From The October Newsletter

Dominus vobiscum:


Well, Dear Reader, October is upon us; and its arrival heralds cooler weather, the harvest of the crops, football and Hallowe’en. Yes, it’s time for ghosties and ghoulies and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night to hold sway over our imaginations. All Hallows’ Even is the Old English name for the holiday that marks the night before one of the holiest of feast days on the Christian calendar: All Saints’ Day. All Saints’ itself is a feast day with origins in the earliest days of the Church, but Hallowe’en finds its origins much closer to home for us Anglicans.

The Hallowe’en that we know comes to us mostly from the harvest / new year festivals of the Celts and the early Britons. These pagan festivals celebrated the harvest, sought the spirit’s protection of the people through the winter, and paid tribute to the dead at a time when the Celts believed that the barrier between this world and the next was at its thinnest. Costumes and Jack ‘O Lanterns carved from turnips were used by the revelers to scare away the evil spirits that threatened to cause mayhem for those who still lived. With the Christianization of Ireland and the British Isles, the festival became closely linked with the Western Church’s celebration of All Saints’ Day which fell on November 1; and it was not long before the Christian celebration of All Hallows’ Even found its way to the continent and spread throughout all of Europe.

Today, Hallowe’en (the ‘ replaces the “v” in the old Scottish use: Halloweven, meaning the night before All Hallows or All Saints’) has become almost completely secularized with little or no attention paid by the larger community to the holiday’s connection to the Feast of All Saints which follows it. Modern Americans, particularly, see Hallowe’en as a time of parties, trick or treating, scary movies, and celebration of the end of Summer; and as far as that goes, there is nothing wrong with that. I worry, however, that in losing sight of the reason for the holiday, we allow ourselves to become complacent with beliefs and forces that are in many ways incompatible with our Christian faith.

There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD; and because of these abominable practices the LORD your God is driving them out before you. Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (RSV)

By definition, supernatural means anything that is above or beyond nature. As Christians, we believe in the supernatural out of necessity because we believe in God who created all things that are, and that He exists outside of His creation and is not subject to the natural laws that bind and govern us and the world around us.

Likewise, there are other spiritual forces that, while being subject to God at all times, are not necessarily subject to all the laws of nature around us. Angels and demons fall into this category, I believe. As our culture becomes more and more secularized, there has been a tendency among many to try to rekindle their spiritual lives, and this is a good thing. Unfortunately, many are trying to do so in ways that are decidedly not Christian and with some spirits that are markedly not with God.

As a parent, I have watched with some alarm the growth in the entertainment world of characters and subjects that while once being seen as wicked or ridiculous are now presented as mainstream, normal and cool. Today we have programming on children’s cable networks that center on witches, warlocks and the use of witchcraft. Countless television shows, in fact, beginning with Dark Shadows in the 1960’s and continuing through shows like the current BBC offering Being Human romanticize formerly frightening characters like vampires, werewolves and ghosts. Between Harry Potter and the Twilight Series, young people of many ages are introduced to magic and vampirism that is not only seen as normal but romantic and somehow virtuous. May I remind you, Dear Reader, that Vlad the Impaler, the Romanian nobleman who is most commonly identified as the original Count Dracula, became a vampire, the undead and therefore one bereft of any hope of resurrection and redemption, because he sold his soul to the Devil. Romantic, huh?

Hallowe’en can and should be a fun time for adults and children. It should be a time when we can laugh at ourselves and at our own fears and phobias (mine being an irrational fear of werewolves). It should be an opportunity for families to spend time together and to prepare for the celebration of All Saints’ which is to follow. Therefore, Christ Memorial will celebrate Hallowe’en on Saturday night, October 30 at the Church beginning at 6:00 PM. There will be food and games and trick or treating for the kids. Plans are also in the works to show a good old “scary” movie. If you are so inclined, please feel free to come in costume; but please no witches and, for the sake of my poor heart, let’s keep the number of werewolves to a minimum.

Fr. Michael+

A Shoebox Full of Joy

Several years ago, I was introduced to a marvelous program called Operation Christmas Child.  We at Christ Memorial are not strangers to this program, I know; nor are we ignorant of the joy and hope that is contained in each one of those small boxes destined for a child in need of experiencing the love of the Risen Christ.  Between now and the 15th of November, we should dedicate ourselves as a parish family to filling as many shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, toothbrushes, soap, hard candies, T-shirts, ball caps, hair clips, toy jewelry, and flashlights as we can. 

Starting soon, the Sunday School will begin collecting and filling boxes in preparation for the collection in November.  If you would like more information now, this is the link to Operation Christmas Child. 

