The Success of the Cross

On the Cross, Christ saw love through to the end. For all the differences there may be between the accounts in the various Gospels, there is one point in common: Jesus died praying, and in the abyss of death He upheld the First Commandment and held on to the presence of God. Out of such a death springs this sacrament, the Holy Eucharist… Did Jesus fail? Success is definitely not one of the names of God and it is not Christian to have an eye to outward success or numbers. God’s paths are other than that. His success comes about through the Cross and is always found under that sign. The true witnesses to His authenticity, down through the centuries, are those who have accepted this sign, as their emblem…

What strengthens our faith, what remains constant, what give us hope, is the Church of the suffering. She stands, to the present day, as a sign that God exists and that man is not just a cesspit, but that he can be saved… The Church of the suffering gives credibility to Christ: she is God’s success in the world; the sign that gives us hope and courage; the sign from which still flows the power of life, which reaches beyond mere thoughts of success and which thereby purifies men and opens up for God a door into this world.

So let us be ready to hear the call of Jesus Christ, who achieved the great success of God on the Cross; He who, as the grain of wheat that died, has become fruitful down through all the centuries; the Tree of Life, in who even today men put their hope.

Intercessors, keep up the good work!

Our next target date is Thursday, October 15, 2009.  At that time the 141st District Court, with Judge John Chupp presiding will hear further arguments of the law suite filed against the Diocese of Fort Worth.

So now in the time to begin offering this up in prayer and fasting!

• Pray for God to continue to guide Judge John Chupp with right judgment and sound wisdom.
• Pray for the Diocese's lead attorney, Mr. Shelby Sharpe, that God will grant him peace of mind, and clear right judgment and sound wisdom.
• Pray for our Bishop and the leadership of our Diocese that they maintain perfect charity in all things.

Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Update on Litigation against the Diocese of Fort Worth, Sept 16, 2009.

The following is a copy of the Press Release provided by the Bishop's Office.

In a hearing today in the141st District Court, Judge John Chupp granted the Diocese partial relief under Rule 12 of the Texas code Rules of Civil Procedure. He ruled that attorneys Jonathan Nelson and Kathleen Wells do not represent the diocese or the corporation which have realigned under the Province of the Southern Cone. He denied a second aspect of Rule 12 relief which would have removed the plaintiffs’ diocese and corporation from the lawsuit filed April 14, 2009.

The judge also ruled that neither the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church nor the Constitution and Canons of this diocese prohibit withdrawal from TEC and realignment under another province. Further, he found that the Diocese had done so at its November 2008 annual convention, saying that “they [the members] took the diocese with them.” The action of the November convention was not, he said, ultra vires and void, as the suit’s plaintiffs have argued. He declared, too, that the Diocese had taken its property with it in realignment. He said he did not consider any court ruling concerning a realigning parish to be applicable in the present case, and he said that he considered it “self-serving on [the part of TEC] to say that [Bishop Iker] abandoned his job.”

The hearing on the Rule 12 motion began Wednesday, Sept. 9. At that time, the judge denied a motion for continuance filed by Nelson and Wells. Each party filed a supplemental written statement in the period between the first and second portions of the hearing. The statement submitted by attorney Shelby Sharpe is available on the diocesan Web site.

Commenting on today’s ruling, Bishop Iker said, “We are pleased that Judge Chupp has recognized the legitimacy of the vote of our Diocesan Convention in November 2008 to withdraw from the General Convention of The Episcopal Church and has ruled that we had the legal right to amend our Constitution in order to do so. This a positive step in support of the position we have taken. We will continue to keep our concerns before the Lord in prayer.”

The date for a further hearing to take up the remaining Motion for Leave to File a Third-Party Petition will be set shortly. A date of October 15 has been set to hear the plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgement.

Keep your prayers and fasting going!

A hearing was started last week and will continue Wednesday, September 16 before Judge John Chupp in the 141st District Court in Tarrant County.  Please keep our Bishop and our diocesan family close in prayer.  Also pray for Shelby Sharpe, our attorney.

Let us pray:
Almighty God, who sittest on the throne judging right: We humbly beseech thee to bless the courts of justice and the magistrates of this land, especially the 141st District Court in Fort Worth, the Honorable John Chupp, presiding; and give unto them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, that they may discern the truth, and impartially administer the law in the fear of thee alone: And we most humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, to send down upon our attorney Shelby Sharpe the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose he may faithfully serve thee in the representation of the people of this diocese; through him who shall come to judge the quick and the dead and the world by fire, even Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.