Why do we encourage prayer for those who have died?

Recently a parishioner emailed me with the question "why do we pray for the repose of the dead?" This is a great question to ask.  The question about praying for the dead must be approached by reflecting on three doctrines of our faith:

1. The Resurrection of the body;
2. What do we mean by "death;"
3. What is the mystery of the Church.

The Resurrection of the Body

First, lets consider our faith in the Resurrection of our human flesh. God does not abandon our soul at the time of death.  He will assist us to see Him and enjoy His Presence after death. In the Old Testament Job believes:

"even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God..." (Job 19:26 and BCP 469).

We use this phrase in the Prayer Book Burial Office "though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God."

Man is composed of both "body and spirit." By "spirit" is meant our immortal soul. The human soul is created directly by God.  It is not a product of procreation, as our body is. These two aspects of "body and spirit" that make up man's "nature."  On the bodily side, we are of the same nature as the ground on which we walk and the air we breath, but on the spirit side, we share in the nature of the angels.  This is what it means being created in the "image and after the likeness" of God.  (Gen 1:26)

This is all beautifully stated in the Burial liturgy:

Thou only art immortal, the Creator and maker of mankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and unto earth shall we return. For so Thou didst ordain when Thou createdst me, saying, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” All we go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.  (BCP 482)

Our body will lie in "dust" but our immortal soul will sing out of the victory of Christ: "Alleluia."

What is death?
Our second part is we must understand what the Bible means by "death?"  Death occurs when our body and soul are separated. The soul gives life to our body.  When separation of body and soul occurs this is death. Our body rests from worldly labor and turmoil awaiting the General Resurrection. Our soul rests "sleeping in Christ." (1 Cor 15:18, Col 3:3), but our soul lives on, which means man lives on after death.

As we pray in the Proper Preface of the Burial liturgy: "life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared a place for us a dwelling place in the Heavens."

So death is not annihilation as many people (even some Christians) may assume.  In fact no one can choose annihilation, if in fact that is what they want as their "eternal future."  No matter what kind of life you now live, you shall live forever.  Man continues to live forever, even after death.  The question is where shall one spend eternity?  In Heaven or in Hell?

So why do we pray for the repose of the soul? We pray for them because, as we now understand, they are not annihilated or extinguished of life.  They are alive!  Just as you prayed for someone when they were still part of this world, so you still have reason to pray for them.  Life has changed for them, but it has not ended, and it never will. So for those who have died they benefit from your prayers now and you benefit from their prayers!
So what is the Church?
Third, let us look at an important aspect of the Church's spiritual life in Christ.  The Church is the communion of saints. We believe that the Church is a sacramental reality which may also be called the communion of saints.
 
The Church as a mystical reality transcends time and space.  This means we are united to all who live in Christ whether they are alive in this world (you and me) or they are asleep in Christ or have been fully received into Heaven as a Saint glorified.  The Church of Jesus Christ, the communion of saints is united in one head who is Jesus Christ and in sharing one Holy Spirit who is the soul of the Mystical Body.  The Church is a communion of saints that love and pray for one another and for the needs and the redemption of the world.  Why let death stand in the way???

We are Catholic Christians by Bishop Jack Leo Iker

The following article is written by Bishop Iker.  Please enjoy reading it.  Fr. Klein

In the previous article I refuted the allegation of our adversaries that this diocese has “left the Church and joined another denomination.”

On the contrary, we remain members of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is a global fellowship of Christians in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, sharing the same spiritual, sacramental, theological and liturgical heritage. This “fellowship” is described in the constitutions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, and the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, as Anglican. The term is synonymous with Episcopalian and the Diocese of Fort Worth has not ceased being that. We are, by virtue of our place in the Province of the Southern Cone, constituent members of the Anglican Communion.

So much for the claim that we have “joined another denomination.” But on further reflection we see that there is a basic fallacy in assuming that Anglicans are part of a denomination in the first place. We are not. We are members of the Catholic Church, not a denomination.

I invite us all to look beyond the surface level of our Anglican identity, with its temptation to denominationalism, and go back to our heritage as catholic Christians. In those same constitutional provisions that I quoted in the previous article, the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA, the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, and the Diocese of Fort Worth, all declare that we are a fellowship within, or a branch, of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, maintaining and propagating the faith and order of the historic Church throughout the ages.

This means that we are not members of a sectarian, Protestant denomination, but of the Catholic Church. Remember, the Church of England, which came to be known as Anglican, existed before the Reformation and traces its roots back to the Patristic age of the early Christian Church. This same Church, which predated the arrival of Augustine and his missionaries from Rome in the sixth century, is continuous with the Church of England that emerged from the sixteenth century Reformation. Reformed, yes, but not a new denomination; the Church of England still maintained the sacraments, creeds and holy orders of the undivided church of the early centuries, before the Great Schism of West and East in 1054.

Knowing this, Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffrey Fisher famously said, “We have no doctrine of our own. We only possess the Catholic doctrine of the Catholic Church enshrined in the Catholic Creeds, and these creeds we hold without addition or diminution. We stand firm on that rock.” And to that we might add that Anglicanism has no Scriptures of its own, no sacraments of its own, no holy orders of its own – just those of the Catholic Church that we have received. Fisher was right, as Anglicans we have no faith of our own.

Like the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, orthodox Anglicans uphold the historic faith and order of the undivided Church. We are nothing more nor less than Catholic Christians, seeking to be faithful to the teaching of the early Church Fathers and the great Ecumenical Councils of the first centuries of Christian witness. With St. Vincent of Lerins, we affirm that the Catholic faith is that which has been believed “everywhere, always, and by all.” Wherever you find departures from this given faith and received order, you will find sectarianism, heresy and error.

With this in mind, we understand that the divided and fractured nature of Anglicanism today has been caused by heretical innovations and departures from the Church’s historic faith and practice. Two Provinces are specially to blame – the Anglican Church of Canada and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA. It is our Christian duty to speak out and stand against the errors advocated by these Provinces because they lead others into falsehood and away from salvation. All this to say nothing of the fact that deviations from the historic teaching of the Church have led to a serious state of brokenness and impaired Communion throughout Anglicanism.

In the Diocese of Fort Worth we stand against that. Our commitment as an orthodox Anglican diocese is to the faith and order of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. We seek to do nothing other than maintain and propagate the faith once delivered to the saints, which is rooted in Holy Scriptures and one with the Apostolic Teaching of the ancient church.