We will begin accepting donations of empty shoeboxes (regular size only please) and items to fill them next week.  If you would like to bring a filled shoebox to the church, please do so.  All the information you need to fill the box may be found on the website or you may pick up a brochure about the project at the church.  Samaritan's Purse, the organizer of this project, does ask for a $7 donation to cover the cost of shipping the box overseas. 

Imagine the joy that a small boy or girl will experience when they open a box with a toy, shoes or a shirt given to them by a person they have never met and who has no reason for giving them anything save for the love of Jesus Christ. 

Fr. Michael+

"A Person's A Person No Matter How Small"

I don't know where Dr. Suess fell on the issue of abortion, but I believe that his stories, especially the one about the Whos who lived on that tiny dust speck, belied a deep respect for life.  As you, Dear Reader, might surmise from some of my posts to this blog, I, too, have a great respect for human life.  So that there can be no misunderstanding: I believe that all human life, from conception to our natural end, is sacred and is an unmitigated gift from God the Father, who is the Creator of all things.  I do not say this to be confrontational, although to some, it might certainly appear so.  I say this because I believe it to be the Truth.

Life is precious.  Life is sacred.  All life belongs to God.  We should give thanks every day for that gift which He has given to us, and ask Him for the strength to live according to His Will and His alone.

For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother's womb. Ps 139: 13

Starting next Wednesday, September 22, there begins a worldwide vigil which focuses on protecting the weakest and most fragile among us.  40 Days for Life professes to be the largest and longest pro-life mobilization in history.  Here is a link to the Shreveport/Bossier City website: 40 Days for Life - Shreveport/Bossier City

The Church has a long history of vigils and periods of focused and purposeful prayer.  If nothing else comes of these words but a few extra prayers that help move a young mother away from a trip to an abortion clinic and toward a better choice like adoption, then our efforts will have been more than worth it. 



Pray to end abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty.  Pray for life.

Fr. Michael+

Pray for Victory

"O God, who makest wars to cease, and by thy mighty arm dost overthrow the adversaries of them that put their trust in thee: come to the help of thy servants who humbly call upon they mercy; that we, being delivered from the violence of the enemy, may evermore praise thee with thanksgiving.  Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord.  Who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.  Amen."

Pray for our Troops

Derrick is on his way back to Iraq.  Please pray for his safe travel, safe completion of his tour of duty and his safe return home.  Also, please pray for all the men and women overseas who defend our nation every day.  Pray that God will protect them and return them to their families as soon as possible.  Pray for the families of all those serving overseas; that God will give them peace and confidence and strength.  Finally, pray for our nation.  Pray that we will once again be a nation which understands and respects the words of God.

Fr. Michael+

9/11/01

Like the date on which Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japenese, September 11, 2001 is a moment in time which changed the world.  This Saturday is the ninth anniversary of that infamous day, and to mark the occasion, I will celebrate a Mass for those who died, those who survived, the families of those effected by the attack on our nation and for all the men and women of our military and police forces who are putting their lives on the line to defend this nation.

Mass will begin at 10AM in the Chapel.  If you cannot come, please take a moment Saturday morning and pray for those who have fallen and pray for the safety of our great nation.

Fr. Michael+

Coming Events....

Don't forget that Confirmation Class begins on September 19 following the 10AM Mass.  Everyone is invited to attend, even if you have already been Confirmed.  If you would like to be Confirmed, or if you would like to be Received from another denomination, or if you would like to Reaffirm your commitment to Christ; then please contact Fr. Michael+.

Men:  The Men's Prayer Breakfast will resume on Thursday, September 16 in the Parish House at 7AM.  Food, coffee, fellowship and a short meditation on Scripture are great ways to begin the day.  See you there.

Project Truth : A Youth Defence Project

Pray to end abortion.

Here's Another One to Read

In England during the mid 19th century, a high-church movement swept the Church largely influenced by the Tractarians at Oxford University.  Their architecture was Medieval Gothic.  Their theology was orthodox.  Their foundation was Scripture.  Their worship was lofty and steeped in the traditions of the Church begun during the earliest days of the Church in the West and the Apostles of Christ.  The Church, in their eyes was the Body of Christ, and as such they also believed that they had a responsibility for mission and social outreach.  It was the high-church, Anglo-Catholics who went into the slums of London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester and ministered to the underclasses of the industrial revolution; Anglo-Catholics played a major role in bringing the Gospel and Anglicanism to Africa, India and Southeast Asia; and apparently the Anglo-Catholics are still at it in West Hollywood, CA.

