, Brian, Russell, Kris, Keith and Kevin each to find a job that will allow them to use their skill and talent to make their new employer more successful.
Homebound/Aged and Infirm
Mary, Donna, Betty, Noko, Adelaide, Evelyn, Lorraine, Ellie
Armed Forces & Contractors
Tillman, Justin, Evan, RJ, Matt, Phillip, Julian, John Kelly (USN - USS Ronald Reagan), Evan (USMC-Afghanistan), Eric (USN-Afghanistan), Stuart (USMC-Afghanistan), Airman Donny Patton (RAF Mildenhall, UK), Eric (USN-Afghanistan through May 2010), Bob (USCG), Josh (USCG), Rachel Ziegler (USAF – Deployed to Southwest Asia), Aaron Huber (USNMC – Deployed to Southwest Asia with USMC),
Persecuted
Around the world, Christians are under attack, not only in the Muslim world, but from Hindus and others in India. Also, they are under continual attack in the name of “Separation of Church and State” in the western world as it becomes actively atheist or pro-devil buddy. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection for all persecuted Christians and those around them.
Various Special Requests
Please pray for the earthquake victims in Haiti and Chile and ask God to guide relief efforts there. Pray for God to enter into the hearts of the people there and for the Holy Ghost to guide those attempting to provide relief for the suffering.
We ask that you pray, please ask God that the Holy Ghost might give you insight into how you might make the lives of your friends and family better. Remember helping others is not just those who you don’t know!
Please join us in praying for God to fill us with the Holy Ghost, even if (or maybe particularly if) we need Him shoved down our throats, to provide inspiration to grow our little church to the glory of God. Our numbers are static, we need God’s inspiration to figure out the next step. Please pray that we will open our heart to the gentle prodding of the Holy Ghost; and not do what we have always done expecting a different result.
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. Please ask God to guide the class to new opportunities to make Him known to others. 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.
National Prayer Time - If Christians really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless. During WWII an advisor to Churchill organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace? This thought has been taken up here and now, if you would like to participate, pray every day at:
9:00 pm 8:00 pm 7:00 pm 6:00 pm
Eastern Time Central Time Mountain Time Pacific Time
Stop what you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens and for a return to a Godly nation. It won’t work unless you participate. Encourage others to join us.
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.
The Date for Easter
Easter is the central point of the Christian Year. It is the day that the proof of the promise of eternal life was made manifest. Easter Sunday is the first day of the week after the Passover of 33AD. The calendar date for Easter shifts every year within the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar is the standard international calendar for civil use. Easter regulates the ceremonial cycle of the Christian churches. The current Gregorian ecclesiastical rules that determine the date of Easter trace back to 325 CE at the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine. At that time the Roman world used the Julian Calendar (put in place by Julius Caesar).
The Council decided to keep Easter on a Sunday, the same Sunday throughout the world. To fix incontrovertibly the date for Easter, and to make it determinable indefinitely in advance, the Council constructed special tables to compute the date. These tables were revised in the following few centuries resulting eventually in the tables constructed by the 6th century Abbot of Scythia, Dionysis Exiguus. Nonetheless, different means of calculations continued in use throughout the Christian world.
In 1582 Gregory XIII (Pope of the Roman Catholic Church) completed a reconstruction of the Julian calendar and produced new Easter tables. One major difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendar is the "leap year rule". Universal adoption of this Gregorian calendar occurred slowly. By the 1700s, though, most of western Europe had adopted the Gregorian Calendar. The Eastern Orthodox churches still determine the Easter dates using the older Julian Calendar method, thus the Christian and Orthodox churches are out of sync on this point as they are on many others.
The usual statement, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is not a precise statement of the actual ecclesiastical rules. The full moon involved is not the astronomical Full Moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from tables) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical Moon.
The ecclesiastical rules are:
• Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
• this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon) ;
• and the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.
•
resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25. The Gregorian dates for the ecclesiastical full moon come from the Gregorian tables. Therefore, the civil date of Easter depends upon which tables - Gregorian or pre-Gregorian - are used. Christian churches use the Gregorian tables; many eastern Orthodox churches use the older tables based on the Julian Calendar.
In a congress held in 1923, the eastern churches adopted a modified Gregorian Calendar and decided to set the date of Easter according to the astronomical Full Moon for the meridian of Jerusalem. However, a variety of practices remain among the eastern churches.
There are three major differences between the ecclesiastical system and the astronomical system.
• The times of the ecclesiastical full moons are not necessarily identical to the times of astronomical Full Moons. The ecclesiastical tables did not account for the full complexity of the lunar motion.
• The vernal equinox has a precise astronomical definition determined by the actual apparent motion of the Sun as seen from the Earth. It is the precise time at which the apparent ecliptic longitude of the Sun is zero. (Yes, the Sun's ecliptic longitude, not its declination, is used for the astronomical definition.) This precise time shifts within the civil calendar very slightly from year to year. In the ecclesiastical system the vernal equinox does not shift; it is fixed at March 21 regardless of the actual motion of the Sun.
•
• The date of Easter is a specific calendar date. Easter starts when that date starts for your local time zone. The vernal equinox occurs at a specific date and time all over the Earth at once. Inevitably, then, the date of Easter occasionally differs from a date that depends on the astronomical Full Moon and vernal equinox. In some cases this difference may occur in some parts of the world and not in others because two dates separated by the International Date Line are always simultaneously in progress on the Earth.
For example, take the year 1962. In 1962, the astronomical Full Moon occurred on March 21, UT=7h 55m - about six hours after astronomical equinox. The ecclesiastical full moon (taken from the tables), however, occurred on March 20, before the fixed ecclesiastical equinox at March 21. In the astronomical case, the Full Moon followed its equinox; in the ecclesiastical case, it preceded its equinox. Following the rules, Easter, therefore, was not until the Sunday that followed the next ecclesiastical full moon (Wednesday, April 18) making Easter Sunday, April 22.
Similarly, in 1954 the first ecclesiastical full moon after March 21 fell on Saturday, April 17. Thus, Easter was Sunday, April 18. The astronomical equinox also occurred on March 21. The next astronomical Full Moon occurred on April 18 at UT=5h. So in some places in the world Easter was on the same Sunday as the astronomical Full Moon.
Thanks for the explanation. It was really more than I wish to know. OK - Simplified the rule is Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox.
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.
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
11 April 2010 Alice Acker
18 April 2010 Ben Lizak
25 April 2010 Greg Chase
The near future, as well as Next Sunday
Next Sunday
11 April 2010 – The first Sunday after Easter we change our service start time to 1000 (10:00 am). As before we will have welcome or gathering songs before the service starting about 0945 (9:45 am). Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – Alpine Community Center Park – 1830 Alpine Boulevard, Alpine, CA
See you next week on Sunday!
All back issues of the Beadle’s Reports are available on request from: thebeadle@mac.com
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