The Gates of Hell, Equipping the Saints & The Red Door Church in 2016

ANNUAL RECTOR’S REPORT 2016

“The gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church, 

if it is the Church as Jesus defines the Church.”

2015 was my first full calendar year as the Rector of Christ Church, Delavan. And I believe it was a year filled with some incredible accomplishments. Thanks be to God.

In my second Annual Rector’s Report I’d like to share both where we’ve been in 2015 and where I believe the Lord is leading us in 2016.

2015 IN REVIEW

First, let’s celebrate 2015. Here a some highlights. In keeping with the 5 Purposes of the Church which we’ve focused on so much, we’ll do so purpose-by—purpose.

WORSHIP

• One of the greatest joys for me personally, and I think we’d all agree, is having the Red Door Kids serve on Third Sundays in the Sanctuary. They do such a great job and take such pride in serving the Lord. And I believe what we as the adults are communicating to them when they serve is “It’s your Church.” They are the future of the Christ Church Delavan. And theY’re an exciting and bright future indeed!
• Another worship highlight this year was our shared Palm Sunday Procession with our brothers and sister at The River Church. What an amazing witness our worship together has had in Delavan. 

DISCIPLESHIP

• I think our greatest growth area in 2015 was Discipleship. 
• One of the most significant pieces was the 1 Year Bible Reading Plan. This year the whole congregation read the entire Bible together cover-to-cover. Well done friends. 
• We launched Adult Ed. Hour this year which offered Going Deeper Classes twice for Membership, Baptism & Confirmation preparation, spent 18 Weeks Studying the Biblical Feasts this summer and now we’re in the Sermon of the Mount. 
• Women of Joy continues to offer a discipleship venue for our women. Thank you Susanne Nelson for your leadership.
• In December we launched our Men’s Bible Study. Amazing things happening in this group. More on that in moment.

FELLOWSHIP

• This Fall we launched The Red Door Coffee Meet & Greet. I believe this has made our Sunday morning experience, and our community, more “sticky”. It’s given visitors and regulars a reason, and a comfortable way to stick around after worship and hang out, talk and get to know one another. It also highlights our overseas Missions connection with Haiti. The Red Door Coffee Meet & Greet’s importance to the Mission of Christ Church is been tremendous and I’d like to thank the Eils and the Hoffmann’s for their leadership.

MINISTRY

• Our three Financial Peace University Class have helped 17 Households payoff $18,512 in debt and put $29,101 into savings…and that’s just during the 9 weeks they were in the class. That’s an average of $1,088.94 of debt paid of in 9 weeks and $1,711.82 put into savings in nine weeks…per household. Over half the households who attended this class are NOT members of Christ Church…yet.

MISSION & EVANGELISM

• On All Hallows Eve over 550 of our neighbors came through our Sanctuary. This year we moved the halloween decorations out of the Sanctuary and filled it with music, incense and vested prayer ministers so they could experience what it’s like when we worship on Sundays. And our prayer ministers prayed one-on-one with over 100 people. This is a great example of Christ Church taking something we’ve done for years and, with a little bit of tweaking, unleash even greater impact. 
• One of our greatest victories last year is this: we had 20 individuals join, or go deeper, at Christ Church. We welcomed 12 new members into our congregation that included 5 Baptisms, 5 Recommitments to Jesus Christ, 3 Confirmed and 3 Received by our Bishop. And 4 regular attenders became Members. 

OUR REACH IS EXPANDING

Everything I’ve just named is evidence that our reach is expanding. In addition to new Members, Baptisms and Confirmations we have people who spend time with us and are seeking us out as their Jesus Community. What do I mean?

• We have one young man who faithfully attends the Men’s Bible Study every week. God is meeting him through it. So much so that he invited his friend.
• Men from the neighborhood, non-attenders, have been volunteering at the Men’s Shelter with us.
• A local Men’s Bible Study asked if they could use the Red Doors as a place to meet and started recently.
• A group of young Moms reached out us to us seeking a place for their fitness class and have been with us for a few weeks.

PUSHING OUR FAITH OUTSIDE SUNDAY MORNING

What does this all communicate? At our Annual Meeting one year ago I shared my sense that in 2015 we needed to discern “what bridges we’re called to build between our congregation and our community.” I said that, “I believe that to reach people in the 21st century we have to be willing to push our faith outside of Sunday morning. Because Jesus never set out to make Church-attenders…he set out to make disciples. And where did Jesus primarily make disciples?” Outside of corporate worship services. I said “I believe this is the most important shift we’ll make in the years ahead…Because what you win people with is what you win them to.”  And if we win them to a relationship with Jesus, and ourselves, that has long-term sticking power.

That was my sense of what we we called to do in 2015. So did we do it? I believe we’re off to an excellent start. Because throughout Delavan people see the Red Doors as “their Church.” These folks land in a different place in what they mean by that:  everything from being a Baptized or Confirmed Member to a Seeker in the Men’s Bible Study to the young couple who got married, completed Financial Peace University and are volunteering to serve our congregation with their time, to people who simply needed a place to meet and picked us for their Bible Studies and Fitness Classes. We’re “their Church.”

We’re connecting. And we connect outside of Sunday morning worship 5 or 6 times more than we do inside it. And I believe that’s exactly what God wants us to do. Not that I would ever minimize the power and joy of Holy Eucharist, God forbid. But God wants us to have multiple on-ramps to Christ Church. Let me repeat that…multiple on-ramps to Christ Church.  

THANK YOU & WELL-DONE

These are all things to thank God for and to celebrate. And I want to thank you beloved Christ Church. You have created a place where these good things happen. And you’ve trusted my new leadership as we’ve done it together. Well done. And Thank You.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED IN 2016

So where do I see us needing to head in 2016?

First, finalizing our Mission Statement. We’re sooooooooo…close. But it’s not something to rush. It’s like a fine wine. “If it ain’t ready. It ain’t ready.” So my hope is that we can do some finishing work together and launch it on Easter. Stay tuned.

FACING THE TOUGH STUFF HONESTLY & TOGETHER

Second, and importantly, we need to be willing to talk about the tough stuff together. This past year I’ve sat on our diocesan Committee on Mission & Development. One of our tasks includes working with the struggling congregations of our Diocese who need financial assistance and help them assess how to move from life-support to health. It’s been heart-breaking for me during only one year on COMD to discuss the possibility of multiple Churches closing. And what causes me concern is that these are Churches just like Christ Church: over a hundred years old, in the same culture and similar geographic locations. And so I believe responsible leadership requires naming the elephant in the room. Taking about the tough stuff together. I’d rather have a conversation about some difficult things in 2016 while we’re OK than not talking about it and then wondering in 2026 if we’re going to be able to stay open. God forbid. I love our Lord Jesus, His Church and this congregation too much to let that happen in Delavan. 

There are two things I want to share that are difficult. 

First, our demographics. As of today Christ Church has 85 Members (plus about 15 regular attenders). 59 of our Members are over 50. 26 of our Members are under 50. What does this mean? It means that if nothing changes in our membership (no one under 50 leaves the Church and we don’t get any new Members) then in 20 years we’ll have about 26 Members left. So we’ll have 26 people here on a typical Sunday in 20 years if nothing changes. Those are the difficult “people numbers” we have to confront.