Note this bastion of orthodoxy, high-church Anglicanism in a place that is certainly not known for such things: St. Thomas the Apostle.  Also note who is coming and is active in this parish which features incense and Latin and an eastward facing Altar:  they are those who have rejected the vacuous, anything goes attitude of the previous generation.  People are hungry for the truth; they are hungry for churches that say and do things differently than the society around them. 

That's what I think, anyway.

Fr. Michael+

Words That Make You Go....Wow!

"Living within the truth means living according to Jesus Christ and God’s Word in Sacred Scripture. It means proclaiming the truth of the Christian Gospel, not only by our words but by our example. It means living every day and every moment from the unshakeable conviction that God lives, and that his love is the motive force of human history and the engine of every authentic human life. It means believing that the truths of the Creed are worth suffering and dying for.


"Living within the truth also means telling the truth and calling things by their right names. And that means exposing the lies by which some men try to force others to live.

"Two of the biggest lies in the world today are these: first, that Christianity was of relatively minor importance in the development of the West; and second, that Western values and institutions can be sustained without a grounding in Christian moral principles."

I took the quotes above from a speech given by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Denver, Archbishop Charles Chaput, in Slovakia just a few days ago.  The title of the speech is: Living Within the Truth: Religious Liberty and Catholic Mission in the New Order of the World.

Archbishop Chaput has been one of the most outspoken voices for Catholicism in the United States over the last few years and has written and spoken vehemently against the secularizing of our culture and the abandonment of our Western spiritual heritage.  This speech, which can be found here Text of the Archbishop's speech, is a bold indictment of the direction that the West is headed. 

Fr. Michael+

September Newsletter Article

Labor Day rapidly approaches; and as we prepare for the last gasp of summer frivolity, shall we consider for a moment just what it means to labor. Fundamentally, to labor is to work. Work is not always enjoyable, although it certainly can be, but work is necessary lest we fall into slothfulness, apathy, hunger and homelessness. Living takes work, and so does believing. Therefore, I offer to you, Dear Reader, three thoughts on how our labors might properly be turned to the better for us, for our children and for our children’s children.


1. Labor to learn and to demonstrate the Good News of Jesus Christ. My experience so far at Christ Memorial has taught me that this form of labor has been underway for some time and has already born much fruit. The level of Biblical literacy in this congregation is far higher than in most Episcopal Parishes, I dare say. That is a credit to the parishioners and to the clergy who have preceded me in this historic place.

Our labors spent delving into the pages of Holy Scripture return to us a hundred-fold. There is no better way to come to know the Will of God than to read His holy writ. There is no better way to conform our wills to His than to read, mark and inwardly digest His inspired word. This is not always an easy endeavor, and that is why the word “labor” is apt for this discussion. One cannot just take pieces of Scripture and conform it to our expectations and desires. In order to fully understand, one must read it thoroughly and be prepared to work through the questions that may arise. One must read with confidence that any confusion that comes from reading Scripture stems not from a lacking within God’s message to us, but from our own lack of understanding. It takes time, and it takes work, often in the form of Bible study groups, lectio divina (holy reading) and prayer; but rest assured that the effort is definitely worth it.

As we learn and grow in our faith, it is also important to teach and show what we have learned to our children and to our children’s children. Remember that it is our responsibility to teach them about God so that they can come to know and love Him. This may be the most important thing that any of us do in our lifetime. Nothing is more important than introducing and fostering the Word of God to our family, friends and, let’s face it, the rest of a confused and darkened world.

2. Labor to learn and to appreciate our traditional Anglican Faith and heritage. We are Anglicans, and, as such, we share in over 2,000 years of Christian tradition and heritage which finds its root in Jesus Christ, Himself. Through His Apostles and through His Church, we have inherited a liturgical, priestly and apostolic Faith based upon Holy Scripture, tradition and reason.

As Anglicans, we share in a worldwide Communion of faith that is uniquely English in character. It is through our Catechism that we learn first what it means to be Christian and then what it means to be Anglican. The Nicene Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Thirty-nine Articles of Faith, the Seven Sacraments and the History of the Church are but a small part of what we must learn about the Church. In the Early Church, the catechetical process which prepared a person for Baptism and Confirmation took at least three years. Today, we do it in somewhat less time, but the import of learning the fundamentals of our Faith cannot be understated.

As with Holy Scripture, we must also labor to learn our Faith so that we can impart that knowledge and experience to those who shall come after us. By word and example, we show our youth and our new-comers who we are. We want them to see and hear our Christianity lived out according to our Anglican heritage. (Warning: Shameless plug approaching.) If you are interested in learning or re-learning about our Faith, please plan on attending the Confirmation Class which begins on September 19. You might labor hard, but you will not be disappointed.

