Father Scott's Blog

A Note from Father Scott in Nairobi

2012-01-25T07:57:00.002-05:00

The Kajire Mission team is safe and in Nairobi preparing for our return trip to the US. We thank you for your continuous prayer. We have felt God's presence going before us, behind us and all around us. We have been blessed throughout the trip.

We will have much to report upon our return. All of Kenya is in need but Kajire in particular.

We hope to be back in Beaver by Friday evening. Hope to see you then.

Blessings, Scott
(my email account is not sending for some reason BUT I just discovered that I can still post to my blog!

OUT OF OFFICE

2012-01-15T19:52:00.001-05:00

In just a few hours a team of us from Trinity Anglican Church will leave for the Kajire village in Kenya. We are going to inspect the water well we are digging there, to meet the local leadership, to survey ministry opportunities and most of all, to preach and teach the gospel.

I hope you will forgive no new posts for the next couple weeks and I pray that you will come and visit us again upon our return.

Blessings, Scott+

Justices Grant Exemption to Churches in Job Bias Laws

2012-01-11T15:48:00.002-05:00

By ADAM LIPTAK

Published: January 11, 2012

WASHINGTON — In what may be its most significant religious liberty decision in two decades, the Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time recognized a “ministerial exception” to employment discrimination laws, saying that churches and other religious groups must be free to choose and dismiss their leaders without government interference.

Here is a link to the rest of the article at the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/us/supreme-court-recognizes-religious-exception-to-job-discrimination-laws.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig

State of Virginia Supreme Court Rules Against CANA Parishes

2012-01-11T15:37:00.004-05:00

Seven Anglican congregations in Virginia that are parties to the church property case brought by The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia are reviewing today's ruling by the Fairfax County Circuit Court that the property should be turned over to the Episcopal Diocese.

The Circuit Court heard the case last spring after the Virginia Supreme Court remanded it in June 2010. The congregations previously had succeeded in their efforts on the Circuit Court level to defend the property that they bought and paid for.

"Although we are profoundly disappointed by today's decision, we offer our gratitude to Judge Bellows for his review of this case. As we prayerfully consider our legal options, we above all remain steadfast in our effort to defend the historic Christian faith. Regardless of today's ruling, we are confident that God is in control, and that He will continue to guide our path," said Jim Oakes, spokesperson for the seven Anglican congregations.

The Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church, a historic property involved in the case, stated, "The core issue for us is not physical property, but theological and moral truth and the intellectual integrity of faith in the modern world. Wherever we worship, we remain Anglicans because we cannot compromise our historic faith. Like our spiritual forebears in the Reformation, 'Here we stand. So help us God. We can do no other.'"

The seven Anglican congregations are members of the newly established Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, a member diocese within the Anglican Church in North America. Bishop John Guernsey of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic has expressed to leaders of the seven congregations, "Our trust is in the Lord who is ever faithful. He is in control and He will enable you to carry forward your mission for the glory of Jesus Christ and the extension of His Kingdom. Know that your brothers and sisters in Christ continue to stand with you and pray for you."

reprinted from TitusOneNine

Radical Bible Study, Tonight at 7:30pm

2012-01-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

The modern day gospel says, “Godloves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Therefore, follow these steps, and you can besaved.” Meanwhile, the biblical gospelsays, “You are an enemy of God, dead in your sin, and in your present state ofrebellion, you are not even able to see that you need life, much less cause yourselfto come to life. Therefore, you areradically dependent on God to do something in your life that you could never do.”

The former sells books and drawscrowds. The later saves souls. Which is more important?

(excerpt from “Radical”by David Platt)

Teddy Roosevelt the Prophet

2012-01-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life."

Faith Does Not Equal Helplessness

2012-01-09T19:59:00.000-05:00

“All I could do was pray.” It is an axiomatic expression of helplessness and despair. We use it to describe the most desperatecircumstances, when all viable options have failed and there is virtuallynothing else left to do. Apparently, webelieve that faith equals helplessness. Apparently we think that prayer is of no avail.

Faith does not equal helplessness. Our God is not powerless and he is notdistant. In fact, faith empowers us todo things we could not otherwise do. Itgives us the strength to act in surprising ways. Grace empowers us with divine power tosustain us and enable us even in difficult circumstances. Our God hears prayer and although he may notgive us what we envision he gives us what is best.

The first thing to do is pray. The best thing to do is pray. Then move into the uncertainty withconfidence because the Lord our God will move into it with you.

Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ

2012-01-08T13:44:00.000-05:00

Why the Articles on African Violence?

2012-01-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

by Fr. Scott

Recently, I have posted a number of articles about violencein Africa. I think it is important forAmericans, and especially Christians, to pay attention to what is going on. It is an emerging problem that may very wellaffect American Christians directly in years to come. Here is what I believe is happening and whywe need to pay attention:

1. Islam is becoming increasingly militant (not allIslam but radical, violent splinter groups are on the increase)

2. Militant Islam is increasingly targetingChristians (we are now regularly seeing attacks, not against secular societiesbut upon churches and Christians)

3. We have friends and colleagues who are beingdeeply affected by these attacks, like Archbishop Ben Kwashi, a graduate ofTrinity School for Ministry and a friend of the Anglican diocese.

Terrorist Threats in Kenya due to war against al-Shabbab

2012-01-07T10:13:00.002-05:00

Please pray for our mission to Kenya. Things seem to be heating up there just as we prepare to go. -Fr. Scott

Kenyan Airstrikes Kill Dozens of Militants in Somalia

Posted by Voice of America, Saturday, January 7th, 2012 at 7:45 am

A Kenyan spokesman says jet fighters have killed dozens of al-Qaida-linked militants gathered in southern Somalia, as part of an ongoing effort to force them out of the country.

The spokesman told reporters Saturday that at least 60 al-Shabab militants were killed in Friday's airstrikes in the town of Garbaharey in Somalia's Gedo area. He said the military was tipped off about the militants' whereabouts, and that he expects the death toll from the attack will rise.

Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October to push back al-Shabab, which controls large sections of southern and central Somalia, and is blamed by Kenya for a series of cross-border kidnappings.

In a related development, Britain said Saturday that London believes there is a heightened terrorist threat in Kenya. A Foreign Office statement says Britain believes terrorists may be “in the final stages of planning attacks.”

On Wednesday, the Kenyan army said the southern Somalia town of Fafadun was seized in an operation that killed three al-Shabab members.

A Kenyan spokesman said the dead include a key al-Shabab leader in the Gedo region, Sheikh Hassan Hussein.

Al-Shabab is known for enforcing a strict brand of Islam in the areas under its rule. The group has also blocked most international aid workers from accessing parts of Somalia suffering from drought and famine.

Nigerian Gunmen attack, kill Christian Mourners

2012-01-06T21:15:00.000-05:00

from The Tribune

20 killed as Nigerian gunmen attack Christian mourners

Gunmen in Nigeria on Friday opened fire on friends and relatives gathered to mourn the deaths of three Christians killed on Thursday, leaving up to 20 more people dead.

Nigeria has recently experienced a surge in ethnic and sectarian violence Photo: AFP

FROM THE

By Mike Pflanz, Nairobi

5:44PM GMT 06 Jan 2012

15 Comments

It was the latest in a series of attacks blamed on radical Islamists who have vowed to wage a religious war on Nigeria's Christians and drive them from the country's majority-Muslim north.

Several dozen Christians had come together for a meeting in a town hall in Mubi, in Adamawa state, to mark the deaths the day before of several people killed in the town.

Up to four gunmen surrounded the building and opened fire with Kalashnikov rifles, killing up to 20 people and leaving another 15 badly injured.

"We started hearing many gunshots through the windows," said Okey Raymond, 48, who was at the meeting.

"Everyone scampered for safety, but the gunmen chanted: 'God is great God is great' while shooting at us."

Mr Raymond said he hid under a table and escaped through a rear door. The gunmen also carried knives and machetes, the local police commissioner said.

No arrests have been made in the attack, and no one has claimed responsibility.

A purported spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack.

Mubi is close to the Cameroon border and is not in an area covered by a state of emergency declared by Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's president, following two weeks of sectarian violence.

The country's population of 160 million people is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.

While Boko Haram has been blamed for increasingly deadly attacks for months, including an August suicide bombing of UN headquarters in Abuja that killed 25, the violence has taken on a different dimension with recent church attacks.

A wave of Christmas bombings that killed 49 people, most of them outside a Catholic church as services were ending, has provoked outrage in Nigeria and intensified fears of more sectarian clashes.

There have been fears of reprisals from Christians, and Christian leaders have warned they will defend themselves if attacks against them continue.

Boko Haram is a shadowy group believed to have a number of factions with differing aims, including those with political links and a hard-core Islamist faction.

: Up to 3,000 people have died in a week of clashes in Southern Sudan between different cattle-herding tribes accusing each other of stealing herds, local officials said yesterday.

Feast of the Epiphany

2012-01-06T08:53:00.004-05:00

[The LORD] says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49.6)

Today much of the Latin world will celebrate Three Kings Day. Families will exchange gifts and celebrate the day that Jesus Christ was made manifest to the whole gentile world, as witnessed by a star leading the Wise Men to the Christ child's manger. This child is the Salvation foretold by Isaiah the prophet.

Roman Catholic Ordinariate to Receive Anglicans

2012-01-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Some Episcopalians have decided to convert to the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope has provided a means by which whole congregations and their clergy, including married clergy, can be received into the roman Catholic faith. Here is a link to an article about it in the Houston Chronicle:

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Catholic-leader-sees-possiblity-of-healing-an-2437489.php

AMIA Rwanda Reconciliation: Maybe Not "Make or Break" but Important

2012-01-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

Make or break meeting in Nairobi for the AMiA

Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje and Bishop Chuck Murphy set to neet Jan 4

ARTICLE | JANUARY 4, 2012 - 12:58AM | BY GEORGE CONGER

The leader of the Anglican Mission in America, Bishop Chuck Murphy, will meet with the Primate of Rwanda today to seek a resolution to the split that has seen nine AMiA bishops quit the province and the Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop of Kenya, Dr. Eliud Wabukhala will host the 4 Jan 2012 meeting between Bishop Murphy and Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje in Nairobi. Other African and North American church leaders are expected to attend the meeting as well.

Last month Bishop Murphy stated he would travel to London to meet with retired Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini, Moses Tay and Yong Ping Chung to begin the work of finding a new provincial sponsor for the AMiA.

A statement released after the 12-14 December meeting omitted mention of a new home. It did affirm, however, the retired archbishops’ continued support for the missionary society concept advocated by Bishop Murphy.

While attempts to find overseas backing were explored, the AMiA leadership also sent out feelers toward the ACNA, to see how the North American Anglican province-in-formation might view the split. At the close of a 20 December meeting in Pittsburgh between ACNA leader Archbishop Robert Duncan and two of the nine resigned bishops, Archbishop Duncan issued a pastoral letter stating that reconciliation between the breakaway bishops and Rwanda was a condition for further talks that would allow the breakaway bishops to find a new provincial home.

The “starting point” for the ACNA in the AMiA split was the “importance of our Provincial relationship” with Rwanda, its archbishop, the two AMiA bishops who had not quit the province – Terrell Glenn and Thad Barnum – and their clergy, as well as with those who had left Rwanda, the archbishop wrote.

The ACNA was “deeply connected to all three, and we can only move forward when issues and relationships have been adequately addressed and necessary transitions are in progress,” he said.

The following day the AMiA bishops released a letter, which was not signed by Bishop Murphy however, that affirmed the importance of reconciliation with the Rwanda.

The AMiA bishops explained that in time “things will all be made clearer as the dust settles, as relationships are restored and truth comes to light,” and added that they would not discuss the reasons for the collapse of their relationship with the Rwandan bishops other than in “the pursuit of reconciliation among our Houses. You may be assured that reconciliation remains important to us.”

The AMiA did not respond to our request for comments as of our going to press, but Bishop Murphy is expected to speak of his work in finding a new provincial home for those who have quit Rwanda at the 11-14 January AMiA Winter Conference in Houston

Militant Islamists Give Christians Three Days to Leave Northern Nigeria after Deadly Christmas Violence

2012-01-03T12:30:00.002-05:00

Christians in Nigeria have once again come under attack

Militant Islamist group Boko Haram has given Christians three days to leave Northern Nigeria following attacks on churches and other targets over Christmas that left more than 40 people dead.
The ultimatum, issued late on Sunday, intensifies the threat to Christians in the Muslim-majority North, parts of which are under a state of emergency after the Christmas violence.
Boko Haram, which wants to impose sharia law across the country, claimed responsibility for a coordinated series of bomb and gun attacks on churches and the security services in five states on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011.
The majority of the fatalities occurred at a church in Madalla, near the capital, Abuja; around 35 worshippers were killed as explosives were hurled at the congregation as they left the service.
It is the second consecutive year that Boko Haram has staged Christmas attacks; last year, 32 people were killed in a series of bombings in Jos on Christmas Eve.
Barnabas Aid warned just before Christmas that the festive season might see anti-Christian attacks in various parts of the world. Nigeria is just one of several countries where such violence broke out.

(reprinted from the Barnabas Aid Newsletter)

Trinity Cathedral Withdraws from Anglican Diocese

2012-01-02T17:21:00.003-05:00

Governing body reverses position by nullifying special resolution

On December 15, 2011, the governing body of Trinity Cathedral voted (11-7) to withdraw from the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and affiliate exclusively with the Episcopal Church (TEC).

The motion, introduced by Mr. Andrew Thiros, was intended to nullify a special resolution passed overwhelmingly by members of Trinity Cathedral in 2008 to serve both the Episcopal Church diocese and the Anglican diocese. The vote was conducted when three members of the Anglican diocese were absent and without prior notification to members of the governing body. The special resolution under which Trinity Cathedral had been operating required a two-thirds majority of both the Cathedral governing body and a two-thirds majority of all members of the Cathedral to be altered or overturned, neither of which was satisfied by the December 15 motion. Nonetheless, the governing body, under the leadership Bishop Ken Price (TEC), contends that the motion to affirm the charter of Trinity Cathedral effectively invalidates the special resolution.

The December 15 motion was an about-face for the governing body of Trinity Cathedral, which had previously affirmed “their intention neither to withdraw from The Episcopal Church nor to withdraw from a realigned Diocese of Pittsburgh, and affirm[ed] that they do not wish to be associated with one exclusive of the other.” It is also a reversal of the position of the Episcopal diocese which had previously been supportive of sharing the space at Trinity Cathedral.

Trinity Cathedral had served as a point of unity for the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. It was used for Anglican ordinations and services for high holy days, such as Easter and Christmas.

“We are saddened to learn that Trinity Cathedral has decided to end their relationship with us. We have invested in their best interests over many years. They have chosen to embrace exclusivity, rather than inclusivity,” said Archbishop Robert Duncan.

(reprinted from diocesan website)

The Queen of England's Christmas Message, 2011

2011-12-30T11:57:00.003-05:00

One of the clearest statements of the Christian faith I have ever heard from a world leader. Please take the time to listen to it. Happy Christmas!

Childermas: Massacre of the Holy Innocents

2011-12-28T08:03:00.002-05:00

Maybe the Best Quote of the Season

2011-12-27T18:55:00.001-05:00

"Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice."

-- Dave Barry

Tim Keller--Year End Generosity

2011-12-27T12:30:00.003-05:00

The Bible says that God has poured out his mercy and Holy Spirit generously through Jesus Christ so we can be justified by grace (Titus 3:6). Why is mercy and forgiveness described in terms of ‘generosity’? Because God is under no obligation to give us any good gift. In fact, our sin has forfeited any favor or blessing we might have had. Yet, instead of giving us the punishment we deserve, he took that himself and gave us the riches of mercy and grace. He forgave, he was generous with us sinners.

In the book of James there is another way that God is said to be generous. The author urges his readers to become spiritually mature and wise, and if they lack this, they should ask God, “Who gives generously to all without finding fault.” (James 1:5) Here God is generous not in forgiveness but in ministry. He builds people up and shares his wisdom with others, and he is not stingy with his service, only giving to ‘deserving’ people. No, he ministers to others “without finding fault.”

Generosity, then, is basically a matter of the spirit....

See full article: http://www.redeemer.com/news_and_events/newsletter/?aid=289

RADICAL: taking back your faith from the American Dream

2011-12-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

New book study begins Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012 at 7:30PM in the parish hall (Nine sessions)

I want to urge you to join me in studying this very specialbook! If you only attend one study thisyear, let it be this one. I read thisbook on vacation last summer and it has had a profound effect on how I am thinkingabout my life in America and my life in Christ. You may not agree with everything this booksays (I don't) but you will walk away with a much clearer understanding of your faith andGod’s purpose for your life.

The Book is entitled Radical: Taking Back Your Faith fromthe American Dream . The study guide and book cost $15.00 for each participant. If you have the book, the study guide costs $5.00

Please sign up for the study by calling the church office at 724-774-0679, or by emailing us at trinitydesk@verizon.net, or by signing up on the bulletin board outside the parish office.

I hope you will call a friend in the parish and ask them to joinyou and me in this important study.

Fr. Scott

Prayer for the Feast of St John

2011-12-27T08:50:00.002-05:00

Merciful Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that we, being illumined by the teaching of thine apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that we may at length attain to the fullness of life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Feast of St John, Apostle and Evangelist

2011-12-27T08:25:00.000-05:00

Word Origins: Holiday

2011-12-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

The word holiday derived from the notion of "Holy Day", and gradually evolved to its current form. The word holiday comes from the Old English word hāligdæg. The word originally referred only to special religious days.

The Feast of Saint Stephen

2011-12-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

Christmas Day Eucharist: 11:00AM

2011-12-25T09:38:00.003-05:00

Please join us for Christmas Day Eucharist at 11AM

Trinity Church
370 Beaver Street
Beaver, PA 15009

"Behold, I bring you good news of great joy..."

2011-12-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

Visit to the Christmas Crib

2011-12-24T10:31:00.000-05:00

“O Divine Redeemer Jesus Christ…I believe thou art the Godof infinite majesty, even though I see thee here as a helpless babe. Humbly I adore and thank thee for having sohumbled thyself for my salvation as to will to be born in a stable. I thank thee for all thou didst wish tosuffer for me in Bethlehem, for thy poverty and humility, for thy nakedness,tears, cold and sufferings.

Would that I could show thee that tenderness which thyVirgin Mother had toward thee, and love thee as she loved thee. Would that I could praise thee with the joyof the angels; that I could kneel before thee with the faith of St. Joseph; thesimplicity of the shepherds. Unitingmyself with these first worshippers at the crib, I offer thee the homage of myheart, and I beg that thou wouldest be born spiritually in my soul. Give me, I pray thee, the virtues of thyblessed Nativity…”

(Excerpt from “Visit to the Christmas Crib,” St Augustine’sPrayer Book)

WARNING: Christmas Prep Hazardous to Health

2011-12-24T10:05:00.002-05:00

Warning: Christmas Prep May Be Hazardous to Your SpiritualHealth:

We invest so muchtime and energy in purchasing just the right gifts for our loved ones. We may make the mistake of concluding thatthe joy of Christmas is to be found underneath the Christmas tree. We may find transient joy in the gifts weexchange but long after the electronics fail, the toys break, and the clothesshrink, true and lasting joy will be found only in God’s Christmas gift to you: your savior Christ the Lord.

How To Breeze Through Holiday Shopping

2011-12-24T09:16:00.001-05:00

Brenda and I had to do some last minute grocery shopping yesterday. We knew the store would be a mob scene so we decided to try a new strategy. We decided to be demonstrably happy, joyous and free. We were right. The store was jammed with frustrated, lonely, anxiety ridden folks. So we broke out our widest smiles, joked and played with one another and acted as if we had nothing else to do all day. Lo and behold, the crowds lifted, the sea of humanity parted and we were able to walk through our shopping experience without muddying up our spirits. God is good. Merry Christmas.

The Real Problem in Whoville

2011-12-21T15:50:00.000-05:00

We all seem to agree that it is a heinous crime for theGrinch to steal Christmas from the Who’s in Whoville. After all, if there is no gift under the treeor no Christmas feast, little Cindy Lou Who might cry! So, of course, the story must end with theGrinch’s conversion—not from God hater to God lover, not from secular humanistto Christian, but from stingy miser to extravagant gift-giver. The Grinch must experience a transformationalright, but the transformation is from agent of material deprivation to agentof economic stimulus. Bottom line: when the Grinch is changed, when his heartgrows ten sizes that day, Little Cindy Lou Who gets her stuff and everybody liveshappily ever after, or do they?

The problem appears when we consider that little Cindy LouWho is not permitted to hear about the Christ child. There is no nativity in the center of theChristmas morning revelers, no explanation of the source of the celebration. The eldersin Whoville have agreed to keep the matter of the Christ, and most especially the Cross, secret and private. Whovilleis happy for some ambiguous reason. Thesong they sing is not praising God for his work of redemption—just a happy little ditty.

And so, while little Cindy Lou Who is entitled to Christmasgifts and a Christmas dinner, and the momentary happiness they may provide, she isdoomed to eternal unhappiness because she is denied a relationship with JesusChrist. The life of true purpose, meaning, and hope that relationship with Christ yields is denied her. The very thing we had hoped to avoid is assured: little Cindy Lou Who cries. I don’t know about you butit sounds like a bad deal to me. Better Christmas morning should stink. Better there should benothing under the tree, no Christmas dinner, better for the Grinch's heart to grow and for him to become the preacher who returns the gift of the gospel to the children of Whoville!

Would We Recognize the Christ Child?

2011-12-20T16:39:00.001-05:00

Would We Recognize the Christ Child If We Saw Him? It might be harder than we think. We might be tempted to look for him in a hospital or perhaps a birthing clinic in some suburb but I do not think we would find him there. We might look for a blond, blue eyed Jesus but I don’t think those attributes would fit the correct profile.

Jesus would look much more like one of the babies carried on the backs of the women in Kajire, Kenya than like a baby in a stroller at the Beaver Valley Mall. Jesus had dark hair, dark skin and dark eyes. If he was not hungry most of the time he certainly did not get much more than the bare essentials. He grew up in an uneducated, religiously fundamentalist household. The idea that worshipping God was somehow optional would have appalled him and his people. He and his parents lived in tiny houses, like the adobe shacks that house Mexico’s poor. He had little or no discretionary income. He walked everywhere he needed to go. Communications? His ears and his voice. Entertainment? Studying Torah. Medical Care? A few home remedies. Jesus and his family endured a hard life, a short life, and a life of deprivation…nevertheless it was a life devoted to giving thanks to God for the manifold blessings they received.

We will be most likely to find the Christ child when we look in two unlikely places. We will find him living and ministering among the least, the last and the lost. It is his desire to give his life for them. And we will find him anywhere people devote their lives to worshipping the one true God. Jesus is always present among those giving God thanks and praise.

Jesus Talks Money

2011-12-14T11:58:00.002-05:00

This reminds me of an old expression: “The last thing we place in Jesus’ hands is our checkbook.” Scott+

Mammon: Servant or Master?

According to the Old Testament, if I didn’t tithe, I was stealing from God. (Malachi 3.9) Jesus took it several steps further. He said, “Pick one—only one. You can’t serve both God and Money.” When I first read Jesus’ statement about serving God and Mammon, it seemed simple, almost obvious, but when I thought about it, I realized many of my decisions had been improperly motivated by money. I asked myself, do my actions and motivations revolve around money, or do I use money as a tool to achieve my goals? Do I use IT, or does IT use me? When I have to make a decision, who decides?

(Wealth Conundrum, Ralph Doudera, Signature Editions, 2007)

Christians Scared to Death of Death

2011-12-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

“A detailed national survey…from 2003 claimed that fully 92 percent of Americans believe in God, 85 percent believe in heaven and 82 percent believe in miracles. But the deeper truth is that such religious belief…brings believers little solace in the face of death. The only priesthood in which people really believe is the medical profession and the purpose of their sacramental drugs and technology is to support longevity, the sole unquestioned good of contemporary Western life. Christianity, in the hands of a Paul, an Augustine or a Luther, is a way of becoming reconciled to the brevity of human life and giving up the desire for wealth, worldly goods, and temporal power…[But many Christians today] are actually leading desperate atheist lives bounded by a desire for longevity and the terror of [death].”

Simon Critchley, The Book of Dead Philosophers (Vintage, 2008)

Don't Drink the Water!

2011-12-13T21:11:00.000-05:00

“Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith says the fastest growing religion in America today is neither Christianity, Islam, nor some eastern religion. It is what he calls Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD). In MTD, the most important “truth” about God is that he wants us all to be nice, to feel happy, and to be delivered from pain (that’s the therapeutic part). Outside of being available when I need him, God will not interfere much with my life (there’s the deism)…Smith says that MTD is in our culture—including our churches—like fluoride is in our water.”*

Don't drink the water!

*“When God Seems Far Away,” by John Ortberg, Leadership Journal, Fall 2011

2011-12-13T19:15:00.000-05:00

A Little Bit of Care

2011-12-05T14:08:00.000-05:00

By The Rev Scott Homer

Some people wonder why we don’t take care of our own poor first. Why send money and resources half way around the world when we have poor people living in our own communities? Here is the simple answer: America does not have poverty. Compared to the poverty in Africa, Asia and South America, what we call the American poor are actually people, for the most part, enjoying a quality of life superior to the middle class in much of the rest of the world.

According to the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the CIA Fact Book average per capita income differs greatly between the United States and much of the Third World. In Kenya, for example, the average person lives on $775 per year. The average American lives on $47,184 per year.

Those numbers mean that if the average American were to receive only one week’s paycheck they would already have more money than the average Kenyan receives for all 52 weeks combined. Imagine getting your first check in January with a note attached that said, “Don’t spend it all in one place. This is it until next January!” How would you survive? What would you do? Those numbers also mean that even our poor, those depending on public assistance, are living far more comfortable existences than their third world counterparts. Remember, an average of $775. Per year means half of the people are trying to survive on less than that and many are dying because they simply can’t live on much less than that.

Even the poorest Americans enjoy clean drinking water, a luxury that 80 percent of people in the world do not have. Even the poorest American receives health care, regular food assistance, education, and housing assistance if he or she seeks it. For much of the world there is virtually no health care, food is scarce even during good times, education is minimal and there is no such thing as housing assistance.