Then there are the financial numbers. Now let me be clear, in no way is this an appeal for anyone to give more. I think that, for the most part, you all are incredibly faithful and sacrificial in your giving. [As an aside: My personal practice as a priest is to not know what people give. I know what is given. But I don’t know “who gives what”]. My point is simply to share facts you may be unaware of but need to know.

Each year we rely on our Endowment to fund roughly half of our Budget: about $85,000 dollars a year. Sometimes a little more. We have just over a million dollars in the Endowment. So the simple math is this: our Endowment is gone in about fifteen years if nothing changes.

So in 15 to 20 years Christ Church could possibly be 26 people on Sunday with no Endowment. And at that point we would have to close. Now, we might say, “Oh we’ve been OK for 170 years. We’ll be fine. God will pull us through. He always has.” I believe that’s true as well. But there are two things we must consider before we can say that.

We’re in a different era in American Church History. Church attendance conservatively speaking has declined 10% every decade since the sixties and the decline is accelerating. Every year 4,000 Churches close. Only 1,000 are new Churches are planted. I’m proud to say that Tammy and I planted one of those 1,000 Churches in 2010. In a recent survey of 18 to 22 year olds who self-identify as Bible-believing Christians the majority saw no reason to affiliate with a Christian congregation. We need to give them a reason. Because they will, or won’t, be Christ Church in 20 years.

These statistics are the first thing we have to consider. The second is that Churches just like ours are closing in our own diocese. And I’m sure somewhere along the line these good people said, “We’ve been OK for over 100 years. We’ll be fine. God will pull us through. He always has.” And yet they still closed. So what happened?

THE GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST 

THE CHURCH…AS JESUS DEFINES CHURCH

Our Lord Jesus said He would build His Church and the gates of Hell will never prevail against it [Matthew 16:18]. And I believe that is 100% true. [Obviously, Jesus said it!] So why do Churches not prevail? Why do they close? 

Because the gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church as Jesus defines the Church. 

The gates of Hell can prevail against our own definition of the Church. The gates of Hell can prevail against Church the way we like it. The gates of Hell can prevail against Church the way we want it. And sometimes our definition of the Church and Jesus’ definition of the Church don’t line up. And when that happens, the gates of Hell can, and will, prevail against us. 

This is why it is so important that we always emphasize the 5 Purposes of the Church which Jesus gave us. Worship. Discipleship. Fellowship. Ministry. Mission. [see Matthew 22:36-40 & 28: 18-20].  Because when a congregation is focused upon these 5 Purposes and gives each of them equal attention; then, and only then, are they a Church as Jesus defines the Church. And I believe the reason that Churches in America today, and in our own diocese, are on life-support is because they begin to not focus on these 5 Purposes, or they don’t keep them equally balanced. 

And I want to be clear and say that when our sisters’ and brothers’ Churches are struggling or even have to close, I am not making a moral judgement on that. I am not saying “they did something wrong.” I have noticed a common thread, which is that they lost a focus on these 5 purposes or began to only focus on one or tow. And losing that focus or becoming imbalanced leads to losing our alignment with Jesus’ definition of the Church, and this leads to struggle. 

WILL WE WELCOME NAAMAN & THE WIDOW 

OR TRY TO THROW JESUS OFF A CLIFF?

In todays’s Gospel [Luke 4] Jesus goes from being praised after announcing His Mission to the crowd literally trying to toss him off a cliff. Whaaaat? Why? Because He said this, “The truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” Why did this make the crowd mad enough to kill Jesus? Because Jesus announces His Mission and then says that a Gentile widow and a Gentile leper military commander were the only two people God sent a prophet. Non-Jews. Outsiders. “Those people.” 

And if we want to fulfill the Mission of Jesus and have a future in Delavan we need to do the same. Welcome outsiders. Christ Church, and every Church, will live or die by how well we do this. 

TWO DEFINITIONS OF “WELCOME”

There are two definitions  in Church of what it means to welcome outsiders. 

The first one is “You’re welcome to come to our place, and do what we do, with our stuff, the way we like it, as long as we approve.” Now none of us actually says that. But we sure do behave that way sometimes. When we say things like “That’s my pew.” Or “We’ve never done it that way.” Or roll our eyes at a crying baby. Or not show up to _______ if we think “they” will. Welcoming people we like to do stuff our way is not welcome. 

Welcome means, “We want to make room for you to make this your place, and do what you do, with your stuff, they way you like it along with us.” Now, that doesn’t mean we compromise our core values or the Jesus’ definition of the Church. And it doesn’t mean we completely give up things we love too. But it means we’re going to have to let go. We’re going to have to let go of some of our preferences, and opinions, and  our “we’ve always done it that way”.  

The ironic thing is that it’s not high-level stuff where this gets up in our business. It’s often “stupid little things” like color choices, name tags, this song-or-that-song, do we use powdered creamer or half-and-half, real or fake flowers…you get the idea. We don’t typically have anxiety over things like “Jesus is God” or “God is Trinity” or “The Bible is God Word.“ [Thank God!] But sometimes we’ll throw the Rector off a cliff over whether or not we sang all the verses in my favorite hymn. Really?! C’mon! 

Welcoming outsiders means sacrifice. And Christ Church will live or die by how well we welcome outsiders. We need to be ready and willing to sacrifice things like our preferences, our schedule, our stuff and our opinions for the sake of our non-members. 

And the beautiful thing is that Christ Church is doing it. We’re welcome entire outsider groups to use our space, to serve alongside us, to study the Scriptures with us and to worship with us. I want to applaud this and encourage you to stay the course. This is one of the most hopeful signs for our future.

EQUIPPING THE SAINTS IN 2016

The last thing I want to share is about where where I believe the Lord is leading us in 2016. A Scripture He continues to bring to me is Ephesians 4:11-14:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,

 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children…

The job of Christian leadership is not to do everything. The job of Christian leadership is to “equip the saints”. That means each of us, “for the work of ministry.” And it also means that Christian leadership is diverse. It’s not that there are priests and then “everyone else.” With the priest doing everything and the laity holding out their hand.  “We must no longer be children.” Christian leadership includes Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. Those five ministries sound a lot like people who lead Worship. Discipleship. Fellowship. Ministry. and Mission. Don’t they? And there are people with leadership gifts like this here at Christ Church. I can’t do everything. You can’t do everything. But my job is to partner with the leadership of this Church to “equip you for the work of ministry” with the goal being that each of us reach “maturity…the full stature of Christ.” 

My emphasis this year is going to be developing our leadership over each of the 5 purposes here at Christ Church and providing opportunities for every member of Christ Church to “be equipped for the work of ministry.” 

The first of these opportunities which I hope you will all participate in is the School For The Lord’s Service during Sundays night in Lent.

The second is our Diocesan Leadership Day on February 27th. Dwight Zscheile will be talking about exactly the “tough stuff” I mentioned in this address:  how can we meet the culture as the Church in the 21st century? 

