Exciting, Or What?

Does this excite anyone else?

Nashotah House is hosting a conference on Anglican-Orthodox relations on October 8-10. Entitled, "In the Footsteps of Tikhon and Grafton," the conference will include presentations by scholars associated with Nashotah House and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary. The conference will conclude with the signing of a Concordat between the two seminaries, like the covenant partnership that Nashotah House has had for several decades with Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic) Seminary. The Concordat commits the two seminaries to pray for each other, to further ecumenical relationships between members of the Anglican and Orthodox traditions, and to continue to work for the reunion of all faithful Christians.

I don't know about most of you, but growing up in a mainline evangelical church, I was never really taught anything about the beliefs of our Orthodox and Catholic brothers and sisters. At an evangelical college, I learned the distinctives of these traditions and how their practice differed from Protestant Christianity. It has been an interesting and delightful part of my adult journey to encounter faithful, commited believers from these other traditions, to read some of their works and to begin to realize how many of the basic elements of the Christian faith that we share!

Papa Rooster is planning to attend and enjoy lectures by his favorite Anglican and his favorite Orthodox professors. He has read so widely--of evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox theology--that he can really appreciate a conference like this!

One may think that it's a pretty narrow intersection of interests, but consider this: We have a new family that's been coming to Light of Christ, and the husband told me that one of the things that he loved about our church is that he found people there that he could talk to about Orthodox theology, which is an interest of his. He said most places he tries to discuss this subject, people think he's either a heretic or he's trying to convert them, or they think he's about to convert and they try to talk him out of it. He said it was so refreshing to talk with people who had actually read some Orthodox theology and could discuss it intelligently and objectively!

So although I doubt I'd enjoy this conference that much if I went--most of it would doubtless be over my head--I'm a fan. I'm excited by the Concordat between these two seminaries, and I'm becoming more and more interested in "the reunion of all faithful Christians" and in efforts like this one toward that end.

For all who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ,

that our divisions may cease and that all may be one

as you and the Father are one,
we pray to you, O Lord.
Lord, hear our prayer.

(from The Book of Common Prayer, Litany for Ordinations)

Beyond Smells and Bells

Beyond Smells and Bells: The Wonder and Power of Christian Liturgy is for anyone who has ever wanted to understand what's so great about a liturgical service!

After reading it, Father Rooster and I agreed that this is a perfect primer on liturgy, the book to recommend when asked to explain the appeal of a liturgical service. Mark Galli writes in a way that is easy to understand, yet is rich in theology and thorough in its examination of the many beautiful facets of liturgy.

The chapter titles give such a helpful idea of what's in this little book. There's Cosmic Daytimer: How the Liturgical Calendar Can Bring Order to Our Lives; Bizarre, Holy Moments: How the Liturgy Reshapes Our Sense of Time; We Worship a Material Savior: Why the Liturgy Engages the Whole Body; and If You Don't Get It, You've Got It: The Liturgy as a Mystery Full of Meaning--plus ten other chapters! Each is short but filled with quotations, history, theology, and the author's own experiences and insights.

The Appendices are most helpful as well. Appendix A explains terms from a liturgical service, such as collect, creed, lesson and acclamation. Appendix B contrasts Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian liturgies. The Christian year is described in Appendix C.

A highly recommended resource.

The Birthday of the Anglican Church in North America

Well, it was an amazing day yesterday! Last night Anglicans from all over the country participated in a service of worship and praise to God for what He has done in bringing this new province into being. As this excellent article explains, this is not a split but the forming of an orthodox fellowship, theologically- rather than geographically-based, within the existing communion of Anglicans. It seemed to be a common theme of the day: that only God could have accomplished this!

One of the day's accomplishments was the unanimous approval by a council of bishops of the draft constitution for the new province, turning it into a provisional constitution. Another was the selection of Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh to be the Archbishop of the new province, and I must say, he looks good in a miter! (He's famous not only for having been recently deposed by The Episcopal Church for his orthodox stand, but also for eyebrows that can stand up to a miter, shall we say.)