Children suffer the most. Out of a thousand live births only about 7 babies will not survive in America and all but 8 will live to celebrate their 5th birthday. In Kenya, 65 babies will die shortly after being born and 85, nearly one in ten, will not live to be 5 years old. Most of these deaths are the result of poor nutrition, contaminated drinking water, and treatable childhood diseases. That is to say that most of these children could have been saved with a little bit of care.

A little bit of care…that is where we come in.

Money Is A Spiritual Matter

2011-12-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

This is an excellent article on the theology of giving from Bishop John Geurnsey. Please take the time to read it all. Scott+

The Bible says that our decisions about money and possessions are spiritual decisions; they affect, for good or ill, our relationship with God. The Bible addresses the issue of our finances over 600 times and Jesus talked about money more than anything else except the Kingdom of God. What does Scripture say about money? It can be summarized this way:

1. God is the giver of all that we have. What we possess is not earned, but is a gift from God. In the wilderness before they entered the land of milk and honey and gained riches beyond anything they had known before, the people of Israel heard this warning from Moses, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). Or as Paul puts it,“What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

2. We are accountable to God for what we do with what He has given to us. We are managers, not owners. Jesus told the story of a master who entrusted three of his servants with his wealth, giving to one five talents [each talent was worth thousands of dollars], to another two talents and to the third one talent. After a time, the master came to settle accounts with them. To two of the servants he said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.” But to the third he said, “You wicked and slothful servant…! So take the talent away from him and give it to him who has the ten talents” (Matthew 25:14-30). God will one day call us to account for how we have handled our money.

3. One aspect of being a trustworthy steward is giving. Giving brings us closer to God. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide for yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a
treasure in heaven that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:32-34).

4. As we give, we are called to tithe, to return to God at least 10% of what He gives us. “All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord” (Leviticus 27:30). Jesus confirmed the tithe as the standard for Christians when He said, “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter [love and justice] without neglecting the former [tithing]” (Luke 11:42).

5. God wants us to give in thankfulness and joy. “What shall I render to the Lord for all his bounty to me?...I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 116:12, 17). We give not begrudgingly out of guilt or duty or pride. We give thankfully for all that Jesus has done for us.

As a church founded on Scriptural authority, the Anglican Church in North America is committed to living out biblical principles in our daily lives. May the Lord give us the grace to trust Him fully with our finances and become truly biblical followers of Jesus.

In Him,
The Rt. Rev. John A. M. Guernsey
Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic

S.C. Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese Meet on “Serious Charges” Made Against Bishop Lawrence

2011-11-09T14:48:00.000-05:00

Just wanted you all to know that the persecution is not over nor is it localized in Pittsburgh. Now the TEC is threatening the Bishop of South Carolina. Mark is a godly man. Let's keep him in our prayers. Fr. Scott

Posted by Kendall Harmon

In an atmosphere of prayerful solemnity, the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina gathered at Saint James Church, James Island, S.C. for more than two hours on Tuesday, October 12. In focus were the “serious charges” that have been made against Bishop Mark Lawrence and the diocese under the new Title IV canons.

Bishop Lawrence began by restating the diocesan vision of “Making Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age” and then traced the history of the current controversy in The Episcopal Church and the many obstacles they presented to pursuing our diocesan vision. He ended with the two recent diocesan conventions in which the diocese refused to be coerced into the Episcopal Church’s embrace of the new title IV canons which violate both due process and the Episcopal Church’s own constitution. Of further concern with the current allegations is that evidently this process doesn’t allow the accused to know who his accusers are.

Lawyer Alan Runyan then made a presentation based on his best understanding of what canonical process seemed to be being used by those in national leadership. It would appear they are proceeding under the abandonment canon with its fast track. Based on what has happened in other dioceses, a deposition of the bishop would be followed by attacks on diocese and the parishes. The picture painted was an ugly one of expensive litigation, confrontation and acrimony in which all involved significantly lost.

It was stressed that individual clergy, vestry, and parishes needed to be informed about the allegations, the purported process, and the implications at every conceivable level: financial, personal, legal and spiritual. All the clergy were encouraged to share their concerns with the bishop or the ordained members of the diocesan Standing Committee.

Two themes underlay the whole discussion. First, the Episcopal Church is in a constitutional crisis in which its own polity is being radically altered in violation of its history and founding documents, yet with no structural provision for a means of resolution when just such foundational disagreements occur. That such a deep dispute has arisen with one of the Episcopal Church’s founding dioceses only adds to the unfortunate environment into which all have been plunged. The Reverend Jeffrey Miller, past President of the Standing Committee stated during the gathering, “The question is not whether we can stay; it is whether they will let us stay and follow what we believe.”

Second, the deeper fracture is about a departure of the Episcopal Church’s leadership from Christian doctrine. Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison (XII Bishop of South Carolina) rose to express his concern with these theological innovations and to voice support for Lawrence. While these include a changed understanding of sexual ethics and Christian marriage, it goes much further to the matter of Scriptural interpretation and authority and the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ. These recent actions mark yet another hindrance to the Diocese of South Carolina’s duty to be faithful to the truth of exactly that gospel and its proclamation to the world.

What Can We Tell About God from His House?

2011-11-09T13:56:00.002-05:00

by Scott Homer

I was talking to a woman, down the street, awhile back. She said, “You can tell a lot about a person by the way they maintain their property.” I didn’t much like the comment. It seemed intrusive and judgmental. (I was a little self-conscious about the weeds in the yard) Still, like it or not, I suppose she was right. Clearly, we can tell a lot about a person’s values and about what drives them, by their personal grooming, their choice of wardrobe, the cars they drive, and most especially, by the care and attention they pay to the places where they live. And it got me to thinking about God’s house.

When Israel built the Temple to the Lord they spared no expense. They bought only the the best timbers and the finest cut stone. They hired the most expert craftsmen. They built the most extraordinary building they could possibly afford. The staff was well paid and received places of honor. That tells us that to the Israelites there was nothing more important to them than their God. He was Elohim, all powerful God; Jehovah Rohi; The Shepherd Lord, and he was their Jehovah Jireh; the Lord who provides for his people, the Lord who would assure their health and wellbeing. The early Israelites exalted in an extraordinary, powerful God and it showed in God's House. He deserved their best. He deserved their most ambitious work. Through the house they built Him they made it clear that their God was an awesome God.

The Medieval Cathedral, was and is a spectacular structure. A cathedral often took generations to complete and the architect who designed them often did not live long enough to see his work done. Expert stone carvers spent entire careers doing intricate work on just one part of one cathedral building. The cost was staggering. The technology was state of the art. And the finished products were stunningly beautiful and powerfully evocative testimonies to their majestic and glorious God. To all who have been to the likes of Notre Dame or Salisbury there can be no doubt that these builders worshipped the most extraordinary God.

In 21st century America, what message are we sending about the God we worship? All too often our churches lay in various states of disrepair. Clergy are underpaid. Churches are exhausting savings accounts just to meet ordinary operating expenses. To even the most casual observer it would be obvious that things have changed. We no longer offer our first and most extravagant gifts to a magnificent God. All too often the people worshipping in our churches only offer leftovers and it would not seem that their God is worthy of much attention or care at all. In many cases, a quick survey of the property would lead us to conclude that the God in this place is worthy only of pity, neglect and shame. To the outside observer viewing many of our churches in America, it would appear that God and his house have become a burden, like an indigent sister who we help as little as we can out of a strained sense of obligation.

I suppose we can tell a lot about the God 21st century America worships by looking at His Houses.

Poison Toads Kill Dogs

2011-10-31T15:36:00.000-04:00

In the Name of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

My dog Gabriel is a good dog. O sure, sometimes he is a little reluctant, but he usually comes around to being obedient pretty quickly. Gabe is a good dog but he does have a couple of issues. Gabriel is driven by two all consuming passions, and when they come into play Gabriel goes from compliant and friendly dog, to the dog from Hades. Confronted with either of his passions, he becomes an uncontrollable beast and at those times, if you asked his owner, I guarantee he would not say Gabe is a good dog then. His first passion is squirrels. When he sees a squirrel and he goes completely berserk. But it is his second passion that I really want to tell you about. It is a bit of a dark family secret, but your family right? Here goes… Gabriel loves poison toads. I don’t think poison toads live up north here. There is a non-poisonous toad and he will go after one of them out of necessity but Gabriel’s real passion is poison toads and where we lived in Houston—it was just teeming with them. They were everywhere. When Gabriel sees a toad he goes instantly and completely insane. He acts spastic. He becomes unresponsive to verbal commands or physical prompts, and before anybody can stop him, he has grabbed this poor forlorn toad in his mouth and wolfed it down—swallowed it in one gulp. (Believe me, it’s not anything you ever want to witness. It’s truly disgusting and yet to Gabe, whole toad is a gourmet treat.)

What I know, that Gabriel doesn’t know, is that poison toads are poison. (Duh, he’s a dog right?) Anyway, every time he eats a toad he becomes violently ill and O my, what a mess. He doesn’t get sick for five or six hours but when he does it is a very, very unpleasant experience for everyone concerned, Gabriel and Brenda and me. He gets so sick that I’m afraid one day he will die. Now, wouldn’t you think that if toad made him that violently ill that he would stop eating them? He hasn’t stopped. In fact, he seems to love them more every time he eats one. Gabriel has a passion for toad. He knows it’s not what his master wants for him. He knows I get unhappy with him every time he lunges at one, but his desire for toad, and the enjoyment he seems to get from eating toad, far exceeds his fear of displeasing me. And he doesn’t understand why I want to deny him his guilty little pleasure. “What’s the big deal anyway?” And as far as the illness and suffering goes? He doesn’t make the connection. He doesn’t get sick right away. It’s only hours after his favorite snack that Gabriel gets sick and by that time he is incapable of tying the illness back to the snack. His master sees the link between toad and sickness but poor Gabriel never does. If he could see the link, if he could see that the very thing he loves is the thing that is killing him, perhaps he would reach out for help. Maybe he would see the value of the collar around his neck maybe he would respond more positively to his master’s tug on his leash. Perhaps he would see that the master’s desire is not to deny him pleasure but to save his life. But as it is, Gabe’s passion for toads is killing him and he doesn’t even know it.

Now I believe that dogs and people are different, that dogs are beasts with an extremely limited ability to reason, and that people are highly intelligent creatures gifted with the ability to abstract reason. I really do believe that but I am also a student of human behavior and I have to be honest. I see people living the same sort of distorted life, repeating the same sorts of self-destructive behaviors as Gabe. And if I had to be really honest, I might admit that I repeat self-destructive behaviors in the same way as that dog of mine. What’s up with that? Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes and the same anti-social behaviors that make us sick? Our Master knows that these things cause us to become sick. He knows that they will eventually kill us. But we don’t seem capable of putting two and two together. What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same things over and over again, expecting it will turn out differently this time? Somehow we have got to make the connection if we ever hope to break the cycle. We have to see the link between our personal, selfish, sinful behavior and the pain, suffering and death in our world. We are not exclusively to blame of course. Everybody on the planet contributes, but even if they didn’t our own sins would be sufficient to destroy us and those around us. Until we get humble and admit that connection, we are destined to keep eating poison toads, wondering why God is not rescuing us from our pain and sickness and why God keeps trying to deny us our guilty little pleasures. (If people are smarter than dogs then why do we believe in victimless crimes? Or in morally neutral behaviors?)

God made us smarter than dogs but we don’t always act that way. And that is why so much space in the Bible has been devoted to stories about sin and judgment, by the negative illustrations, and by the constant warnings of the wrath to come. Sin inevitably leads to sickness and death. And people sin and don’t see it’s devastating effect. That is the heart of the human condition. And a God who names himself “Compassion and Mercy” cannot leave that condition unaddressed. God has got to work on our hearts. He has got to call us out. He has got to show us the real cause of our sickness. I mean, when I am struggling to pull Gabriel away from a toad I am not doing it to ruin his fun. I am trying to save him from his own ignorance. When God sends one prophet after another with the message that we will be punished for sin, when he convicts us of our personal failures, when he refuses to let us skate, he is trying to save our lives by humbling us in order that we might see the truth. Jesus tells us the truth will set us free.

Over the next four weeks our readings on Sunday morning are going to be tough readings—they always are this time of year. We will hear the words of Jesus and the prophets telling us that God’s wrath is coming. The gist of the thing is this: ‘You haven’t stopped sinning and your chances to stop are just about used up. Once time is up you are going to suffer, not for a little while but forever. Once time is up you are going to be separated from God, not for a little while but forever. To put it into the context of the Gabriel story, God will tell us over and over again that insisting on eating poison toads kills dogs, no matter how good a dog they might otherwise be.

These passages are not designed to make us unhappy or to cause us to have an unpleasant day. They are designed to open our eyes to the true gravity of our situation, to humble us and cause us to to seek God’s merciful and powerful grace. The prophet is not thumbing his nose at God’s chosen people saying, “Tough luck, it’s over, there’s no hope.” The prophet is announcing the inevitable consequences of sin and warning that the time to repent and return to the Lord is now: not tomorrow, not after lunch but right now. Jesus does not tell his judgment parables to taunt those who are about to suffer eternal damnation. He tells his judgment parables to rescue them, by inspiring people to look at him with fresh eyes. Jesus’ desire is to inspire enough humility in his listeners that they will actually be able to see past their own destructive passions and peer into the eyes of the Son of God who is standing right in front of them, offering them God’s forgiveness.

When Jonah finally preached judgment against Nineveh, the people of Nineveh humbled themselves. They threw ashes on their heads and tore their clothing. They fasted and they repented. And (much to Jonah’s chagrin) God did not destroy the city. God had mercy on them and spared them.

Over the next several weeks, as we close out this Church year, we are going to be given the same opportunity Nineveh was given. We are going to be given the opportunity to listen to the hard words of God’s messengers and to hear God’s grave warnings. You can take it as a burden but I would suggest you see it as a great privilege. We are extremely fortunate that God, in his mercy, has chosen to speak these words to us ahead of the time, and has given us another opportunity to amend our lives while there is still time. We are going to be given the opportunity to open our eyes to the gravity of our situation and to humble ourselves, to receive the Gift of God’s forgiveness. That is an priceless gift. Over and over we will see that we have been driven by passions, passions that make our souls sick, passions that lead us away from the Kingdom of God and towards eternal death. But our Lord Jesus Christ was also driven by a passion—a holy passion. And his passion is humanity. His passion is you. More than anything else he desires to see you saved. On the day he was crucified He welcomed the beating he endured because it was the means of restoring you. He let the soldiers spit in his face because he took your humiliation upon himself. When he died upon the cross he died to cancel your debt to God. All that you owed God Jesus paid on your behalf. Jesus paid it all. He paid it all for every one of us. Jesus paid it all for everyone who has ever lived. Jesus’ holy passion has opened up the Gates to God’s eternal city. He has clothed us in pure white robes and he bids us come, come to the banquet. Your debt is paid. You have been stripped of your chains. You are free.

Proverbs 27.6 reads, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” That is a good word for us in the weeks to come. If you feel wounded by the Word of God, I beg you to take the message to heart. God has sent you a healing word. Know that the Lord seeks your welfare and that if you hear a hard or difficult word from him, it is meant for your good. If we humble ourselves before the word of God only good can come of it. Humble yourselves, therefore, in the sight of the Lord, in order that he may lift you up. Amen.

PA Supreme Court Denies Appeal

2011-10-18T14:42:00.000-04:00

Dear Friends,

Below is a letter from Bishop Duncan notifying everyone that our last appeal was denied. This means that the decision of the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County stands. Those properties deeded to the Trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh belong to the Episcopal Church. While this decision is a disappointment it was not unexpected and the Anglican Diocese has already made the adjustments required by the original court decision.

The decision does not change our status at Trinity, Beaver. We were never named as defendants in the original lawsuit and our property is not deeded to the Trustees of the Episcopal Church. Our case has yet to be heard by any court. Our hope is that it will never have to be heard, that we can arrive at a fair and amicable settlement with the Episcopal Diocese. We do, however, believe that our case is a good one and that, if pressed, we will win in a court of law.

Please continue to pray for those parishes whose property is at risk. Pray that they may find a reasonable and satisfactory settlement that will meet their worship needs. And please continue to pray for our parish leadership as they seek a final resolution to this matter.

Bishop Duncan's letter can be found below.

Blessings, Scott+

Appeal to PA Supreme Court Denied

2011-10-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

18th October, A.D. 2011

Feast of St. Luke

TO ALL CLERGY AND LAY LEADERS OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE:

Dearest Brothers & Sisters in Christ,

I write to you today to inform you that our appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been rejected. We accept that the courts have not found in our favor and will, of course, comply with all court orders.

We remain committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with the Episcopal Church diocese. In light of this judgment by the courts, we will redouble that commitment to reaching a final resolution of all issues between the Episcopal Church diocese and the Anglican diocese through negotiation.

We intend to persevere in our mission, which is to be Anglican Christians transforming our world with Jesus Christ. We do this chiefly by planting congregations. As at every annual Convention since realignment, congregations are being added to our diocese both locally and across the country, for which we give thanks to God. We pray God’s continued favor on our mission, his grace towards those who remain within the Episcopal Church, and his help for our beloved Communion as we move into the challenges and opportunities of this new millennium. May the Gospel of our Lord Christ find a fresh hearing all across his Church and his world!

Faithfully your Bishop and Archbishop,

+Robert Pittsburgh

Mission to Kajire, Kenya

2011-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

Kajire is a village in Southeastern Kenya about 100 miles from the Indian Ocean. It is a rural area. The local economy is agricultural--mostly subsistence level farming.

Kajire became a point of interest for Trinity Church, Beaver two or three years ago. A parishioner became friends with the Rev Ferdinand M'bwangi who visited Western Pennsylvania for a couple of years while attending seminary. One night at dinner Ferdinand admired the runnning water in our houses and he began to talk about the village where he was born. There is no water in Kajire, except for the little bit that can be collected at a water hole a couple of miles away. And so, people in 2011, much as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago, walk to the water hole, gather their day's water (if there is any left) and walk back home. That parishioner, our parish, determined to help the people of Kajire get a well in their village. That well is currently being dug.

It just so happens that Kajire is also right in the middle of the worst drought Africa has experienced in many years (and that is saying a lot). No water means no crops and no crops means no food produced. It also means no crop to sell in order to buy food. The people of East Africa, and our friends in Kajire, are starving to death as a consequence of no rain!

A number of us in the parish have been praying for Kajire for a long time now. And the Lord has placed a burden for Kajire on our hearts. The Lord is calling us to find ways to partner with our brothers and sisters there, to alleviate their suffering, to build indigenous industry, to help them help themselves. The Lord has also called us to go and meet his people in Kajire, up close and personal. And so a group of us will go to Kajire in January, to meet the local leaders, to survey the area for opportunities to serve, and to preach the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We go as representatives of Trinity Church, Beaver and we will bring back and share our experience with everyone.

I will be posting a series of blogs about our relationship with the people of Kajire over the next few months. The articles are written with the intention that those of you just hearing about Kajire will feel moved to join in this mission and for those who have already been moved to join in the project, to keep you informed about what is going on.

The need in East Africa is immense. Large numbers of people are dying of starvation daily. If you saw the numbers it would break your heart. Trinity parish will never be able to meet anywhere near all the need but we can do what we can do. And our Lord honors all effort. If we do what we can, many will be blessed by our efforts. So, I invite you to join in this great adventure, as we seek to serve the least, the last and the lost. What could be closer to God's heart than people reaching out to help lift their brothers and sisters up? After all, isn't that what Jesus has done for all of us?

"Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: so clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen."

Going to Kajire with Living Water

2011-08-19T22:08:00.000-04:00

An Appeal for Trinity Church’s Mission to Kajire

Dear Friends,
If you have been listening to my preaching over the last four years then you should have heard a consistent message about the Lord’s call on each of us to be disciples, and that being disciples is not about simply believing in Jesus in our heads. It is about living and acting in the ways that Jesus lived and acted. Disciples do not just know what the rabbi knows. Disciples do what the rabbi does. If we want to call ourselves Christians we must be disciples of rabbi Jesus. And that means we are called to do what Jesus does.

That brings me to the Kajire well project. Isn’t this water well we are attempting to build in Kenya about getting life-giving water to people who are thirsty? Isn’t it about getting water to people who do not currently have ready access to water? As a Christian community we heard Jesus speak to us about the suffering of his people in Kenya and we responded to his clear call by doing the sort of thing our Lord would do. We provided the funds required to relieve people’s suffering. But there is another form of suffering even worse than the thirst for water. It is the suffering that comes from not knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He came to us in order that we might know him. If we are really interested in these people’s lives and alleviating their suffering shouldn’t we be going to them to make sure that they hear and they know that Jesus has come for them? To save them? I believe that this Kajire well project is a perfect opportunity for us to begin a conversation with the local people about a God who loves them so much that he calls his servants from half way around the world to bring them water—not just well water but the living Water of Life.

A couple of us have been praying about this for quite awhile now and I believe that God is calling us to send representatives from Trinity Beaver to the Kajire village, as representatives of Christ’s church, to celebrate the well AND to bring the Gospel message to anyone there who will listen. I am ready to answer God’s call and go to Kajire. I wonder if you will help in three ways?

1)Pray for the trip and for those who go on it. Pray for our safety, that the message of God’s love and salvation would be spoken clearly and received by many.

2)Consider going to Kajire with me. The Lord may have a purpose for you there. Ask him, and if you believe you may be called to go, please contact me.

3)Provide financial backing for the trip. I cannot afford to finance this trip myself. The church's annual budget is tight. Would you make a one-time gift to provide the money required for airfare, housing and meals for the mission?

Prayer, team members and the money to fund the trip are all vital to the success of this mission. Would you prayerfully consider joining in and helping? Blessings to you. I am thankful for your partnership in this ministry,

Scott+

The Silent Sermon

2011-07-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine in Texas sent this to me:

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preacher's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace... And waited.

The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone, then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the preacher reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday."

Pass It On

2011-06-23T14:07:00.001-04:00

a simple act of evangelism that has gone untried

by Fr. Scott Homer

Everyone has their preferred means of communications. For some it is the telephone. More and more people use telephones to text one another. My preferred method of communicating is face to face but that is followed closely by email. Just about everybody, old and young, is emailing these days. It has become America’s means of sharing life with one another.

That is why Trinity has begun the practice of sending out a weekly email newsletter. The email newsletter is a fast and efficient way of sharing this parish’s life with one another. Almost everybody I ask tells me that the Trinity Newsletter is attractive, informative and professional. They tell me they read it, in its entirety, just about every Monday. And that causes me to wonder why we don’t forward it to our families, friends and neighbors. Wouldn’t that be an excellent way to let them know what we are doing in church, and also a friendly and gentle way of letting them know they we are inviting them to join in that aspect of our lives we call church?

Many of us forward jokes, or oddities, or product coupons that we receive via email. Why not forward Trinity Newsletter? Perhaps those people you are afraid to talk religion with would be blessed by receiving news about your church and the many wonderful programs that are happening there. At worst, they can shrug and hit delete. In either case you have fulfilled, in a very simple and unassuming way, your obligation “...to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence...” (1Peter 3.15)

Blessed in Brokenness

2011-06-09T11:44:00.002-04:00

by Fr. Scott Homer

Once a month the residents of a number of group homes come to Trinity, Beaver to share in a lunch with dozens of volunteer parishioners. The event has been dubbed the Mustard Seed Café. Our guests come faithfully month after month and they receive tremendous meals served up with a smile. The question I am asking is, why? Why do they come? What do they need that we provide? A bowl of soup, a sandwich, some chips and a beverage? Sure, I guess, but they would have those things without us. They don’t need to venture outside their homes to get their bellies fed, so what is it that brings them to us?

Community, friendship, acceptance, love, forgiveness? Obviously they cannot articulate these things to us but isn’t that why they are really coming? They are coming to see you! They are coming to be greeted by you! They are coming because you are glad to see them, because you sit and talk to them, joke with them, sing with them, pray with them! They are coming because they love you and they enjoy being loved back.

Are they hungry and needing to be fed? Well yes, but they are not hungry for food. They are hungry for joy. They are hungry for companionship. They are hungry for relationships that greet them, and encourage them, and support them. Healthy relationship: that is the hunger that is beginning to be met at Mustard Seed Café. The core of every healthy relationship is love and the ultimate source of that love is Jesus Christ.

For the disabled and the handicapped relationships are often difficult. Many have grown up in relationships characterized by abuse and neglect. Many have been laughed at, mocked, humiliated and degraded. Many have been taken advantage of, used, or ignored. Many have grown to hold themselves in extreme contempt and to distrust others. They see little or no value in themselves as human beings. They do not like what they see when they look in the mirror. When they look in the mirror they see the “despicable me” the world has taught them to see. Is there any doubt about why they love the positive attention you show them?

“They” are not alone. Although we spend most of our lives attempting to mask our neediness and deny our lack of self-worth, although we want to feel good about ourselves and to know we are valuable to others, the truth for many of us is that we are hungry to be greeted, encouraged, and supported. We are hungry for positive, healthy relationships too. We too have heard so many negative voices for so many years. I pray that our church will become a place where healthy relationships support people by encouraging them, supporting them and nurturing them. I pray that the need for community that is central to every human being would be met in this church as we remind each other that we are forgiven, protected and welcomed by the head of our community Jesus Christ. I pray that many of us will model our lives after his example.

We are all hungry for relationships and if we cannot get healthy ones we will settle for unhealthy ones. Welcome to America. Welcome to the problems of drug abuse, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, compulsive shopping, compulsive eating and compulsive living. If someone is starving he will settle for junk food. When people are starved for healthy relationship they will settle for any relationship, no matter how destructive. I pray that the people we know, the people who live around us will never have to settle for unhealthy relationships because they will find us to be a ready source of healthy ones.

The Mustard Seed Café at Trinity Church is a fairly new venture but already we have established a toehold on the true meaning of community. In our relationships with the truly broken, the truly marginalized and the truly poor, we are seeing our own brokenness and our own needs. As we see God's grace operating through us we begin to recognize the presence of the One who meets us, greets us, encourages and strengthens us, not in our areas of strength but in our greatest weaknesses. The heart of the community we are finding at the Mustard Seed Café is the heart of Jesus blessing us and encouraging us as we learn to bless and welcome one another.