We have some challenges Christ Church. But they’re not unique to us. They’re challenges every Church is having to confront. But if we align our Mission, our Purposes and our definition of the Church with our Lord Jesus’ Mission, Purposes and definition of the Church, the gates of Hell will never prevail against us.

Glory to God. 

The Benedict Option

Before launching into this post a little background...
This is my original blog which I launched during my first year in seminary on April 26, 2007...eight years ago.  It's been dormant for quite some time. But I have thoughts I'd like to share and  don't want to clutter up the Red Door Diary, which is meant to be just that.  So this is where I have, and will resume; posting articles, sermons, prayers, book reviews, thoughts on culture, the Faith, coffee, beer, Wisconsin, whatever.

The oldest blogposts have lots of sweet stories about the Mancub when he was little. It's fun to read them and reminisce.

The title Gathering Life For Eternity comes from Fr. Alexander Schmemann's words here.

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I've been increasingly fascinated by "the Benedict Option" lately. Author Rod Dreher suggests that American culture is in a similar condition as the Roman Empire was in the 6th century:   crumbling from enculturaed narcissism and which had also crept into the Church. Benedict of Nursia created a way of being Church that withstood the cultural narcissism and preserved not only Christian Faith but things like farming and the arts as well. Scholars say that The Rule of St. Benedict is the greatest piece of Western literature after the Bible and that the 37,000 Benedictine monasteries throughout Europe are what saved and recovered European culture from the Dark Ages...so Benedict's kind of a big deal. Dreher suggests that we need a "new Benedict." I could go on explaining but you should hear it from the horse's mouth. Here's two talks by Dreher I've recently watched that I recommend if you're interested...

19 Minute Talk

1 Hour & 15 Minute Talk

Some of My Favorite Books

This list could be huge so I'm going to limit myself to twelve which have either impacted me the most or to which I frequently return (the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer are givens). In no particular order...

• Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright
• The bodily Resurrection of Jesus is at the center of everything in our Faith. The goal when we die is NOT to go to heaven. It is to be bodily resurrected and live in the new heavens and earth as a royal priest. Is your mind blown? Good. Read this book. 

• A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman
• Effective leaders are self-differentiated. Don't know what that means? That's why you should read this. Relationships are the name of the game. The best book on leadership and relationships I've ever read. I was introduced to this by then-Dean of Nashotah House, Bishop Ed Salmon, who invited our Senior Class to meet him at the local pub on Wednesday nights to discuss this and he'd buy the first round. Now how can you pass that up?

• The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
• The chapter titled the Grand Inquisitor is my favorite piece of literature. Dostoyevsky summarizes human sin, world history, politics, religion, greed, freedom-and-slavery all in one mythical conversation which is an exposition of Jesus' Temptation in the Wilderness. It's one thing to write compelling theology. It's masterful to turn that into great literature. 

• Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth E. Bailey
• A new favorite. I loathe what I call "Hallmark Card Christianity." A Christianity that is divorced from the culture in the which the Scriptures were written with its idioms, languages, religious and political systems, and values; and instead anachronistically imposes its own familiar culture onto what the Bible says. Centuries of heretical theology, not to mention bad art and music, have dominated much of Christianity because we impose our culture onto the Scriptures instead reading it in its own cultural setting. 
• Kenneth E. Bailey spent 40 years in the Middle East, mastering its languages, living among people who share the culture of the Bible (such as Bedouin shepherds) and studying the Judaism and early Christian Faith that are still alive and practiced the same way today in that part of the world. 
• He dispels many myths and paints a rich, truthful picture of the world of the Bible and what its content means. Reading the Bible in light of his wisdom is like the difference between watching the Andy Griffith Show in color instead of black-and-white. You've always known who Opie was, but how could you have gone all that time and not know he had red hair?

• The Ecclesiastical History of the Church of England by the Venerable Bede
• The Venerable Bede was an 8th century monk in England writing about "recent events." He describes how the Mission of the Church arrived and expanded throughout England. I especially love the account of St. Aidan of Lindisfarne: such a wonderful example for believers of how to be an Evangelist & Leader.  It's filled with colorful accounts of saints, miracles, preaching, healings, kings, sabotage, betrayal and the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in England. As a Church-planter, I've often said "Everything you need to know about Anglican Church-planting can be found in the Gospels and Acts, the Book of Common Prayer and Bede's History."

• For The Life Of The World by Alexander Schmemann
• (The book, not the recent film series). Father Alexander Schmemann, memory eternal, was a Russian Orthodox priest, author and dean of St. Vladimir's Seminary in New York. This book covers issues such as the secular vs. sacred, human-kind's vocation as royal priests, and the seamless relationship between the liturgical worship of Church within her sanctuary and her mission outside of it in the world. My entire theology of worship, liturgy and mission is informed by this book. 

• The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren
• Every Christian congregation exists to fulfill the Mission of Jesus through five purposes: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry and Mission. If a congregation is 1) not balanced in all five and 2) does not order it's life with, and on, purpose it will die on the vine. While I'm obviously not a Baptist / "Seeker-Church" guy, the biblical leadership principles and structures Warren lays out are universal and excellent. If you're congregation is struggling with health and/or growth, read this.
• Before I ever read this the principles in it are something Bishop William Godfrey, the Missionary Bishop of Peru, taught me. In 17 years he grew the Anglican Church of Peru from one congegration into four dioceses.  How? He balanced the purposes of the Church and he did it on purpose. Where did he find this? Not Rick Warren, but as he's said, "It's all right there in the Scriptures, the Canons and the Prayer Book." Bishop Godfrey is one of my greatest living heroes.

• The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
• I love all of Tolkien's work for the rich languages and cultures he creates as well as the themes of the most unlikely, weakest candidate being the one chosen to vanquish evil. I especially love the last few chapters of this book. After throwing the Ring into Mt. Doom, Frodo and Sam have a discussion about what it means to return home and how once you leave home you can never really return, because it's no longer the place it was when you left it. As someone who has lived in four different places and cultural settings in my adult life, this chapter has been a great comfort in different seasons. 

• The Orthodox Way by Kallistos Ware
• The best brief overview of the Christian Faith I've read (and I've pored over many as a pastor trying to find one great, brief volume). Deep yet accessible. He's writing from an Orthodox Christian perspective, obviously, but presents the universal truths of the Faith beautifully with a particular bent towards the development of one's interior life and prayer. His chapter on "God As Trinity" is the best explanation of the Trinity I've read.

• The Rule of St. Benedict by Benedict of Nursia
• Bishop Godfrey of Peru, whom I'm honored to call friend and grateful to call a mentor, says "Everything you need to know about pastoring can be found in The Rule." The first time he said this I wasn't sure I believed him. But once I spent some time actually pastoring I realized how right he is. I keep a copy in my choir stall in the Sanctuary now to read a chapter when I pray the Office. If you want to lead others like Jesus, study The Rule.

• Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
• I'm fascinated by organizsations that have become legendary doing only one thing well.  Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans makes one thing:  beignets. Apple makes one phone, one desktop and (essentially) one laptop. In 'N' Out only makes burgers.
• Simple Church talks about being focused, simple and clear about what your Mission is and then aligning everything you do around that. I think this is one of the most effective ways to lead an organization. 
• Know and articulate the singular reason you exist, align everything you do with that and get rid of the rest, and then measure if you're actually doing it or not on a regular basis.