Here's a shot of our group with the new Archbishop:


We figure that Light of Christ was probably the congregation who brought the highest percentage of its attendees! Father William and Deacon Anne Beasley are pictured with us here.

The other event we attended yesterday was a reception with the event's organizers at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, where a number of people spoke. The director of the BGC, Lon Ellison, could hardly contain his excitement, quoting Tigger: "Woo-hoo!" He said that the new province is the beginning of a new movement he'd call "Biblical Anglicanism." He predicted that it will soon be one of the largest movements worldwide, since it's starting big and will grow quickly as many existing ministries will be eager to partner with it. He said "it's not what you're against, it's what you're for" that is so exciting.

Father William Beasley of Wheaton read from Jesus' high-priestly prayer in the book of John, that believers would live together in "complete unity." And how is that possible? Among other remarks, he mentioned his days at Yale Divinity School (and this is a little out of context but I thought it was a helpful examples): "All you had to do was lift up the name of Christ. Really! Many would run, but others would flock."

Father "Doc" Loomis from Ohio read the story about the great catch of fish, and how "they began to call to their partners in other boats to come and help them." It's not about the boats, he said (meaning AMIA, CANA, AAC, etc.). Unity comes when we focus on mission.

He and William both talked about revival following persecution and reported on the Anglican Awakening Services that have been held (several in the US and one in Canada), and they said these Awakenings will continue on cross-denominational lines.

Tim Morgan, a writer for Christianity Today, said that in the revivals in Africa, there has always been a great awareness of "walking in the Light" meaning the light of the Scriptures, and that is what this Anglican movement is about. "This is not the work of human hands," he said.

A Ugandan woman who has been in the US for over 30 years said, "We Africans sometimes get put on a pedestal because you brought revival to us and now we are bringing it back. But we struggle with...I guess it is pride...We think church should be done our way [each country has a fierce sense of pride in its own customs, she described]...and now you are forging the way for unity.... There is only one way, and that is Jesus' way."

On a personal level, I was so encouraged by the day. Everywhere there was such a sense that these are momentous steps that are being taken at God's direction and with His blessing. It was wonderful to worship with such a diverse group of Anglicans in a welcoming Evangelical Free church (in fact, the same one that John and Margie Fawcett were married in 8 years ago-- another great celebration!).

We especially enjoyed "the band" as the Archbishop kept referring to Church of the Resurrection's worship team (plus a few musicians from other churches). Their worship style might not be everyone's cup 'o tea, but for us it was a blast (on a shofar, no less)!

And I had the pleasure of meeting blogger and Rev. Ann Kennedy!


Here we are with her oldest, Emma. We wished we had hours instead of the few minutes that we chatted about churches, kids, homeschooling, ministry, moving and the challenges of all. Her church is in the throes of a lawsuit with The Episcopal Church, who would rather close it down--and all of its ministries to the poor in that area--than sell it to its orthodox congregation. (Oh, the craziness!) Anne is a sweetheart of a mama to her four beautiful young children, 6 and under, and it was a pleasure to meet her husband, Father Matt, as well, and put a face to the name.

I also met blogger and priest's wife Amy, oh so briefly, just as the afternoon meeting was beginning, along with her two daughters--and then, sadly, we never reconnected again! Well, she's a little closer to me, or will be soon, I believe--her husband is taking classes at Nashotah House, the Anglican seminary an hour+ from us--so hopefully we'll have another chance to get together.

For the still-curious, here is a helpful summary of what has been accomplished by the formation of the new province (to be called the Anglican Church in North America or ACNA). And this article explains the whole thing for non-Anglicans.

Please Pray

Some of us may think we're being persecuted... (HT Life on the Planet)


Just a reminder that we don't know what persecution is:

Please pray for us in Jos, we are being attacked by Muslims. Churches have been burnt, no exact figures of casualties yet. We need prayer to stay the hand the hand of bloodshed, destruction, violence and death. Pray for instant return to peace and order. The crisis began around 2am Friday after local elections in Jos, why Christians must pay for this I do not know.