In the months ahead I hope we will be able to find creative ways to point to the presence of the Holy One in our midst, to name Him and proclaim Him and rejoice in what He is doing for us. And I hope that we will begin to find ways to operate outside of the box, to explore new avenues for deepening our commitment to one another and to the community. What a blessed beginning the Lord has given us!

The next Mustard Seed Cafe will be held June 26 at 12:15pm in the parish hall. Try it. We believe you will like it.

The Ascension: Hope and Assurance Affirmed

2011-06-07T08:43:00.000-04:00

by Fr. Scott Homer

A sermon for the 7th Sunday of Easter:

A large percentage of Christians around the world gathered in churches on Thursday to worship God and to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus’ ascension into heaven. We had quite a large number gather here. But why did we gather on the anniversary of the Ascension?

To answer that question I would like to quote two passages from scripture and then take you to one of my favorite places from long ago. It was an extraordinary place in many ways and I hope will give us some insight into the value of Jesus opening up the possibility of heaven to you and me. The first passage from Scripture is Psalm 127.1: “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build …” The second is from the Letter to the Hebrews 9.24: Hebrews 9.24, “Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

To get to this place I liked so much, you had to walk off the noisy, crowded and busy city street, climb a series of steps approaching the building until finally you walked through large glass doors and into an mammoth lobby area built of very expensive stone and glass but otherwise open, plain, and largely utilitarian, as lobbies usually are. But we are not interested in the lobby. That is not why we have come and so we walk over to the banks of elevators. To get where we want to go we are going to have to ascend to the top of the building, and so we must choose the correct elevators because some of the elevators only service the lower half of the building. We need one of the elevators that will go all the way to the top, to the 103rd floor. The elevators are large, the size of small office, also nicely appointed but largely utilitarian and so nothing in the public areas of this building prepares you for what you are about to see. After a climb that seems to last forever, long after your ears have popped due to the change in atmospheric pressure, the door of the elevator finally opens.

As the door opens you find yourself beaconed into the most extraordinary space. It’s magical; it’s luminous, glittery and golden, with subdued, sophisticated lighting. There is a hushed atmosphere to the place with just a hint of elegant music in background. You feel like it would be crass to speak in a normal voice. You want to whisper. As you step off the elevator you feel as if you have indeed entered Cloud Nine. Here is refinement, beauty, and comfort combined into an environment which pushes the edges of human design. Surely, this must be the work of angels. This is a restaurant where every table has enough space to be alone and intimate even as its occupants share the room with many others. And you share the room with extraordinary smells and tastes and sounds and sights. In this restaurant, it is not cliché to say that you are experiencing a bit of heaven. And that feeling is enhanced by the ceiling to floor, and wall to wall windows through which you can gaze upon the millions of lights that illuminate the city by night. From this immense height you are convinced that you and these other fortunate few patrons are looking down from heaven upon a perfect earth. (I don’t know if you have ever noticed but there is no pain and no suffering from a distance—that only occurs up close) Beautiful, almost beyond human imagination, and yet this is not the Kingdom of heaven, not the creation of God or the Lord’s throne room. This is the Windows on the World Restaurant in the World Trade Center in New York City as I recall it in about 1978. Occupying the 103rd story in the tallest building in the world at that time, this was the closest thing to heaven that human creativity and industry could muster. Here at the top of the great cathedral of business and commerce was the place to strive for. The room smacked of money, power, creativity, genius. And when I entered that room at the age of 23 I thought, “This is it!” This is worth the striving, this is worth suffering to attain. If you could afford the prices on the menu in this place you really could know heaven on earth.

Of course the Windows on the World restaurant now symbolizes the problem. Nothing built by human hands lasts. Nothing devised or engineered by man can sustain itself. No matter how spectacular, no matter how rich, no matter how wonderful, the products of human labor and ingenuity are sure to fail, either from inherent structural flaws or from enemy attack. That fact was confirmed on on September 11, 2001. The great American tragedy of our time. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the workers labor in vain who build it.”

This morning we read an account of another ascent, not an ascent into a structure made by human hands, but an ascent into the Kingdom of God, a place far more spectacular than the Windows on the World Restaurant, and a place that has no inherent weakness, no design flaws a place impervious to attack. Here the rugs do not get dirty and worn. Here the glass is always clean. Here the staff is always courteous, and best of all, here everything on the menu is free because someone has already picked up your tab. All who ascend to this place will know joy, and peace, and fulfillment—not until it wears out, not until it gives out and not until it is taken from us. This place is the place built by the Lord, a product of God’s perfect will and purpose. This place lies beyond the fallen world where sin and death, anger and disease wield so much influence. The kingdom of God is set apart. It is pure and holy and it endures forever. “Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”

On the fortieth day after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, he ascended into heaven. Jesus is lifted up in a cloud and vanishes from sight. It is the final act in his work of salvation for his people. Jesus tells his disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you, so that where I am you may be also.” You know that expression, “Life stinks and then you die?” It is a lie. At the end of these few years we enjoy on earth lies life, not death. The more accurate expression would be something like, “death stinks and then you live, and live and live.” Jesus ascension opens the door to God’s heavenly and eternal kingdom to us.

The Ascension affirms in fact what Jesus taught in word: that there is way more to life than what you can see, hear, taste, smell and feel. Human senses are severely limited and if we trust them to explain reality to us we will be misled. Our senses will persuade us that when we achieve the success that we hoped for in this life that we have actually arrived someplace significant, when in fact, our success in earthly terms has little to no bearing on our eternal relationship with Christ. Even worse, reliance on our senses will cause us to be blind, deaf and dumb to the spiritual realities that surround seemingly ordinary events. We simply cannot rely on our senses to tell the truth in the important matters. We are not to trust in the products of our own hands. We are not to judge our wellbeing based upon our circumstances. We are called to trust in God for our future. We are to invest ourselves in the things important to Jesus Christ. God is working. He is building and we can trust in that building.

Do what you want with your life. But unless what you do has some bearing on your relationship with Jesus Christ it is of little or no long-term value. In the end all of your work will fall—maybe not as dramatically as the World Trade Center, but our efforts will fall just as surely. And so we ought to live our days, plan our activities with some intentionality. Our choices matter—and unfortunately we humans tend to choose our desires instead of God’s purposes.

Most of us wonder how we will find time to pray in the midst of so many important activities. That is a misunderstanding of our priorities. We ought to be wondering how we are going to find time to do all these other things when we have so much praying to get done first. Can you imagine calling your spouse and apologizing for being late for dinner because you had to stay late to pray? Now there is a legitimate excuse for missing dinner. Can you imagine writing out an I owe you to God, a bill equal to a percentage of your take home pay and keeping it on top of your stack of bills? Can you imagine giving back to God before you pay the electric or the rent?

We have said that the only thing that matters in the long run is our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we truly believed that we would live differently. And I am here to tell you. It is not a hypothetical. It is true. When a person takes care of their relationship with God first and foremost, they and their family lose nothing. In fact, they really do find themselves living a better quality of life. I have seen it happen time and time again. Try it, I guarantee you will like it.

And I guarantee that you will never find yourself trusting in a building that is falling down around your ears, realizing that you have lost hope in your future, living in anxiety and fear, and wondering if there is a God who cares. That is the unfortunate place people without faith wind up. People who despair, at least many of them, have spent their lives excluding God from the fabric of their daily lives. Many of them lived in the delusion that they could construct a house out of their own strength, their own ingenuity and their own hard work only to discover that it has all been in vain. The bottom line is there is only one heaven. There is only one way to ascend into heaven. Heaven is prepared. It is ready for occupancy. The way to heaven has been paved by our Lord and Savior Jesus, and he has shown us the way. He is the way and he has promised that all that believe in him, all who make him Lord of their lives, will find their home with him.

This first Sunday after the Ascension is a great reminder that our actual home is not here on planet earth. We are beings who were created to live in the heavenly realms but our minds and our wills have been misdirected. Our families and friends, even we ourselves have devoted ourselves to this worldly stuff thinking that somehow or another it would lead us to the things our hearts desire. Of course we have to live in this world, but we will never find the ability to live in this world gracefully let alone prepare for the world to come until we place God’s kingdom in the place of priority. We will never learn to manage life on life’s terms until we have submitted to living life according to God’s priorities.

Jesus ascended into heaven and we have been called to ascend into heaven as well. For Jesus the ascension was an event. In a moment he was raised up in a cloud and was gone. For us ascension is a process, a lifelong process that began when we were baptized and will end when we find ourselves before the throne of God singing, “Holy, holy, holy.” And I fear it is a process that we all neglect to our own detriment. I fear we suffer in this life needlessly because we defy God’s direction and refuse God’s assistance and grace. “Too busy to pray,” we say. “The world is too risky to trust,” we say. “If I give to God I will be the poorer,” we say. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto to you.

Do something dangerous this week: Surrender to God. Trust that he will care for you. Believe that your investment in your relationship with God will gain you more than you loose. That is the truth! That is actual reality! Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, dwelling in the place of perfection. And he has saved a place for you there. Amen.

Te Deum laudamus

2011-05-27T13:47:00.000-04:00

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You Christ are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun the Virgin's womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
We believe that you will come and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with your saints
to glory everlasting.

Pastoral Care AA Style

2011-05-25T11:54:00.000-04:00

This is taken from an AA daily devotional entitled, Twenty-Four Hours a Day (Hazelden):

Working with others can be subdivided into five parts:

Confidence
The first thing in helping people is to earn their confidence. We do this by sharing our own experiences so that they can see that we know what we are talking about. If we share frankly they will know we are sincerely trying to help. They will realize they are not alone, that others have had equally bad experiences and they will gain confidence that they can be helped. (May 23)

Confession
By frankly sharing we get them talking about their experiences. They will open up and confess things to us they have not shared before. And they feel better when this confession is made. It’s a great load that is lifted when they get these things out in the open. It is the things that are hidden that weigh on the mind. They feel a sense of freedom and release when they open up to us. (May 24)

Conviction
A prospect must be convinced that they want (to stop drinking). They must see and admit that their life in unmanageable. They must face the fact that they must do something. They must be absolutely honest with themselves and face themselves as they really are. They must be convinced that they must give up their old way of life and realize that their whole fate depends on this conviction. (May 25)

Conversion
Conversion means change. Prospects must learn top change their way of thinking. They must now face a new and different life. They must see and admit that they cannot overcome their past by their own willpower, so they must turn to God for help. They must start each day asking god for the strength to walk in his ways. This conversion to belief in god comes gradually, as they try it and find that it works. (May 26)

Continuance
Continuance means staying with them after they have started on the new way of life. We must stick with them and not let them down. We must encourage them to attend church meetings, bible studies, and prayer groups regularly for fellowship and help. They will learn that life is a lot easier in the fellowship of others who are trying to do the same thing. We must help others by going to see them regularly or telephoning them or writing them so that they don’t get out of touch with the church. (May 27)

Another Christian Thumping

2011-05-21T12:49:00.001-04:00

by Father Scott Homer

The headline reads, Apocaplyse Not: Harold Camping Wrong-Again-about 'The Rapture'. But the real news is not that somebody somewhere is predicting the end of the world. That is about as common as sliced bread. The news story is really about a news media that is so intent on slinging mud at Christian leaders and so devoted to making them look stupid that they will create a story just to promote anti-Christian sympathies. This Harold Camping guy predicted the rapture before. He got big news coverage before. He was wrong before. He is a crackpot and virtually every reasonable person in the world has said so. So, when is the media going to stop parading him and guys like him before the public as if they are legitimate spokesmen for the Faith? Answer: when the media is convinced that nobody is paying attention to the legitimate Christian leaders anymore.

Is Today the End of the World?

2011-05-21T09:43:00.001-04:00

by Father Scott Homer

If you own a radio, TV, telephone or internet capable device then you have surely heard that some folks at the Family Radio Network are predicting that the Rapture will occur today at 6PM. Depending on the news source feeding information to you, this anticipated event has been characterized as "Armageddon, the end of the world, the return of Jesus Christ, and the Rapture." Commentators are focusing on doom and gloom when they are not focusing on the wackos that are claiming today to be the day. And if you are like me you are just confused by reporting that seems intent on laughing at these predictions and yet fascinated, even wishing, that God might actually intervene in the affairs of men again. So what do we make of all this?

Firstly, if the Rapture occurs at 6pm as predicted, and I have serious reservations about it (to say the least), it will be a very good thing for those who are raptured. It means they will be lifted out of the current mess and live in God's glorious presence with no suffering or pain. Not so good for the vast majority of people who would not be raptured! They would remain on earth enduring an increasingly dark and evil trajectory of world events that would eventually lead to the final end.

And that is the second point: The rapture, as described by St John is not the end of the world, although it would certainly point to the beginning of the end. The rapture is described as God sparing his saints from the final episode of Earth's demise, but that final episode takes some time and John is quite clear that the people who are not raptured, and who remain in the midst of the mess do so by their own choosing. They are those who refuse to listen to the testimony of God's messengers. The people of doom are the people choosing it! And that brings us to point three.

Do you love the Lord? Do you confess and repent of your sins? Are you trying to live as a child of God? Then you have nothing to fear! God is not a monster seeking to destroy people. (that would be the devil) The same St John who describes the final battle for Earth in Revelation writes in his first letter, "God is love." In other words, God desires that you prosper, not suffer. God desires that you be saved not that you be lost. God's desire is the restoration of the world and not its destruction. God is love and God's love will finally conquer. And that brings me to the final point.

The Book of Revelation does not end with smoke, rubble and ash. The final scene is not one of total devastation and destruction. Rather, it is one of a restored and perfected world in which our God reigns. Jesus Christ reigns in victory in a new Heaven and a new Earth where evil, sin and death are vanquished and where God's people live, in the flesh, enjoying an eternity of peace and joy. There may be battles that must be fought along the way. There may be suffering and loss to endure but the story does not end in desolation. Quite the contrary. It ends with God's people victorious and in glory!

So, come Lord Jesus. May today be the day! And whether it is or is not, may we today give you the praise and the glory for all the wonderful blessings that you have showered on us, this day and always. Amen.

Update on Bud and Kathleen

2011-05-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

I got a surprise phone call from Bud the other day. It was good to hear his voice: same old joyful demeanor! Bud and Kathleen are living and doing ministry in East Aurora, NY. Their son Jacob is now 18 months old. Bud is serving in an ACNA parish there and is asking that we pray for new members. The parish is small and struggling to pay the bills. If you would like to drop them a note and say hi I am sure they will appreciate it. Bud's email address is Budbrooker@gmail.com. Blessings, Fr. Scott

Packing the Right Things for the Big Move

2011-05-18T13:03:00.000-04:00

by Jay Morgan

(Our Senior Warden reflects on his recent transition and the ways it informs our understanding of our parish's own transition. -Fr. Scott)

I prayed with Fr. Scott last year about my growing family’s need for a larger home. I began by thanking God for all His provisions. Scott interrupted me: “Ask Him for a house.” I started again with another rambling prayer. He interrupted again: “Ask Him for a house.” So I asked plainly, putting my family’s need before Him. Several months later we moved into our new home. But, as the Lord provides He also teaches. Searching for a house is one thing—moving into it is another…

Just four people moving a mere five miles––yet it was difficult to decide what to take, what to replace, or what to throw out. Can we really part with our 20-year-old college textbooks? (The answer, apparently, was “no.”) The kids no longer play with these toys, do they? (“We still want them, Dad.”) Speaking of the kids, they were leaving the only home they had ever known. We have had to juggle packing with their school schedules and our two jobs—and our fifteen-year-old dog that is in frail health. To add to the stress, our appliances began dying: first the washing machine, then the oven, and finally the vacuum cleaner.

On moving day, our refrigerator’s icemaker line leaked all over the kitchen floor after the movers had taken the unit away. As a plumber worked at the old house, an electrician was updating the old wiring for the new washer and dryer. Both were unplanned expenses. Still, we are grateful for the electrician and plumber’s expertise and for the movers who had done the heavy lifting.

Even though we are thankful we are frustrated with the piles of boxes still unpacked—boxes with labels such as “pictures,” “clothes,” and “vases—very breakable.” That last label, I imagine, was for me. And while most of our furniture works well, some pieces do not. That dresser is too big, that table is too small, and did that floor lamp always lean like that?
After this move I now have a new appreciation for the Exodus. The Hebrews left the only home they had ever known, laden with plunder, and being chased and seemingly cornered. On the other side of the Red Sea, the Israelites had fashioned their Egyptian gold into the form of a calf, a representation of an Egyptian god. Yes, it is hard to let go of old places and familiar things.

In our Christian journey, letting go of the old is what we are called to do. In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul admonishes us “to set our minds on the things that are above not on the things that are on earth” (v. 2). We are raised with Christ and hidden in Him, Who is seated at the right hand of God. In that sense we all have that new heavenly address; yet we bring the wrong things with us. Those things labeled “impurity, covetousness, slander, and anger,” (vv. 5-7) for example, do not fit with our new heavenly surroundings. Trying to bring them with us will only cause pain, frustration, and sorrow. The things that will fit in our new home are labeled “compassion, kindness, humility, patience, meekness, forgiveness.” Tying these all together, writes the apostle, is love (vv. 12-14).

Our parish is also on a kind of Exodus. Trinity Beaver with most of the diocese has left The Episcopal Church. Without either accusing TEC of holding us in bondage or making light of real slavery—we have property that we have taken with us in our departure and we are being pursued. Yet, whether we litigate, negotiate, or relocate, we need to be sure that we pack “the things that are above.” We will need to bind these heavenly things in love for ourselves (such as “patience”) as well as for our TEC counterparts (namely, “forgiveness”). While our Trinity home for the future is uncertain, we know that the Lord is leading us to something new. And He has already done the heavy lifting in our deliverance, so let’s pack appropriately.

By the way, I looked up in my calendar when I had prayed with Fr. Scott for a house. It was March 2, 2010. Diane and I signed the closing papers on February 25, 2011, 360 days later.

The Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom

2011-04-23T17:48:00.000-04:00

As the Great Vigil of Easter is celebrated around the world, preachers will read the Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom, one of the greatest Christian orators in the history of the Church.

Christ is Risen!

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let him enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival. If anyone is a wise servant, let him, rejoicing, enter into the
joy of his Lord. If anyone has wearied himself in fasting, let him now receive his recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let him keep the feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; for he shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let him not fear on account of his delay. For the Master is gracious and receives the last, even as the first; he gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one he gives, and to the other he is gracious. He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward. O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today! The table is rich-laden; feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted; let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness. Let no one lament his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn his transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He descended into hades and took hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted his flesh! And anticipating this Isaiah exclaimed, "Hades was embittered when it encountered thee in the lower regions." It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

It took a body and, face to face, met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen!

"O death, where is thy sting? O death, where is thy victory?"

Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!
Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!
Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is risen, and life reigns!
Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the First-fruits of them that slept.

To him be glory and might unto ages of ages. Amen.

Planning Update: Litigate? Negotiate? Relocate?

2011-03-19T11:12:00.000-04:00

Dear Parish Family,

This Lenten season we are living through an uncertain time for our parish church. I hope you came to one of the informational meetings we held to discuss the potential threat to our property. The Episcopal Church continues to insist that our property is their property and they are pressing their claim against us. We said, at those meetings, that our options were limited but clear. We could litigate, relocate, or negotiate. We also said that our immediate goal was clear. We would like to be faithful to God’s call and if possible we would like to remain in our present building. In order to best serve those goals, we wanted to gather the information and do the planning necessary to be well prepared to exercise any one of our options if and when it became prudent to do so.

I want to report to you that we are well on our way to accomplishing those initial goals. We have begun to explore the litigation option--enough said about that at present. A relocation team is meeting to develop a detailed and implementable plan for quickly moving our operations to another facility should we be forced into it. (we hope and pray that this is a remote possibility) The relocation team will also explore long-term options. The question they are attempting to answer is, what is the future that the Lord may be calling us into. Finally, we have met with what we hope will be the core of our negotiating team and we have discussed how we might begin to seek a settlement with the other side.

This is all very blessed news! Within a few days I hope to be able to report to you that we are ready, regardless of what the future may hold. I am sorry that all this is so sketchy at the moment. As we are able to release greater detail we will. For now, I wanted you to know that things are moving along. Our goal is to do God's will with integrity and we hope that means remaining in our present building. We also hope it means as little disruption as possible. We are not naïve however. This present dispute has real potential for harm to our current operations. We are, therefore, moving forward with contingency planning so that regardless of what may confront us we can continue to proclaim the good news in Jesus Christ and advance the Kingdom of God.

Thanks for your prayers on behalf of the parish, the parish leadership and me. It is pretty apparent that God is hearing you. I have personally felt bouyed up and carried forward in a way that can only be explained in supernatural terms. As always, call me if you have any concerns you would like to share. Our Lord is able to accomplish all things and he has promised that He will be in the midst of our current circumstances leading us into the new life He has prepared for us.

Blessings to you all, Fr. Scott

Summary of Last Meeting of Parish Leaders

2011-03-07T16:45:00.004-05:00

From Canon Mary Hays
March 7, 2011

Dear friends,

Here is a brief update, as promised. On Saturday, March 5, about 200 of our parish leaders met to discuss the best way forward in light of current events.

. The Archbishop described how conversations with the Standing Committee had clarified values that would mark our oversight of all negotiations with the TEC Diocese. Negotiations must allow all of our parishes to survive and thrive; must allow the Diocese to continue its service to congregations; and must not cause harm to the Province as it seeks to care for congregations in other dioceses.

· Standing Committee president Geoff Chapman explained the content of Bishop Price’s letter and pastoral direction of March 1.

· Standing Committee member Jonathan Millard invited those present to sign “An Open Letter to the Clergy and People of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and to the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church.” We hope that this letter will be shared widely, as a blueprint for godly negotiations in the weeks ahead.

· Canon Mary Hays explained how congregations will be better equipped to negotiate if they have worked on their “BATNA” – their best alternative to a negotiated agreement. She and Chancellor Bob Devlin also provided a list of questions to help parishes clarify their mission and prepare for negotiating with the TEC diocese.

Parish leadership was also given the opportunity to gather in smaller “interest groups” to discuss what steps they were taking to clarify their mission and to respond to the demands of the TEC diocese. I left the meeting exhilarated and gratified. For years, we have been seeking a negotiated settlement with the TEC diocese. Now it seems as if such negotiations will become a reality. I was impressed by the good questions and hard work by our parish leaders.

In the past several weeks, I have met with a number of vestries – mostly those of parishes named in the Court Order. I have been so gratified to see a renewed commitment to mission in these parishes. Ironically, as congregations have considered the possibility of losing their property, they have become more focused on what really matters – reaching our neighbors with the love and power of Jesus Christ. Vestries have been asking hard questions about the best environment in which to carry out their particular piece of Christ’s mission. I have been struck by the prayerfulness, creativity and even excitement among vestries as they begin to take these tasks seriously.

Please continue to pray for the clergy, wardens, vestries and chancellors of our Pittsburgh-area diocesan parishes.

A special thanks to the clergy and lay leaders of our District 9 (“beyond the ‘burgh) and District 7 (Chicago, etc) parishes who have sent us warm greetings, promising their continued prayers. It is prayer that will get all of us through this – and enable us to give glory to God in the midst of our many challenges!

Much love and gratitude to you all,

Mary

An Open Letter to the Clergy and People of The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and to The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church USA

2011-03-07T11:23:00.002-05:00

March 5, 2011

Hopes for Negotiations and A Call to Prayer

As we prepare to enter into good-faith negotiations, we ask the people of our two dioceses, and all Christian people in our communities, to pray that these negotiations will lead to fair and godly outcomes that will enable the mission of our churches to thrive.

We hope and pray that in the coming days the leaders and people in both our dioceses will find a way to seek blessing on one another. Specifically, we offer the following overarching principles in the hope that they might characterize the spirit of our efforts to resolve our differences:

1) Mutual Recognition: - that the members of each diocese may be able to recognize the other as seeking to be faithful to their Christian call as they perceive it, and to their conscience.

2) Mutual Forgiveness: - that the members of each diocese will work to forgive perceived wrongs and failures of charity.

3) Mutual Blessing and Release: - that anticipated settlements would not seek to damage the health and future of one another’s ministries.

It is our prayerful goal that our negotiations:

1) Assure that all the parishes and each diocese can survive and thrive;

2) Enable us all to move past litigation and focus on our respective missions;

3) Demonstrate our commitment to be at God’s best as we work to resolve our differences, mindful of the public and private impact of our disagreements.

Signed by clergy & lay leaders of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh gathered for a meeting at St. Martin’s, Monroeville.

Signed by Father Scott, and Jay Morgan

Transfigured and Transformed

2011-03-07T11:19:00.001-05:00

The Last Sunday of Epiphany, March 6, 2011
by, The Reverend Denny Ugoletti

Christ was transfigured and we must be transformed

A woman testified to the transformation in her life that had resulted through her experience in conversion. She declared, "I’m so glad I got religion. I have an uncle I used to hate so much I vowed I’d never go to his funeral. But now, why, I’d be happy to go to it any time."

I don’t think this is the type of transformation we’re reading about today. The Collect for the Last Sunday of Epiphany has it right

O God, who before the passion of your only ¬begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The central point of today’s Gospel passage focuses on the word “transfigured.” It’s from the Greek word metamorphoo (pronounced meta-mor-phaw-o) in English we use “metamorphosis” - a complete change of form and substance like the total change of a caterpillar into a butterfly. St. Matthew records a complete change in the appearance or form of Jesus in the presence of Peter, James and John. Jesus became brighter than the light, revealing His true glory to them.

It is interesting to note that here we have the complete reversal of the theme of Philippians 2. In the Gospels the Servant takes on the form of God, revealing His glory. But in Philippians, Paul tells us that Christ Jesus took on the form of a servant.