Far from having joined a “different denomination,” we have remained faithful to the witness of the Catholic Church of the ages. With our Lord Jesus Christ, we too pray for an end to our divisions and for a restoration of visible unity of Catholic Christians, both East and West.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

Sermon: The First Sunday of Advent

The Theme of “journey”

Most of us know what it’s like to be on a lengthy journey.  We might remember when as kids when riding in the car we would ask all too often from the back seat… “are we almost there?”  The answer from the front seat was always the same… “soon.”  And we would press on mile after mile.

Even today, when taking a trip I become so caught up in trying to keep track of “where I am” during the journey that it’s hard to always judge how much distance still is ahead before I reach my the destination.

The People of the Old Covenant

The journey through Advent is a journey that started with the people of the Old Covenant, as they journeyed towards the redemption promised by God.  God was (and is) with them every step of the way.  He provided “signs” and “wonders” and voices of conscience through patriarchs, prophets, kings and priests.  These “signs and wonders and sacred words” were like “mile markers” we see posted alongside the highway.  Mile markers are there to help us gage how far we have traveled and how far we still must go before our destination is reached.

Yet, in spite of all the help God offered the people still did not know “the exact time” when their deliverance would come.  It seems to some that this is not really fair, yet God intended it to be that way.  He wants His people to learn to look “within” the signs and wonders and the sacred words for details that will keep both their theology and their faith developing.

God provided the people of the Old Covenant with wonderful clues.  For example, they knew that, at some divinely appointed time, the root of Jesse who blossom forth anew.  At some point a key would be found within a sign that would finally unlock the meaning of history and allow the past and the future to merge into the fulfillment of the perfect Day.

We know who this special "key" is.  The "key' was revealed by the Prophet Isaiah: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign.  Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and He shall be called Immanuel.”  (Is 7:14)

The Emergence of the Apostolic Church

From this sign of hope emerged the Apostolic Church. 

A person is baptized into this hope.  Hope becomes the Christian’s DNA, the essential ingredient of their Christian life; and this hope keeps them always looking forward and never just dwelling on the past.  Our faith is about God and His activity within history… within man.

For nearly 2000 years now, Christians have returned to this first Sunday of Advent, to reclaim the need to again look forward to the spiritual journey.

So we begin afresh, and again we follow the shepherds lead.  We are to imagine ourselves traveling with them, even in the dead of night, even when we see dimly or when the “mile markers and the signs” that God provides will pass by us all too quickly, even when it’s difficult to keep looking forward to what is uncertain, we must journey with the shepherds toward the light that God offers to help us know that we are on the right path.

The Lord’s Second Coming

When we plan a trip we believe at the outset that we shall reach our point of destination and return home safely.

We don’t plan a trip wondering if we will find our way to where we want to go.  We may be off a bit in planning or in timing, or in estimating the cost of the travel, but we certainly believe that we will arrive and return.

A principle theme of the season of Advent is the Church’s certitude of our Lord’s Second Coming.  But if our faith is a bit clouded in this area, and we spend not a great amount of time thinking about the return of Jesus Christ; the liturgy and the liturgical year is fiercely persistent in reminding us.

This is why on this morning by way of our Collect we offer an important Advent petition to God.  It is a petition seeking necessary grace to assist our fallen nature in casting off any and all spiritual darkness so that our soul and our intellect may breathe in only the grace-filled light that is Jesus Christ.

We need to ask God for all the help we can get; real help to rid ourselves of whatever impairs our spiritual vision and clouds our heart.

And the first step of help is helping us to learn that our spiritual vision and intuition is impaired by our fallen nature.

The Crib at Bethlehem

The eternal radiance emanating from the crib at Bethlehem is the Light of the world; it is the “true Light that enlightens every man.”  (Jn 1:9a)  This Light is Jesus Christ; and all who receive this Light, who believe in Him, they have found the source of power to become a child of God.

God intends for this Light to glow from the crib until all things have been made new.  It will glow through time so each generation can be drawn by the Holy Spirit to the crib; every person will be given an opportunity to look into the face of the infant Jesus and to bend their knee in homage to Him and declare that this Child is “my” Lord, “my” Savior, “my” God.

St John in his Gospel tells us that this Child has the power to make us a child of God.  (Jn 1:12)

As young children with a life and faith yet untainted by the spoils of the word, this homage to Christ is easy(ier).  Yet as we live on “in time” it is so easy to develop “spiritual cataracts.”

Spiritual cataracts and the healing of our spiritual eyes

Cataracts are usually not present in the beginning of a person’s life.  They usually form slowly over time and the result is cloudy vision.

It’s interesting, that in spite of our desire for good health, how often we put up with things, we easily compensate for weaknesses that we may have?  Instead of going to the doctor to be healed we just compensate.

It’s also sad when we find ourselves compensating for spiritual weaknesses too.  Instead of dealing with sin, we compensate and live with sin, we live with moral anomalies, we live with too much that is unnecessary, and yet we know were perfect healing lies.

Why do we do this?

What must happen???  What do we still “need” or be certain of before we are willing to stop compensating for spiritual weaknesses and dull spiritual vision and take the first step for healing and peace of mind???

Obviously the first step is the hardest one because it requires that we admit we are compensating and that we are only “making do” but what we really need is God’s help.  Once we acknowledge this our soul is open to the influence of grace.

We need grace because we need God.

The Collect

So let us look at the Collect for a moment.  It is composed in part from our Epistle reading from St. Paul’s encouraging words to the Church in Rome.

St. Paul said:

1.  Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
2. Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
3. [Rather, in place of such immoral behavior] let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom 13:12b-14)

What I want us to look at is verse 13 which reads “Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day.”

Variations of this verse 13 are:  "†Let us live decently, as in the light of day;"  (NJB) and "Let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day;" (NAB)  What’s being worked with here is the adverb εὐσχη-μόνως and it is often translated as “becomingly, or decently, or properly.”

By wanting us to behave “becomingly” or “properly” St. Paul wants us to understand that it’s through our daily life that we are literally teaching the Good News of Jesus Christ.

St. Francis of Assisi would remind his followers that “the way you live your life may be the only Gospel someone will read.”

This is a powerful thought.  Think about it.

Do we behave in a way that befits our redeemed life?

Is our lifestyle(s) a scandal to the Cross or does it witness to the power of the Cross to heal and change me from one degree of glory to the next?

The hour for us to stop compensating for sin has arrived!  St. Paul explains that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

Today is always the best time for an honest examination of conscience.  This alone will allow our soul to be ready to welcome Jesus when He comes.

This examination is using both sacramental confession and our developing the habit of making a daily spiritual inventory of our conscience.