Dostoevsky gets me blogging again

So, here's my first post in well over a year...
Back in September of 2008 my wife presented me with a cool old copy of Fyodor Dostoevsky's the Brothers Karamazov that she found at a garage sale. A decade earlier I had seen the film starring Yul Brynner and became captivated by the story. So fast-forward a decade to September 2008 and on my fist clergy retreat I began reading the Brothers Karamazov. And so I've reading it on and off the last couple years. It's amazing what a good story can do for the soul. And I've found the following lines from Dostoevsky so compelling I had to share them, so good it forced me to get back into the blogosphere(!). This is advise that one of the superiors of the monastery, Fr. Paissy, gives to the protagonist, the young monk, Alyosha:
"Remember young man, constantly" Father Paissy began without preface, "that the science of this world, which has become a great power, has, especially in the last century, analysed everything divine handed down to us in the holy books. After this cruel analysis, the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred of old. But they have only analysed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is astounding. Yet the whole still stands steadfast before their eyes, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Has it not lasted nineteen centuries, is it not stilll a living, a moving power in the individual soul and among the masses of the people? It dwells as unshakably as before in the souls of the very atheists, who have destroyed everything! For even those who have renounced Christianity and rebel against it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardour of their hearts has been able to create a higher image of man and of virtue than the image manifested by Christ of old. When it has been attempted, the result has been only grotesque."
Amazingly profound insight into the human condition. We keep trying to create a more exalted version of humankind; through medicine, science, education, politics, consumerism, philanthropy...and none of them change the human condition. We keep trying to sanitize the soul out of individuals and out of the masses. Political correctness requires it. But sanitizing the soul out of people leaves us with only a few dead-end options: "spirituality", consumerism or philanthropy. Spirituality without Christ is nothing more than "finding myself", and fankly I'd much rather actualize Jesus in my life than Joel, He's far better. Consumerism is merely shoving stuff into the same God-shaped hole. Or, full of good intentions we strive to serve others through our philanthropy. But even that, sans Christ, is bogus because philanthropy for its own sake seems to be 1) because it "makes me feel better about myself" and 2) has an aire of looking down one's nose at "those poor pitiful people" who need me to save them. Call me cynical, but in the American Suburbs I see exactly what Dostoevsky was talking about over 100 years ago here. When we try to invent an image an virtue of humankind without Jesus Christ the result is grotesque.