St. Paul uses the same word in Romans 12:2 to remind us of our priorities - “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed (metamorphoo) by the renewal of your mind…”
Mega-church pastor and author Francis Chan wrote, “If it’s true that the spirit of God dwells in us and that our bodies are the Holy Spirit’s temple, then shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”
Today we are talking about transformation – and that is the subject of Philippians 3: 7-14

In order to understand the passage we will need to set in its proper context: "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text." D.A. Carson

According to Acts 16, the church at Philippi was the first church Paul planted in Europe. As such, Paul and the Philippians enjoyed a special relationship with one another. Paul is probably writing from a prison cell in Rome. In Greco-Roman society, just like our society today, incarceration carried a social stigma. But the church at Philippi did not abandon St. Paul during his time of trouble. They faithfully supported Paul’s ministry with prayer and finances, and sent Epaphroditus to Rome to look after Paul’s needs. Paul is writing this letter to thank the Philippians and to encourage them to live out their faith by following the pattern of Christ.

Chapters two and three form an extended demonstration of what true Christian fellowship should look like. At the close of the first chapter, Paul encourages the Philippians to have a “worthy walk,” that is, a walk or lifestyle worthy of Christ; worthy of the Gospel.
In chapter two, Paul shows us what a worthy walk looks like. His demonstration can be summarized with three points:
unity – of the same mind, of the same love, of the same purpose
humility – unselfish, unassuming, unpretentious
ministry – sacrificially serving one another in love

Brad Waggoner notes an important spiritual principle in his book, The Shape of Faith to Come. “Serving God and others is a mark of spiritual maturity. Without service, spiritual transformation is impossible.”

We are called to have the same mindset as Christ. To see how this is supposed to work, Paul presents the example of Christ to stress that the foundation of Christian fellowship is based upon sacrificial service.

Phil 2:5-11 (ESV) – the “Christ hymn”
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In the light of Christ’s example, Christians are to work out their salvation (together) with fear and trembling (2:12). St. Paul is not speaking in the individual sense in this verse to advocate our North American style of “Lone Ranger” Christianity. He is implying a corporate “you” – we are to work out our salvation together, serving one another.

The pattern of Christ, as revealed in the Christ hymn, follows these lines: Jesus gave up his legitimate interest of equality with God and then he was exalted. The one who dispossesses all – even coming to the place of being dispossessed by God in the end comes to possess all things. St. Paul is saying that our calling is to imitate the pattern of Christ – both individually and corporately. We cannot demand equality from each other and seek our own interests or agenda. Instead, we are called to empty ourselves in service to one another with the expectation that, like Jesus, we will be honored and glorified by God.

To demonstrate this pattern, St. Paul presents himself as an example (2:17-18). He is being “poured out” as a drink offering to follow the pattern of Christ who “emptied out” by making himself nothing. He rejoices with the Philippians because he spends his life for them. Then, Timothy is presented as another example of one who imitated the pattern of Christ. (2:19-24). He is genuinely concerned for the welfare of the Philippians and his service is defined by their needs not his desires. Then St. Paul presents one of their own, Epaphroditus, a member of the church at Philippi, as another example of a life lived for others. (2:25-30). Epaphroditus risked his life to minister to St. Paul in prison and was so obedient he almost lost his life by serving. Paul is showing us that the essence of discipleship is to live in the pattern of Christ. Self-sacrifice flows out of a love for Christ and a concern for other believers.

As we come to chapter three, we find yet another demonstration. St. Paul once again uses his life as an example. He begins by telling us that the Kingdom of God is an upside down Kingdom. It is counter intuitive: down is up, loss becomes gain; gain becomes loss and all for the sake of Christ.

Loss becomes gain: St Paul uses three main points to demonstrate this – pattern, perusal and pedigree (3:4-11).

Pattern: The form of Christ’s self-emptying becomes the pattern for shaping the apostle’s life. St. Paul shows that his obedience followed the Christ pattern. He gave up status to become an obedient slave and now his gains are God-given. St. Paul’s one desire is to be found in Christ in the same way that Jesus was found in the form of a human being. To be found in Christ, is to be honored by God with the gift of righteousness

Perusal: St. Paul examined his life and determined that he was bankrupt! Because of Christ St. Paul puts all of his former assets in the deficit column and counts them as a loss. He considers them liabilities and hindrances to the life of faith. This resonates with me because the Lord brought me to the same place in my life. I was reading the Bible to check it out when I realized the Bible was checking me out! And I was coming up short. I thought was climbing the ladder of success, only to discover that my ladder was propped up against the wrong building!

Pedigree: St. Paul’s pedigree: (3:4-6) He was somebody! And he was going somewhere! St Paul was connected, confident and proud of his heritage and achievements. After all, he was a proper Jew with the right lineage, born on the right side of the tracks. He did everything right. St. Paul was affiliated with the right political party. He had status as a scholar and religious leader and a reputation for being zealous for the law.

St Paul had it all going on, or so he thought until he met Christ on the Damascus Road and everything changed! It was then that his gains became loss.

Gain becomes loss (3:7-8): After meeting the Master, the apostle considered all of his worldly “gains” as losses for the sake of Christ! He counts them as rubbish! The Greek word actually means rubbish, refuse, dung or garbage that was thrown to the dogs. This word is a Greek word play that connects to the dogs or Judaizers in 3:2. Jim Elliot understood what St. Paul meant. If you remember, Elliot was a Christian missionary to Ecuador who was killed on January 8, 1956 along with 4 other missionaries while bringing the Gospel to the Auca Indians. Elliot had it right when he said, “He is no fool to give what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” My maxim is not as eloquent but it gets the point across “…you will never see an armored car following a hearse.”

All for the sake of Christ: St Paul realized that loss becomes gain; gain becomes loss; all for the sake of Christ. In this section St. Paul tells us that there are only three things worth having in life:

The knowledge of Christ (3:8, 10): “…that I may know him!” If I asked how many of us know Barack Obama would you raise your hand? But the truth is that you don’t really know him – you only know about him. This is not the type of knowledge St. Paul is talking about. He is telling us that the only type of knowledge that matters is experiential knowledge – to know Christ in a personal way through faith.

The righteousness of Christ (v. 9): St. Paul tried to earn right-standing with God, but as soon as Christ came into his life he lost his self-righteousness and gained the righteousness of Christ! On his own, through his own efforts, the apostle realized he was spiritually bankrupt. But in Christ, thank God, there is an exchange. God puts Christ’s righteousness on our account and puts all of our sins on Christ’s account. St. Paul’s number one concern was to know Christ!
The fellowship of Christ (v. 10-11) St. Paul is willing to pay the price, any price, whatever it takes to go through the process of fellowship with Christ. Make no mistake there is a process to go through. St Paul began the process on the Damascus Road. It was not the end but the beginning of a long relationship with Christ. We also start the process when we give our lives to Christ. St. Paul leaves us with five points to remember as we go through the process of discipleship and fellowship with Christ.

Personal – “that I may know Him” at any cost, whatever the price. The process is personal. It is individually suited to your walk with Christ. I can’t walk your walk and you can’t walk mine. God designs our circumstances to help each one of grow in the knowledge of Christ (cf. Romans 8:28). It’s personal, but the outcome is the same for everyone – to know Christ and him crucified!

Powerful – “the power of His resurrection” – This is the gas in the apostle’s tank; this is what made him go. St. Paul was empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in the pattern of Christ. It’s no different for you and me; we all need God’s power, his resurrection power actively working in our lives. It is impossible to live out the Christian life, that is, to walk in the pattern of Christ without the enablement of the Holy Spirit. We cannot do it on with our own strength.

Painful – “the fellowship of His sufferings” – St. Paul counted it a privilege to suffer for Christ. He knew that suffering was the way that God molded and shaped him. Suffering comes to every follower of Christ, its part of the pattern. If we walk away with anything from St. Paul it is this - suffering will come but through faith it can be met with joy. Paul wrote the letter to Philippians while sitting in a Roman prison, yet the word joy is used more times in this letter than the combined total of the rest of his epistles. Like St. Paul, we should “[b]e anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (4:6).

Practical – “being conformed to His death” - The apostle is telling us that the Christ life is a cruciform life. St. Paul could live for Christ because he died to self and picked up his cross. The pattern of Christ includes the cross for every one of us. God bids us all to come and die on the cross that we may have new life with him!

Persistent – “by any means possible, I may attain the resurrection from the dead” The apostle had one main goal in life and he kept at it. And this was before the energizer bunny! Like an athlete in a long-distance race, he remained focused on the prize. He ran toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ.

Running towards the goal (3:12-16); St. Paul’s goal should also be our goal – to be all that Christ saved us for and wants us to be! It is important to note that the apostle never thought that he arrived but he continually did everything in his power to possess everything that God had for him. Beloved, you and I are also called to have the same attitude.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."

The million dollar question is - Which wolf do I feed? Which goal am I running for?
Work out: (2:12-13) – to win a race an athlete continually “works out” to condition and train. In the same way, St. Paul exhorts us to “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” We must work out what God works in us – through systematically reading the Word, praying without ceasing, and serving one another sacrificially in love.

Focus on the essentials: St. Paul gives us five things to focus on if we want to win the race!

Dissatisfaction (3:12-13a) – A holy dissatisfaction is essential for spiritual progress. We need to learn to be satisfied with an unsatisfied satisfaction. “Not that I have already attained.” St. Paul was satisfied with Christ but he wasn’t satisfied with his Christian walk. He never allowed himself to become complacent. In the Kingdom of God to stand still means to go backwards – everyone else is passing you up!

Devotion (3:13a) – the believer must devote his or her self to running the Christian race. St. Paul says that there is only one thing that he does. One thing! Not many things – just one thing! (Success comes by specializing). In Mark’s Gospel – Jesus told the rich young ruler - there was “One thing you lack” (10:21). In Luke’s Gospel Jesus told a busy Martha, “One thing is needful!” (10:42). In John’s Gospel, the blind man who received sight testified, “One thing I know” (9:25). In the Psalter, the psalmist said, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek after!” (27:4). Remember the old saying, “When E.F. Hutton talks, everyone listens.” When the apostle to the Gentiles says that there is but one thing to do – are we listening?

Direction (3:13b) – the Christian has to be future oriented - forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead! You cannot move forward if you’re continually looking back. We need to have a sight on where we’re headed. "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). To move forward means to forget what is behind us. The Biblical definition of “to forget” does not mean “to fail to remember.” In the Biblical sense “to forget” means to no longer be influenced by or affected by someone or something. “Forgetting those things that are behind” requires that we leave the past in the past. We can only break the power of the past by living for the future! This requires reframing. We cannot change the past, but we can change the meaning of the past by taking a heavenly perspective on things! The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago – the next best time is now!

Determination (3:14) – I press on! I pursue! I strive! I strain! St. Paul was determined! We also need to be determined! The Greek word is used to describe a hunter eagerly pursuing his prey! Determined means that we put as much effort into our spiritual life as we do golfing, bowling, fishing or shopping! (I know, preacher you are meddling!)

Discipline (3:15-16) - maturity requires discipline! A disciple is one who comes under the discipline of the Master. It requires discipline to form and shape our lives by the pattern of Christ and not be conformed by the spirit of this present age. If we discipline ourselves to keep in step with Christ then Christ will keep us in step with one another!

Throughout this letter, Paul compels us to follow the pattern of Christ. The fellowship of Christians is a unity that comes from yielding to the Holy Spirit and expressing our humility through self-sacrifice and self-emptying love for one another. The example of Christ serving humanity, of Paul serving the Philippians, of Timothy and Epaphroditus serving Paul and the church, and finally, even the example of the Philippians serving Paul – all illustrate the same pattern. Not counting one above one another leads to service for others. In these uncertain times, as we move forward into God’s plan for our church let us commit to follow the pattern of Christ and join the Fellowship of the Unashamed:

The Fellowship of the Unashamed
(Author unknown)

I am a part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap giving and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, love with patience, live by prayer and labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up and spoken up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner is clear: I am a part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed."

Resist Him, Firm in Your Faith!

2011-02-25T18:28:00.004-05:00

A couple of people asked if I would post my sermon from Sunday, Feb 13th. Here it is:
Sermon, Matthew 5.21-37 Fr Scott Homer
In the Name of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

As you may know, I was on retreat with 12 men from the parish last Sunday. We had a very good time. We learned a lot about being Christian men.
I was a bit anxious to leave you on the Sunday following the dramatic bad news about the diocese but the retreat had been planned for a long time and I trust Denny, and so I decided that the trip ought to go on as scheduled.

On my way back last Sunday afternoon, I called Brenda and asked her how the services had gone here. She responded quickly and enthusiastically, “Fabulous!” …I was hoping for a positive response but not quite that positive! My competitive side felt a little stung. But I am thankful that we have Denny here and I suspected he would be fabulous, so thank you Denny for your great work and I really am glad to be back with you all this Sunday.

If you have not read the Bishop’s letter and my letter, you need to. We have been saying for three years that separation from the Episcopal Church was critical if we were going to preserve the faith and we did separate by a unanimous vote of the congregation two years ago. And we have been saying for three years that we may have to pay a high price for our decision, that the Episcopal Church will come after us, that they will challenge our ownership rights for this building, its contents and our bank accounts. And it now appears that day is immanent. Barring a miracle—and I believe in miracles—and I earnestly pray for a miracle in this case—barring a miracle we can expect a formal challenge from the Episcopal Church against Trinity, Beaver sometime in the next six months to a year. And so, we as a parish are now being called to stand, to be faithful, and to respond well to the day of trouble. It is a dangerous time for us as a parish—not because we may lose our building but because we could lose our fellowship. And so I would like to look at our readings this morning in light of how they instruct us to act, as we face our times of trouble.

Jesus makes a fundamental point in the Sermon on the Mount. He makes it over and over again. Each time he uses a different illustration but each time he is making the same point:

The real enemy is not without—the true and genuine threat to your well-being is within—the fox is in the henhouse. The spiritual battle that we are called to fight is the battle for the human heart—and not the heart of the guy at work who doesn’t believe, and not the person sitting next to you in the pew whose shortcomings are so obvious to you. It’s not getting your spouse to be understanding. It is not exerting your will to shape the world in a way that will cause God’s glory to shine. The heart that needs transformed is the one beating in my chest. The powers of light are battling the powers of darkness for your heart, and my heart. That is where the battle must be fought. That is where the victory must be won. Jesus is transforming the world one person at a time, and that one person is me.
So Jesus says, forget about killing someone. You are not innocent simply because you don’t have someone’s blood on your hands. Murder is just the outward and visible sign of a black heart—a person is dead because someone expressed in deed what they felt in his heart. The crime is sourced in the human heart. The human heart conceived it and the human heart gave it authority to act. It is the anger in our hearts and our willingness to grant anger authority over our actions that poses the real problem. And Jesus says, forget about committing adultery. Have you lusted after someone, have you looked longingly at dirty pictures, have you fanaticized about a relationship with that other person? Then you have already committed to real crime. You have allowed your heart to be possessed and consumed by evil. And yes, as our reading from Ecclesiasticus points out, sin is born out of our will, not God’s. So for Jesus, the battleground is not in the world around us. The battleground is in the human heart BUT it has real life consequences—the fruit of the heart manifests themselves in the behavior of man.

So Jesus tells us, for the time being, forget about giving gifts to God. Go fix your broken relationships. Go apologize and ask forgiveness of the person you have hurt. Go make peace with the people you have wronged. Don’t divorce except by reason of your spouse’s adultery. Instead of granting authority to the black heart and being governed by evil, give authority to God, choose out of the redeemed heart, act out of the heart that is being transformed by Christ. And, of course, Jesus is not just talking about murder or adultery. He means in every moral and ethical way. The examples he uses in the Sermon on the Mount are not exhaustive. As much as we would like to objectify sin, it is always internal, always about choosing darkness over light, always looking for blessing in the external world rather than seeking unity with God in our internal world. And the solution is always to choose God’s salvation as the source of our motivation and strength.

This is going to be an essential teaching for us as a community over the months to come. We, as people whose property is being threatened, and as members of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, whose faith claims are being challenged, are experiencing spiritual warfare. And we are being called to the battle—not just for building and grounds—but for our hearts, and the hearts of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Hang on to this teaching in the months ahead: Jesus is transforming the world one person at a time, and that one person is me. Our hope is in becoming more like Jesus through his grace and power, and acting more like Jesus by choosing Him over Barabbas. Jesus is fighting with us for the welfare of our soul and our challenge is to let him.

In a little while I want to talk about how a person might fight the good fight for their own heart. First though, I want to talk a little bit about the corporate aspect of this same principle—that our well-being depends less on the externals than it does on the internals, less on what happens around us and more on what we grant authority in our hearts.

St Paul writes to the church in Corinth. He writes out of a variety of lesser concerns but he writes for one overriding concern: There is division in the community. The church is taking up sides, struggling for power, and it is tearing the church apart. St. Paul recognizes the extreme threat this poses to the church’s future, and to its mission. And so, if this little community cannot find unity, it will most certainly be destroyed by the forces of evil that seek to silence the message of Gospel. And so, St. Paul writes a rather lengthy letter asking the people of Corinth to unite around the truth of God, to conform to the teachings He brought to them from God, and to choose to unite around Jesus Christ rather than create factions fighting for various points of view.

At first blush we may conclude that the challenge facing Trinity, Beaver is that someone wants to take our building away from us but that is not the real threat. The deadly threat we face is division that we will become like a pack of dogs biting one another’s backs until we finally part ways and Trinity Church becomes a distant memory. The real threat is that we will not find the courage to really love one another and that we won’t really rally to the love of God that he has placed in our hearts. The real threat is that we will begin honoring the differences that divide us over the love of Christ that unites us.

Have you seen this happen? A group finds themselves in a difficult fix. There is a lot of fear and anxiety in the community. It doesn’t look like there is anyway forward. And so, people start talking to each other—not as a united community—as little clicks of people here and there—they start lamenting—they start placing blame—after all somebody always has to get blamed—these little factions start making conclusions without the rest—they decide what ought to be done to fix it—which usually includes new people in power—usually the people making the plan. Other little factions form in the same way but draw different conclusions. The factions begin to exert themselves and it isn’t very long before the spiritual battle is no longer over our hearts but has spilled out into our lives and this is death to a church. You old timers have seen it happen in this congregation before over lesser issues. Little factions start arguing with the each other, or talking about one another behind each other’s backs, feelings get hurt, tempers flare, real battle lines are drawn and the community begins to unravel. Some people get indignant and stomp out vowing never to return. Some people start withholding their contributions until they get their way. Some people start a campaign to oust the leaders that they think are to blame. Some people just quietly disappear—they just want to avoid the conflict and Satan chuckles and says, “Well, that was easy. Who’s next?” Travel to the Middle East. You will see that it is full of the ruins of ancient churches that lost the spiritual battle. Is that the way it has to end? Do we have to watch this community be torn apart?

No, there is an alternative. There is a way through this battle that ends with our family united and with our ministry flourishing. And I call you to commit yourselves, each one of you to this alternative. The battle can and will be won if we can remember and apply these things to our lives:

1)The Battle is not for stuff. The battle is for each and every heart in this community. Home is not the house. Ultimately, the house doesn’t matter. Any house can be home. Home is the family gathered together. It’s the family’s love for one another. It’s the family’s celebration of our life in Christ, together as one body. As the old expression goes, home is where the heart is.

2)The reading from Ecclesiasticus makes an essential point for us. God does not choose evil. Human beings have the ability and the right to choose. The outcome of our battle depends on our free will—that is, our willingness to cooperate with God and with one another in order that God may save us. God wants us to succeed. God will provide for us. But as He fights for each of our hearts and for our common life in Christ, you are given the power to fight to advance his goals or fight to impede them. The question I need to ask myself is will I be a part of the solution or a part of the problem? Each one of you will decide if this community draws closer or divides—every time you choose not to speak ill of someone, every time you choose to listen and understand rather than insist on being understood. Every time you forgive you cause the community to draw closer. But it involves choice and sometimes making the right choices feels very difficult indeed—when the chips are down, when your heart feels like it is breaking, when all seems lost, when you doubt your leaders, when you feel fed up with it all, or like it would be easier to just walk away--choosing to stay, choosing to love, choosing to be honest about your feelings, unwilling to hold a grudge, and quick to admit we were wrong, these are the hard choices that will support God’s work in redeeming us. In other words, we are being called to be Christians, not just in word but in deed, not just with our lips but in our lives, not just when it is comfortable but most especially when we are called to suffer for the Kingdom. Of course, none of this is possible apart from God’s power and grace.

3)God is saving this community through his own strength. Even though we cannot see His mighty hand at work, even though, through human eyes our future may look uncertain, God is saving us. The cross of Christ stands as living testimony that nothing can prevent God’s good plan for our lives becoming a reality. Even death is, in the end, an imposter. Nothing can He will make our way clear to us—as a community—one step at a time. Be strong and courageiosWe simply must accept the fact that God is revealing his will for us—not me, us—and that if we remain faithful to Him and to one another—God’s power, God’s authority and God’s mighty purpose will show forth in our lives. We will know God’s salvation, in the land of the living. And the day is not too far off when we will sing his praises for parting the Red Sea for us, for vanquishing our foes for us, for bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey.

We like concrete things. We like things that we can grab hold of, especially, especially when we are threatened and we feel afraid. That’s why we have doors with locks on them. That’s why we spend billions of dollars on a strong army. These concrete forces provide us with a sense of security—they allow us to swallow our fears and get on with living. It’s good to have a hospital just up the hill—most of the world doesn’t have that. It’s reassuring to have 24 hour grocery stores, just in case—most of the world doesn’t have access to any grocery store. And that steeple that rises high into the sky over at 4th and Beaver Streets, it’s good to know that God has established a fortress here in Beaver, that even if we can’t hear him in our prayers, or know him relationally, at least we know where to go looking for him. And the threat of losing the concrete things that shield us from our fears calls those fears forward. Have you seen the way a child reacts to having a bandaid removed? It’s just the same thing. Take away my hospital—what will I do if I have a medical emergency? Take away my grocery store—where will I find food to sustain me? Take away my church—where will I find the Lord?

“The Church is what remains after the building burns down.”

But concrete things can never really assuage our fears, nor can they satisfy our needs. A photograph of a loved one is a poor substitute for actually being in their presence. Home is not the building in which we dwell. Home is where the heart is—it is where the loving relationships happen. It is where we are able to be ourselves and be accepted for who we are, and not the caricature that we have created to put a bandaid over our fears of being rejected by others. And the church must be our spiritual home. It is anyplace where Christians actually experience the love of God and their love for one another. Church is meeting a Christian friend in the store and spending a moment catching up, perhaps praying with one another. Church is a group of Christian men or women gathered around a picnic table in the woods somewhere, sharing Holy Communion with one another. Church is in jail, in a room full of handicapped guests, in a shelter at 2 Mile Run, out in the courtyard, under a tree somewhere. The where doesn’t really matter because the Church is us, joined together by a common bond—a loving God who casts out our fears, who encourages us to share the love we have received, who leads us and guides us through life’s uncertainties, always reminding us the Kingdom of heaven is right here, right now, in the midst of us—AND the Kingdom of heaven is also forever—AND that you, by virtue of your faith in Jesus Christ are residents of the Kingdom of heaven!

Fear divides but love unites. St John says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. “ (1 John 4.18)

If you have ever prayed the service of Compline at the end of the day, you may recall reading a passage for 1 Peter: “Be sober. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.” This passage has been edited because of its uncomfortable content. They actually had to sever a verse in half. The whole of verse reads “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.” (1 Peter 5.8-9) Amen.

A Battle to Fight and a Beauty to Win

2011-02-04T11:55:00.004-05:00

February 4, 2011

Dear Parish Family,

I am on retreat with some of the men of the parish this weekend. We are looking at what it means to be created in God’s image and how that plays itself out in the life of a man. We will hear the author of the book we are reading say that for each of us (maybe for all of us together?) there is an adventure to live, a battle to fight, and a beauty to be rescued. These archetypes represent God’s true calling upon each of our lives and if it is our desire to be faithful to God we must embrace the adventure, the battle and the pursuit of beauty wholeheartedly. They are not things to dabble in. They are at the heart of our meaning and purpose and engaging them will require all the courage and all the fortitude we can muster. We had no way of knowing, when this retreat was scheduled, that the message would be delivered in such a concrete way.

This has been a tough week for the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. On Tuesday the third largest parish in the diocese announced that they had been negotiating with the Episcopal Church (TEC) for nearly a year and had voted to break communion with us as part of an agreement to secure the release of their property from the pending litigation against the rest of us. St. Philip’s is, thereby, free even if the rest of our interests have suffered as a consequence. (Make no mistake about it. One of the primary goals of the Episcopal Church is to destroy the Anglican Church in North America movement. That is why they insisted on St Philips separating as a condition of settlement.) I am not going to judge the men and women who made this decision for St. Philips. I am sure they have persuaded themselves that they are doing the right thing. I would say, however, that compromising the interests of our brothers and sisters for personal gain rarely, if ever, winds up being the right thing.

The tough week continued on Wednesday when the appeals court verdict was read. The appeals court decided that the decision of the lower court was correct, that all diocesan property belongs to the Episcopal Church. This has been a major defeat for the diocese and for all of us. While Trinity, Beaver’s property is not named in the suit originally brought by Calvary Church, the decision probably makes our legal position much more tenuous.

These two events were delivered like a double barrel shotgun blast, one barrel late Tuesday, the other mid-day Wednesday, and many of the clergy and people of the diocese are still reeling from the news. None of us have had a chance to think through all the implications but we will. None of us fully understand the adventure that the Lord has drawn us into but we will. Our way forward has not been made clear but it will be. We simply must remain principled, attentive to doing the next right thing, seeking God’s face, and relying upon God’s strength to carry us through. In other words, walking the Christian walk with integrity is the surest road to fulfilling God’s purposes in our lives and God’s purposes for our lives are good.

We are in no imminent danger of losing our property but we are in danger. The diocese will ask for a judicial review of the appellate court’s decision. If they fail in that, and they probably will, they have expressed the will to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. It is possible that the Supreme Court may agree to hear the case but you ought to know that the Supreme Court only agrees to hear a very tiny percentage of the appeals made to them. So, the diocese is rapidly exhausting its legal remedies and when they are finally through, whether that is in six months or a year (probably not longer than that), we can expect that our property ownership claims will be challenged by TEC. I am not an attorney and while I have an opinion about how that might play itself out in court, as do lots of us, the only opinion that ultimately matters is the judge’s.