This is very refreshing.  By taking an honest look at the “present moment” it’s like opening our eye to see clearly into the innermost recesses of our heart and ideas.  An honest look will discover potential deviations and conflicts that may rest within us.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine offers this wonderful testimony to the influence of grace.  He explains in his book Confession that this passage from Romans 13 “Let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day,” helped him to finally take the last step towards casting off the attachments of his former sinful life.  He writes:

I felt myself still enslaved by my iniquities, and I would groan to myself, “How long, Oh, Lord.. how long?  How long must I continue saying, Tomorrow, Oh, Lord… tomorrow.  Why not now?  Why not, at one instant, make an end of all uncleanness?

[…] And behold I heard a voice, like that of a child in the house next door, repeating in a sing-song tone, “Take up and read, Take up and read” […].  I rose up […] and returned to where I had left the book of the Apostle Paul; I took it quickly into my hand, opened it and read in silence the first passage on which my eye happened to fall.  I read no further, nor was there any need to; for with this sentence, “let us conduct ourselves becomingly, as in the day,” as by a clear and constant light infused into my heart, the darkness of all former doubts was immediately driven away.

When we ask God for help, His assistance will be found.  Augustine offers a wonderful example of how grace works with a prayerful heart and God’s word to move us away from struggles and defeat and allow us to see more clearly.

The Holy Spirit told St. Augustine that he need not wait until tomorrow to begin living a moral life, he only needed to want (to desire to live ‘becomingly’) to begin today!

But there’s more here.  St. Paul continues, “Let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day,”

What “day” is he referring to?  He is referring to the Day of our Lord’s Second coming; the “Day” when Jesus shall stand on this earth in bodily form; the “Day” when all tears shall be wiped away, and all things shall be made whole and all is at rest in God.  It will be when Heaven and earth are again joined.

St. Paul wants us to live today as though “The Great and Final Day” has already arrived!

Now that is a powerful thought!

Surely Jesus is with us now sacramentally. He is with us when we pray. But just consider how different you would behave if you could see our Lord… sit down with Him physical present… reach out and touch Him in the same way we reach out and touch one another.

Jesus remains for the present moment still behind the veil that separates time from eternity.  This is done to help us grow in faith and in love.

St. Paul explains to the Christians in Ephesus to “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”  (Ep 5:16)

Christians do not waste time… they redeem time.  Time is given to us as a gift so that we may know God more fully and love Him more deeply.  But there shall come a time when the veil is removed and time as we know it will end.

At that point we are either ready for what lies ahead or we are not.  At that point we shall face God and we shall give an account of the life that He gave us to live.

God will say, I made you in My Image and after My Likeness.  I breathed into you My breath of life.  I have provided for you in every way necessary and gave you so much more.  Now tell Me, what have you done with your life?

We can see how important daily examination of conscience and frequent use of the sacrament of confession is our help [and God’s grace] can help us stay focused and keep our life under the influence of grace.

Grace: A Sure Foundation

Now this brings me to my final point, and actually returns to the theme of grace.  As Christians, something we discover over time is that God’s grace can “work for us” in many different ways.

Our Collect reads: “Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light…”

But we could also say: Almighty God, give us a sure and certain foundation so that we have courage to cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the life of Jesus Christ …”

Jesus often uses the illustration of a foundation to point out that people often build their life upon different kinds of foundations; some on rock, some on sand, and even on what could be called “thin air.”

Jesus always concludes His illustration by saying that the only sure and certain foundation is God.

We know how true this is. We know how the “storms” we encounter in life will test how solid we have constructed our spiritual home.  Will our spiritual foundation withstand the gushing floodwaters and what seems like hurricane winds that hurl against us, against our family life, against our dreams and hopes and prayers?  We know how persistent and unrelenting Satan can be!

So our life must be built on Jesus Christ.  He alone is our hope, which means we build our life and dreams around Him and His will.  To say that Jesus is my hope and foundation is to strive to identify our will to His will.

When death comes we need to be able to say with a true and pure heart: “I have earnestly tried to seek to follow God’s will in everything!” If we have this conviction and peace residing daily in our soul we have nothing to fear. What matters is that we have loved and desired God’s will in preference to our own will.

Loving God is what gives us strength to carry on through the course of every day looking with hope and joy for the arrival of the final and great Day!

Amen

Have we joined a different denomination, by Bishop Jack Leo Iker

One of the allegations in the numerous lawsuits brought against us by the other side is the constant claim that “Iker left the Church and joined another denomination.” There are several problems with this, of course, beginning with the point that “the Church” is a much, much greater reality than the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (sometimes called TEC for short). Add to this the fact that it was the Diocese of Fort Worth that left TEC (by a vast 80% majority vote at two successive diocesan conventions), not just me as the Bishop. I don’t even have a vote at diocesan conventions! And the third, we did not vote to join another denomination, but to realign with another jurisdiction of the worldwide Anglican Communion – the Province of the Southern Cone. However you cut it, we are still Anglicans or Episcopalians – two different words used for the same denomination all over the world.

As you are aware, TEC is an autonomous Province of the Anglican Communion, as is the Province of the Southern Cone. All 38 Provinces of the Communion share a common Anglican heritage and officially recognize the holy orders and sacraments of all the other Provinces (that is, we are in communion with one another). Just as TEC has dioceses in Central and South America (Honduras, Central Ecuador, Litoral Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, and others), so does the Southern Cone have recognized dioceses in North America (San Joaquin, Quincy, Pittsburgh and Fort Worth). We did not join another denomination; we realigned with another Province of the Communion.

In Scotland, we are called Episcopalians. In England, we are called Anglicans. Likewise, in Canada, the term is Anglican, while in the States, the term is Episcopalian. All are members of the same church family, holding a common faith and order. In border areas of these countries, church signs often have the wording that says “Anglican/Episcopalian.” It means the same thing. Not long ago I saw the sign out front of St. James Church, Piccadilly, in London that used this exact phrase to describe their affiliation as a parish of the Church of England.

In addition, as you go around the world, you find that TEC is not the only Province calling itself The Episcopal Church. The name is used in the Sudan, the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, Scotland, Cuba, and the Philippines, just to name a few. It simply will not do for TEC to try to claim ownership and exclusive rights to the name “Episcopal”!

Denominational lines in Christendom are much wider than our adversaries seem to recognize. On a global basis, denominations are broad families of Christians who come from various historic traditions, based on common beliefs and practices. There are Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and so on, but within each of these groups there are a number of different jurisdictions. So let us say it once again: We have not joined another denomination, but remain part of the Anglican/Episcopalian denomination.