Nashotah House Peru Mission 2009

Check it out here: http://nashotahmissions.blogspot.com/

Sermon: John 1:1-7 ~ The Light Has Come to Shine Through Us

Preached at Light of Christ Anglican Fellowship (AMiA), Kenosha, WI on December 27th, 2009
The Light has come to shine through us. Merry Christmas! Here we are on the fourth day of Christmas. Anyone get four calling birds today? Three French hens? Well I mention this Carol because it drives home what is an often lost understanding in modern American culture: Christmas does not end on December 25th, it begins! It’s not a day but a season. Twelve days long. It is a time when we can immerse ourselves in the joyful reality that Jesus has come into the world! We’ve celebrated a season of anticipation and hope in Advent. A season where the Church historically prays "Maranatha!" or “Oh Lord, come!” And now we celebrate His arrival into the world. We have twelve days to immerse ourselves in the truth that the Light has come into the world in order to shine through us.
Today’s Gospel is very familiar to many of us I’m sure: “In the beginning was the Word…” It’s the great prologue to John’s Gospel. Why does the Gospel open with these words? Essentially what John is saying is that when it comes to Jesus “Let us begin at the beginning." And where else do we hear “In the beginning…” in the Scriptures? It is these words which begin God’s message to his people. The Scriptures begin at Genesis 1:1 with “In the beginning…” And John is very intentionally using that same phrase here to indicate that in that very same beginning...Jesus! It’s interesting to note a progression among the Gospels. Matthew starts Jesus’ genealogy with Abraham: the first Hebrew. Luke begins Jesus’ genealogy with Adam: the first man. But what does John begin with? Before the first Hebrew, before the man, before the Creation itself…Jesus.
John uses a unique description for Him too. The Word. Well what does this mean? Why does he call Jesus "the Word"? It comes from the Greek λογος which means “reason” or simply “word.” And the incredible thing about John’s use of this particular description for Jesus is that it communicates effectively to a number of different audiences. For the Greeks, like the Stoic philosophers, they would understand this to mean the principle of order that holds the universe together. So for the Greeks "λογος" means something. What about the Jews or the early Jewish-Christians? Throughout the Old Testament the “Word of God” is understood as the creative force. In the Creation account we have God speaking things into being, “Let there be ____, and there was _____.” The Word is also a message: “The Word of the Lord came to Isaiah” for example. So tied up in this description of Jesus as “the Word”, is this sense of the Creative Power and very essence of God and that which holds the universe together. This Word was with God at the Creation. And He is God.
An interesting thing to note is the parallel this passage of John’s Gospel has with the Nicene Creed. For example the phrase “Begotten not made” certainly is suggested when John begins with “in the beginning” as opposed to Matthew or Luke’s “starting with Adam…” or “starting with Abraham…” We also see it in “through Him all things were made."
What we seem to have in today's Gospel is John building for us the identity of Jesus. He is eternal. He was present in the beginning with God. He is God. He is the medium through which everything was created. And then we come to our next point which is also in the Creed.
Christ is Light. “Light from Light” as the Creed says. Or as our Gospel says “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness…” And this bursting forth of the Light is a wonderful hinge for us in our liturgical life together. We’ve come through Advent, a season of longing for the Light to come into the darkness of our world. With Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the Light. But the journey’s not over because we are moving towards the great Christian Feast of Light: the one from which we get our name (Light of Christ Anglican Fellowship). Epiphany. With Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the Light into the world. With Epiphany we celebrate the Light going forth into all the world.
This procession of the Light of the World into the world brings me to the next important section of today’s Gospel. John the Baptist. As I’ve reflected on John the Baptist it seems to me that, in the American Church, John the Baptist doesn’t get much attention. Two Sundays ago Fr. Eirik brought with him the three-paneled icon called a deisis which has Christ in the center with Mary on his right and John the Baptist on his left. In every Eastern Orthodox Church this deisis with John the Baptist is in the center of the Church, a beautiful wall before the altar. John the Baptist stands before millions of Christians throughout the world before millions of altars. So obviously certain Christian traditions think he’s a big deal. And I think we should too. Why? First, Jesus suggests that he’s the role-model of discipleship. “I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:28) It’s Jesus paradoxical way of exemplifying John in such a way as to urge us to follow his lead. Second, it’s rather remarkable that in a passage meant to explain who Jesus is that John comes up. Anyone else being mentioned at all seems exceptional to begin with, but then considering that someone is mentioned who might we expect? Mary? One of disciples? An angel? No, rather we find John the Baptist. Somehow, tied to the Light coming into the world is John the Baptist and his ministry. And it’s kind of funny because in this passage just when we think we’ve heard the last about John the Baptist, the John the Evangelist mentions him again in verse 15! It’s like he can’t stop talking about John the Baptist! So based upon Jesus, John the Evangelist and the Eastern Orthodox tradition we have good evidence that John’s a big deal.
So what do we see John the Baptist doing here? Why is he a big deal? He's bearing witness. He has one mission. “To bear witness to the Light, that all might believe through him.” The Light has come. And John knew that the reason the Light came was to shine through him. As he says later in the Gospel John the Baptist knew that “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30) We need to make John our example, our role-model. Just like the beautiful deisis in the Orthodox Churches we need to hold his example before us to remind us that the Light has come in order to shine through us.
In this sense we’re like a lamp. We’re meant to contain the Light of Christ so that He can shine though us. Our responsibility as people who celebrate the arrival of the infant Jesus, the Light of the World, is to let Him shine through us. And this has two key elements. First, we have to keep the lens clean in order for the Light which is in us to have its greatest effect. Secondly, we need to direct our light into the darkness. Like John, we need to bear witness to the Light. Jesus says about our Light, "Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:15-16)
Where are you called to bring the Light of Christ? Where am I called to bring the Light of Christ? Look at our relationships first. Our homes. Our families. Our coworkers or our classmates. Friends. Those people we do hobbies or sports with. Then move outward to our communities that we live in. Our State. The World. Henry Blackaby in his book Experiencing God has a great admonition. “Find out where God is at work and then join Him.” Where is God at work in your corner of the world? Pray about where you’re called and then bring the Light of Christ there.
And the Incarnation also informs where we bring the Light. Our Gospel says that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” God took on human flesh in order to live among us. And the word used for dwell here is the same word used in the Old Testament to describe when God would tabernacle Himself, when His glory would dwell, among His people. Another way to say this is “The Word took on flesh and His glory dwelt among us.”
I’d like to share an example of this theology of the Incarnation from our own Anglican history. In the 19th century in England a revival was occurring in the Church. This revival was known as the Oxford Movement and it has had lasting effects upon, and informs, how we worship today. So what was this revival all about? These Christians were rediscovering the treasures of the Early Church. And central to the foundation of the way the Early Church worshipped and did mission was their understanding of Incarnation, "the Word becoming flesh and His glory dwelling among us." God became matter. And because God became matter, “matter matters.” An early saint of the Church from the 7th century named John of Damascus has a wonderful quote I’d like to share:
"I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake, who willed to take his abode in matter; who worked out my salvation through matter. Never will I cease honoring the matter which wrought my salvation!"
The Incarnation, God’s taking on human flesh to dwell among us has dignified it. Jesus has “graced” matter by taking on matter. This is why we as Anglicans reverence the bread and the wine in the Eucharist, it’s why we find value in water and oil which has been set apart for blessing and healing. It’s why we value symbols like the Cross or the colors in the vestments that clergy wear. Not because these things have value in and of themselves but because they represent, they point to, the inner reality of the Incarnation. Christ's dignifying of matter.
Throughout the history of the Church these were important because of what they represented however at the time of the Oxford Movement this theology of the Incarnation had become weak. The Eucharist was celebrated with a small amount of reverence. Clergy didn't vest. Things such as candles, a Cross in Church or even making the sign of the Cross were considered scandalous. A priest could even get thrown in jail for using them. And the Oxford Movement brought back things like frequent celebration of the Eucharist, vestments, candles, etc. But not because they liked playing dress-up. They did this because they thought that matter mattered, because God said so in the Incarnation of His Son, and that worship ought to be beautiful. As the Psalmist says, “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” They wanted to bring the beauty of the Lord and His worship to the drab world of the slums of England.
This lack of “color” in worship common to their day was in some ways symbolic of the drabness that had entered the ministry as well. During this time, for most, going into the priesthood was a career move. The profession of a gentlemen, like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. It was motivated by a desire for income and prestige. The Oxford Movement reclaimed the priesthood and said it was a calling from God which one ought to abandon themselves to completely. Why? The Incarnation. Because Jesus abandoned Himselg completely to the Father's will for our sakes. And because the dignity which Christ brought to matter such as bread, wine, oil, water or symbol paled in comparison to the dignity Christ brought people. Christ’s Incarnation dignified and made present Himself in every human being and was present in "the least of these" in the slums. This was the era of Oliver Twist. Horrendous slums. Children working in factories. Hunger. Three and four families crammed into a small tenement with no heat. Filth in the streets. And it was in these poor that Christ was present. Just as Our Lord says in the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, “Whenever you did it to one of the least of these, you did it unto me.” These men and women went into the slums to abandon themselves to God's will and bring Christ and the beauty of His holiness to "the least of these."
Another tradition the Oxford Movement recovered was what's called reserving the sacrament in the tabernacle. The tabernacle is a special place to keep the bread of the Eucharist, which is a way to acknowledge Christ’s presence among us and focus our devotion towards Him. One of the defining statements of the Oxford Movement of our Anglican forebears was said by missionary bishop Frank Weston, “You cannot worship Jesus in the tabernacle if you do not pity Him in the slum.” And this drove these priests into the slums of London were they lived and died among the poor: risking cholera during epidemics to minister to people and bring beautiful worship to an otherwise drab world. They wanted to let the Light of Christ shine through them.
This theology of the Incarnation ought to motivate us as well. We cannot claim to honor Jesus in the Eucharist and not have compassion on Him in our neighbors, can we?
Christ is the Light who came into the world to shine through us. May we follow the example of our Anglican Forefathers and honor Jesus in the Sacraments and minister to Him in our neighbors. May we follow the mighty example of John the Baptist and bear witness to the Light. May we embrace the Light which has come and allow it to shine in and through us into the world. And may we make today’s Collect our prayer as we enter into the Celebration of the Incarnation: “Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives…” Amen.

Seminarian Humor from Yours Truly

Christmas Gift Ideas

OK...so I'm not trying to promote capitalistic visions of holiday $hopping. But the fact is, one of the ways we remember God's most incredible gift in His Son Jesus Christ's coming to earth, is by giving gifts to one another for His birthday. That said, I've added some links for Christmas Gift Suggestions in the left side column of my blog. This is all stuff I truly believe in and support: Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, some of my favorite Children's Books (including a few Christmas-specific titles) and Monk E Gifts which I just discovered.
Land of a Thousand Hills is absolutely one of the finest coffees I know of (and I'm a total coffee snob) and they're helping rebuild Rwanda and support Christian ministry with 30% (!) of their sales.
Monk E Gifts is a one-stop resource where numerous monasteries from all over the country who have a specific trade can sell their items. They have tons of cool stuff. I especially think the Spa Gift Basketts are a really nice idea but they have all kinds of chocolates, fruit cakes, music, you name it. Check it out. Your purchases help support real Outposts of Faith and Prayer which are doing good work for Jesus in the world.
Finally, Kid's Books. I love good kids books. And I'm especially a big fan of the lives of Saints for kids. Who better to have as role models than godly "superheroes"? These are some of favorites that I love to share with my Mancub, neices & nephews, god-children and other wee friends. An especially wonderful Christmas book is the story of the real St. Nicholas.
As I've said recently, if we must spend money, why not spend it in places that are doing good work in the world? And while I don't know what kind of charitable work Amazon is doing, they do bless me with a small percentage of your purchases and for that I thank you.
May you enjoy a blessed Advent and and glorious celebration of the birth of the Savior!