The time has come for us to address the issue of how we intend to proceed as a parish. If the lower court decision stands our options become clear: turn over the keys, mount a legal defense, or negotiate a settlement. I will be calling on many of you to listen to you, to seek your counsel and to offer the little information I have at my disposal. I am interested in your opinions, your concerns, and your hopes and I will do my level best to listen carefully and respectfully and to represent your views to the leadership of the parish as they meet to plan. This is a team event.

In the meantime, the most important thing we can do as a church family is fast and pray. I am following our bishop in this. He has committed to fasting and praying for our welfare and for wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit as we all attempt to discern a way forward that honors Christ and protects Christ’s body, that is, the churches of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. I also am committing myself to a time of fasting and of prayer devoted to petitioning God on behalf of the Diocese and Trinity Beaver. Will you join us?

So, we are indeed, involved in a rather high stakes adventure. It is an adventure brought on by a crisis of conscience. We believe in the pursuit of beauty. We believe it is worth fighting and sacrificing to preserve. And so we battle on to preserve the beautiful truths that God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow, that Jesus Christ died and rose again in order to save sinners like us, that God’s desire for humanity is that we live free from sin and death, and that his people are called to lives of holiness and righteousness. The battle is of epic proportion. In earthly terms there are thousands, even tens of thousands of churches involved in the struggle on every continent in the world except perhaps Antarctica. At a cosmic level, the battle is against the principalities and powers, and all the forces of darkness that oppose God. And even though we may not be able to see them, we fight alongside angels. Our decisions have real life implications and real eternal consequences. The battle is costly but the battle will be won.

I pray that all of us will remain faithful, courageous and principled as together we seek the Lord’s way forward over the next several months. Would you pray for me,that God would grant me wisdom, strength and compassion?

We will be talking a lot more about this in the months to come. In the meantime, give me a call if there is anything you need to get off your chest. Blessings to you and yours,

In Christ, Scott+

ACNA Concludes Second Annual Church Planting Conference

2011-02-01T16:17:00.002-05:00

Anglican Church in North America

Featured speakers included Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and Bishop Todd Hunter of Holy Trinity Anglican Church.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (January XX, 2011) - The Anglican Church in North America celebrated its 2011 Anglican 1000 Church Planting Summit which was held on January 25-27, 2011 in Plano, Texas. Roughly 350 church planters and leaders attended the second annual event sponsored by the Anglican Church.

At this year's Anglican 1000 Summit, Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York and Bishop Todd Hunter of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Southern California were the keynote speakers. Both of these men are overseeing church planting networks on opposite ends of the United States. Dr. Keller leads Redeemer City to City, while Bishop Hunter leads the Churches for the Sake of Others network in the Anglican Mission in the Americas. Each showed how church planting is part of the Mission of God - not simply a vehicle for denominational expansion or an end in itself. They challenged planters to be focused on evangelism and fueled by prayer.

"It was a blessing to bear witness to the Christ-filled fellowship this week at our second annual church planting summit. As hundreds of church leaders listened to and presented stories of new church life and growth around North America, I was humbled by how the Lord has chosen to spread the faith through the valiant mission of church planting," said the Most Rev. Robert Duncan, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America.

Two years ago, Archbishop Robert Duncan, leader of the Anglican Church, made the astonishing, prophetic call to plant 1,000 new congregations in order to reach North America with the "transforming love of Jesus Christ." A few months later, a team of leaders gathered in Plano to dream about a cooperative movement to plant churches and answer this call. Since that time, many new works have started. Over 100 of these new works are featured on the Anglican 1000 website (www.Anglican1000.org). The Rev. Canon David Roseberry who serves as Chairman of the Anglican 1000 Movement says, "Anglican 1000 is a movement that is popping up everywhere! New churches are being planted, older churches are spinning off congregations, and bishops are tilling the field. It is hard to keep up with it. It is an idea whose time has clearly come."

Over 350 church planters and leaders returned to Plano this week to learn, educate and share resources as they strive to reach this immense church planting goal. Numerous stories from leaders across North America who are working in the field to plant new churches were presented at the conference. At the Anglican 1000 Summit it was clear to Chairman David Roseberry that, "The Archbishop spoke a vision that caught hold. It is a future that we all want to be part of. What the Anglican 1000 Summit showed me is that there are increasing numbers of younger planters that are presenting themselves. The room was full of 20-30 year old missionaries...each of whom is crying out to God, 'Here I am, send me!'"

"This is a movement that was inspired by the Holy Spirit and has come to life through the hard work and dedication of a broad grassroots network. On behalf of the Anglican Church in North America, I offer my profound gratitude to the many volunteers, members and leaders of Christ Church Plano for all of their hard work in making this a successful event. Furthermore, the leadership of The Rev. Canon Roseberry has given immeasurable value and enrichment to the Anglican 1000 movement. My devout prayer is that for years to come, the Lord will continue to refresh our minds and hearts with even more ways to bring the Anglican faith to the unchurched across North America and beyond," continued Archbishop Duncan.

St Philips, Moon Twp leaves ACNA

2011-02-01T15:23:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

I write to inform you of a pending decision by St. Philip’s Church, Moon Twp (currently a member of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (ACNA)) to negotiate an individual settlement with the Episcopal Church (TEC). St. Philip’s Sr. Pastor Eric Taylor, and vestry leadership have agreed to buy their way out of the pending lawsuit/appeal against our diocese by agreeing to pay a large sum of money to TEC in exchange for TEC quitting their claim against their property. In addition to the financial terms of the settlement, St Philip’s leadership has also agreed to abandon communion with the Anglican Church in North America and the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and Archbishop Robert Duncan for a period of at least five years. I have been told that the stipulation to split with our diocese was a non-negotiable requirement by TEC and their attorneys. TEC is denying it.

The response of the diocese and our bishop is posted on this blog. You will note that he is gracious as usual even though this must feel to him like betrayal and a great personal loss.

My first instinct is to respond to this news in anger but that is rarely the wise response. I have, in fact, taken down an earlier post for that reason. St Philips action makes no sense to me. Perhaps in the days to come we will see some reasonable explanation for why St Philips has done what they have done but for now my prayer is that St Philip’s parishioners will decide against the split when they meet for the vote on Tuesday evening.

This negative news about St Philip’s is only half the story. Good things are happening in the Anglican Church in North America today. I have also posted a news release on the just completed Anglican 1000 Church Planting Event. Please note that after about eighteen months already 100 new churches have been planted by the ACNA and many, many more are in the works. So, while we mourn the loss of St Philips today we also give thanks for the blessing of new churches being born here in Pittsburgh and throughout the United States and Canada.

In Christ,
Scott+

Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Calls Proposed Church Property Settlement “Heartbreaking”

2011-02-01T15:19:00.002-05:00

Settlement Requires Pittsburgh Parish to Separate from Anglican Family for Five Years

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (February 1, 2011) – The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh expressed sadness over a proposed church property settlement involving St. Philip’s Church in Moon Township, Pa. In addition to paying a substantial fee to the local Episcopal Church diocese in order to remain in their worship space, the proposed settlement requires St. Philip’s to sever ties for at least five years with the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Anglican Church in North America, and Archbishop Robert Duncan.

In addition, the Episcopal Church diocese has insisted that St. Philip’s agree that if it starts any new churches over the next five years they cannot be Anglican. The congregation is scheduled to vote on the settlement this evening, Tuesday, February 1. The settlement will then go before the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas.

“It is heartbreaking that even if they agree to pay a substantial settlement fee to keep their buildings, members of St. Philip’s are also being forced to separate from their Anglican family as a condition of the property settlement. Freedom of religion is at the heart of this matter and no congregation should have to stipulate that it will separate from its current body as part of a monetary property settlement,” said the Most Rev. Robert Duncan, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America and Bishop of Pittsburgh.

“Sadly, the separation mandate seems to be specifically designed to hurt both the local diocese and the North American province. If the settlement is approved by St. Philip’s, we urge the Court to strike any provisions of the settlement that abridge First Amendment rights.

“We support the people and clergy of St. Philip’s as they face into this painful decision. It is our sincere hope that The Episcopal Church will stop these abusive and unconstitutional practices so that St. Philip’s can move forward with its mission and ministry. The desire of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh is simply to hold fast to the teachings of Scripture, reach the greater Pittsburgh region with the transforming love of Jesus Christ, and serve those in need,” Archbishop Duncan concluded.

The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh (http://pitanglican.org) unites more than 60 Anglican congregations in the greater Pittsburgh region. The Diocese of Pittsburgh is a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America, which has 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada. The Anglican Church is a Province-in-formation in the global Anglican Communion. The Most Rev. Robert Duncan is the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America and bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh.

Beth's Cheesy Potatoes

2010-12-27T14:15:00.002-05:00

If you were at the Mustard Seed Cafe Sunday and enjoyed the great potato dish that was served by Beth Buttermore, here's the recipe courtesy of Beth:

1 2lb. bag frozen southern style hash brown potatoes

1 stick melted butter

1 med. onion, chopped

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar

1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup

½ can milk

1½ c. cornflake crumbs or crushed cornflakes

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 dish. Pour in frozen potatoes. In a separate bowl, whisk the soup with the milk; add the sour cream and mix; add the butter and mix; add the cheese and onion and mix; and pour over. Sprinkle the cornflakes on top and bake uncovered for 1½ hours.

E100, LESSON 8, God’s Covenant with Abraham

2010-12-15T21:31:00.001-05:00

Genesis Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Genesis is arguably the most quoted and most important chapter in the Old Testament canon, not only for Christianity and Judaism but Islam as well. In chapter 15 Abram enters into a covenant relationship with God.

Verse

1 The events of chapter 14 are an interesting read. Abram does battle with the four kings who had taken Abram’s nephew Lot prisoner. Abram worships and tithes to Melchizedek and, most to the point here in chapter 15, Abram refuses to take his share of the spoils from the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Lord came to Abram in a vision and told Abram that He would be Abram’s shield and that Abram would be prosperous.
2-3 Abram complains that he remains without a child and that he will, therefore, have to leave his estate to a servant.

4-5 The Lord renews his promise to Abram that he will conceive a son. In the Hebrew the passage reads “what will come out of your loins.” As an illustration, He shows Abram the stars in the sky and suggests that the number of his offspring will be beyond one’s ability to count.

6 This great statement is quoted twice by St Paul (Romans 4.3 and Galatians 3.6) and once by St James (James 2.23) Faith here is shown to be a readiness to accept what God promises. Abram both trusts the Lord as a person and the promises that Lord makes)

7-11 The remaining verses formalize the covenant God is making with Abram. Animals are slaughtered, and halved in preparation for the ritual that will formalize the covenant (see verses 17-21)

12-15 Abram falls into a deep darkness and a deep sleep and in the presence of the Lord Abram is told the future of his heirs, that they will wander for a time, will go into bondage in Egypt for four hundred years, will be set free and will finally inherit the promised land. Abram shall die in peace but his heirs will return to the promised land.

16 An interesting verse because what it says is that the reason that it will take 400 years for the promise to be fulfilled is because the current inhabitants of the land have not proven themselves worthy of God’s judgment yet.

17-21 An ancient ritual, parties to a covenant walked between the halves of slaughtered animals as a portent of what would happen to them if they violated the agreement. But in this covenant only the Lord walks between the halves, as Abram sleeps. It reminds me of Jesus sweating blood in Gethsemane while his disciples lie sleeping.

Prize Question for Sunday, December 19th: List two of the three places in the new Testament where Genesis 15.6 is mentioned. (See verse 6 above for the answer)

E100, Lesson 6, The Call of Abram

2010-11-29T16:11:00.001-05:00

The Call of Abram, Genesis 12.1—20

The great themes of the following chapters in Genesis, from chapter 12 all the way through to chapter 50 will be the promised seed and the promised land which this little band of God’s chosen people cling to for their hope and future. The promise of a son dominates chapters 12 through 20. After Isaac’s birth the story follows the succeeding line of heirs.

Just as it was in the beginning of the story of creation, the story of God’s plan of redemption begins with God, speaking. God calls out to Abram and tells him to break with his past, and embark on a new and foreign path. Abram is to leave the familiar and the well known and to head towards a vague and uncertain future: “the land that [God] will show [him]” in due time. Abram, is therefore, called to act in faith, trusting that God means him well and will bless him if he does what he is called to do. Here, even before the great passage in chapter 15 where ‘God reckons Abram righteous because he believes’ we see Abram the man of faith, willing to trust in the Lord and act in the way he believes God is calling him. Please note the two key elements to righteousness: 1) trusting in God and 2) actively living out God’s calling on our life.

Finally, Abram makes his first journey to Egypt where he takes advantage of his host by deceiving him. He lies about his relationship to Sarai, his wife, and causes God’s judgment to fall upon Pharaoh. Deciding to respond to God’s calling does not set us free from sin. For that we will need a Savior.

Comments on the text:

12:1 God called the man and woman He intended to become the parents of a chosen race of people. That is odd because Abraham is seventy-five and Sarai is barren. They are not exactly the model of fertility.

2-3 Here is God’s promise. God promises to make Abram into a great nation, to bless him and to make him a blessing to others,

4 Lot is Abram’s nephew, the son of his brother Haran.

5 the land of Canaan is the modern day Palestine and Israel.

6 Shechem, was a pass between two mountains, Ebal and Gerizim. It was marked out as a place of decision. At Shechem the Israelites were assembled to choose between blessing and curse (Deuteronomy 11.29-30) he Joshua would give his last charge (Joshua 24) and here the Kingdom of Solomon would be split into two and Samaria would be created (1Kings 12)

7 God made himself known to Abraham and granted him the land and Abram’s first act was to worship the Lord. Abram built an altar there.
8 Abraham continued on into the heart of Palestine and built another altar between Bethel and Ai. Bethel translates “The House of God” and Ai translates “the ruin.” Abram built another altar to the LORD and worshipped him there.

9—20 “The prime importance of this story,” comments Derek Kidner, “is its bearing on the promise of land and people.” Abram has been given a calling and a vision from God but the vision will be repeatedly challenged by circumstances and Abram will repeatedly compromise God’s plan through his own sinful intervention. Abram finds himself in the promised land but the risk of famine causes him to abandon it and flee to apparent abundance in a foreign, pagan land. It would require plagues to restore Sarai to her destiny and deportation to get Abram back to Canaan.

E100 Prize Question for Sunday, December 12th:
What is the first thing we are told Abram did when he got to Shechem?

Study Questions:
Have you ever had to trust in God? Where and when? How did it feel? How did it turn out?

How do you think Abram felt as he packed up and got ready to leave his home in Haran? How would you have felt?

Sometimes God calls us to give up something familiar to us and to venture into something new that we don’t know very much about. Have you ever felt like you ought to explore something new in your life? What was it?

Is God calling you to explore something new now?

What do you think caused Abram to get into trouble in Egypt? How might he have avoided the trouble?

E100, Lesson 5, The Tower of Babel

2010-11-29T11:06:00.002-05:00

The Tower of Babel, Genesis 11.1—9

In the story of Babel the primeval history of humanity comes to a conclusion. Humanity realizing they have creative abilities seek to glorify and fortify themselves through collective efforts. Their plan is grandiose. People who feel vulnerable, gather together and build a fortified tower for themselves. They determine to build a tower that reaches to heaven. The express purpose is to “make a name for themselves,” to glorify themselves, to make themselves feel safe by building up great fortifications around them.

God comes to view the project and He sees that when they come together they are able to accomplish virtually anything, and God does not conclude that unity and creative strength is good for humanity. Remember what God said after the flood? In Gen 8.21, after the flood, God says, “…the LORD said to Himself, "I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. An humanity, intent on evil, is destined to use their collective abilities for evil purposes as well. And so God determines to keep them divided by confusing their language. The problem is the human heart, and until the human heart is somehow transformed for good, unity is no good.

The Day of Pentecost opened a new chapter in the story with God opening the ears of people to hear the Gospel message in their own tongue, restoring unity among all people around a saving message. This gospel message has the ability to turn the human heart towards good and so God reverses himself. This is the reversal foretold by the prophet Zephaniah in chapter 3, verse 9: "For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.”

Comments on the text:
11:1 “used the same language”, literally, “the same set of words”

2 “the land of Shinar” refers to Mesopotamia, that land between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. That area is located in modern day Iraq. Later, Ur, is in this same area and God calls Abram out of Ur.

4 there are, in fact, towers that fit the description of a tower that were built in ancient Mesopotamia. They are called ugarits and the remains of them have been excavated in modern times.

5-8 this is actually a word play. Earlier we are told that humanity came to the project, they “came” to the area and they “came” to build. Now God comes to the project and when he sees what they are about God comes to confuse their language. God comes and confuses the peoples and scatters them.

9 Babel sounds like the Hebrew word Balal which means “to confuse.”

E100 Prize Question for Sunday, December 5th:
In what modern country would Shinar have been? What is another name for that region?

Study Questions:

What do you think motivated the people to build the tower?

Have you ever felt vulnerable and afraid? How did you respond? Did you seek to control your environment? Did you flee?

What is the significance of God confusing the people’s languages? What does this have to do with God giving everyone the ability to understand the words of the disciples on the day of Pentecost?

If God wanted any message to be understood universally, what would that message be?

E100, Lesson Four: God's Covenant with Noah

2010-11-23T11:12:00.002-05:00

Essential 100 Scripture Passages
Gen. 8.1—9.17, God’s Covenant with Noah

Verse
8.1 In Hebrew “remembering is not simply bringing to mind but actually taking action on behalf of Noah.

.2 The word for “wind” is the same word used in Genesis 1.2. Here, in chapter 8 we have a very intentional retelling of the Creation story. God separates the water from the ground, places birds in the air, animals were sent forth to multiply upon the earth, etc.

.3 The flood abates very gradually.

.4 The precise location of Mount Ararat is unknown but it is somewhere in the Northern Turkey or Armenia area.

.6-12 Noah sends birds out to test the land. When the dove returns with an olive branch (a sign of peace) Noah knows that there is land and that plants have started to grow once more.

.13-19 Noah and his family and all the living creatures in the ark are set free to resume life on the dry land.

.20 Noah’s first act after being restored to the land is to build a place of worship and to make a sacrificial offering to the Lord. Worship is always our first privilege and duty.

.21 Noah’s worship was pleasing to the Lord. God determines to never again curse the ground or destroy the wildlife, because He says, “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Humanity can’t seem to help themselves.

.22 God promises that the growing seasons will endure as long as the earth itself endures.

9.1-7 This continues the recreation imagery. As he did with Adam and Eve, he blesses Noah and his family and tells them to be fruitful and multiply. He gives them dominion over all the animals, and declares them good to eat, except for carrion and animal blood.

.8-11 God makes the promise he made to himself in verse 8.21 known to Noah and his sons

.12-17 God gives a sign to affirm the covenant he has made—a rainbow. And he says that the sign will remind him to be compassionate, and it will remind the people of God’s promise.

Sunday’s Prize Question:
Noah sent two sorts of birds out from the ark in search of dry land. What sorts of birds were they?

Discussion Questions:
1. What things most powerfully remind you that God loves you?
2. What is one thing you could do today to show God that you are grateful for his love?

E100 Challenge 3 Noah and the Flood

2010-11-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Genesis 6.5—7.24 Noah and the Flood

Chapter 6

5-6 What had begun as a small act of disobedience in the garden (Adam and Eve eating from the tree God forbid them to eat) has, over time, become widespread wickedness. In the beginning God had called his Creation “good” but by the time of Noah God can find no good remaining. And God regrets having made man. “God grieved in his heart.” God’s desires and God’s hopes had been dashed. People, given a choice, turn away from God and embrace evil.

7 And God determined to destroy the creatures he had made. Please note that humanity’s sin infected all of creation, not just human beings—all creatures became detestable before God.

8 The exception: Noah. Noah found favor in God’s eyes.

9 Noah possessed three characteristics that explain God’s favor towards him. He was “righteous.” He was “blameless.” And he “walked with God.” The third characteristic: “he walked with God,” explains how Noah was able to remain righteous and blameless.

10 Noah’s sons will survive the flood because they are his offspring

11-12 A restatement of verses 5 and 6

13-17 God informed Noah of the impending flood. And He instructed Noah to build a ship. The ship (ark) would carry Noah and his family. It would guard and protect the seed of a new creation.

18-21 God would spare Noah, his sons and their wives. He would also spare one breeding pair of every creature in earth. God’s mercy is great. Even in the face of great evil God spared his creation from total destruction and provided the means for life to go on.

22 Noah obeyed God’s command to build an ark and equip it as God directed. Of course! Noah “walked with God.”

Chapter 7

1-5 When the time had come God ordered Noah to pack up. He told him to get the animals onboard. He told him that in seven days the flood would begin. Once again, Noah obeyed.

6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood began. Before the flood the ages of people were reported in the hundreds of years rather than the tens of years ever since.

7-20 We are told the specifics of the how and when the flood came to pass, and about Noah’s activity to load the ark with the “living creatures.” The flood lifted up the ark with all the pairs of animals and the remainder of the earth was flooded. Even the high mountain tops were covered by 15 cubits. A cubit is about 20 inches (the length of a forearm from the end of one’s fingers to the elbow).

21-23 All flesh on earth died. Only Noah and the contents of his fragile little ship survived.

24 The flood continued for nearly six months

Sunday Morning Prize Question:
What were the names of Noah’s three sons?

Study questions:
Do you think that people continue to turn away from God and to prefer evil in our lives? Can you site an example?

Why do you think God spared Noah and his family?

Sometimes being spared isn’t so easy. Noah and his family had to endure great hardship in order to be spared. Can you remember a time in your life when God was “sparing” you?

E100, Lesson 2 The Fall, Genesis Chapter 3

2010-11-08T07:40:00.001-05:00

Genesis, chapter 2 ends with a statement that men and women were naked and were not ashamed. Human beings were plainly visible, nothing was hidden, and there was nothing about which they needed to be ashamed. There was no reason to hide from God’s eyes. In chapter 3 that all changes very quickly so that by verse 10 the man says to God, “I was afraid [of God] because I was naked; and I hid myself.” So, what happened in those intervening verses? Sin happened. Rebellion happened. The Fall happened.

Verse
1 the craftiest of all God’s creatures was the serpent and the serpent engaged Eve in a conversation about God; specifically the question posed revolves around the command God gave to Adam and Eve. The serpent wants to know if God commanded them to ‘not eat’ from a tree in the garden.
2 And the woman responded by answering the serpent’s question. On the positive side, God gave them permission to eat from every tree in the garden but one. (Interesting to note that among the trees that they could have eaten was the tree of [eternal] life; but they never chose to eat from it.)
3 But God said, “you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree in the center of the Garden,” that is, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And God assigned a consequence to disobedience. He said, “if you eat of it you will die.”
4 The serpent contradicts God’s word and he has been contradicting God’s word ever since. He says,” you will not die.” He lied. In fact he is the Father of lies.
5 The serpent makes the claim that if the man and the woman betray God and eat of the tree they will become wise, like God is wise. They will no longer need God’s direction. They will be able to choose for themselves.
6 The woman comes to believe that the fruit is not poison, that it is beautiful and that it was desirable to eat because it would make them wise. And so, she eats, but only after she has decided to betray God’s command and to ignore God’s warning. And not only did she eat but the man ate as well. We want to believe that sin is not sin. We want to believe that what God has commanded us to avoid will actually be good for us. There is a beauty to forbidden fruit and we really do desire it. We are all too ready to ignore the warning signs.
7 Having eaten their eyes were, indeed, opened. They see themselves in the light of not only good—as God intended and as God created them to be—but also as evil. They are ashamed of their nakedness. The unvarnished truth is that they are now good AND evil. And the sight is so repugnant to them that they fashion clothing to cover themselves. In our day we clothe ourselves in denial, justification, and transference.
8 God walked in the Garden and up until now they had been happy to see him. They had been completely open about who they were. Now that they have disobeyed God and they see that they are not only good but evil as well, now they hide from God. They fear their Creator. They are ashamed of what they have become and recognize that punishment is deserved.
9 God calls out to his people. Even as he discovers their sins and rebellion God seeks a conversation with them. God wants to be in relationship with them still.
10 Adam says, ‘I heard you coming and was afraid of you.’ He says he was afraid because he recognized he was naked before God. He hid rather than allow God to see his naked self. How often do we hide from God rather than let him see the reality of our lives?
11 God does not need to be told what happened. He asks Adam because his people need to rehearse the cause of their demise. The acted out in a way God had commanded them not to act.
12 The man blames the woman. The blame game is still the number one defense for men and women alike.
13 The woman, in turn, blames the serpent. She claims that her virtue was overcome by the deceptive acts of others. She was misled. This too is a commonly exercised defense.
14 God curses the serpent and an explanation is given for serpents having no appendages.
15 Here is the Proto-evagelion: Note that God foretells the birth of a child who will be at odds with the serpent’s offspring and that child will crush the serpent’s head even as the serpent strikes the child. A child of Eve will crush evil but not without cost. The child will be felled by evil, if only temporarily.
16 The consequences of rebellion fall on the woman as well: painful childbirth; a desire for her husband that will assure more painful childbirths; and her husband ruling over her.
17 18 and 19 The consequences of rebellion fall on the man as well: the ground, from which the man grows his food and finds his living will be cursed. It will require great effort and pain (toil) to bring forth the food required to sustain him. Hard work, exertion shall be required all his life long, and at the end of his time he will return to the cursed ground—he will die. The warning God had given was true. They ate of the forbidden fruit. They must die.
20 Eve resembles the Hebrew word living. She is the mother of all living.
21 God does not want his people to live in shame. He fashions suitable clothing for them.
22 God does not allow fallen humanity to eat from the tree of eternal life. This is an act of mercy. God does not want to condemn us to an eternity of sin and separation from God.
23 God banishes man from the Garden where the tree of eternal life is found. The man will have to toil and sweat but he will return to the ground from which he was taken.
24 Adam and Eve did not want to go and they had to be driven out and to prevent their return God placed angels at the gate, not little chubby babes with wings but soldier angels, armed and dangerous angels to prevent their approaching the tree of life. There is no hope of eternal life unless the promise God made to the serpent comes true. If the child crushes the serpent’s head and mankind is released from their sins, then the gate to eternal life can once again be opened and mankind can, at last, eat from the tree of eternal life.