Let’s further illustrate this point by looking at some key legal, church documents pertaining to all of this. The Preamble of TEC’s Constitution says:

The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, otherwise known as The Episcopal Church (which name is hereby recognized as also designating the Church), is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a Fellowship within the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces, and regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.

Article I of our own Constitution of the Diocese of Fort Worth on “Anglican Identity” states:

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, a Fellowship within the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, consisting of those duly constituted Dioceses, Provinces and regional Churches in communion with the See of Canterbury, upholding and propagating the historic Faith and Order as set forth in the Old and New Testaments and expressed in the Book of Common Prayer.

The Province of the Southern Cone has a similar statement in its Constitution:

The Anglican Church of the Southern Cone is established as a Province of the Anglican Communion, a branch of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which professes the historic Faith and Order as contained in the Holy Scriptures, to conserve the Doctrine, Sacraments, Ministry and Discipline of the Anglican Church and as observed in the Book of Common Prayer and the administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies, in the form and manner of Consecration, Ordination or Institution of Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons and the Articles of Religion maintains the ecclesiastical unity of the Dioceses and Provinces legitimately established and that are in communion with the See of Canterbury.

Before the “recent unpleasantness,” clergy and laity transferred freely from one Province to the other – bishops included – as circumstances required. Since our realignment in 2008, we continue to use the same Prayer Book, and Hymnal, buildings and polity, just as we did before. Who we are has not changed! Many of our people still call themselves Episcopalians – just not the kind that follow the innovations of the General Convention Church.

The churches of this diocese assert that we have “left” no one. They remain member churches in union with the Bishop and Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, founded in 1982. All that our Diocese has done, acting by and through its duly constituted Annual Convention, is to amend our own Constitution and Canons in accordance with the procedures set forth in the governing documents of the Diocese.

And likewise, our diocesan church property has not gone and is not going anywhere! It remains in the name of the Diocesan Corporation, just as it has since the beginning, for the use of our congregations. The question being litigated right now is going to be whether TEC determines the identity of the persons elected to govern the Corporation and the Diocese, or whether this Diocese, pursuant to our Constitution and Canons, makes that determination.

It is clear from the above that both charity and truth require our adversaries to stop this silly little game of accusation that we “have left the Church.” Our time would be better spent praying for the unity of the Church of Jesus Christ than casting stones across our divisions.


The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

He led them on safely

I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment.2

Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.3  In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.4

They got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favor unto them.5  So didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.6

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.7  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.8
______________

1 Psa 78:53; 2 Pro 8:20; 3 Exo 23:20; 4 Isa 63:9; 5 Psa 44:3; 6 Isa 63:14; 7 Psa 5:8; 8 Psa 43:3,4;

Faithful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.1

I beseech you, ... brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.2 As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.3 In Christ Jesus neither circum-cision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.4

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.5 I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.6

______________

1 Col 1:10; 2 Rom 12:1,2; 3 Rom 6:19; 4 Gal 6:15,16; 5 Joh 15:8,16;

Os Guinness: The Christian Church and the Western World

Lausanne Congress - Cape Town 2010 - Os Guinness - Plenary Session

St Johns 1949 Video Modified

Your Prayers are Needed!!!!

To the clergy, convention delegates, Executive Council, and vestry members,

Well, we're headed back to court in Hood County on Thursday morning of this week, where Judge Walton once again has several motions to be heard from both sides. You may recall that this all has to do with The Episcopal Church trying to get its hands on a bequest left to St. Andrew's in Fort Worth. Your prayers are asked for attorney Shelby Sharpe, who represents our interests in this case, as well as for Lisa Jamieson and R.H. Wallace who are the attorneys for the parish.

Here are a few comments by Shelby regarding this hearing:

"On Thursday morning, September 2 at 9:00, the court in Granbury will have an opportunity to dismiss those parties affiliated with The Episcopal Church who are trying to get the trust proceeds that have been left in trust for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Pray that the court will see clearly the issues and have a heart to rule justly. Our opponents are trying to get a postponement of the motion that will knock them out for lack of standing to be in the suit. Pray that the court will not grant that motion.

"Additionally, our opponents are trying to get me and the attorneys for St. Andrew's disqualified claiming we have not been hired by persons in authority to hire us based on an incorrect reading of the opinion from the Fort Worth Court of Appeals that granted our motion to order the trial judge in Tarrant County to dismiss the pleadings of two opposing counsel who failed to prove they were hired by people who had authority to hire them.

"Lastly, the court will have an opportunity to end the litigation that day by ruling that St. Andrew's named in the trust is still entitled to continue to receive what was left to it in the trust."

St John's in 1948!

This is about 5 minutes of old movie film of St. John's Episcopal Church, Fort Worth, Texas. The film was found in the Parish Archives. It was filmed in 1948-1949. You will see the original Church built in 1925, the original Mitchell Hall and the first Rectory. You will also see Fr. John Leatherbury, Bishop Mason of Dallas, and Fr. Sherwin Clayton, former rector of St. John's; and the Leatherbury children, Hester, Tom and John. The film is in poor shape, and at one point there is a bit of slippage common to reel films.

Comments have been made on my Facebook (which I have also posted this video on) that the film seems to cover several seasons. Some parts have bare trees and other parts have trees in full bloom. To me, most likely it was made over a period of time. All we have on the reel is "1948 Installation." Also keep in mind that the original church was torn down in 1950 when the present sanctuary was built. You might also notice how College Avenue went through into Fairmont. It went uninterrupted to downtown. The original entrance of Dagget School faces what was College Avenue. This street was closed off I believe in the 1960's-70's. And of course caps for the choir ladies.... ah, the good old days! :)

The Voice of the early Church about 130 AD.

Here are quotations from an early Christian document "Mathetes - Epistle to Diogentus" which was written around 130 AD. Enjoy our early faith!

The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist in 155 A.D.

Here is a letter from St. Justin Martyr in 155 A.D. describing the weekly Christian liturgy of the Early Church. Anyone familiar with the service from our Book of Common Prayer and the Catholic Mass, and therefore the Eucharist, will immediately recognize that this is the way we worship.  It is the way of the early Christians and the way that Jesus Christ intends His Church to worship.  Enjoy the root of our liturgical life!

LOOK AT YOURSELF AFTER WATCHING THIS.mp4

The "Battlefield" called "Prayer."

