Trinity Anglican Parish

April Parish Newsletter

The Rector’s Reflections

Resurrection from Sin 

According to St. John, Mary Magdalene was the first to see that Christ’s tomb was empty.  She was also the first to see Christ although she didn’t recognize him at that point.  You might think it would have been His blessed Mother, or the head of His infant Church, or the beloved Disciple.  But instead it was a woman who had fallen as low as a woman can fall.

There are no accidents in Holy Scripture.  Surely the selection of Mary Magdalene for such an honor must have special meaning.  It teaches us that there is no sin from which there cannot be resurrection, no height to which even the greatest sinners cannot rise.  That is what God’s mercy and forgiveness means.  It is not parole;  our prior sins are absolved from the record.  Mary Magdalene was not only lifted from her life of sin to one of comparative goodness, but she became the special friend of the Savior.

Mary’s life is an inspiration for every sinner.  It shows how powerful God’s grace can be in overcoming sin.  No habit of sinning is too strong for grace to conquer.  Like many today, Mary had adopted a lifestyle that was a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Our habits translate suggestions into action without a conscious analysis of the consequences.  We surround ourselves with a circle of companions that reinforce those habits and make continuation of our sins almost impossible to resist.  It is very difficult to make up one’s mind to change completely and ride it out alone.  The suggestions and temptations of old associates is best avoided by accumulating new associates that reinforce your new resolution.

There is also a downside to the realization of sin.  The more a person regrets their sin, the more they recognize their unworthiness.  It is easy to feel as though amends can never be made for the past.  If the process stops there, there is no motivation to spur us on the path of virtue.  This is where the example of Mary Magdalene comes into play.  Not only did she repent and conquer her sinful habits - she even had the supreme honor of being the first to view the Risen Savior.  She became, perhaps, our greatest witness to the power of God’s mercy and forgiveness.

This is the cornerstone of our faith.  No matter how we have sinned, we can rise from our sin, and be received into the intimate friendship of God.  Occasionally, we see a transformation like the one Mary Magdalene experienced, and we are assured that an all-wise and all-powerful God must have some way of bringing good out of all this evil we see around us.  To believe otherwise is to doubt God’s ability to fulfill creation as he designed it.

The purpose of Holy Scriptures is to lead us into an understanding of God and His will.  They tell us how to improve our relationship with God.  They give us examples to encourage us and help us understand the spiritual reality that is so different from this world.  Even with all that help, we are not capable of getting their on our own.  We will commit sins and regret them.  But there is more.  We have the example of Mary Magdalene to show how God’s mercy and forgiveness allow us a new start.  No sinner needs to despair of their actions.  They simply need to repent and allow God’s mercy to lead them into a new life.  That is the message of the resurrection and the hope that motivates us to model our lives after Christ’s.

Fr. Forrest

        Anniversaries                           Birthdays                 

Deacon's Diary

MEDITATION ON THE COLLECT FOR LENT IV

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen

This is surely one of the least "modern" collects to be found among those included by Archbishop Cranmer in the 1549 Book.  It is one of the least modern prayers, in fact, that we could possibly pray, anywhere or anytime.  It posits an untenable situation: "that we ... do worthily deserve to be punished."  It posits the wrath of God.

The situation is both unbearable and at the same time strangely liberating.  It is unbearable because: "If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, 0 Lord, who may abide it?" (Psalm 130:3)  This is a scalpel to the "normal" human posture of self-deception, self-promotion, and self-involvement.

There is a story of a group of fairly demoralized parish clergy, and they were listening to a visiting Bishop from overseas who kept referring to "the Gospel."  It was clear that this religious man's words were proving to be uncomfortable in the midst of some pretty weary, depressed, and even cynical clergy.  You could feel the tension in the room.  Finally, after the visitor had referred for the sixth time to "the Gospel," a hand went up towards the back of the small sea of faded clerical shirts and argyle socks.  "Just exactly what do you mean, Bishop, by `the Gospel'?"  The bishop shot back, "I mean this: Christ died for our sins."

The Bishop's answer ripped through the crowd like a razor!  "Christ died for our sins." He diagnosed, cleanly, surgically, cleansingly.  No pretending.  Each of the clergy there, and each of us reading this, and each of us in the world need a savior and that was and is Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

There is something freeing about an accurate diagnosis.  Terminal patients will sometimes say that they can live with the truth.  What they cannot live with is uncertainty and equivocation.

Can you connect with the insight here, that for our sins we deserve to be punished?  Moreover, that the grace, or unmerited love of God, can so provide forgiveness that the "discomfort" of being pinned down like a butterfly can be relieved?

This is the good news of guilt brought to light and guilt forgiven:  in other words, news of lasting comfort.