Wendell Berry

OK, so I feel a bit daft. I've just discovered Wendell Berry. How is it I've never come across him before? He is a champion of Crunchy Con sensibilities and...check this out...he was born, raised and lives in the same county my Grandma and Grandpa lived in Kentucky. He's from Newcastle and that's the big town we'd go into to grocery shop, etc when we visited my grandparents tobacco farm.
He's described as a defender of the family, traditional family farms, local economies and rural communities. He's written tons of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. He doesn't own a computer and hand-writes all his work which his wife then edits and types on a typewriter. He still farms and plows with draft horses instead of a tractor and uses an outhouse. (Not unlike my great-granfather in rural Kentucky in the 1960's). I can't wait to start reading his stuff.
I stumbled across his 17 rules for the healthy functioning of sustainable local communities. He summarizes ideals I've tried to live by for a long time. I'm preparing to dive into his Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community: Eight Essays and after that would like to check out What Are People For? I've listed his 17 rules here for you:

1. Always ask of any proposed change or innovation: What will this do to our community? How will this affect our common wealth.
2. Always include local nature - the land, the water, the air, the native creatures - within the membership of the community.
3. Always ask how local needs might be supplied from local sources, including the mutual help of neighbours.
4. Always supply local needs first (and only then think of exporting products - first to nearby cities, then to others).
5. Understand the ultimate unsoundness of the industrial doctrine of 'labour saving' if that implies poor work, unemployment, or any kind of pollution or contamination.
6. Develop properly scaled value-adding industries for local products to ensure that the community does not become merely a colony of national or global economy.
7. Develop small-scale industries and businesses to support the local farm and/or forest economy.
8. Strive to supply as much of the community's own energy as possible.
9. Strive to increase earnings (in whatever form) within the community for as long as possible before they are paid out.
10. Make sure that money paid into the local economy circulates within the community and decrease expenditures outside the community.
11. Make the community able to invest in itself by maintaining its properties, keeping itself clean (without dirtying some other place), caring for its old people, and teaching its children.
12. Sees that the old and young take care of one another. The young must learn from the old, not necessarily, and not always in school. There must be no institutionalised childcare and no homes for the aged. The community knows and remembers itself by the association of old and young.
13. Account for costs now conventionally hidden or externalised. Whenever possible, these must be debited against monetary income.
14. Looks into the possible uses of local currency, community-funded loan programmes, systems of barter, and the like.
15. Always be aware of the economic value of neighbourly acts. In our time, the costs of living are greatly increased by the loss of neighbourhood, which leaves people to face their calamities alone.
16. A rural community should always be acquainted and interconnected with community-minded people in nearby towns and cities.
17. A sustainable rural economy will depend on urban consumers loyal to local products. Therefore, we are talking about an economy that will always be more cooperative than competitive.

Monks Rock!

We have to spend money. Therefore it behooves us to be intentional about where we spend it. If you have to buy coffee, for example, why not buy it from a Land of A Thousand Hills which gives 30% of its profits to Rwandan widows and orphans and is helping create a local economy? You need to buy ink and toner for your computer printer? Why not buy them from Cistercian monks who use proceeds to help fund all kinds of wonderful ministries?
Ta Da! Meet Lasermonks! They're cheaper than Officemax, and as I said, you're both helping support a community of men who have committed their lives to prayer and serving Jesus and helping fund good stuff.

You can click here for there website. So next time you need toner, remember...Lasermonks!

Another great monastery is St. Benedict's Abbey in Bartonville, IL. They're friends of mine and I've done some retreats there. As you prepare to do some Christmas shopping, check out their gift shop (click here). They're a great bunch of guys and I'm very to commend them to you (I highly recommend the fruit-cake-in-a-jar and the hot sauce).

Sermon: Psalm 1 ~ Stand as Saints

Will we choose to stand firmly as a saint or slip away like a scoffer? There’s a quote which has recently become very dear to me. It comes from the Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, a Russian Orthodox priest and theologian who is a great source of inspiration in my walk with the Lord. If you’re not familiar with his Journals they’re wonderful reading and I highly recommended them to you. The quote is this…

Then how should one live? Gather life for eternity, which means to live life as
being eternal.