Prayer is both a gift of grace that comes from God and it is a determined response on our part.  Prayer involves effort.  Every person of faith has learned in one way or another that prayer is a battle.  Who or what is the battle against?  We can find the answer to this question in the Prayer Book on page 302.  The battle is fought against:

• Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God...
• The evil powers of this world that corrupt and destroy man...
• And ourselves, our fallen nature and all our sinful desires that draw us away from God.

Prayer is first about putting our complete trust in God; in His grace and love.  This surrender is something we learn to do over the course of life.  We pray as we live, because we really live as we pray.  Praying and living go hand-in-hand.  The spiritual battles that we fight in order to grow deeper in grace and trust is fought on the battlefield we call prayer.

Heaven and the Four Last Things

The four weeks of Advent are often used as a time to preach about the beauty of Heaven and the “four last things.” On Christmas Day we affirm through the birth of Jesus Christ that although we are born under the confines of “time and space” we are meant to live for all eternity. Yes, every human being is destined to live always, either before the glory of the Beatific Vision of the Godhead; or to live with the loss of God forever.

Let’s talk about Heaven first!

What is the Beatific Vision? It is the direct seeing of the Holy Trinity, with nothing standing between the soul and God. It is called “beatific” because it will produce intense and lasting happiness, such as only God has the right to enjoy but that He shares with those who enter Heaven. Access is granted to those who have lived grace-filled lives on earth. St. Paul speaks of this anticipated joy to the Church in Corinth. He writes:

But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who truly love Him... (1Co 2:9)

Our faith propels us towards the beatific vision. Faith allows us to taste the sweetness of God in advance of the light of the promised beatific vision, which is the goal of our journey here on earth. In Heaven we shall see God "face to face", "as He is". (1 Cor 13:12; 1 Jn 3:2). So the exercise of our faith is already the beginning of eternal life.

St. Thomas Aquinas explains that “when we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy.”

Is there any real communication among the persons in Heaven? Simply put, yes! The angels and saints glorified communicate with one another. The ties of blood and friendship that we enjoy now on earth will continue into eternity. And of course, these relationships are now perfected and fully glorified. We shall enjoy the companionship of Christ in His humanity, along with the companionship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, angels and archangels, saints and all the company of Heaven.

So who are these persons in Heaven? For sure it will be so many that we know. And we speak of them in the Liturgy as “the angels and archangels and all the company of Heaven.” These are the dear persons who encountered death in faith and in a state of grace.

So what are the “four last things?

The four last things are what await every person, namely death, judgment, Heaven and hell. They have been called the four “last” things because they are the last things in our lives at the end of time and the beginning of eternity. Scripture reminds us that “

In everything you do, remember your end, and you will never sin.” (Eccles 7:40)

Occasional meditation on the four last things can help keep us focused on living a faithful Christian life.

The four last things help us more deeply appreciate the chance we have for the Beatific Vision of God. It reminds us that we shall enjoy not only God and the angels but also redeemed creation and creatures. It makes sense why St. John wrote, “… and I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them; He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:2-4)

Book TV: Stephen Meyer, "Signature in the Cell"

"... he who does the Will of My Father."

Jesus explains to His disciples that it is not enough to call Him Lord and yet refuse to obey Him.  In Matthew's Gospel Jesus explains this. 

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the Will of My Father who is in Heaven."  Matt 7:21-27

Jesus is speaking about yeilding daily to His Will and to God's design for life and creation.  Jesus knows the struggle and the fickled nature of the human heart.  He asked Peter three time "do you love Me" (Jn 21:15ff) because He knew how uncertain Peter could be.  It does one little good to say with their lips that they have "faith in Christ" and yet are unwilling to yeild their life to Him.

But in every area of our life we must find a real love for Jesus Christ.  In terms of money, time, talent... and yes, even in terms of our bodies.  St. Paul explains this in 1 Cor 6:18-20.

Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1Cor 6:18-20

Yes, we actually glorify God in our bodies.  What's more, our very body is the meeting ground where the culture of life and the culture of death interface.  Let us always choose life!  Deut 30:19,20.

Episcopal Church proponents suffer legal setback in Fort Worth

Please read the Bishop's comments on the Friday, June 25, 2010 Texas Second Court of Appeals ruling granting our Diocese's Petition for Writ of Mandamus instructing instructed the 141st District Court to modify its ruling of Sept. 16, 2009, to the effect that there cannot be a second Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth and a second Corporation of the diocese.

Here is the PDF link.

Texas Court of Appeals Decision

To the clergy, convention delegates, Executive Council, and vestry members,


We give thanks for the decision just issued by the Texas Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. The decision is posted on the diocesan Web site at http://www.fwepiscopal.org/downloads/CourtOfAppeals062510.pdf

A statement concerning the court's decision will be issued by Bishop Iker on Monday, June 28.

Suzanne Gill
Director of Communications
The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth

Completion and Truth

I have often said that God will waste nothing.  Everything in His created and spiritual order must be completed, it must "come true."  Jesus makes this point when He promised,

Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the  Prophets.  I have not come to destroy, but to fulfill.  For amen I say to you, til Heaven and Earth pass away, not one jot, or one tittle shall be lost from the Law till all things have been accomplished.  Matthew 5:17,18

Jesus explains here that all things shall "come true."  By using the notion of "all things accomplished" Jesus is speaking about reaching fruition and final purpose.  This is the meaning behind "till all things have been accomplished" that is until all things have reached their final and natural end in God.  The Greek verb translated as "accomplished" means to come into being, to come into fullness.  This can be illustrated in looking at man's life which is to have its perfect consummation and peace in God.  This is the theme of each of the Beatitudes.

Our earthly pilgrimage is time of grace and mercy which God offers to us to work out our earthly life in keeping with His divine plan.  This divine plan for man has been written deep in the human heart by the Holy Spirit; and Scripture acknowledges this by saying that man is created by God and for God; and our heavenly Father never ceases to draw every person to Himself.  The presence of the Cross is ever active achieving God's will of redemption for all persons.  Only in God will we find truth and lasting happiness.

In His parables Jesus compares our earthly life to fallow fields and relationships that must mend and mature and seeds that must be planted in order to grow into capable and sturdy shrubs giving shade to all.  Seeds must die to blossom, lessons must be heard first to be learned, and fields will be seeded and harvested.  God spoke at the beginning of Creation and He shall speak at the close of the age.  God is both Alpha and Omega, the first Word and the last Word, the author of love and of judgment and mercy.

So the completion that Jesus refers to, the "coming to furition" is both internal and external.  He explains that the internal completion is focused on becoming the person God made us to be.  This is the person God longs to love and in our heart of hearts we long to become.  Achieving this becoming is what Heaven is all about.  It is that place where the true and perfect reside.