3. Labor to learn and to participate in our Anglican worship of God. We must instill in ourselves and in our children a desire to participate in the worship of God, not because it is some obligation that we make on Sunday morning (it is, but it shouldn’t be seen as a burden), but rather because it is the right thing to do. We must foster a sense of belonging and purpose that will in turn create a desire to seek, to serve and to worship God more and more. Part of that is through discipline and the prioritizing of choices. It is a sad fact that in our modern world Sunday is no longer a day reserved for worship. Sporting events, school and work often impinge on the Sabbath, and the choices we make and the priorities we set form us and our children and our children’s children for the good or for the ill.

On Wednesday evening, we at Christ Memorial come together and combine all of these things together. We worship God by celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist which Christ gave to His disciples at the Last Supper, and that the Church has preserved as the principle expression of His Love for us and of our devotion to Him. Then, we share a meal and fellowship with one another in a manner very reminiscent of the Early Church. Finally, we study the Word of God and explore what His Word means to us and how it affects us as followers of Christ.

To paraphrase our Savior, let us labor hard for God and lay up in Heaven the treasures which rust and moth cannot touch. Let us not labor for our own needs, but for the needs of those who shall come after us and for those who have not yet come to know Christ.

Fr. Michael+

You've Got To Be Kidding Me......Really??

I beg your forgiveness right at the start, for this post can best be described as an off-the-cuff rant.  I was just reading an article that reported the apparent befuddlement (good word, huh) of a clergyman in the Anglican Church in Canada regarding why so many young people are seeking spiritual fulfillment outside of his Church.  Well....not to put too fine a point on it....IT'S BECAUSE THEY AREN'T FINDING IT IN THE ANGLICAN CHURCH IN CANADA!  For that matter, I dare say that a lot of people are not finding in it in ECUSA or the CofE either.

For the past 60+ years at least, Western Anglicanism has done everything it can to take the mystery and mysticism out of the Faith.  We have poo pooed Christ's miracles.  We have sought to deconstruct Holy Scripture in an effort to quantify and qualify every word and action in a fit of almost unimaginable hubris.  We have met in special seminars to an attempt to identify the "historical Jesus" and in the process rejected most of the Gospels.  We have bishops who have spent their lives spreading heresies and denouncing Christ's bodily resurrection, His very nature as the Son of God and the very existence of Heaven and Hell.

Mostly what we have done is abandon the Truth.  "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.'" John 14: 6  Western Anglicanism has become so polite and so politically correct that this simple assertion of Truth is nearly impossible.  The leadership of ECUSA routinely articulates a pluriform, universalist model which only confuses and alienates.  If the plan is to make the Church so non-judgemental and so open that everyone will come and join, then I proclaim that plan to be false and a recipe for disaster.

People today, in fact in any age, want to hear the Church speak boldly and with authority about God.  People, I believe, don't want to hear their priest offering platitudes from the pulpit, they want to hear the Truth.  We find the Truth in Holy Scripture.  We find the Truth represented in 2,000 years of tradition and history.  We do not find the Truth in whimsical forays of post-modernism, or in attempts to make the Church more suitable to the culture.  We must do exactly the opposite.  The Church must re-make the culture.

Western Anglicanism must return to the chief cornerstone: Jesus Christ.  Western Anglicanism must embrace a core doctrine of faith that resides in Holy Scripture and in the traditions of the Church.  We must not be afraid to speak the Truth, because that is how we will reach the nations of the world, and how Christ will change society, again.

Fr. Michael+

Teach Your Children Well

Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children—how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children so. Dt 4: 9-10

With apologies to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young for the title of this reflection, this passage from Deuteronomy may be one of the most important lessons that we as parents and bearers of the Good News might hear. Moses speaks these words to the Hebrew People as a warning to a generation who has witnessed the presence and the power of God in their midst. God has heard the cries of His people, He has delivered them out of the hand of Pharaoh, He has led them on dry ground through the Red Sea, He has guided them through the desert as a pillar of fire and a column of smoke, He has dwelt upon the holy mountain and given to His people the Commandments by which they are to live, and He has been present with them in His Holy Tabernacle. Moses admonishes his people not to forget the mighty acts and the presence of God which they have witnessed with their own eyes.

More importantly, and in God’s words, Moses tells the people that they are to pass on what they have seen to their children and grandchildren so that future generations might know what God has done for them. The remembrance of God’s deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt remains to this day an important part of Judaism, and of our Christian Faith as we read and remember the Exodus in Psalm and Scripture.