That is the picture the Psalmist is painting for us in Psalm 1. He is answering the question “How should one live?” Answer? Gather life for eternity. And eternity, this sense of permanence or stability is at the heart of this Psalm. We have two contrasting images. Eternity, permanence or stability on the one hand versus slipping away, a downward spiral or being blown away like chaff on the other.
Another image in Psalm 1 is that of a path. And the Psalmist seems to lay it before us as a choice. He gives these competing images as if to say, “Here are the two ultimate options for your life. Choose.” Interestingly he begins by presenting the negative imagery. “Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!” So he begins by saying what ought to be avoided in order to be happy, or blessed as other translations render it. And you’ll note an interesting pattern here. Those “who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful.” Walked. Lingered. Sat. It’s an incredibly insightful picture of how we can be seduced away from the Lord isn’t it? It’s not as though one day we are completely solid in our walk and the next we’re firmly planted in wickedness. No, it’s a process. And it begins when we’re willing to listen to the “counsel of the wicked”, to be influenced by those whose chief priority is not the Lord. Whether it’s friends, family, the things we listen to on the radio, watch on TV or movies, magazines we read. It’s sitting idly by and allowing those things which are not of the Lord to seep into our soul. This is entertaining the “counsel of the wicked” and we must avoid it. At this point, says the Psalmist, we’re still in motion, we’re walking. But then it degenerates into “lingering in the way of sinners”. We’re not just tolerating ungodly things, we’re spending time there. We’re hanging out there. And then finally we stop and make our home there. We “sit in the seat of the scornful.” Unlike “walking” or “lingering” which imply a passive toleration “to sit in the seat of the scornful” means to actively participate in the mockery of the sacred. We become a mocker, a scoffer. And this is why we have to be so careful to guard where we walk. To guard our path. And I think this is especially pertinent for the young adults among us. To be especially thoughtful about how you spend you’re time, who you spend it with, what you spend it doing.
I’d like to illustrate this with a story about two friends. When they were young men they met shortly after giving their lives to the Lord. They shared their joy in their newfound faith together, partnered in ministry together, shared their new families' lives together and for a number of years seemed to be on the same path. Both of them came from similar backgrounds, had similar struggles and (initially) similar levels of discipleship. Same kind of guys. Same path. You’d think they’d wind up at the same destination wouldn’t you? Sadly, this isn’t the case. Fast forward a decade and these two men, who had started at the same point on the same path, arrived at two very different destinations. One of them became an ordained minister in the Church. The other went through a bitter, painful divorce after succumbing to adultery; declaring bankruptcy and finally found himself hospitalized after alcohol, drug and gambling addictions nearly killed him. How did these two men arrive at such vastly different destinations? One of the key differences was the choice whether to guard their path or not. Again, same kind of guys, similar backgrounds, similar struggles, similar levels of discipleship, same starting point but two different destinations. One clearly identifiable difference was the choice “not to walk in the counsel of the wicked”. Not to allow oneself to receive influence from those things which are not of God. While it may seem like a small choice now not to associate with a certain individual, or avoid certain TV shows or movies, or music, or magazines, or places, or activities I can attest that a small choice not to avoid “the counsel of the wicked” now can lead to a trail of pain and brokenness years ahead. We must guard our path diligently. And I say this especially to you young people. Think carefully about how you spend you time and who you spend it with. It can change the entire course of your life. Because these choices will lead to one of two things. Standing among the saints, or slipping away with the scoffers.
So how do we stand among the saints? How do we gather life for eternity? As I said, first, we need to guard our path. This is our spiritual discipline of abstinence. But what is a discipline of engagement? The Psalmist sums it up with one phrase. “Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night.” This leads to the question, “What does it mean to delight in the law of the Lord?” Innately we all have some sense of what it means, but let’s unpack it a little.
Often when we think of “the Law of the Lord” what do we immediately think of? Rules. The Ten Commandents. The Law of Moses. The 613 mitzvot that pious Jews keep. That certainly is one definition. And we can broaden the scope to the Word of God, the Bible, the Old and New Testaments. To delight ourselves in the reading, studying, “marking and inwardly digesting” of God’s Word. This is very close to what the Psalmist is driving at here but it still comes up a bit short. What the Psalmist is driving at, that thing we ought to delight in, is the entirety of God’s divine will. One commentator summarizes it this way, “It is not merely study and intellectual awareness that bring divine favor. Study of the law is suggestive of the correct attitudes and behavior that should result from an awareness of and commitment to God's moral will.” Not merely study and intellectual but the correct attitude and behaviors that result from a commitment to God's moral will. One translation of this verse puts it this way “he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD's commands.” To delight in the Law of the Lord is to find pleasure in obedience to God’s will. Our greatest delight ought to be in the things of Him.
We ought to do some personal inventory and ask ourselves, “What is it that I delight in?” What are the ways that I find pleasure in obeying God’s will? What are some areas of life that I can work on this? And what are some things that need to go to make room for this?
The other half of this verse rounds it out for us. To “meditate on his law day and night.” So what does this mean? The original language carries the connotation of muttering to oneself, pondering, or speaking to oneself. So this means to speak to yourself God’s will day and night. I’m reminded of Paul’s exhortation in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing”. In the Eastern Orthodox Church one application of Paul’s exhortation here has been manifested in what’s called the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The book the Way of the Pilgrim describes a man who, after hearing the Epistle to the Thessalonians read in Church, wants to learn to pray without ceasing and so is instructed by his spiritual director to pray this prayer daily: first 1,000 times a day; then 3,000; 6,000 and so on. It sounds incredible. [It may beg the question: Is this what Jesus was speaking against in Matthew 6:7 when he says, “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words”? No! The key adjective is empty and to pray in the Name of the Lord in faith is never empty.] And as this pilgrim prayed this prayer it trained his mind and his heart to be in a state of constant awareness of, responsiveness to and communion with the Lord. He was meditating on God’s will day and night. So our prayers are one way we meditate on the Law of the Lord.
Another practical way to do this is to memorize the Scriptures and speak them to yourselves throughout the day. Memorize a Psalm. Memorize this Psalm! Μemorize the Beatitudes, the Ten Commandments, a short Epistle. [I suggest Jude!] Fill your mind and your heart with the Holy Scriptures and speak back them to yourselves, pray them to the Lord. Meditate upon Him. Day and night. One of the commentators I read has a great line, “An individual is formed by what one loves and reflects on continually. What delights us invades us.” To be invaded by our delight in the law of the Lord, invaded by our pleasure in obeying His will. What do we know about being invaded? Invaders take over. Isn’t it a wonderful thought to be completely taken over by pleasure in obeying the Lord?
So as we see, one of the hallmarks of the righteous person in this Psalm is consistency. Stability. To stand as a saint requires our consistency. And the Psalmist makes two very clear pictures for us of this. A fruitful tree and chaff blowing away. Why the image of a fruitful tree? Because a tree that is bearing fruit is fulfilling the purpose for which it was created. When we delight in the law of the Lord and meditate upon it day and night, we are fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. We are gathering life for eternity. We are standing firmly as a saint. May we cultivate the discipline of meditating on the law of the Lord, of finding pleasuring in obeying His will, of asking ourselves what we delight in, in guarding our path that we can be found like a tree planted by a stream of water, fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. Amen.

Deaconing with Bp. Godfrey

As those of you who read this blog know, I spent two weeks in Peru last January visiting the Anglican Diocese of Peru which is under the care of an incredibly inspiring father-in-God, Bishop William Godfrey. This week he was here at Nashotah House to received an honory Doctor of Divinity degree and then speak at our Missions Conference. The Missus, the Mancub and I had a lovely week hosting the Bishop, his wife Judith and their son Fr. Matt. And today I had the joy of serving as deacon for him at the Eucharist, my second ever diaconal liturgy. What a joy and a privilege!

the Ordination of a Deacon

Here's a quick photo-journal of my ordination on Thursday night.
The six ordinands, or "My six-pack" as our bishop has dubbed us, as we're processing into the Chapel clad solely in our white albs.
Standing before the bishop, seated in front of us, making our vows.
Prostrating ourselves before the altar as the Litany is prayed over us.
The bishop charges us with the responsibilities of our new ministry.
The bishop lays hands upon my head and prays, "Therefore, Father, through Jesus Christ your Son, give your Holy Spirit to Joel; fill him with grace and power, and make him a deacon in your Church."
I am then vested in a deacon's stole.
And then in a dalmatic.
The bishop then places a Bible upon my head and prays, "Receive this Bible as the sign of your authority to proclaim God’s Word and to assist in the ministration of his holy Sacraments."
We are then presented to the congregation as the six newest deacon's in Christ's Christ.
Here we are at the altar as the Eucharist is prepared.
Here we are processing out joyfully singing our Seminary Hymn, now clad in the stole and dalmatic of a deacon.

Our bishop with his "Six Pack" (and the two assisting priests and his chaplain in the back row).

The new deacon with his bishop, father-in-God, mentor, hero and friend.

Here's mancub helping Daddy clean-up after our reception. One of the jobs of a deacon, as outlined in the Acts of the Apostles, is to be a table server. Looks like the Mancub already has a handle on how to be a servant. Praise God!

Becoming a Deacon

So what is about to happen to me? And how do I feel about it ? Well, I'm terribly excited as this is the realization of many years of longing to serve Our Lord's Church in Holy Orders. I'm also humbled by the huge responsibility I'll be charged with which is best articulated in two places: St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy...

Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much
wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith
with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve
as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives1 likewise must be
dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons
each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own
households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for
themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. 1
Timothy 3:8-13

And in the Ordination Rite with which the Bishop will ordain me...

My brother, do you believe that you are truly called by God and his Church to the life and work of a deacon?
Answer I believe I am so called.

Bishop Do you now in the presence of the Church commit yourself to this trust and responsibility?

