March Newsletter

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.  BCP pg. 265

Lent provides us an opportunity to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection on Easter.    We are called to repent of our sins and to amend our lives, asking God to give us the strength to avoid those things which serve to separate us from Him.

We do this through prayer, both as a part of the Body of Christ in our corporate worship and as part of our private prayers and devotions.  It is through prayer that we talk to God, and, through the contemplation of our words to Him and His Word to us, we listen for the small, still voice that moves our heart and shapes our will. 

We also deny ourselves some of things that have become ordinary features in our lives.  This fasting, in the form of denial of certain types of food or maybe an activity, re-focuses our

attention away from the things of this world and onto the things of the Kingdom of God.  This fasting is especially appropriate on Ash Wednesday, Fridays during Lent and on Good Friday.  It is also important to remember that Sundays during Lent are still considered feast days, so fasting is suspended on Sunday.

Finally, by reading and meditating on Holy Scripture and on other spiritual writings, we further educate and open ourselves to the working of God’s Will upon our own.  Set aside a portion of each day to read and contemplate and pray, and it won’t be long before a Lenten discipline becomes a life discipline.

Have a blessed Lent.

Fr. Michael+

Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand! (Mt 4: 17 RSV)

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. (Mk 13: 24-27 RSV)

Jesus spoke of the time when every knee will bow before the Lamb and all the brokenness of creation will be set right.  This is the eschaton, the Second Coming.  Part of what Jesus preaches refers to that promise, the promise when God will rule the world with pure justice and pure mercy and pure grace; setting all things right and in their proper place.  We do not know the time of this conclusion of history; but we know that it is on the way.

When speaking of the "Kingdom of Heaven", however, Jesus tells us not only of a coming event that may or may not be distant in its arrival.  Jesus also speaks of a present reality; the presence of God in the midst of His people.  Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The new proximity of the Kingdom of which Jesus speaks - the distinguishing feature of his message - is to be found in Jesus himself.  Through Jesus' presence and action, God has here and now entered actively into history in a wholly new way.  The reason why now is the fullness of time (Mk 1: 15), why now is in a unique sense the time of conversion and penance, as well as the time of joy, is that in Jesus it is God who draws near to us.  In Jesus, God is now the one who acts and who rules as Lord - rules in a divine way, without worldly power, rules through the love that reaches 'to the end' (Jn 13: 1), to the Cross.  John Cardinal Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth

We live in a history that has been touched irrevocably by the physical presence of God.  He chose to make himself one of us, fully man and fully God, so that we might not only look forward to the promise of life eternal with Him; but that we might share in a restored relationship with our Father right here and right now.  Jesus points to the future, but he is not only about prophesy and promises.  Through our faith in Christ, our actions guided by the Holy Ghost and our participation in the Body of Christ, the Church, we find that we are in the presence of the Kingdom even while we await its arrival at the end of time.

Fr. Michael+

Another Great Wednesday Night at CMEC

How can you have anything but a great time when you have choir rehearsal, Mass, dinner and Bible Study?  We finished our study of the Book of Acts last night with a rousing discussion of Paul's last days, the ongoing mission of the Church and the words of the Prophet Isaiah which Paul spoke to the Jews in Rome (see Acts 28: 23ff).  These words from God which the prophet had spoken to the Hebrew people should resonate with us today, I think.  "You shall indeed hear but not understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive."

There are times when those words apply to us today just as much as they did when Isaiah first spoke them.  Can we honestly say that we hear what God speaks to us through Holy Scripture, or that we see Him in our neighbors as we should?  Do we read His Word as we should, or do we seek to live out His Commandments as we ought?  Do we turn to our Father every day when we rise and do we commit ourselves to conform ourselves to His Will?

The Book of Acts ends with Paul "preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered."  To be disciples of Jesus of Christ we must spend time learning and living the Word delivered to us through his Apostles to his Church.  We must spend time with Christ in Holy Scripture.  We must put into practice what we learn and make ours a Christian life well lived in love and service to God.  In this, we find that we may show the way to others and may support others as they strive to live a life dedicated to the Word of God.

In other business last night, we decided that beginning next week, January 26, we will begin a study of the Church which I am calling Anglicanism 101.  It is a refresher course in things Anglican and is meant to give folks on opportunity to learn or re-learn many basic principles and facts about our Church.  The syllabus for this class looks something like this:
          January 26:  Liturgy - A tour of the Church with discussion of our tradition and liturgy
          February 2:  Sacraments - The seven Sacraments of the Church
          February 9:  The Book of Common Prayer - Cranmer's Legacy
          February 16:  The Seasons, Fasts and Feasts of the Church - What do all those colors mean?
          February 23:  The Episcopal Church of the United States of America - Why we are who we are
          March 2:  Wrapping up loose ends and general discussion

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 9, so there will be no dinner or Bible Study that night.  There will be Mass with the Imposition of Ashes in the Church at 7:00PM.  Beginning on March 16, we will begin a study of Exodus which will run through the season of Lent.  We will continue to have choir practice, Mass, dinner and Bible Study according to our normal schedule during Lent, but the meals will be very simple, consisting of soup and bread.  Looking even further into the future, our study for the season of Easter will be "Jesus of Nazareth" by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI).

I would like to encourage everyone to come and join us on Wednesday night.  Coming together to worship, to share a meal and to study the Word of God are important ways that we grow in our relationship with the Father and make ourselves disciples to our Savior Jesus Christ.

Everyone is welcome.  Please, bring a friend.

Fr. Michael+

Feast of the Epiphany

No, don't worry.  It's not Epiphany, yet.  Please mark your calendars, however, for Thursday, January 6 at 6PM for our celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany.  Epiphany marks the arrival of the Magi at the home of the Jesus and his family in Bethlehem.  The arrival of these gentiles from the East also reinforces the universality of God's plan for the salvation of His Creation.  The Messiah has not come just for the Hebrew people, but for all the people of the world, and since the Gospel is not yet ready to be carried to the world, the world will instead come to the Gospel.

Also on Thursday evening, we will observe an old tradition of the Church by blessing chalk.  This chalk is then used to inscribe a blessing on the door post of one's home as an acknowledgement of God's blessing upon us for the new year.  The chalk will be blessed prior to the conclusion of the Mass.

Finally, we plan on having a King Cake Thursday evening, so plan to hang around to enjoy is traditional treat of Epiphany (at least in Louisiana).

See you Thursday!

Fr. Michael+