Sunday November 14th Prize Question:
What was the weapon God chose to protect the entrance to the Garden?

Study Questions:
Do you believe in sin? If so, how would you define it? Is that different than the way most people you know define sin?
Does sin have consequences? If so, what are they?
Why do you think Adam and Eve made excuses for their disobedience? What sorts of excuses do we make?
Have you ever considered the possibility that God’s punishment might actually be merciful? Can you name a situation where you or someone you know had to suffer consequences for a bad choice but they found a blessing in the consequences?

E100 Challenge, Lesson One

2010-10-27T15:36:00.005-04:00

Genesis 1.1—2.25 Creation
Below are some notes on this week’s reading. I hope you will find them useful.

Each note is prefaced with a chapter and verse citation. For example, the first note is prefaced with a 1.1a. That means the comment refers to Genesis chapter 1, verse 1, and “a” means the first part of the verse.

I invite you to keep your own notes as you work through the passages. If you keep notes throughout the entire study you will finish with a pretty complete set of reflections on the vital passages of the Holy Bible.

Let’s begin:

Genesis
1.1a In the beginning God…
Before anything was created God already existed. God is eternal. That is to say, unlike anything else, God always was, always is and always will be. God was not created.

1.1b God created the heavens and the earth…
God is the source of everything in the universe, things seen and things not unseen.

1.2a The earth was without form and void, and darkness…
Apart from God nothing had being—just a black, shapeless, void. God created the world out of nothing, ex nihilo .

1.2b And the Spirit of God hovered…
That word “Spirit” can also be translated “breath.” The “breath” of God hovered. If anything comes alive, it is the consequence of this Spirit of God that was in the beginning.

1.3—1.26 And God said…And God saw that it was good…
God spoke the universe into existence. “Speaking” requires exhaling—breathing. So, the breath of God becomes the Word of God, God breathes out and the word is spoken and the universe is created. All that is created is good. God is not a malevolent God. He is the One who creates good things.

1.27 God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them…
Humanity was created in God’s own likeness. We are created to resemble God, therefore to the extent that we are able to be godly we are living out the fullness of the human life He intended for us.

1.28 And God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply…“
The momoent we are created God blesses us. God blesses. He does not curse. God never meant evil for us. God only ever wanted good for us. He wanted to see us reproduce and to prosper.

1.31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good…
Several times throughout the creation account God sees or says that his work is good. We do not live in an evil world. It is a world that was created good but has fallen. Nevertheless we can still see the divine hand of God in every aspect of His creation. This causes St Paul to comment that because of the Creation nobody is without knowledge of God. See Romans 1.18-23
2.7 God formed man out of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being…
The breath of God, the breath that hovered over the void, the breath that spoke the world into existence, that same breath is breathed into Adam’s nostrils and the humanity comes alive. Each of us contains the Divine breath of life.

2.18a It is not good for the man to be alone…
Man is a social creature by nature. We are intended for relationship. Isolation is not godly. Thus the Christian is called into community.

2.18b A helper fit for him…
A fit helper means a partner who is good for him, who completes his being. One partner brings characteristics that the other partner does not possess. Their gifts are complimentary. The fit helper for the man was a woman, not another man.

2.24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh…
Sex is not regarded as evil but as a God-given impulse which draws a man and a woman together so that “they become one flesh.”

2.25 And the man and his wife were naked, and were not ashamed…
The two were unashamedly naked, a symbol of their guiltless relation to God.

Sunday’s Prize Question (11/7/2010):
Two specific trees are named in the Garden. What are they?

Questions for study and review:
1. The beginning of Genesis assumes that God exists. Do you believe God exists? If so, what do you think God is like?
2. What evidence, if any, for God’s existence do you see in the world around you? How would you explain your “case for God” to a skeptic?
3. Do you think God loves you? Why or why not?

E100 Challenge Begins Sunday, October 31

2010-10-27T13:11:00.007-04:00

Trinity Church, Beaver
E100 Challenge, Introduction

Nothing is more important than knowing God’s salvation, period. We are saved by God’s grace through Jesus Christ our Lord but we can only understand and appreciate that fact when we have learned the lessons we are taught through the history of God and his people. Those lessons, that history, is the content of the Bible. The E100 Challenge is a challenge to read, reflect upon and conform our lives to the teachings found in 100 essential Bible passages. The project involves setting aside a little time each week to read God’s Word and to pray and reflect on its meaning for us. The task is beneficial to young and old, experienced and inexperienced alike. Brenda and I will be taking the challenge together. I hope you will too.

Our goal is to read one reading a week for 100 weeks--simple, as long as we have some tools to keep us on track.

On Sunday Oct. 31 we will distribute ‘Track your Progress Punch out Cards’ at both Sunday services and at the children’s Sunday School. If you will be working on the project alone, please take one card. If you will be working on the project with a spouse or your entire family please take one card. Each card contains the reading citations that we will be using along with a punch out so that you can monitor your progress and other supporting materials.

If you would like to take cards for friends and neighbors, please let the office know so that we can order enough additional cards to cover both members of the parish and their guests.

Getting Started
FIND a Bible translation that is easy for you to understand.
LOG-ON to E100challenge.com to add your name to the wall.
SET aside a special time and place to read the Bible each day.
USE the “Track Your Progress Punch-out Card.”

A Useful Way of Reading the Bible for this Study:
PRAY: before you read, asking God to help you understand.
READ: the Bible passage, perhaps more than once.
REFLECT: on the passage. Write your thoughts in a journal.
APPLY: what God teaches you from His Word for your life.
PRAY: again, asking God to help you live out His Word.

Note: This program is doubly effective if you are doing it with someone else. Ask your spouse, your family, or friends to work through the passage together.

Other Resources:
READ:Fr. Scott’s notes on the week’s reading, written in a simple line by line commentary style, posted weekly at http://fatherscottsblog.blogspot.com Make sure to check out the weekly prize question!
ATTEND: Sunday School where we will address and discuss the passage each Sunday morning. Adult Sunday School meets at 9:15am in the Parish Hall. Youth and Children’s Sunday School meet at their regular times as well.
WATCH FOR: Small Groups may be forming to discuss the readings. Please check with the Church office for more information.

Weekly Prize Question:
Each week you will find a prize question online at http://fatherscottsblog.blogspot.com . Know that answer on Sunday morning and be the first to raise your hand at the announcements, and you will win a prize. One prize available at each Sunday morning service.

Make a Personal Action Plan:
1. My plan is to take _________ minutes to read the Bible and pray…
a. In the morning__
b. During my lunch break__
c. In the evening before bed__
d. On the weekend__
e. Other__
2. To help me keep going, I will read the E100 with my:
a. Small group__
b. Sunday School__
c. Friend__
d. Family__
e. Co-worker__
f. Other__
3. I will add my name to the E100 Wall to symbolize my desire to take the E100 Challenge at: E100challenge.com

Archbishop Duncan’s Address to the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization

2010-10-22T13:53:00.000-04:00

On October 19, Archbishop Duncan addressed attendees of Lausanne 2010 in Capetown, South Africa during a session devoted to global Anglicanism.

Scattering the Proud and Lifting Up the Lowly
Luke 1:46-55

By the Most Rev. Robert Duncan, archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church in North America
Scattering the Proud

In 1960 the Episcopal Church in the United States reported 3.4 million members. In 2002 the Episcopal Church reported 2.3 million members, a loss of over 32%. By 2008, the denominational membership had declined to less than 2.1 million, with only 700,000 worshippers present on an average Sunday. The Church which boasted the majority of signers of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and still called itself the “Church of Presidents” in the first half of the 20th century, was by the first decade of the 21st century among the fastest declining Protestant denominations in the United States, now representing substantially less than 1% of the U.S. population. The Anglican Church of Canada declined even more precipitously. Average Sunday Attendance in the late 1970s was over 1 million. By the late 1990’s it was just over 700,000. For 2008, the number stood at a shocking 325,000.

Two trends that impacted North American Anglicans significantly from the 1960s onward were theological revisionism in the Church and social radicalism in the culture. Revised texts used for worship became principle vehicles of the theological revisionism.

Lifting Up the Lowly

During the decades between 1960 and 2010, the place of orthodox believers within the Episcopal Church and within the Anglican Church of Canada became ever more tenuous. Forced replacement of worship texts, allowance for re-marriage after divorce, church laws coercing every diocese to accept the ordination of women, and revisionist domination of theological education, resulted in the formation of more than 40 break-away groups of “continuing” Anglicans spread over both countries. Official sanction of the blessing of same-sex unions [marriages] in Canada in 2002 and the national approval of a partnered homosexual bishop in the U.S in 2003, proved the breaking point for an even greater flood who simply wanted to continue in “the faith once for all delivered to the saints.” [Jude 1.3]

The ecclesiastical ruthlessness of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada – removing bishops, clergy and even lay leaders who stood in opposition, coupled with civil legal proceedings confiscating congregational and diocesan properties – might well have succeeded in crushing every one who dared to stand in opposition, but for one thing: the intervention of orthodox Anglicans from the Global South. The first to act were Rwanda and South-East Asia. Then were added Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and the Southern Cone of South America. Local congregations were taken under protection of foreign archbishops and bishops. African, Asian and Latino leaders were taking in humbled and grateful Caucasians. The colonial ecclesiastical power structure was being turned upside-down. The crisis in America – and the willingness of peoples formerly subjugated by the West to “rescue” Westerners – is one of the principal factors in explaining what is happening in world-wide Anglicanism today. This “godly rescue,” together with the willingness of many North Americans to stand no matter what the cost, is why the Anglican Church in North America, of which I am Archbishop and Primate, now exists, and why it is experiencing extraordinary growth despite all that has come against us from the old hierarchies and the wayward culture.

Lessons Learned
Now I want to share briefly about what we North Americans have learned that applies to the whole Christian Church throughout the world. Four lessons are foremost. I hope they prove among the “take-aways” this dialogue session provides. This session is not fundamentally about Anglicanism, but about the whole Christian Church. The words of the Lausanne Covenant Preface (1974) ring again in our ears: “We are deeply stirred because of what God is doing in our day.”

Lesson One
Standing in God’s Truth raises God’s Allies

First, when any of us stand for God’s Truth in first order issues, where the salvation of souls rather than condemnation of opponents is our goal, it brings unity in the Church, true unity. The whole Church throughout the world is also challenged to stand with you. Foreign and ecumenical partners are invited to be at their best, and allies emerge from countless unexpected places. “Fear not, for those who are with you are more than those who are against you.” [2 Kgs 6:16] Faithful Anglicans in other parts of the world were willing to stand with us once they knew we refused to compromise the faith once-delivered. Not only that, but ecumenical allies have come along side of us, allies as diverse as Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America and Dr. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California, both at this Congress. Many here at Lausanne III, and countless souls you lead, have acted to encourage us and to intercede for us. This unity goes way beyond anything I have ever experienced. Both ethnic division and denominationalism fade away.

Lesson Two
Humility builds God’s Partnerships

Second, humility builds God’s partnerships. Humility and charity – as well as forgiveness and reconciliation – among those partnering are essential for God to work in situations where social, economic colonial and ecclesiastical inequalities have heretofore operated. Partnerships of extraordinary proportion emerge. New learnings abound. We in the U.S. and Canada have learned a great deal about ways churches can be planted, about the necessity of ending our silence concerning resurgent Islam, about evangelism and discipleship, and even about how ancient structures might serve mission once again.

The rich have to become poor in the things they previously judged to be their riches, and the poor have to see themselves as God sees them: perhaps from the “weakest of the tribes,” but “mighty men of valor” nonetheless. [Judges 6:11-16]

Lesson Three
God does lift up the Lowly

Third, God “magnifies” the lowly. Global South Anglicanism is now majority Anglicanism. The average Anglican is now a woman, an African, a mother, and under the age of 20. We are not the Church of England anymore. God speaks to us of previously unimaginable possibilities. For us in the Anglican Church in North America we believe God has set us to planting 1000 new churches in our first five years of life. 1 or 2 potential church-planters contacts our office every day! 500 will gather at our Anglican 1000 Summit in January. What is equally astounding is what I call “Anglican fever” on university and seminary campuses. Five weeks ago, Dean Timothy George of Beeson School of Theology in Birmingham, Alabama, a school of Baptist foundation, informed me that “the fastest growing group of students are the Anglicans.” I met with twenty eager Wheaton College students in August. All are part of newly formed Anglican congregations in the Chicago area. None of them were raised as Anglicans. All believe themselves called to some kind of missionary life as committed disciples of Jesus. They want not only to tell about Jesus, but to do what Jesus did. These are by no means isolated North American stories. From the ruins of the heretical and wayward denominations that marginalized, exiled and expelled the faithful of an earlier generation, a new generation is clearly being drawn to believing and serving in the humbled and renewed Anglican Church that is emerging.

Lesson Four
Personal Conversion deepens with Gospel suffering and sacrifice

Fourth, personal conversion deepens with sacrifice and suffering. We have learned that the cross of Jesus is the way of life. We have firsthand evidence that those who are prepared to give up buildings and endowments and pensions and relationships and respectability, for the sake of the gospel, are far more committed disciples than they were before their trials and their struggles. Deciding for Jesus changes people, not only at the first, but every time the cross is embraced. Among those already facing challenges of poverty, war, disease and famine – but who nevertheless act to help other suffering brothers and sisters – perhaps even on a faraway continent – for these God also deepens their conversion, often also bringing new friends and new hope, renewing godly self-image, and opening lines of provision for their original needs.

Scattering the Proud and Lifting Up the Lowly

I speak to you with all humility. Ours is no North American triumph. Ours is a rescue story in a global Church. It is not necessarily an Anglican story. It is a story of the whole Christian Church at its best.

Archbishops Williams and Duncan worshipping together

2010-08-24T16:35:00.001-04:00

Archbishop Duncan Joins Leaders at All Africa Bishops Conference

2010-08-24T16:32:00.000-04:00

Archbishop Robert Duncan was included with the other Anglican primates during the opening Eucharist, and shared in the distribution of communion, as did the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

August 24, 2010

Bishops from all of Africa as well as Anglicans from around the world are meeting together in Entebbe, Uganda, for the Second All Africa Bishops Conference August 23-29.

The conference, which is organized by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA), calls together bishops and archbishops from 400 dioceses in Africa. Invited guests from around the Anglican world are also present.

Archbishop Robert Duncan, Bishop Martyn Minns, Bishop John Guernsey and Bishop Bill Atwood are among the Anglican Church in North America leaders who are attending the event. “The Anglican Church is expanding everywhere in Africa. There are now some 400 dioceses spread across the continent. As Archbishop I am here to learn and to stand in solidarity with this vigorous gospel mission,” said Archbishop Duncan. As the leader of the Anglican Church in North America, Archbishop Duncan was included with the other Anglican primates (leaders of Anglican provinces) during the opening Eucharist, and shared in the distribution of communion, as did the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

Archbishop Williams told the gathered bishops that the 21st Century may well be the “African Century.”

Archbishop Duncan, as well as Archbishop John Chew of Southeast Asia, have also been invited to sit with the primates of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) during their meetings.

To learn more about this important meeting, visit the conference website.

Photography courtesy of AnglicanTV.

Are You Prepared to Go to Jail for Jesus?

2010-06-24T12:09:00.000-04:00

by Rev. Scott Homer

Trinity Church is preparing to go to jail for Jesus. No, the police aren’t coming to handcuff us and carry us off. No, we haven’t violated the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Trinity Church, in cooperation with prison chaplain Denny Ugoletti, and a number of Trinity seminarians, is taking prayer, bible study, and Christian fellowship to the prisoners at Beaver County Jail. The program is slated to run on Sunday evenings and begins on July 11th.

Our goal is to establish a program at the jail that will instruct interested inmates in the fundamental teachings of the Great Tradition: the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. Secondly, we hope to ground inmates in the rhythm of daily morning and evening prayer, to show that the Christian life is born out of an ancient tradition dating back all the way to the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an exciting program that will challenge us to reach beyond our comfort zone. We will feel overwhelmed at times and that is good because it forces us to place ourselves in God’s hands and to rely upon God’s provision. And whenever we muster up the courage to do that…God blesses us and enriches our lives in extraordinary ways.

Already a couple members of the parish have expressed an interest and have taken the jail’s mandatory volunteer training course. Perhaps God is calling you to share your faith with men or women at the jail. Will you pray about it? Will you be bold enough to ask the Lord if this is a ministry for you or will you dismiss it out of hand? I pray that you will consider this new ministry opportunity by asking God to speak to you about it. Give me a call if you have any questions. I will be waiting to hear from you.

Parish Picnic

2010-06-24T10:34:00.004-04:00

More Photos, thanks Cindy Split

Parish Picnic Photos

2010-06-24T10:31:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Cindy Split for these photos!

Fathered By God--Program Review

2010-06-24T10:08:00.001-04:00

by Scott Homer+

What are the developmental stages in a man’s life and how does a Christian man make the masculine journey with integrity? How does he progress in becoming more Christlike? And if he has suffered wounding during certain stages of his development how might a man revisit that aspect of his life and acquire the skills he lacks? How does a man become the man that God created him to be?
Eighteen men gathered during the month of June to study and discuss the teachings found in John Eldridge’s, Fathered By God (Thomas Nelson, 2009). The whole group gathered for video presentations and small group discussions on four consecutive Wednesdays and thirteen also went on a weekend retreat, canoed the Upper Allegheny River and shared their personal journeys with one another.
The experience was positive for many but at least one man was truly transformed by it and returns home to a renewed life in Christ and a new commitment to live out his new life within the communion of the Church.
The Fathered By God seminar series was sponsored by the Wild at Heart ministry of Trinity Church, Beaver which is dedicated to building a Christian band of brothers, who pray for one another, stand together through life’s challenges, and fight for the cause of Christ as one unit. The group is always seeking to engage other men to join us in the journey. More to follow.

Kajire Well Project--A note from Rev. Ferdinand

2010-06-16T10:22:00.001-04:00

Dear Rev. Father Scott and all members of Trinity Church Beaver,

On behalf of Kajire village in Taita-Taveta District Coast province Kenya, I wish to thank you so much for the tireless efforts you have given to this project.Your efforts to help us acces palatable water comes to us as an answered prayer passed on to us by our grand parents. As I grew up at Kajire village scarcity or at times total lack of water has always been the most menace against easy living to both human beings and animal population in this beautiful land, Kajire village. Our grand parents could not tackle the problem because to drill bore hole in thie area is so costly. So, for many years different generations that grew up in Kajire village learnt to accept this water shortage as part of their life long problem. Some times this lack of adequate water causes prolonged drought leading to human-and wild animal conflict. Therefore your efforts towards Kajire bore hole project will not only revolutionize life in this small village below the beautiful hills of sagalla but will also enhance peaceful coexistence between human beings with one another and with wild animals. I and my wife, Evylene, have committed ourselves to prayer for Geoff and Katie and, Father Scott as they bridge between us and you people at Trinity Church that their and your efforts will bear long standing fruits in this project to the glory of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Shalom...God's peace to all members of Trinity Church Beaver

F. Manjewa M'bwangi

School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of Humanities
Pwani University College
A Constituent College of Kenyatta University.
P.O. Box 195 Kilifi, KENYA.
Cell phone: +254 0722109598.

Thanks to Len Finn for the Picnic Photos

2010-06-15T14:30:00.003-04:00

Trinity Parish Picnic a Blessed Day

2010-06-15T14:15:00.004-04:00

Over seventy parishioners gathered for the Trinity Parish Picnic at Two-Mile Run Park this past Sunday morning. Despite forecasts of rain, the day remained dry and we were able to worship, play, and enjoy a meal together without interuption. It was a great day, with dramatic presentations from the Covenant Players, an outdoor Holy Eucharist, and a picnic meal with lots of goodies. The kids, including Fr. Carl, enjoyed the annual walk in the creek. A dozen or so participated in the whiffle golf tourney along with other games and activities. Thanks to everybody who helped to make the day such a great success. We are looking forward to next year already.

Parish Picnic--Fore

2010-06-15T14:12:00.002-04:00

2010-06-15T14:03:00.000-04:00

Trinity Parish Picnic, Flippin Burgers for Jesus

2010-06-15T13:55:00.001-04:00

Trinity Parish Picnic

2010-06-15T13:23:00.001-04:00

It Ain't Over 'Til Its Over

2010-06-15T09:14:00.003-04:00

by Fr. Scott Homer
June 15, 2010

Thanks to the interested parishioners who have been dropping newspaper articles on my desk this week. There have been two state supreme court decisions, one in Virginia and one in California on cases of property ownership in the current Anglican crisis. The reporters, and especially those responsible for creating the headlines are making much more out of these decisions than they warrant. Both decisions are procedural in nature and have little to do with the issues involved. Both decisions refer their case back to a lower court for review or retrial. Neither of the cases determines property ownership. We remain a long way away from any sort of conclusions about who owns what. As Yogi Berra is reputed to have said, "It ain't over 'til its over."

Our position at Trinity Anglican Church remains unchanged. We have, as members of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, distanced ourselves from the Episcopal Church leadership who have compromised the Holy Scriptures, engaged in false teaching, are actively deceiving the people they vowed to serve. We believe that occupying this property is our legal right but our dispute with TEC has little to do with property. The courts may determine where we will worship in future years but they can not alter the truth of the Gospel or ammend the Apostles' Teaching. They can not change the meaning of virtue or redefine the nature of sin. Our decision to leave TEC has been painful and difficult and may become more so. It is, we believe, the only decision that honors our Lord and Savior, respects the Word of God and submits to the received teachings of Christ's One Holy Catholic Church.

Even as we await the outcome of the court cases we openly acknowledge that the decision about who we serve and to whom we owe our allegiance is already decided. We serve our Lord Jesus Christ and we can do that faithfully here at 370 Beaver Street or at the YMCA or in the park down the street. What we can not do is serve our Lord Jesus Christ while also pledging allegiance to his enemies.

He Who Is Forgiven Much Loves Much

2010-06-13T22:11:00.002-04:00

by Fr. Scott Homer
In the Name of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

We are going to be talking about love this morning. We are going to talk about love because Jesus talks about love in our Gospel reading. And he is talking about love in an unusual way. His meaning is not all that transparent but his point is essential if we hope to live out our lives in love, peace, and joy. Jesus says is that the extent to which someone knows love and demonstrates love is in direct proportion to the amount of forgiveness they receive. Great forgiveness received, great love expressed. Little forgiveness received, little love expressed. Now this presents us with an interesting problem. Does Jesus mean for us to believe that if we have not received forgiveness we are incapable of loving? Some of us don’t really believe we have done much requiring forgiveness. We believe we are living virtuous lives for the most part. Is Jesus saying that we are not going to be loving people because we have not been screwing up all our lives? Do we have to go out and sin so that we can receive forgiveness? Well, the answer to these questions is no, you don’t have to go out and sin but yes, to the extent that we have not been forgiven we are incapable of loving. And yes, those of us who believe that we have lived largely virtuous lives and have done little to warrant forgiveness really are incapable of love. You see, the problem is that love does not spring out of virtuous acts. Love springs out of a relationship—a relationship with the Source of Love and that relationship is first and foremost a relationship established in forgiveness. Our God, the one and only true God, is first and foremost the God of love, the God of compassion and mercy, and we simply cannot be in his presence without experiencing forgiveness. In his presence we know acceptance, and peace and joy but all of that is born out of our forgiveness in his presence. In fact, true forgiveness can be found nowhere else—only in our Lord’s presence.
When we read these Bible stories about Jesus we have got to keep something in mind. Jesus is God in human flesh. If we forget this the stories will not make sense. God is perfectly revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus makes this point himself in John chapter 14, verse 9. The disciple Philip has asked Jesus to show him God the Father. And Jesus responds by asking Philip, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father?' And this is not the only evidence. Do you recall the way St John starts his Gospel account about Jesus? In John 1.14 he writes, “And the Word became flesh [that is, Jesus of Nazareth], and dwelt among us, and we saw [Christ’s] glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. And St. Paul is of the same opinioon. He also repeatedly asserts that Jesus is God in the flesh. Most notably in two places in the letter to the Colossians he writes in 1.5, “[Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God” and again in 2.9 he writes, “…in [Jesus Christ] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” So, when we see Jesus operating in the world we see God operating in the world. We see how God acts, what God values, the ways that God handles situations, God’s priorities and God’s values demonstrated in concrete form. And when we read the stories about Jesus we are being shown God working in our world--not somebody who demonstrates godly characteristics, not somebody who channels godlike sayings, not a particularly godly man—but God in all his glory working in the world.
Jesus is God in the flesh—We have to begin here because we can’t grasp what is happening in our Gospel reading this morning any other way. When we read this story we have got to understand that God has gone to eat dinner at this Pharisee’s house. God is seated at the dinner table. It is God’s feet that are being washed with the woman’s tears. And it is God who is being judged and accused by the Pharisee. When we look at the behavior of the Pharisee and the woman we are looking at two unique responses to God’s presence in their life. And there are a couple of very important differences in their response to God’s presence.

The Pharisee doubts that God has drawn near. He can not or will not see God’s presence in Jesus but the sinful woman worships Jesus, devotes herself to caring for him. She goes so far as to anoint him—and hyes, there are kingly implications in that. The Pharisee dishonors God because he confuses forgiveness for uncleanness and accuses God of being a fraud. The sinful woman honors God with her whole being.

But here is the most important thing: The Pharisee does not recognize his need for forgiveness. He is, in his own mind, a righteous man. In his mind he has done little or nothing wrong and he senses no need for God’s mercy but the sinful woman recognizes her sinfulness and she is dependent on God’s mercy.

As a consequence of forgiveness the woman’s response to Jesus is loving. She abandons herself to serve him, to bless him and to honor him. The Pharisee’s response to Jesus is to defend his self-righteous superiority by leveling an accusation against God and God’s mercy.