Answer I do.

Bishop Will you be guided by the pastoral direction and leadership of your bishop?

Answer I will.

Bishop Will you be faithful in prayer, and in the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures?

Answer I will.

Bishop Will you look for Christ in all others, being ready to help and serve those in need?

Answer I will.

Bishop Will you do your best to pattern your life and that of your family in accordance with the teachings of Christ, so that you may be a wholesome example to all people?

Answer I will.

Bishop Will you in all things seek not your glory but the glory of the Lord Christ?

Answer I will.

Bishop May the Lord by his grace uphold you in the service he lays upon you.

Answer Amen.

Please do pray for me, as well as the Missus and the Mancub as we prepare to serve the Lord and His Church in this new commitment. Glory to God for the wonderful privilege!

My Diaconal Ordination...Glory to God

God Willing and the People Consenting,
The Right Reverend Keith Lynn Ackerman, DD, SSC
Eigth Bishop of Quincy will ordain

David Morrison Adams, Jr.
Colin Moore Ambrose
Frank Rosser Dunaway, III
Joseph Robert Hermerding
Rodney Shane Hurst
Joel Allen Prather

To the Sacred Order of Deacons
In Christ’s One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

Thursday, the Twenty-third of October
In the year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Eight
At Five o’clock in the Evening

The Chapel of Saint Mary the Virgin
Nashotah House

Your prayers are requested

Thank You

As many of you know I just overhauled this blog. One of the things I've added is a counter to see how many folks actually visit and I'm shocked! Apparently I've already had 60 visitors since Oct. 1st. So if you're a regular visitor let me know by leaving a comment on a blog entry you enjoy, I'd love to hear from you.
Also, if you're an Amazon.com shopper and are not currently making purchases to benefit another organization would you consider using my links here? It doesn't cost anything extra and I get 4% of your purchase in Amazon gift certificates which I intend to use to build my pastoral library. Again, thanks to everyone who read this. I hope it's a blessing to you.

St. Francis of Assisi

Today the Church remembers one of my heroes, St. Francis of Assisi. In a sermon last year I had the privilege to speak of the things I find so inspiring about him. He was a man who deeply desired to be faithful to Jesus and to really live the Gospel. As a result he helped the Western Church find it's true love again and started a reformation that preceeded the Protestant Reformation by 300 years. He's most commonly remembered for his love of creation which I find unfortunate because this pales in comparison to his passion for deep intimacy with Jesus. Another little known fact is his desire to peacefully share Christ with Muslims, evidenced by his crossing enemy lines during the fifth crusade to preach the Gospel to the Sultan who was so impressed that he sent him away with gifts of fruit and ice!
Today I also remember the birthday of my Great Aunt Ida, may she rest in peace and rise in glory, and had the pleasure of spending a wonderful day with her son, my cousin Gordy, and his wife Anne: walking under newly changing leaves along the lake here, touring the chapels at the seminary, ringing the Angelus together (great fun!), going to the local gelateria (fruit? ice? who says gelato isn't a Franciscan devotion!) for gelato and espresso and sharing a dinner together around our table talking about our family, their numerous and wonderful recipes and their ancestral Italy over sausage and pasta. Truly a fitting way to celebrate Aunt Ida and St. Francis.

Escaping from Darkness to the Light of Love

So as I've mentioned previously I've been intending to read the Brothers Karamazov for way too long and finally begun last week. I'm not far along but am already struck by the depiction of one of the main characters, Alyosha, in Chapter 4. I find it a wonderful description of what living in the manner of Christ can look like:
He was simply an early lover of humanity, and that he adopted the monastic life was simply because at that time it struck him, so to say, as the ideal escape for his soul struggling from the darkness of worldly wickedness to the light of love...In his childhood and youth he was by no means expansive, and talked little indeed, but not from shyness or a sullen unsociability; quite the contrary, from something different, from a sort of inner preoccupation entirely personal and unconcerned with other people, but so important to him that he seemed, as it were, to forget others on account of it. But he was fond of people: he seemed throughout his life to put implicit trust in people: yet no one ever looked on him as a simpleton or naive person. There was something about him which made one feel at once (and it was so all his life afterwards) that he did not care to be a judge of others that he would never take it upon himself to criticise and would never condemn anyone for anything. He seemed, indeed, to accept everything without the least condemnation though often grieving bitterly: and this was so much so that no one could surprise or frighten him even in his earliest youth. Coming at twenty to his father's house, which was a very sink of filthy debauchery, he, chaste and pure as he was, simply withdrew in silence when to look on was unbearable, but without the slightest sign of contempt or condemnation....
Everyone, indeed, loved this young man wherever he went, and it was so from his earliest childhood. When he entered the household of his patron and benefactor, Yefim Petrovitch Polenov, he gained the hearts of all the family, so that they looked on him quite as their own child. Yet he entered the house at such a tender age that he could not have acted from design nor artfulness in winning affection. So that the gift of making himself loved directly and unconsciously was inherent in him, in his very nature, so to speak. It was the same at school, though he seemed to be just one of those children who are distrusted, sometimes ridiculed, and even disliked by their schoolfellows. He was dreamy, for instance, and rather solitary. From his earliest childhood he was fond of creeping into a corner to read, and yet he was a general favourite all the while he was at school. He was rarely playful or merry, but anyone could see at the first glance that this was not from any sullenness. On the contrary he was bright and good-tempered. He never tried to show off among his schoolfellows. Perhaps because of this, he was never afraid of anyone, yet the boys immediately understood that he was not proud of his fearlessness and seemed to be unaware that he was bold and courageous. He never resented an insult. It would happen that an hour after the offence he would address the offender or answer some question with as trustful and candid an expression as though nothing had happened between them. And it was not that he seemed to have forgotten or intentionally forgiven the affront, but simply that he did not regard it as an affront, and this completely conquered and captivated the boys...

New Blog Title

So I've changed the title of my blog. We'll see if it sticks. The original title "Revelation 4" was taken from my love of this Chapter of the New Testament and how it shapes and informs my worship and my orientation to the world and to Christ's Church. Nonetheless, it's ambiguous. So much of where my heart is at is concerned with how to disengage from the distractions we all face as we live in modern, media-glutted, consumer, over-achieving, Suburban America. So what do I think we're distracted from? Christ. Glory. Family. Virtue. Tranquility. Celebration. Joy. Life. So often we settle for cheap imitations. Schmemann's quote in my previous blog has been resounding in my heart all day and so we'll try it on for size as the new title to this blog. Regardless, I pray my reflections in this blog encourage those who read it to truly gather life for eternity.

Gather Life for Eternity

A great quote from the Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann dated Monday, September 23,1974:
Then how should one live? Gather life for eternity, which means to live life as being eternal. To sow perishable goods, so that "after" death they would rise up indestructable. But one can choose to live "gathering death," to live by "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16) which is already a torture, already death. One can choose to submit to daily bustle, to empty one's soul, to serve idols - a dead end - death...
It seems this is the question that Americans especially, and all people, have before us. Do we fill our soul's by gathering life for eternity or do we gather death by submitting to the daily bustle, serving idols?