How is a generation once or twice removed from the awesome presence of God to appreciate and embrace Him? This was a problem for the Hebrews as they entered and conquered the land given to Abraham and his posterity by God. The people who arrived at the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership were already a people one generation removed from the slavery of their fathers. By the time the Twelve Tribes of Israel had entered, spread out and laid claim to the land, Joshua and all the elders were dead, and another generation had passed. Once in the land, God’s Chosen People were plagued by the presence of the people that had possessed the land and whom they had been instructed by God to displace and from whom they were to remain apart. Yet, the people chose not to heed God’s instruction, they made covenants with the peoples of the land and they intermarried with them. Worst of all, God’s People began to worship at the altars of the ba’als and turned away from the one, true God.

In the fullness of time, God provided the Savior for all mankind in the person of Jesus Christ. God once again made his presence felt among His people, only this time He was somewhat more subtle about it. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, so that all of creation might once again be in right relationship to Him. Jesus rose from the grave as a clear sign of the eternal life that is ours because of His sacrifice. Many witnessed the miracles, heard the teachings and even experienced the Risen Lord, and they took Christ’s words to heart when He sent them forth into the world to teach the Good News to new generations of Jews and Gentiles.

The question for us is this: how well do we take to heart the words of Moses and Jesus Christ? Are we cherishing in our hearts the mighty works that God has done in our lives? Are we teaching our children and our children’s children about God? Are we resolved to protect the future generations from the ba’als of this world; from the attractive and dangerous things of this world that threaten to draw young and old alike away from God and toward certain ruin?

It is very easy to connect with the sensual realities of the world around us. It is very easy to find satisfaction in the good feelings and cheap rewards of a world designed to entertain and enthrall. It is very easy to sit back in our relative comfort and luxury and lose sight of the source for all that we have. It is not evil to live a pleasant life amongst the goodness of God’s Creation. It is evil, however, to worship the pleasantries and the comforts rather than the One who provides them for us.

What then must we teach our children? First, that God loves us, unconditionally; and it is because of that love that He has delivered us from the bondage of sin and death. We have done nothing to deserve His Grace and Mercy, yet He has intervened for us and saved us. Second, God does expect something from us. He gave us His law by which we are to live our lives. Christ established the Church so that His Word might go forth to all the world and so that all God’s people may worship Him. We participate in God’s Grace and Love more fully the closer we are to Him; and we grow closer to Him by worshiping at His feet, studying His Holy Word and communicating with Him through prayer and quiet devotion.

Third, we must have faith and trust in Him who made us. Life is not always easy, and the decisions that we must make are often not fun to make. If we have faith in God, and allow Him to be our guide, then life becomes easier, and our decisions are not just our own to make when we make them with His guidance and counsel. Finally, we must teach our children that the greatest fallacy of modern life is that we are in control. We have split the atom, we have traveled to the Moon, we have developed medical science to a point where we can map the human genome and possibly even alter our own genetic code. Yet is it right to do these things? Are we really that much in control? Are we making ourselves gods? There can be only one God, and that position is filled. He is in control not us, but the good news is that He does not keep secrets. Read His Word to them, tell them how He has acted in the world and in our lives, make Him real to them by showing them how He is real to us.

Remember His mighty works, heed His glorious Word, and teach our children well.

Fr. Michael+

Wednesday Night Continues to Grow

We had a fantastic night at Christ Memorial last night, beginning with a celebration of the Mass for the Feast of St. Clare in the Chapel.  It was practically standing room only!  After Mass, the crowd swelled to almost 40 people, and we had a delicious meal provided my many generous members of the parish.  We ate ham, chicken casserole, corn casserole, salad, macaroni and cheese, roasted potatoes, and many other tasty items.  For dessert we had chocolate cake, brownies and the best banana pudding in the entire world (my wife's specialty). 

We finished up with an introduction to the Book of Judges.  In an effort to set the stage for the book and to provide a cultural and historical background for the people and events in Judges, I spent the hour tracing the wanderings of the Hebrew people from the Patriarchs through their slavery and redemption in Egypt to Joshua's leadership in the initial conquest of Canaan.  We discussed some of the underpinning theology of Judges and the pattern of disobedience, repentence and salvation so prominent throughout the book (and the lives of all God's people I might add).

"And the people did what was evil in the sight of the LORD..."  That is a phrase that will come up time and time again in the Book of Judges, and we begin that discussion next Wednesday starting, as always, with Mass at 6PM.  Please pass the word and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to come and hear and experience God's Word.

Fr. Michael+