Jesus wants all the Pharisees of the world to know that love is intimately linked to forgiveness. No human being will ever be truly loving as long as they are convinced that they are above needing and receiving forgiveness. It is only in God’s forgiveness that you are empowered to love. The problem is confusion about the nature of righteousness. Where does righteousness come from? Does one become righteous by keeping oneself unstained by the world? Or is righteousness a gift which is bestowed upon a person by God? Are we righteousness under assault or is righteousness like a cloak that has been placed upon us?

We can live as though righteousness is our starting point and that living the righteous life before God is the process of keeping ourselves unstained by the world. In this approach, that is the preferred route for Obsessive compulsive personalities, a person is righteous to the extent that they are able to avoid coming into contact with any and all filthiness, through a doggedly determined attempt to maintain our purity against a dirty world, by tiptoeing through a sin-filled minefield scrupulously avoiding anything that looks like a mistake. But God forbid you should ever happen to brush up against some filth unawares, or that you should experience a momentary lapse and think an impure thought or engage in an unholy act. And many have failed because they stumbled on a landmine and all their attempts at being righteous were dashed in a moment. And what about all those invisible perils? This approach leads to a miserably unhappy life.

Or we can live as penitent sinners. We can acknowledge that brokenness, neediness and filthiness is the given. That is our starting point and living the righteous life is the process of accepting God’s forgiveness and serving him and others to the best of our ability. In this scenario the goal is not to maintain a false sense of righteousness. It is to abandon ourselves to God’s grace and mercy, trusting that when our soul is a forgiven soul it is a loving soul and that a forgiven-loving soul is much less likely to succomb to the temptation of sin. If we are stained by the world, it is, after all, the way of the world but we know that if we confess our sin and repent and return the Lord, that he will once again forgive us and we will once again know the joy of being a forgiven creature. We will once again know His immense strength of love supporting us. This is the preferred method-according to Jesus.

Love—it is the center of the gospel message. When Jesus is asked to summarize the Law, that is, when he is asked to reveal the most important code of conduct—the code of conduct that people must observe if they hope to be found righteous in God’s sight, Jesus says, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Why this extraordinary emphasis on love? We find the anwer in St. John’s first Epistle. St John writes, “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love…God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

In our Gospel reading this morning Jesus says that the woman who is washing his feet, and kissing his feet, and anointing his head with oil is loving much. She is completely invested in making Jesus comfortable, in welcoming him, in honoring him and she seems unconcerned about how she might appear to the people looking on. But her expression of love is born out of Jesus’ forgiveness. Love is the human response to God’s graceful and compassionate forgiveness. Let’s stop acting as if we need to have it all together. Lets accept the facts, surrender ourselves to God's forgiveness and grace. Let's begin to live out the love that God is showering upon us. Amen.

Sermon: Who Can You Trust?

2010-06-10T09:52:00.003-04:00

By the Reverend Scott Homer
2 Pentecost, 2010

In the old days, before women’s rights became front burner issues, and before divorce became a nearly universally accepted option, women often thought and sometimes were taught that if they could make a good catch, if they could secure a good, hardworking, husband that their lives would be safe and secure. Of course, these days even if a woman wanted to find a good, hardworking husband there would be no guarantee that the two of them would stay together. Trusting in another human being for your health and welfare was risky then and it is even more risky now. There was a day when someone would graduate from high school and get a job with an employer with the expectation that their employer would provide them with a decent living for their entire career life. Now, career guidance counsellors tell their clients to expect to change employers every three to five years. Trusting in a corporation for your security is a thing of the past.

Many of us rely on our government to keep us safe and to look out for our best interests but how many of us were disappointed to learn that the Securities and Exchange Commission was not policing the financial markets and that their lack of attention caused us all to suffer massive financial losses? And is anybody other than me upset with the Department of the Interior for granting BP drilling rights for the Deepwater Horizon without first assuring that there was some sort of effective emergency plan in place? And didn’t it make you feel as though your world was much more dangerous after 9/11, when you realized that a small group of uneducated terrorists could walk into a US airport, hijack three commercial airliners and fly them into the World Trade Center and the United States Pentagon?

These are just a few examples but they point out a fundamental human problem. We need help, we recognize we need help, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone or anything we can trust. We recognize that we are incapable of assuring our own wellbeing. There are just too many variables, too many possibilities for us to defend ourselves against them all and we really do need someone or something that has the power to guard and protect us from all the dangers that threaten our security. So we forced to rely upon external resources for our protection and safety: families, institutions, governements. But we are repeatedly discouraged to discover that even these eternal institutions can not protect us and worse than that, sometimes the very things in which we have placed our trust end up being hurtful and destructive.

Is there anything reliable? Is there anything we can really count on? Is there somewhere we can place our hopes and not have those hopes dashed? Well, the good news is that there is something we can trust with absolute certainty that we will not be disappointed. There is a rock solid source of security—a source that has the immense power to overcome all the fundamental forces of the universe that threaten us. And that rock solid source of security is yours in the person of Jesus Christ. He has proven his immense power by exhibiting the ability to bring the dead to life—and ultimately in overcoming even his own death. If you are known by Jesus Christ, if he looks on you with compassion and if he has pity upon you, you can rest assured that you never need worry about your future. He has proven himself able. He is able to restore all that has been lost—even when it appears that all has been lost. He is able and he has promised that he will, lead us into an eternal and glorified life and that we will know joy, peace and freedom from fear—forever. This is the Gospel message the Church proclaims. It is the same message that has been proclaimed for two thousand years. Civilizations have come and gone, but the Word of God has remained unchanged. Jesus died, and rose again, to save sinners.

St Paul’s letter to the Christian community in Galatia begins with a stringent defense of the Gospel message. We just read the beginning of that defense this morning. Did you notice what Paul said? He said, “The Gospel that was preached to me was not man’s gospel for I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” Paul wants us to be clear in ouur understanding. He is insisting that the gospel message, the message that Jesus died to save sinners, that all that believe in Jesus Christ are saved, and that in Christ our futures are blessed and assured, this message is not a set of manmade conclusions drawn from looking at the life of Christ. It isn’t the product of people sitting around doing theology, as admirable as doing theology may be. The gospel is not a human idea about what Jesus’ life meant for us. The Gospel was spoken to Paul, and through Paul to us, by God himself. We have received it not as a teaching, but as a revelation. When God reveals something, he reveals something that is completely and utterly true. Not kinda true. Not true in some circumstances—it is simply and totally true—and the Gospel is the revealed Word of God.

Now this is very important because it is the gospel message that brings people to faith, and if the gospel is God’s revealed Word, the we are brought to faith not through the agency of men but through the power of God. Your salvation and the salvation of your family and friends does not rely upon them running into a particularly gifted preacher or evangelist. You don’t have to hope and pray that someone smart enough is able to convince them. The hope of salvation doesn’t depend upon carefully crafted arguments. Our hope for salvation is grounded in the Word of God, in the Spirit of the Lord falling upon us so that what was once hidden becomes revealed, and having been revealed causes us to believe, and that having caused us to believe, leads us into eternal life. This is God inspired, God breathed, God infused faith. We come along for the ride, we must consent to God’s working but it is God doing it.

That is why the Holy Communion is so essential. Holy Communion isn’t an argument. It is an infusion of grace. It doesn’t seek to persuade us. It washes over us, indwells u,s changes us from the inside out. God’s Living Word spoken into the lives of dead and dying people—that is what brings rebirth and new life. God’s Living Word spoken into dead and dying people is the ONLY reliable source of hope because God’s living word is eternal and absolute. God’s eternal Word carries immense power, total truth, and unconditional commitment. human beings are unreliable; human institutions will ultimately disappoint, but God is trustworthy. Our forefathers knew this. That is why printed on every dollar bill it says, “In God We Trust.”

In Psalm 30 King David wrote, “I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have lifted me up and have not let my enemies triumph over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you restored my health. You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; you restored my life as I was going down to the grave.” Who is it that saved David from his enemies? Was it his great and powerful armies? No. Was it his wise councellors? No. Was it the great prophets of his Age? No. David praises God—because it was God who “brought him up from the dead.” And by what power were the sons of The Widow of Zarapheth and the Widow of Nain raised? It was the Living Word of God spoken into dead men.

This is the gospel we proclaim—it is not a gospel grounded in sound reasoning. It is, in fact, beyond reason. It is outrageous. If it is the product of the human mind it is derranged. But it is not the product of human teaching. It is the revealed Word of God, living and true, and it holds the power to save for all who believe and who commit their lives to it author Jesus Christ.

We live in a world full of uncertainty. Life is fragile. The world around us is dangerous. And we can not help but question the ability of our human institutions to guard and protect us. The truth is, all human institutions will, in time, fail us. Our own bodies will fail us. If we are to rest assured about our future well-being, if we are to live our lives with a genuine sense of peace and security, we are going to have to pray for the Living Word of God to capture us. We are going to have to pray that our Lord send his Holy Spirit upon us and fill us with all truth. Because when the true gospel is revealed to us we will know that all these stories about raising the dead are true…and it will not be academic. We will know it to the core of our beings because we will be the dead people sitting up in our caskets, singing praises to the Lord. We will know that resurrection is possible because we will be experiencing it from the inside out. Amen.

Archbishop Duncan's State of the Province Address

2010-06-10T09:33:00.002-04:00

ARCHBISHOP’S ADDRESS
Annual Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America
for the Year of Our Lord 2010
All Saints Pro-Cathedral and Ministry Center
Amesbury, Massachusetts
8th June 2010

Unless the Lord builds the House, their labor is in vain who build it. [Ps 127.1]

It was fifty weeks ago that we gathered to constitute the Anglican Church in North America.

At that time we understood the mission God had for us: “To reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.“ Knowing what you are sent to do is a great starting point, indeed, it is the necessary starting point for the Christian.

Fifty weeks ago we also understood that it was time for orthodox Anglicanism to come together in North America. One hundred forty years of splintering and dividing – forty years in earnest – needed mending, for Christ’s sake, for the kingdom’s sake, and for our own souls’ sake. The coming together formalized at Bedford, Texas, was no less than a sovereign act of God (done in a people who were willing) for which we ought continually to give thanks and for the strengthening of which we must continually labor.

Along the way other understandings have been clarified for us. We have learned to describe our method for achieving this transformation in Christ Jesus as “converted individuals, in multiplying congregations, fueled by the Holy Spirit.” Moreover, we have been able to articulate a threefold accountability without which any congregation falls short of being reliably Anglican: accountable to the Holy Scriptures, accountable to the Great Tradition, accountable for the transformation of society. These understandings are, in themselves, remarkable achievements.

We did not do these things. The Lord did them in a cooperating people. The Lord has built this House. It is marvelous in our eyes.

When we gathered at Bedford fifty weeks ago we were 17 dioceses (or dioceses in formation) plus representatives of the 22 networks of the Anglican Mission. As we gather here in Amesbury we will, God willing, emerge as 20 dioceses, plus our Ministry Partners. We totaled 703 congregations at Bedford. We are 811 congregations at Amesbury, not yet including all the congregations of the Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (a Ministry Partner) that are now requesting inclusion in our church data base and online Church Finder. (Up to date information on our Average Sunday Attendance is not available for this meeting of Provincial Council but is promised by our Anglican Records Task Force for the next Annual Council.)

Systems and relationships continue to “shake-out.” The rosters and reports presented to this Annual Council point to a Church whose functions and life are developing appropriately. The transition from the Common Cause (Lead Bishops) Executive Committee to the six clergy/six laity ACNA Executive Committee takes place with this meeting. There are substantive reports on Prayer Book, Catechumenate, and Ecumenical Relations. The presentation of a balanced budget and the confidence exhibited by our staff in raising the half-million dollars for our Founders Fund to match the nearly half-million dollars now flowing from our dioceses is another sign – a mighty sign – of the Lord’s favor.

The jurisdictional approach to the integration of the Anglican Mission (a missionary outreach of Rwanda) into the Anglican Church in North America has been found to be “a bridge too far” and this meeting sees the petition of the Anglican Mission to be a Ministry Partner as a more appropriate approach to our life together in this season. At the same time this meeting heralds the ending of many important oversight relationships with foreign partners. Not least among these is the conclusion of Recife’s episcopal role. We are delighted that Bp. Robinson Cavalcanti is with us to mark this change. Here as elsewhere, oversight may end but our deep partnership in the gospel continues.

As archbishop I have articulated four areas that I believe need to become our distinctives:
1) that we know ourselves to be the beloved of Jesus;
2) that we become a people committed to personal holiness
3) that we understand our work as fore-runners of Jesus; and
4) that we are those who sacrifice for the sake of others.
Among other things, such distinctives would form us into a different people than we presently are. They would direct us in everything from our engagement with Islam to our embrace of the tithe. Seeing these distinctives is a great beginning. Embrace must follow.

The ordination of women to the presbyterate remains a matter that divides us. Despite the deep theological and ecclesiological divide we have remained committed to each other, and have honored each other as our Constitution envisions. The College of Bishops will have a morning (Friday) aimed at deeper understanding of the grounds of our divergent practice. Moreover, the GAFCON/FCA Primates Council has agreed to appointment of a theological task force to consider both the theological and structural issues that not only divide us, but also them. A healthy Church does not run away from its difficulties, nor does it act independently.

Global relationships among Anglican Provinces have also seen increasing regularization. The Anglican Church in North America is now recognized as the North American Province by the GAFCON/FCA Provinces and I, as archbishop and primate, am now seated on the Primates Council. More broadly, the representatives of twenty Provinces of the Global South, meeting at Singapore, declared the Anglican Church in North America to be “a faithful expression of Anglicanism,” to be their “gospel partners,” and expressed the hope that “all provinces will be in full communion with the clergy and people of the ACNA and Communion Partners.” The privilege of being celebrant of one of the eucharists of South-South Encounter IV was a sign of global affirmation of who we are and of the shared Faith and Order for which we have stood together. Even the General Synod of the Church of England has considered right relationship.

Ecumenical recognitions and conversations have developed far beyond those first signs given to us at Bedford by Metropolitan Jonah and Pastor Rick Warren fifty weeks ago. Our commitments to what Anglicans have always been committed to has translated into a general ecumenical assessment that we look like what Anglicans have always looked like, and doors are consequently opening everywhere.

All of this is the Lord’s work. He has built this House. We have cooperated, even in the hard things…perhaps especially in the hard things. May His grace for this never be absent from us.

Two symbols of all that we are becoming are symbols with which I would draw this “State of the Church” address to a close. These two symbols are also further evidence that it is the Lord who is building this House in these last fifty weeks.

One symbol is the place where we are meeting: All Saints Pro-Cathedral and Ministry Center, Amesbury, Massachusetts. As is obvious to all who are here this is a former Roman Catholic campus: church, school, convent, rectory. The old Episcopal parish lost its old Episcopal buildings, but this is so much bigger, and there is so much more possibility here. The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, like so many ecumenical allies, moved heaven and earth (as they say) to make this place available for homeless Anglicans. Similarly, that the mayor came here to welcome us should be lost on no one. The whole town is abuzz with what is happening at the new cathedral. This is also center for the Anglican Diocese in New England, not of New England. There has just been a big laudatory spread in the Boston Globe. Accountable to the Scriptures. Accountable to the Tradition. Accountable for Social Transformation. Boundless vision. All things new. This is the Anglican Church in North America.

The other symbol is Anglican 1000. A leader, David Roseberry, came forward after my investiture sermon fifty weeks ago, saying he would do whatever it takes to work with me to make the planting of 1000 new congregations in five years a reality. Christ Church Plano funded the first season of operation: website, conferences, administration, energy – more than $100,000 of investment by one congregation on behalf of all the rest of us. The Founders Fund goal for the year ahead is for the Province to fund Anglican 1000 at three times that cost. Vision, response, generosity, action. Anglican 1000 has turned out to be catalytic. Everybody is imaging congregational multiplication: little parishes, big parishes, young people, old people, Black people, White People, First Nation People, Asian People. It’s catalyzing our existing congregations. It’s catalyzing undergraduates on countless campuses. Fifty weeks ago I asked the Lord: “What should I say?” He said “1000 congregations.” The Lord is building the House. It is marvelous in our eyes. Let’s keep cooperating in His agenda. I’ll do my part. I know you will do yours.

Thanks for entrusting the mantle of leadership to me. Please be ceaseless in prayer.

Anglicans Cut Episcopalians from Ecumenical Bodies

2010-06-08T21:59:00.000-04:00

(AP)

LONDON — The Anglican Communion has suspended U.S. Episcopalians from serving on ecumenical bodies because of the election of a lesbian as a bishop in California.

The U.S. church opened a rift in the global communion, and within its own ranks, seven years ago by electing a gay man, V. Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire. Conservative African Anglicans have taken a lead in opposing moves in the United States and Canada to promote gays and to bless homosexual relationships.

Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, had called for a moratorium on appointing homosexuals to leadership positions. He asked for action against the Episcopal Church after the Rev. Canon Mary Glasspool was made an assistant bishop of Los Angeles.

The Anglican Communion is an association of 44 regional and national member churches, most founded by Church of England missionaries, with more than 80 million members in more than 160 countries.

The Rev. Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion, announced Monday that Episcopalians had been downgraded from members to consultants in formal ecumenical dialogues, annual meetings between Anglicans and clergy in other churches intended to build friendship and better understand one another's traditions and issues of mutual concern such as points of theology and ways of worshipping.

Kearon said he had also written to the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada to ask whether it has formally adopted a policy backing same-sex blessings.

The Canadian church's governing General Synod is meeting this week, and is discussing whether to debate a motion on the issue.

The Episcopal News Service said the Rev. Katherine Grieb, an Episcopal priest and professor of New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary, was downgraded from member to consultant to the Inter Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order.

Those who were stripped of membership in ecumenical dialogues, according to ENS, were the Rev. Thomas Ferguson and Assistant Bishop William Gregg of North Carolina, both involved in the Anglican-Orthodox Theological Dialogue; Bishop C. Franklin Brookhart of Montana had been a member of the Anglican-Methodist International Commission for Unity in Mission; and the Very Rev. William H. Petersen, professor of ecclesiastical and ecumenical history of Bexley Hall in Columbus, Ohio, who was serving on the Anglican-Lutheran International Commission.

Brookhart said the individual clergy members' opinions about the moratorium were not a factor in the archbishop's decision. Brookhart said he supports the moratorium, did not participate in Glasspool's consecration and that his policy has been not to authorize the blessing of same-sex couples.

"This is ironic, isn't it?" he said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Pentecost Letter

2010-05-28T14:53:00.001-04:00

Renewal in the Spirit

to the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful of the Anglican Communion

1. ‘They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak’ (Acts 2.4). At Pentecost, we celebrate the gift God gives us of being able to communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ in the various languages of the whole human world. The Gospel is not the property of any one group, any one culture or history, but is what God intends for the salvation of all who will listen and respond.

St Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is also what God gives us so that we can call God ‘Abba, Father’ (Rom. 8.15, Gal. 4.6). The Spirit is given not only so that we can speak to the world about God but so that we can speak to God in the words of his own beloved Son. The Good News we share is not just a story about Jesus but the possibility of living in and through the life of Jesus and praying his prayer to the Father.

And so the Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of ‘communion’ or fellowship (II Cor. 13.13). The Spirit allows us to recognise each other as part of the Body of Christ because we can hear in each other the voice of Jesus praying to the Father. We know, in the Spirit, that we who are baptised into Jesus Christ share one life; so that all the diversity of gifting and service in the Church can be seen as the work of one Spirit (I Cor. 12.4). In the Holy Eucharist, this unity in and through the self-offering of Jesus is reaffirmed and renewed as we pray for the Spirit to transform both the bread and wine and ‘ourselves, our souls and bodies’.

When the Church is living by the Spirit, what the world will see is a community of people who joyfully and gratefully hear the prayer of Jesus being offered in each other’s words and lives, and are able to recognise the one Christ working through human diversity. And if the world sees this, the Church is a true sign of hope in a world of bitter conflict and rivalry.

2. From the very first, as the New Testament makes plain, the Church has experienced division and internal hostilities. From the very first, the Church has had to repent of its failure to live fully in the light and truth of the Spirit. Jesus tells us in St John’s gospel that the Spirit of truth will ‘prove the world wrong’ in respect of sin and righteousness and judgement (Jn 16.8). But if the Spirit is leading us all further into the truth, the Spirit will convict the Church too of its wrongness and lead it into repentance. And if the Church is a community where we serve each other in the name of Christ, it is a community where we can and should call each other to repentance in the name of Christ and his Spirit – not to make the other feel inferior (because we all need to be called to repentance) but to remind them of the glory of Christ’s gift and the promise that we lose sight of when we fail in our common life as a Church.

Our Anglican fellowship continues to experience painful division, and the events of recent months have not brought us nearer to full reconciliation. There are still things being done that the representative bodies of the Communion have repeatedly pleaded should not be done; and this leads to recrimination, confusion and bitterness all round. It is clear that the official bodies of The Episcopal Church have felt in conscience that they cannot go along with what has been asked of them by others, and the consecration of Canon Mary Glasspool on May 15 has been a clear sign of this. And despite attempts to clarify the situation, activity across provincial boundaries still continues – equally dictated by what people have felt they must in conscience do. Some provinces have within them dioceses that are committed to policies that neither the province as a whole nor the Communion has sanctioned. In several places, not only in North America, Anglicans have not hesitated to involve the law courts in settling disputes, often at great expense and at the cost of the Church’s good name.

All are agreed that the disputes arising around these matters threaten to distract us from our main calling as Christ’s Church. The recent Global South encounter in Singapore articulated a strong and welcome plea for the priority of mission in the Communion; and in my own message to that meeting I prayed for a ‘new Pentecost’ for all of us. This is a good season of the year to pray earnestly for renewal in the Spirit, so that we may indeed do what God asks of us and let all people know that new and forgiven life in Christ is possible and that created men and women may by the Spirit’s power be given the amazing liberty to call God ‘Abba, Father!’

It is my own passionate hope that our discussion of the Anglican Covenant in its entirety will help us focus on that priority; the Covenant is nothing if not a tool for mission. I want to stress yet again that the Covenant is not envisaged as an instrument of control. And this is perhaps a good place to clarify that the place given in the final text to the Standing Committee of the Communion introduces no novelty: the Committee is identical to the former Joint Standing Committee, fully answerable in all matters to the ACC and the Primates; nor is there any intention to prevent the Primates in the group from meeting separately. The reference to the Standing Committee reflected widespread unease about leaving certain processes only to the ACC or only to the Primates.

But we are constantly reminded that the priorities of mission are experienced differently in different places, and that trying to communicate the Gospel in the diverse tongues of human beings can itself lead to misunderstandings and failures of communication between Christians. The sobering truth is that often our attempts to share the Gospel effectively in our own setting can create problems for those in other settings.

3. We are at a point in our common life where broken communications and fragile relationships have created a very mistrustful climate. This is not news. But many have a sense that the current risks are greater than ever. Although attitudes to human sexuality have been the presenting cause, I want to underline the fact that what has precipitated the current problem is not simply this issue but the widespread bewilderment and often hurt in different quarters that we have no way of making decisions together so that we are not compromised or undermined by what others are doing. We have not, in other words, found a way of shaping our consciences and convictions as a worldwide body. We have not fully received the Pentecostal gift of mutual understanding for common mission.

It may be said – quite understandably, in one way – that our societies and their assumptions are so diverse that we shall never be able to do this. Yet we are called to seek for mutual harmony and common purpose, and not to lose heart. If the truth of Christ is indeed ultimately one as we all believe, there should be a path of mutual respect and thankfulness that will hold us in union and help us grow in that truth.

Yet at the moment we face a dilemma. To maintain outward unity at a formal level while we are convinced that the divisions are not only deep but damaging to our local mission is not a good thing. Neither is it a good thing to break away from each other so dramatically that we no longer see Christ in each other and risk trying to create a church of the ‘perfect’ – people like us. It is significant that there are still very many in The Episcopal Church, bishops, clergy and faithful, who want to be aligned with the Communion’s general commitments and directions, such as those who identify as ‘Communion Partners’, who disagree strongly with recent decisions, yet want to remain in visible fellowship within TEC so far as they can. And, as has often been pointed out, there are things that Anglicans across the world need and want to do together for the care of God’s poor and vulnerable that can and do go on even when division over doctrine or discipline is sharp.

4. More and more, Anglicans are aware of living through a time of substantial transition, a time when the structures that have served us need reviewing and refreshing, perhaps radical changing, when the voice and witness in the Communion of Christians from the developing world is more articulate and creative than ever, and when the rapidity of social change in ‘developed’ nations leaves even some of the most faithful and traditional Christian communities uncertain where to draw the boundaries in controversial matters – not only sexuality but issues of bioethics, for example, or the complexities of morality in the financial world.

A time of transition, by definition, does not allow quick solutions to such questions, and it is a time when, ideally, we need more than ever to stay in conversation. As I have said many times before, whatever happens to our structures, we still need to preserve both working relationships and places for exchange and discussion. New vehicles for conversations across these boundaries are being developed with much energy.

But some decisions cannot be avoided. We began by thinking about Pentecost and the diverse peoples of the earth finding a common voice, recognising that each was speaking a truth recognised by all. However, when some part of that fellowship speaks in ways that others find hard to recognise, and that point in a significantly different direction from what others are saying, we cannot pretend there is no problem.

And when a province through its formal decision-making bodies or its House of Bishops as a body declines to accept requests or advice from the consultative organs of the Communion, it is very hard (as noted in my letter to the Communion last year after the General Convention of TEC) to see how members of that province can be placed in positions where they are required to represent the Communion as a whole. This affects both our ecumenical dialogues, where our partners (as they often say to us) need to know who it is they are talking to, and our internal faith-and-order related groups.

I am therefore proposing that, while these tensions remain unresolved, members of such provinces – provinces that have formally, through their Synod or House of Bishops, adopted policies that breach any of the moratoria requested by the Instruments of Communion and recently reaffirmed by the Standing Committee and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) – should not be participants in the ecumenical dialogues in which the Communion is formally engaged. I am further proposing that members of such provinces serving on IASCUFO should for the time being have the status only of consultants rather than full members. This is simply to confirm what the Communion as a whole has come to regard as the acceptable limits of diversity in its practice. It does not alter what has been said earlier by the Primates’ Meeting about the nature of the moratoria: the request for restraint does not necessarily imply that the issues involved are of equal weight but recognises that they are ‘central factors placing strains on our common life’, in the words of the Primates in 2007. Particular provinces will be contacted about the outworking of this in the near future.