Deacon Michael Grear

        We pray for those in the Military

         We pray for those in Adversity

Music at Trinity

Christianity Today recently published an article called “The Hymns That Keep On Going”.  In a survey of 28 hymnals published by 6 mainline denominations from the late 1800s through current editions, the authors searched for those hymns which consistently appeared in the hymnals of each denomination and in each edition.  27 hymns, it appears, have consistently made the cut, with 13 hymns having appeared in every hymnal studied.  Anglican Hymnals studied included “Hymns Ancient and Modern”, 1861; The Hymnal 1916; The Hymnal 1940 (which we use at Trinity) and the Hymnal 1982, now the official hymnal for the Episcopal Church.  The 13 “favorites” are:

1.   “Abide With Me”
2.   “All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name”
3.   “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”
4.   “Crown Him With Many Crowns”
5.   “Glorious Things Of Thee Are Spoken”
6.   “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”
7.   “Holy, Holy, Holy”
8.   “How Firm A Foundation”
9.   “In The Cross Of Christ I Glory”
10.   “Jesus Shall Reign Where'er The Sun”
11.   “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling”
12.   “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”
13.   “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”.

The 14 hymns which appeared frequently but were not in every edition of every denomination were:

1.  “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (this appeared in only 3 of our 4 Anglican hymnal editions)
2.  “All Glory, Laud and Honor”
3.  “Come, Thou Almighty King”
4.  “Just As I Am”
5.  “Now Thank We All Our God”
6.  “O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing” (in 3  of the 4 Anglican editions)
7.  “O God, Our Help In Ages Past”
8.  “O Worship The King”
9.  “The Church's One Foundation”
10.  “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today”
11.  “Jesus The Very Thought Of Thee”
12.  “Saviour, Like A Shepherd Lead Us”
13.  “The Day of Resurrection”
14.  “There's A Wideness In God's Mercy” (in 3 of the 4 Anglican editions)

Which hymns would you have chosen had you been on the hymnal committees?  Those that have seemed to be the most enduring were not necessarily the ones I would have chosen.  What seemed most interesting to the Christianity Today writers was the warm and orthodox character of the hymns chosen, understandable in the more spiritually traditional churches of the 1800s but surprising given the unsettled nature in many present day churches.  To quote the authors;  “If the members of mainline denominations are singing these hymns with any frequency and any thoughtfulness, a basis for orthodox ecumenism is being cultivated”.

Throughout the life of the church, hymn singing has enabled Christians to “meet the Lord and to be united with Him”.  St. Augustine said: “To sing once is to pray twice”.  Nonetheless, some have thought that we are witnessing the wane of hymn singing as praise songs and guitar take over in many of the churches.  Is this not reason to celebrate the orthodox messages of those enduring hymns – the triumph of the Cross, the assurance of the ultimate rule of Jesus, and prayer for the continuing experience of God's love and guidance?  Surely, hymn-singing will endure.

News from the choir

Our small group is hard at work on some lovely anthems for the Easter season, as well as on the special service music that is part of the Easter Sunday service.  For that service, we will leave behind the more somber music of Lent and sing the joyful music which celebrates the Resurrection.  Look forward to the beautiful Easter Canticle which, for this special service, takes the place of the Venite.  We return to the Healey Willan Communion Service, to the Gloria, to Alleluias and to chanting by the Priest.  Our anthems for Easter Sunday are: “Now Glad Of Heart Be Everyone” and  “Easter Joy”.

I know that we all appreciate the support which the choir provides for congregational singing.  They were sorely missed at our Ash Wednesday service, and I was reminded of just how much they add to our worship experience.

Margaret Jenkins

                        Altar Guild                                    Color            Greeters

Clerical Assignments

Anna Thompson filled in for Jacob over the weekend while he was out of town.  I so appreciate these youngsters making the sign changes to reflect our liturgical seasons.  They set a great example of giving to the church with little to no recognition.  Thanks to both of them.  Thank goodness we didn’t need a change in February.

DMV Synod - 2011

The Diocesan Synod for the Diocese of the Missouri Valley will be held on June 21^st, 22^nd & 23rd in Quincy, Il.  Lay delegates who do not hold a diocesan office or participate in a diocesan committee, are expected to attend only on June 22^nd and 23^rd.

As this synod was scheduled later in June than expected, two delegates have an unchangeable commitment.  I will be contacting the Alternates in the order in which they placed in the balloting.  Please note your schedule if you are a delegate and be prepared to fill out a registration form.  If you find a conflict, please let me know and I’ll keep working our list of alternates.

As usual, Trinity will pay the registration fee and the delegate is expected to pay travel, meal and hotel expenses.  We realize this is a burden but participation in the diocese and again at the national level allows us to insure our faith remains unchanged even though it is always challenged.

ACA General Synod – 2011

The General Synod of the Anglican Church in America will be held on September 22^nd and 23^rd in Belleville, Il.  Each diocese will elect both lay and clergy delegates to attend the General Synod at their diocesan synods.  The nominations for attending the General Synod will be drawn from those attending the diocesan synod.  If we have good representation for Trinity at the diocesan synod, we can have good representation for Trinity at the General Synod.

Last Updated 03/30/2011 02:27 PM