This talk about things "coming true" is realizing how our basic desire for God is written in the depth of our heart, written in such a way that we know from within that we are created by God and for God and that He never ceases to draw us to Himself.  We must realize that only in God will our soul be at rest and there we find the truth and the happiness we never stop searching for.  Grace is the supernatural help God gives us to help us draw close to our vocation of becoming His adopted sons and daughters.

Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ means accepting the invitation to vocation to God's family, to live in conformity with His way of life: "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother, and sister, and mother." (Matt 12:50)

So, our dignity rests on the fact that we are made to live in intimate communion with God.  The Christian life is just this!  This vocation is initiated from the very moment we come into being in our mother's womb.  We "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) because God wills this through His love and by means of His eternal love He continues to hold us in existence. We cannot live fully according to truth and come into fullness and completion unless we freely acknowledge God's sustaining love and prayerfully entrust ourself to Him always.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Rosary, and other Marian teachings.

Fr. Klein will make a presentation to the St. Elizabeth's Guild on Thursday, July 8 at 10:30 am.  He will discuss the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in salvation history, the Holy Rosary and he will answer any questions one may have.

This is an invitation for you to join us.  Please come and learn about the greatest woman to has ever lived!

"And with thy spirit."

In the traditional call to prayer the priest bids the people, “The Lord be with you.”  And the people respond “And with thy spirit.”  What does the congregation mean in using these words (the same meaning is in the Rite 2 version “And also with you”)?  Why does the congregation address the priest’s “spirit”?

This phrase is found in Christian liturgy back to 215 AD!  One early example is from St. John Chrysostom (347-407), who was Bishop of Constantinople and a major theologian of early Christianity.  He addressed this liturgical phrase in a homily on Pentecost Sunday.  He said,

“If the Holy Spirit were not in our Bishop [he is referring to Bishop Flavian of Antioch d. 449 AD] when he gave the peace to all shortly before ascending to the Altar to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, you would not have replied to him all together, “And with thy spirit.”  This is why you reply with this expression not only when he ascends to the sanctuary, or when he preaches to you, or when he prays for you, but when he stands at the holy Altar, when he is about to offer this awesome sacrifice [the Holy Eucharist]. You don't partake of the offerings until he has prayed for you the grace from the Lord, and you have answered him, “And with thy spirit,” reminding yourselves by this reply that he [the priest or bishop] who is here does nothing of his own power, nor are the offered gifts [the bread and wine] the work of human nature, but it is the grace of the Holy Spirit present and hovering over all things which makes present to us the mystic sacrifice.”  [Comments are mine].

St. John Chrysostom teaches that this simple address “The Lord be with you, And with thy spirit” is a prayerful profession of faith.  The faith that is being confirmed here is that the bishop or priest by means of his ordination is uniquely configured to Christ and that he is offering the Holy Eucharist just as Christ intends, that is in Persona Christi, or "in the person of Christ" and never by his own resources or worthiness or anything else.

The charism given to the bishop and priest at ordination is given to reach out to each soul and through the words and actions of the celebrant Jesus Christ Himself consecrates and blesses the bread and wine into His very Body and Blood.

What is the basis of this sacramental faith?  It is Christ's own priestly ministry on earth, and the revealed fact that he associated men with Him to learn His teachings, acquire His spirit, receive sacred powers from Him in order to continue His work of salvation until the end of time.  "Behold, I will be with you to the end of the ages."  (Matt 28:20).  It's by means of the sacramental nature of the Church that Jesus makes this promise a reality.

So, when the people of God say, “And with thy spirit,” they are professing our theology of the sacrament of Holy Orders and how in the consecration of the man’s soul at ordination Jesus Christ places an indelible mark upon his soul and making him a priest forever!

The response, “And with thy spirit,” is a key phrase of our faith; it serves to remind us that the Holy Eucharist is not the peoples celebration but it is solely Christ’s Holy Eucharist, it is His gift of His very Body and Blood for the salvation of the world and for the spiritual nourishment and renewal of the people of God.  Fr. Klein

Join the Summer Family Choir

Now that our chancel choir is officially on vacation, the Summer Family Choir is officially in session.  All are invited to join, adults and kids.  No week night rehearsals, no vesting, and no processing.  Just show up at 8:45 am on Sunday morning to go over familiar hymns.  Join us.

EYC Garage Sale

Save the date and start saving your stuff!  St. John's EYC will hold their annual Labor Day Weekend garage sale on Friday, September 3rd.  We can start receiving donations beginning July 6.  Call the Parish Office or speak with Georgette Lopez-Aguado if you need something picked up.

Vacation Bible School

Our Vacation Bible School this year is title "Hey God, Let's Talk."  It's all about prayer and it's all about fun.  The schedule runs from June 28 to July 2, 9:00 am to Noon.   For more information speak with Kristy Leaseburg or email her at kristy-leaseburg@hotmail.com.

St. John's Parish BBQ

St. John's will hold a parish-wide barbecue in Mitchell Hall on Saturday evening, June 19 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Please sign up to bring a side dish.  The sign-up sheet is in Mitchell Hall or on the Bulletin Board in the kitchen.  Join us!

Wednesday Night BIble Study

We will complete our study of Exodus on Wednesday, May 26.  The Wednesday evening potluck and study will pick up again in the Fall.

Bishop Iker joins us for the Feast of Pentecost!

It will be indeed a blessing to welcome our bishop, the Right Reverend Jack Leo Iker to St. John's on Sunday, May 23, being the Feast of Pentecost.  At the 9:00 am service the bishop will preach, administer the Sacrament of Confirmation, and celebrate the Holy Eucharist.  The children's choir will provide some special music at the 9:00 am service. The bishop will be with us at the 11:15 am service to bless our new access ramp.  Please join us!

Tuesday, April 27 - Day of Fasting and Prayer.

The Diocese has been notified that the Texas Second Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments regarding our Petition for Writ of Mandamus at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 27. This is very encouraging news.

We will be represented in the hearing by the Hon. Scott Brister, who stepped down from the State Supreme Court last September in order to return to private practice. The court is located in Fort Worth on the ninth floor of the Tarrant County Justice Center.

Bishop Iker is calling all clergy and lay people of the Diocese to a day of fasting and prayer on the hearing date.

Attorneys representing plaintiffs have indicated that they will be seeking a postponement. If the court revises its schedule, we will announce the change.

All proceedings in the suit against us, which were under way in the 141st District Court, remain stayed until the appellate court issues a ruling. If the appellate court grants our Petition, the rival diocese and corporation will be removed as plaintiffs in the suit.