I am aware that other bodies have responsibilities in questions concerned with faith and order, notably the Primates’ Meeting, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Standing Committee. The latter two are governed by constitutional provisions which cannot be overturned by any one person’s decision alone, and there will have to be further consultation as to how they are affected. I shall be inviting the views of all members of the Primates’ Meeting on the handling of these matters with a view to the agenda of the next scheduled meeting in January 2011.

5. In our dealings with other Christian communions, we do not seek to deny our diversity; but there is an obvious problem in putting forward representatives of the Communion who are consciously at odds with what the Communion has formally requested or stipulated. This does not seem fair to them or to our partners. In our dealings with each other, we need to be clear that conscientious decisions may be taken in good faith, even for what are held to be good theological or missional reasons, and yet have a cost when they move away from what is recognisable and acceptable within the Communion. Thus – to take a very different kind of example – there have been and there are Anglicans who have a strong conscientious objection to infant baptism. Their views deserve attention, respect and careful study, they should be engaged in serious dialogue – but it would be eccentric to place such people in a position where their view was implicitly acknowledged as one of a range of equally acceptable convictions, all of which could be taken as representatively Anglican.

Yet no-one should be celebrating such public recognition of divisions and everyone should be reflecting on how to rebuild relations and to move towards a more coherent Anglican identity (which does not mean an Anglican identity with no diversity, a point once again well made by the statement from the Singapore meeting). Some complain that we are condemned to endless meetings that achieve nothing. I believe that in fact we have too few meetings that allow proper mutual exploration. It may well be that such encounters need to take place in a completely different atmosphere from the official meetings of the Communion’s representative bodies, and this needs some imaginative thought and planning. Much work is already going into making this more possible.

But if we do conclude that some public marks of ‘distance’, as the Windsor Continuation Group put it, are unavoidable if our Communion bodies are not to be stripped of credibility and effectiveness, the least Christian thing we can do is to think that this absolves us from prayer and care for each other, or continuing efforts to make sense of each other.

We are praying for a new Pentecost for our Communion. That means above all a vast deepening of our capacity to receive the gift of being adopted sons and daughters of the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It means a deepened capacity to speak of Jesus Christ in the language of our context so that we are heard and the Gospel is made compelling and credible. And it also means a deepened capacity to love and nourish each other within Christ’s Body – especially to love and nourish, as well as to challenge, those whom Christ has given us as neighbours with whom we are in deep and painful dispute.

One remarkable symbol of promise for our Communion is the generous gift received by the Diocese of Jerusalem from His Majesty the King of Jordan, who has provided a site on the banks of the Jordan River, at the traditional site of Our Lord’s Baptism, for the construction of an Anglican church. Earlier this year, I had the privilege of blessing the foundation stone of this church and viewing the plans for its design. It will be a worthy witness at this historic site to the Anglican tradition, a sign of real hope for the long-suffering Christians of the region, and something around which the Communion should gather as a focus of common commitment in Christ and his Spirit. I hope that many in the Communion will give generous support to the project.

‘We have the mind of Christ’ says St Paul (I Cor. 2.16); and, as the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople has recently written, this means that we must have a ‘kenotic’, a self-emptying approach to each other in the Church. May the Spirit create this in us daily and lead us into that wholeness of truth which is only to be found in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus.

I wish you all God’s richest blessing at this season.

+Rowan Cantuar:

Lambeth Palace
Pentecost 2010

Archbishop of Canterbury imposes first sanctions on Anglican provinces over gay bishops dispute

2010-05-28T14:35:00.002-04:00

The Archbishop of Canterbury has imposed the first punishments on Anglican national churches judged to have inflamed tensions over homosexuality in the church.

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent, London Telegraph
Published: 4:03PM BST 28 May 2010

Dr Rowan Williams announced that provinces which had ignored his “pleading” for restraint would be banned from attending official discussions with other Christian denominations and prevented from voting on a key body on doctrine.
He admitted the 80 million-strong Anglican Communion was in a time of “substantial transition” but held back from taking the most serious step of expelling national churches from it.

His action, taken after years of patiently asking both conservatives and liberals to abide by agreed rules, will affect both sides in the dispute over whether the Bible permits openly homosexual clergy.

It has been triggered by the progressive Episcopal Church of the USA, which ordained its first lesbian bishop, the Rt Rev Mary Glasspool, earlier this month. The Episcopal Church also elected the first openly homosexual bishop in the Communion, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, in 2003.

But the move will also hit orthodox provinces in the developing world – known as the Global South – that reacted to the liberal innovations in America and Canada by taking conservative American clergy and congregations out of their national churches and giving them roles in Africa and South America. This has triggered bitter legal battles over the fate of church buildings.

The Anglican provinces found to have broken the “moratoria” - on ordaining homosexual clergy; blessing same-sex unions in church; and making “cross-border interventions” - will soon be sent letters telling them about the proposed punishment for straying from the Communion’s agreed positions.
This will involve them being asked to step down from formal ecumenical dialogues such as those with Orthodox Churches or the Roman Catholic Church, and being denied decision-making powers in the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order that handles questions of church doctrine and authority.

The heads of all the national Anglican churches, known as the Primates, will discuss the Archbishop’s plan at their next scheduled meeting in January. The provinces are also going through a lengthy process of establishing a “covenant” of agreed behaviour and consequences for those who break it.

Dr Williams wrote in a Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion, of which he is the spiritual head: “Our Anglican fellowship continues to experience painful division, and the events of recent months have not brought us nearer to full reconciliation. There are still things being done that the representative bodies of the Communion have repeatedly pleaded should not be done; and this leads to recrimination, confusion and bitterness all round.

“It is clear that the official bodies of The Episcopal Church have felt in conscience that they cannot go along with what has been asked of them by others, and the consecration of Canon Mary Glasspool on May 15 has been a clear sign of this. And despite attempts to clarify the situation, activity across provincial boundaries still continues - equally dictated by what people have felt they must in conscience do.

“I am therefore proposing that, while these tensions remain unresolved, members of such provinces - provinces that have formally, through their Synod or House of Bishops, adopted policies that breach any of the moratoria requested by the Instruments of Communion and recently reaffirmed by the Standing Committee and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) - should not be participants in the ecumenical dialogues in which the Communion is formally engaged. I am further proposing that members of such provinces serving on IASCUFO should for the time being have the status only of consultants rather than full members.”

It is the first time the Archbishop has imposed such sanctions on Anglican provinces. In 2005, Primates called on the Episcopal Church and its Canadian counterpart to "voluntarily withdraw" their representatives from a gathering of the Anglican Consultative Council in Nottingham. The churches still sent delegations and made presentations but did not officially participate.

When will Pentecost Come to Beaver?

2010-05-25T07:43:00.003-04:00

Sermon by Fr. Scott Homer
In the Name of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Most people would not describe me as a wild-eyed liberal or even a progressive. I am pretty conservative in most ways and so it might surpise you to know that I believe that one of the big challenges facing us is a certain dysfunctional unwillingness to embrace change. But I believe that God, especially through the agency of the Holy Spirit is always driving change in the lives of his people. Why would an unchanging God be so devoted to change in his people? Well, because we are not God. We don’t behave like God. We certainly don’t love like God. And most of us don’t even know God particularly well and that means that unless we change we will always be deficient, dysfunctional, and defiant. And so God is in favor of change in our lives—so much so that He sends the Holy Spirit—the great change Agent—to take up residence in our lives in order that we might be changed into the likeness of God’s Son Jesus. Pray for Pentecost in your life. Pray that the Holy Spirit comes over you with power and that our faith comes truly alive, truly driven by God.

There is a significant portion of the Beaver Valley that lives their lives adverse to change. This percentage of folks behave as if it is still 1960, Big Steel still provides a sound economic base for the people (or will again soon), as if Big Box stores have not permanently replaced Ma and Pa stores, as if drug and alcohol addiction are just incidental problems in America that afflict certain ethnic groups other than our own, and as if people everywhere still attend Church on Sunday morning seeking to obey the commandments. These people who live adverse to change seem to believe that the ideas that were dominant in 1960 were good, functional ideas that work as well today as they did then, and in a certain sick way its true. They didn’t work then and they don’t work now. Those ideas never really worked which is why things are no longer the way they were, but be that as it may, they act as if the world still ought to operate the way it did in the old days and of course, it doesn’t. The world has changed and the clock will never be set back. It is a new day, worse in some ways, better in other ways, but the clock will never be set back and if life in the Valley is going to improve it is going to improve because the people who live in the Valley are adapting today to the changes that are occuring today. Where things have gotten worse, working for positive change is the only hope for improvement. Where things have gotten better embracing the changes is the best plan but remaining committed to an old way of life that no longer exists traps us in a world where we are victims, continually frightened and perplexed by the things we see happening around us, and wondering whatever happened to the Good Old Days. If you keep doing what you are doing, you keep getting what you are getting.

I mention this as an illustration only because I am not here to talk politics. I am here to talk religion but the same rules apply. Change is inevitable, driven by God and by the world, and we are called to respond appropriately. In politics there are lots of possible responses but in God’s kingdom there is only one legimate response.

Today we celebrate the Day of Pentecost. It is a very old holiday with roots in ancient Hebrew culture. The disciples were celebrating the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit visited them with great power. The Holy Spirit actually took up residence in the disciples and as a consequence of the indwelling of God, they declared the mighty works of God to people from every imaginable background, in every imaginable language, even though they were uneducated. People divided by language and culture found themselves actually hearing the message the disciples were speaking in their own native tongue. They found they were listening to the Good News that the God loves them, cares for them, and is inviting them into an eternal relationship. The message was received by Jew and Gentile. It was received by free people and slaves and having heard the Good News in Jesus Christ, in their own native tongue, they came to believe. They were baptized and together they were united into the Church of God in Christ. Today, fifty days after the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Church was born. The Church was born not out of fond memories and not out of sterile ideas. The Church was born out of wind and fire, out of love and passion, out of the active working of God in the lives of all sorts of people. And the same Spirit, that moved through the disciples and into the lives of people all over the world continues to move today. Today God wants to see every person in the world reborn, every Christian reborn, every church reborn through the Spirit of Pentecost.

We aren’t the only people resistent to change. The disciples were still living like they were poor fisherman in Galilee. They seemed content to live in the past. They were ignoring the fact that the world around them had changed and that God was calling them into a new life. The didn’t seem to understand that the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus changed everything. They were adverse to change. ..until the Holy Spirit fell upon them on the day of Pentecost. Then they changed. Then they embraced the new day. Then they began to live out God’s call upon their lives, the call to be the living Body of Christ, to love one another, and to invite people from every tongue and tribe and nation to give their lives to Christ and to live as members of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. And my question this morning is, when will Pentecost come to Beaver?

I am praying that Pentecost will come to Beaver. Will you pray with me? The Bible says that the disciples were all together praying and we ought to be doing the same. Are you anticipating an inbreaking of the Holy Spirit in your life? Will you join with me in looking for it, hoping for it, searching for it. The Bible tells us that the disciples were looking for it. Jesus had told them that the Spirit was coming and although they didn’t quite know what that would look like or feel like, still they were anticipating the gift that Jesus had promised. Are you anxious to see what the Spirit will do in our midst? Are we actively seeking the Holy Spirit’s powerful presence or are we content to live in the past, adverse to change?

I have been praying for Pentecost in Beaver for three years now. Ever since I visited with the leadership here in the Spring of 2007 I have been praying that the Holy Spirit would come upon you with power, that acting in unity and love this church would experience the immense joy of declaring God’s mighty acts to the world around us, declaring His mighty acts, not acts that you have read about in books or heard about from preachers but the mighty acts of God that you are seeing and experiencing firsthand. I have prayed that you would experience the gifts of the Spirit, not primarily so that you might become better people, because that is never the primary reason that people receive gifts of the Spirit, but so that you can reveal Jesus to the world, so that you can show his power, so that they might know that God loves them, so that they might believe in the Christ.

For three years now I have been praying for Pentecost here in Beaver because when Pentecost comes, we are changed forever. The old is stripped away and the new comes. God’s kingdom really does come “on earth as it is in heaven.” God ceases to be academic, institutional, and inert. When Pentecost comes, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell—that is to say, God himself comes to dwell with us and in us. When Pentecost comes, we are overwhelmed by the overpowering love of God that washes over us and we know with certainty that God is indeed love and that he loves us! He loves you and me! And not as the world loves us but with a love that is so immense, so remarkeable that in his presence we are reduced to tears of joy and gratitude.

I have been praying for Pentecost in Beaver for three years now because I know that when Pentecost comes church ceases to be a duty and becomes a joy. When the Spirit comes studying the Bible ceases to be a burden and becomes a blessing. When we are overwhelmed by God’s love serving others flows naturally out of the love that is in us. God’s love in us is constantly recreating, restoring and renewing so that our service to others is merely an outflowing of the love we are experiencing. And on the Day of Pentecost we discover that our faith is the only thing that really matters, the only thing required of us. Will you pray for the Day of Pentecost in Beaver?

It is coming soon. In the Bible it says that there were signs that the Spirit was coming—the disciples heard the sound of wind. Wind is often used as a symbol for the Spirit. Remember in John chapter three Jesus said that the Spirit is like the wind? And so, the disciples hear wind—the Spirit is coming soon. And then the disciples see “tongues of fire.” Remember that John the Baptist describes the Spirit as fire but this fire is not a consuming heat, this Divine Fire is an all consuming love. Before the Spirit came and as the Spirit was coming there were signs that the Holy Spirit was coming soon and there are signs that the Spirit is coming to us soon. The wind of change is blowing all around us. We are seeing new people coming and using our space, and that can be a little unsettling. We might worry that our status is at risk, that these new people will destroy the things we love but not to worry. The Spirit will care for all of us, old and new. And there are signs that there is new fire and new vitality. The Spirit has begun to work in our hearts, begun the big thaw, begun to draw us out of ourselves and into the lives on one another, and into the lives of the commmunity around us. The Spirit has begun to loose our lips to declare his mighty works. The Spirit is showering our community with gifts of the Spirit and people are actually beginning to use those gifts for God’s glory and not the glory of men. The Day of Pentecost is coming soon. In fact, it just might be today.

Come Holy Spirit, come. Amen.

Reaching Out, What Would It Look Like, Take 2

2010-05-25T07:33:00.002-04:00

KAJIRE WELL PROJECT UPDATE
The people of the Kajire village in Kenya (the home village of Rev. Ferdinand M'bwangi, a past Trinity Church seminarian) are walking miles through the African desert in the wee hours of the morning to collect a couple of gallons of water for their use every day. They do not have clean, drinkable, potable, water... which is real concern and has life and death consequences as a result.

The people of Trinity Church, our family, and friends have been able to raise almost enough money to be able to have a borehole well drilled in the center of the village. This borehole well will provide the villagers with clean, drinkable, potable water. Water is life in this region of the world and what we are bringing to this village is just that... life... but life through our our Lord Jesus as we will ensure that the people of the village know that He is responsible for this well, that God is the source of all life and all things in heaven and on earth, and that only GOD has made this possible. Hopefully through this borehole well project, the people of the Kajire village will experience His awesome wonder and power. Hopefully, if they do not know GOD they will open their hearts to find His love.Thank you to all who have pledged money toward this project.

We have raised a total of $11,500 ($6,500 last week alone). We need an additional $3,500 in order to start the project. We are so close.... Please prayerfully consider supporting this project so that the people of the Kajire village, through our Lord Jesus, might be able to taste clean, drinkable water soon. If you have already pledged money toward this project, please make your check payable to Trinity Church and reference the Kajire Well Project. You may put your donation in the offering plate or deliver it to the church office. All donations need to be received by the church no later than Sunday, June 6, 2010.

For more information please see Father Scott or contact Geoff Taylor

Reaching Out, What Would that Look Like?

2010-05-25T07:27:00.003-04:00

Here is the weekly email sent by Canon Mary Hays to leadership of the Diocese. In it she publishes a response I sent to her and the Archbishop concerning who it is that God might be calling us to reach. --Scott+

Pittsburgh Advance
May 21, 2010

As most of you know, the Archbishop and I have asked clergy to consider this question in preparation for our meetings in district fellowships: “What "people group" would you most like to reach? (for example: skateboarders; soccer moms who hang out at starbucks; local prison; elderly apartment-bound; local college students; internationals or international students?) Why this group? What would it look like if God blessed your efforts of reaching this group? What obstacles are in the way? How could any of us help?” We have met with three districts so far, and I must say that our conversations have been some of the most interesting, exciting and challenging ever. Two weeks from now, when we’ve met with all of you, I’ll report to you some of the themes that have emerged from our conversations. This week’s Pittsburgh Advance includes some of my thoughts about the corporate dimension of our outreach and a reflection from Scott Homer’s (Trinity, Beaver) response to the question posed by the Archbishop.

THREE QUESTIONS AND A FOURTH ABOUT OUR OUTREACH
Who’s missing?
I think it is always worth walking (or even driving) around the neighborhood where your church building is situated and noticing the people you encounter. What do they look like? What color is their skin? What clothes do they wear? Then compare what you see with what you see in church on Sunday morning. A number of years ago, I was talking to a search committee about the fact that all of the vestry and all of the people in congregational pictures had white faces. “Is this because your neighborhood is all white?” I asked. They insisted that it was. A little later, my husband and I drove to the nearest convenience store. We were the only white faces in the store! These dear people hadn’t noticed what their neighborhood really looked like; they hadn’t seen the multitude of ethnicities that lived among them.

Who’s up front?
When my husband and I served our first parish in Connecticut, there was no one our age. Everyone in the congregation seemed to be a little younger than our parents – about the same age of the rector and his wife. Within six weeks of our arrival there were a number of young couples with young children. Now, I’d love to think that our wonderful personalities and vibrant preaching was the reason, but I think the real reason for this influx was the simple fact that young couples saw people “like them” up front and somehow felt welcomed as a result. A parish in Northern Virginia noticed that its African-American representation was much lower than the community’s 10%. As the staff discussed this, they noticed that none of their African-American members served on the vestry and none participated in the “upfront” lay leadership roles. The rector made a conscious effort to change this, and soon the population percentages matched up. St. Philip’s, Moon has a call to families and youth. Their worship leaders, who stand up front on stage, include teenagers, young parents and several “gray-hairs.” Not surprisingly, the congregation does, too.

Who does the music draw?
Our communications director, David Trautman, told me how his InterVarsity group in Florida was eager to attract black students to their large group gatherings. “We were successful at attracting black students to events which featured a black speaker, but the black students never seemed to stick around,” he told me. It wasn’t until they intentionally recruited black students to serve on their music team and incorporated contemporary gospel into their musical worship that they were able to keep these students coming back week after week. One parish started a service aimed at college students. They even offered dinner after the service, knowing that the campus dining hall was closed on weekends. Their “contemporary” music, however, would have been more suited to the tastes of college students during the early 1960’s. Interestingly, the service never included many college students.

What additions would you make to this list?

__________________________________________________

A Letter from The Rev. Scott Homer, Rector of Trinity Church in Beaver

Dear Friends,

During our times of clergy fellowships this month, the Archbishop has asked us to consider what people groups we might be called to reach. In considering this question, I came to the conclusion that the Lord is pointing Trinity, Beaver towards a ministry to one of the most isolated, most marginalized groups in America--the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled.

Over the last thirty or forty years, the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled have been increasingly separated out and isolated from any real family or religious community. While we work much harder to take care of their physical and material needs, their spiritual needs, their need for community have been ignored and in fact, exacerbated by creating special homes called "group homes." We pat ourselves on the back for providing for their physical needs even as we ignore and neglect them as members of our society. These folks need a church. They need a church family. They need Christian teaching and preaching but they are unlikely to get it because the people who could afford to provide it don't recognize it as important. So, that takes care of the who and the why, as well as some of the obstacle questions, but what about the vision aspect?

If God blessed our efforts we would be a blended community of rich and poor, mentally challenged and gifted, Christians loving one another in a community centered around worshipping God and reaching the world for Christ.

Pray for two very great challenges to this ministry: 1) funding, the financial resources necessary to serve a people group that is not self-supporting. 2) Pray for God's guidance around the secular social work platform that regulates the lives of this people group.

Mothers Modeling Christ

2010-05-11T15:31:00.002-04:00

Sermon, Mother’s Day 2010 Fr. Scott Homer

In the Name of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

I am about to preach a mothers day sermon. It will be my first. I have never preached a mothers day sermon before for at least two reasons. First, my job, as pastor and preacher, is not to make you feel good about secular holidays, no matter how good intentioned that holiday may be. My job is to make the gospel known in a way that you can receive it and apply it to your daily life. And so, I have always concluded that sermons catering to the holiday dujour abandon their primary purpose.

The second reason is a pastoral concern. Although many of us had good mothers who cared for us, and loved and nurtured us, that is by no means universal. Some of us had poor mothers. Some may even have been abandoned buy their mother. The truth is, no mother is good all the time and some mothers just arn’t very good most of the time—and so mothers day sermons that sing the praises of mothers as paragons of virtue may bring fond memories for some of us, they may puff some of us up but they will surely bring bitterness and resentments for others, or shame and remorse to still others.

I have decided to speak to mothers day today because I am convinced that when mothering is done well it more closely models the love of Jesus than just about any other human endeavor. Motherhood, like all other human endeavors, is an enterprise checkered with successes and failures, and yet when it is done well, it is characterized by self-sacrifice, suffering, kindness, compassion and humility. A woman determined to be a good mother becomes a practitioner of patient service for others and she spends her life assisting helpless children to become responsible adults—usually with very little fanfare or reward.

Let's begin with some jokes. One of the characteristics my mother had to demonstrate was the ability to patiently endure jokes. So here goes. I received this by email the other day. Here is a list of things only a mother can teach:

My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION:
"Just wait until your father gets home."

My Mother taught me about RECEIVING:
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My Mother taught me LOGIC:
"Because I said so, that's why."

My Mother taught me HUMOR:
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My Mother taught me about GENETICS:
"You're just like your father."

My Mother taught me about JUSTICE:
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you. Then you'll see what it's like."

My mother taught me RELIGION:
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL:
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

My mother taught me FORESIGHT:
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS:
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"

My mother taught me about WEATHER:
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."

My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE:
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION:
"Stop acting like your father!"

Now those are the jokes, but seriously, there are some priceless lessons we can learn from mothers:
My mother taught me about SERVANTHOOD:
She cooked my meals, cleaned my house, cared for me when I was well and when I was sick.

My mother taught me about SUFFERING:
She carried me, she suffered in childbirth, she worried about me countless times.

My mother taught me about PATIENT ENDURANCE:
She never gave up on me. She never tired of my nonsense. She never abandoned me, no matter how much I deserved to be abandoned.

My mother taught me about FORGIVENESS:
She overlooked my shortcomings. She did not hold a grudge when I hurt her feelings. She continued to care for me even when I acted badly.

My mother taught me about FAITH:
She taught me to pray. She showed me the love of Jesus. She modeled trust in God everyday.

My mother taught me about LOVE:
In John 15.13 Jesus describes true love. He says, 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” My mother laid down her life for me. She didn’t do it perfectly—far from it. She made mistakes. She sometimes acted selfishly but to the best of her ability she loved in the way Jesus teaches us all to love one another

And that is the message this mothers day. Jesus talks a great deal about love but he doesn’t just talk about it. He does it. He lays down his life for all the people of the world. He sacrifices his life in order to provide a better future for God’s children. And Jesus’ love is the reason we have gathered here this morning. It is the reason that we have hope. But we live some two thousand years after the birth of Christ. We read about it in a book. We are told about it in story but we have never had the opportunity to actually see Jesus’ love played out in the flesh, or have we?

I heard Scott Jessel quoting someone the other day. He said, “there are five Gospels really: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and your life. And your life is the only Gospel many folks are ever going to read.” If people are going to learn about true agape love, if they are going to see sacrifice and forgiveness and compassion and kindness and humility and service to others and associate those things with the love of Christ they are going to do it because they see it modeled to them. And the place where we see Christian love modeled most often and most accurately is in the behavior of good mothers. And this place is full of good mothers this morning—not perfect mothers, mothers that have made all sorts of mistakes—but mothers who have, to the best of their abilities devoted themselves to their children. Thank you all you moms who have modeled the love of Christ in the real nitty gritty of everyday life.

Dear God, Thank you for our Mothers! Thank you for the love and sacrifices that they have made in order to enable us to survive and to grow into the people we are today. We thank you for giving every mother a heart of love, a love that awakens her at her baby's first cries, a love that keeps her watching until her last child finally comes home! Thank You for our mothers, for their caring for us in our struggles, for their comforting us in our suffering, and for their joy when we succeed. Thank You for their hugs, their encouragement, and their faithful love.

Thank you, Father, for St. Mary, our heavenly mother, who supported Your Son in His hopes and dreams, stayed by His side in His devastating death, and rejoiced with Him in His triumphant Resurrection! Please protect and bless all our mothers with Your strength, Your joy, and Your undying love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

The Kajire Water Project Needs Your Help

2010-05-06T14:26:00.004-04:00

Can you imagine living in a place with no sink and no water faucet? Worse yet, can you imagine having to walk several miles and carry your day's water back to your home on your shoulders? for us this is a bad dream. For the people of Kajire, where our friend Ferdinand Mbwangi grew up, it is a daily reality.

Kajire is a poor rural village. There are two elemetary schools and one secondary school. A small dispensary is there for medical needs. Kajire is near a national wildlife preserve and it is not uncommon to see elephant, antelope, and even cheetah wandering nearby. There is a significant Christian presence in the village with about 6 Christian denominations represented.

Recently, great progress has been made in preparing for the water well. As many of you may know, The Reverend Ferdinand Mbwangi, the Kenyan priest who spent a couple years with us, while attending seminary here in the US, has been working to get water to his home village for a number of years. Our parish has committed to helping financially and in whatever other way possible.

Recently, a drilling company has been identified that is both trustworthy and substantially lower priced than some other alternatives. This brings the drilling project much closer to completion than we had thought. In fact, it looks like we are within about $2000. of being able to go ahead with it. Would you consider a special contribution in order to get water to this village?