Please continue to pray for our legal team, for the 141st District Court, and for its judge, the Hon. John Chupp.

Daughters of the King Lenten Retreat

This year the DOK retreat at Camp Crucis will focus on methods of praying.  The address is 2875 Camp Crucis Court, Granbury, Texas 76048.

The retreat is February 26 to 28, 2010.  Registration runs from 4:00 to 6: 00 pm on Friday, Feb 26.

A parishioner of St. John's and Christian author Julie Cosgrove will lead the retreat from her book P.R.A.Y.I.N.G.  A copy of the book is included in the registration.  The following link will take you to the Retreat Schedule.  http://www.docstoc.com/docs/document-preview.aspx?doc_id=26418508

Growing Deeper in your Faith and Theology!

The Adult Inquirer's Program is geared to those who desire:

1. to be confirmed Anglican this Pentecost when Bishop Iker makes his Annual Visit to our parish this year on Pentecost Sunday at the 9:00 am service;
2. to learn more about the faith and customs of Anglicanism;

Fr. Klein encourages confirmed members of the Church to join us in the study as an excellent way to refresh your knowledge and understanding of the faith.

We will meet on Sunday afternoon following the 11:15 service and each session will run 60 to 90 minutes.  There will be a simple lunch provided.  Fr. Klein will be the instructor.  The dates are April 11, 18, 25; May 2, and 16.  We will not meet on May 9 as that Sunday is Mother's Day. 

"Inviting God into your Life"

Our Wednesday evening Lenten program this year is on prayer.  Fr. Klein will teach the prayer method called "the Examen Prayer."  This prayer method comes from St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Wednesday Evening Schedule

• 6:00 PM - The Holy Eucharist and Healing
• 6:30 to 7:00 PM - Lenten Dinner of soups, salad, bread
• 7:00 to 8:00 PM - "Inviting God into your Life."
• Nursery is from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

What is the Examen Prayer?  This is a five step prayer method.  The steps are:

1. We give thanks to God for the blessings of the day just lived;
2. We ask for grace to see and to overcome our failings;
3. We review the day using prayer to see our spiritual expereince/responses throughout the day;
4. We seek God's forgiveness where necessary;
5. We make a spiritual plan for the coming day.

This prayer method helps us to close the day and to acknowledge the presence of God during the day.  It can raise our level of awareness of God's daily life with us, and to our interior spiritual journey.

• Feb. 24 - Introduction to the prayer and the power of desire!
• Mar 3 -   Steps One and Two.
• Mar 10 - Steps Three and Four.
• Mar 17 - Step Five and Conclusion: talk on flexibility, prayer setting, identifying fruit of Examen prayer. Hand out prayer card.

At the conclusion of this program you will have learned a method of prayer that will help you keep the eyes of your heart open to the love and presence of God!  Join us.

Choir and Programs Cancelled tonight.

The following programs are canceled due to bad weather and driving conditions:

1. St. Elizabeth's Guild
2. Clergy Study Group
3. All choirs

See you Sunday!

The Rector's Annual Meeting Address

THE RECTOR’S ANNUAL MEETING REPORT
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
January 31, 2010

PARISH NECROLOGY
On this date, January 31, 2010, being the fourth Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord, I prayerfully open the 85th Annual Parish Meeting with a call to silence and to prayer.

Let us pray for those of our parish family who have gone to rest in Jesus over the past year. Let us pray:

O God of grace and glory, we remember before You this day our faithful departed: Romesh Algama, Richard Barr, Fr. William Belury, Archie Crow, Doug Dickerson, Ernest Knudsen, Alan McClellan, James Meyers, George Stuard, and Dennis Williamson. We thank You for giving them to us, their family and friends, to know and to love as companions on our earthly pilgrimage. They now have come to know the strength of Your presence and share in the fellowship of Your Saints. In Your boundless compassion, give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by Your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Good morning!
The Church of Jesus Christ is indeed a wonderful and a sacred mystery. We are privileged by God to be found worthy to share in His glorious work at the level and depth that we do.  Among all the descriptions of the Church that could be used for an illustration, I want to turn to St. Paul’s statement from Ephesians 1:23.  Paul writes that the Church is... Christ’s Body, the completion [or the fullness] of Him who Himself completes [or fills] all things everywhere. Eph 1:23

The Church is Christ’s Body: Jesus is living in and through the Church just as He promised: “and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Matt 28:20

The Church is the fullness of Christ on earth… Jesus explains: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” Jn 14:12

The Church enables creation to achieve its right and perfect end, which is to be a new creation in God and this is achieved by filling the universe with Jesus Christ.  This commentary by St. Paul on the mystery of the Church is a powerful reminder of our place within this great mystery and it’s an appropriate way to open our Annual Meeting.

St. Paul is pointing to Christ’s union with His Church and His deep love for her. Through the Church’s physical presence in the world and as a result of her worship and prayers our Lord is filling up “… the whole universe with His presence” (Eph 4:10b) extending to all creation the fruits of the Cross and the gift of Heaven. The Church eagerly waits for all of this to come to fruition (Rom 8:18-25) and she waits “…with patience.” (Rom 8:25b).

Can we be a patient people?
Patience here does not mean sitting still; rather it means active perseverance. The Greek means to not swerve from our deliberate purpose in mind but to remain loyal to faith [ie, to the “mind of Christ” 1Cor 2:16] and pray even at the high cost that calls for the greatest trials and sufferings.  Perseverance is what the parable of the vigilant steward is all about. Jesus said:

Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps burning. And be like those who are anticipating their master’s return from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. (Lk 12:35)

The word “anticipating” in this Parable means “to expect a promise to be fulfilled” and is often translated as “waiting for their master’s return.”  The Church is a community of faith that knows her Master and is joyfully waiting for His return in glory.

We know

1. He is always present under the elements of the Holy Communion. Christ gives us His Body and Blood so that “He may dwell in us and we in Him.” (BCP 1928p.81 and 1979 BCP p.336 and Jn 6:56 and 14:20);
2. Jesus does not refuse any one who seeks Him to know and to live His mind (Jn 6:37-40);
3. So... we remain loyal; our lamps are bright and getting brighter; we are growing grace-filled in holiness and we are calling others to join us in this life of grace; so we never stand still, but we keep moving forward in faith.

Let us not fool ourselves.  We are living in challenging times.
Having said all of this, yet we know that Christians are living in challenging times and even under death threats and persecutions. But the Church has always lived in such times. Being leaven and love in any culture at any time in history or even in the present day is a high calling. Of course we do expect things to be better. After all, for the last 2000 years Christianity has been much of the DNA of Western culture, and now Western society from Europe to North America is showing signs of permanent amnesia; forgetting its roots, its history, its identity.

Do you recall these words by Charles Dickens from his book, The Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way…

So we could say that we are living through the worst of times; at least for orthodox Christians because the whole world seems like it’s being turned upside down and falling rapidly upon us!  Whichever way we turn to avoid fallout we don’t see a readymade way to go. How do you escape from this craziness? It’s easy to be convinced that it’s impossible to escape, so what many Christians do is to barter with the culture to find some peace with the world.  This kind of despair is what the Tempter is looking for; the reaction he wants from us.

But it’s also the best of times. It is the best because in such hours of challenge the Church’s moral courage has never been found stronger. History shows that when we face the darkness with the Light of Christ, His Light turns fears and worries into hope, earthbound eyes are turned upward to eternity, man finds himself, and his soul is nourished in the mercy of God.

What it takes is for Christians to not swerving from the purposes God has given us, rather it means to pray earnestly even if the cost means we must face the greatest trials and sufferings.  This call to bring God’s Light to a darkened world is why Christ has chosen the Church to distribute His grace to all. The Church carries deep within her memory truth and the experience of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His holy Ascension into Heaven. (2 Cor 4:10,11)

We know how the truth of Christ has changed the world for the better and it has changed people’s lives for good! The Church is an earthenware vessel, fragile and ever so inadequate. But the fountain of God’s grace is found within her frail reality.

Our heavenly Father has entrusted the dispensing of His grace to the weakness and fragility of human freedom! By way of the Church through her worship and prayers and sacraments and sacrifices the Holy Spirit reaches out to a sinful and broken world to unite all things to the Father through Jesus Christ (Eph 1:10).   So we are living in the best of times; because it is God’s time. Every effort we make, through everything we do, in our worship and prayers, even the worries we endure and the sacrifices of our time, talent, and treasure; everything God uses for one purpose and that is to connect to one more soul.

The power of Christian Eucharistic worship and prayer.
We must never forget what power lies in our worship and prayers. The word “liturgy” comes from the Greek meaning “the work of a people.” The Church’s primary duty and labor is to worship Almighty God: to love Him, to adore Him and to pray.

God can do so much through us for the salvation of many people when we free ourselves to adore Him in worship and in prayer.  We gather on Sunday morning to labor with God and with His angelic workforce for the furthering of His Kingdom. The result of our liturgy and prayers is that somewhere in some place in the world someone’s eyes have been opened, stubborn hearts have been softened, searching questions find right answers, life is blessed, and souls find peace.

Just think of what this all means. It means that God liberates and heals and restores as we worship and pray. This is a very good way to open our Annual Meeting, to be reminded that we are a prayerful community that faithfully worships the Lord.

Worship
St. John’s is a worshiping community. We are blessed to have Alan and Vivian Potts with us. Each year our adult choirs, children’s choir, bell choir, seasonal music, VBS music, and more continue to do so well. We also have a growing number of parishioners who are starting to play instruments and this is very impressive to see.

Just remember, there is always room for another adult voice, or a child’s voice, or a bell ringer. Our 9:00 am service can use additional voices in the choir. Maybe you play an instrument and you would like to share your gift at worship. Please speak with Alan.

Prayer
As a parish we are learning to pray in many different ways.

DOK

The Divine Mercy Chapter of the Daughters of the King is one such way. Rarely will a day go by that a prayer need is not passed among them or that a praise report is not shared when prayer has been answered. The Chapter meets most every month. If you are interested in becoming a Daughter I encourage you to speak with Sarah Stringer or one of the Daughters (look for the Daughters Cross) and consider joining their Discernment Classes.  Also, one of our Daughters, Julie Cosgrove, has published her first book on prayer, titled P.R.A.Y.I.N.G. It is available from Julie or from amazon.com. Julie is the retreat leader for the Diocesan DOK retreat to be held February 26-28th. Any woman of the Diocese is invited to attend the retreat.

Prayer Chain

Martha Anderson along with Mary Sue Coffman takes care of our prayer chain. This prayer information is public. You can call or email Martha or Mary Sue any time with a prayer request or ask to receive their email updates of prayer needs.

Lenten Program “Inviting God into your Life: A Practical Guide for Prayer.”

I encourage you to attend our Wednesday Lenten program which I have titled Inviting God into your Life: A Practical Guide for Prayer. That is actually the title of one of the books I will be using for the program.  The “practical guide” is actually the Ignatian Prayer method called “the Examen Prayer.” The program will be on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm February 24, March 3, 10, and 17. By the end these four weeks you will have learned how to put five steps to work that will help you listen more attentively for God’s voice; how to listen more carefully for when your own “inner voice” may be speaking; and how to review your day in light of God’s presence, and more. You will even have a prayer card that Diane has made to keep with you to lead you reflectively through each of the steps.  Join me in Lent!

First Fridays – the Holy Eucharist and Praying the Rosary

Some years ago a few parishioners asked me to teach them how to pray the rosary. At first there were only a few of us so we had the joy of meeting in homes once a month to do this. In no time, the Lord blessed this prayer group, and we grew to the size that we needed to start meeting in the Lady Chapel. On any given month we have had as many as 25 and as few as 12 or more.

We meet on the first Friday of each month at 7:00 pm. We conclude usually before 8:00 pm and for those who are able we go out for a simple dinner and fellowship.  Though the rosary is practiced among Roman Catholics, it’s a mistake to think that only Roman Catholics pray the rosary. Christians of all traditions have discovered the power and the peace that this prayer and meditation offers.  Join us and discover the peace and help this prayer can give you.

Closing
In closing, there are so many people to acknowledge for their tireless efforts and support of this ministry.

In particular I want to thank my wife Diane for her labor in the office and for her support in every way; and Fr. Jeff and his wife Becca, for their enthusiasm and for Jeff’s willingness to join our pastoral team; and Allan and Vivan Potts who labor to offer to God through music the best worship in Fort Worth; and Kristy Leaseburg and Georgette Lopez-Aguado and all their teachers and helpers who labor with our ministry to the children and youth; for Richard Moseley and Gail Kleinschmidt; for Becky Tredennick and Carrie McCoy; for Dorothy Gregory, Charissa Christopher and Kathy King, for their dedicated service and sacrifices throughout the year.

I appreciate all of you, and everyone;

God bless,

Fr. Klein