The Lord be with you,

Anglican Archbishop Ben Kwashi in Jos, Nigeria

Update Saturday morning:

Archbishop Kwashi reports: "The reports from those I have sent out to collect information are that the Muslims are attacking and burning this morning. It looks well co-ordinated. They are well armed with AK 47 and pump machine guns. This morning they have been at Dogonduste. Quite a number of Christian homes have been burnt. We do not know how many have been killed. The local government has underestimated the vehemence of the militants. At the moment this is all restricted to Jos City.

We ask prayer for knowing the right thing to do. I have moved one of our archdeacons and his family to live in our home. St Luke’s Cathedral is in the middle of the area of violence. We hope we can proceed with our normal services tomorrow."

I have met Archbishop Ben; I sat in a living room with other leaders from Church of the Resurrection years ago to hear his reports of persecution and unbelievable church growth in spite of the opposition. He had tales of Muslim guards giving the heads-up to his family just before his house was burned, of Muslims risking all to become Christians, of new churches being planted at the rate of one per week (making Nigeria the second-largest and the fastest-growing province in the Anglican communion, with over 18 million members), and of the desperate need for trained leaders for all this growth. Hearing him talk was like listening to one of the first-century apostles!

Please pray for our Christian brothers and sisters in Jos City.

And While I Was There...

...over at Kerry's blog, she had a link to this excellent article by Matt Kennedy.

It's on the use of incense in the church, and on the bigger question of beauty in worship:

God is the author of beauty. Anglican worship seeks to employ all the aspects of God's creation in worship...to reflect God's created beauty back to him. God's created beauty comes to us through sight, smell, taste, and touch. And all of these senses are employed in Anglican worship. Incense, music, bells, color, candles...all of these are used to glorify God at Good Shepherd just as they have been used for 2000 years in the Church throughout the world.

According to the witness of the Old Testament, the use of these elements of worship go back to the very establishment of the holy Tabernacle during the exodus. God gave Moses very specific instructions for the construction of his Tabernacle and these included carefully detailed instructions to produce a place of aesthetic beauty.

... God does not seem concerned for utilitarian functionality. He doesn't simply want a lampstand. He wants a beautiful lampstand. Why?...because God is beautiful, he created beauty and beauty brings him glory.

Do read the whole brief article, a wonderful explanation of liturgy and ceremony, with Scripture references and addressed to an evangelical audience.

And if you want a good laugh (particularly those who know what a thurible is or who have ever swung one), read through the comments! The first one sets the tone:

There are two smells in the afterlife - incense and brimstone. I remind people they should choose one and get used to it.

Anglicanism According to... George Will

We all do know George Will, right? In case you're too young or have just crawled out from under a rock, he's a conservative columnist with brains and the driest of humor.

Papa Rooster's favorite George Will quote: "Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings."

(On the other hand, he has famously said: "Baseball is Heaven's gift to mortals," and "Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.)


George Will comments on the sad state of the Episcopal Church.


Interesting bits:

The shrinking Episcopal Church (2.4 million members, down from 3.5 million at its peak in 1965) is a small sliver of the worldwide Anglican communion (at least 77 million and expanding rapidly). ... Today, the typical Anglican is a middle-age African woman. The burgeoning Nigerian church says it has 20 million Anglicans; Duncan believes it may have 25 million but perhaps chooses to underreport so as not to exacerbate tensions with Nigerian Muslims.

The Episcopal Church once was America's upper crust at prayer.

Today it is "progressive" politics cloaked – very thinly – in piety. Episcopalians' discontents tell a cautionary tale for political as well as religious associations. As the church's doctrines have become more elastic, the church has contracted. It celebrates an "inclusiveness" that includes fewer and fewer members.

Duncan and other protesters agree with the late Flannery O'Connor, the Catholic novelist: "You have to push as hard as the age that pushes against you."

Entertaining Weekend

It was not a "deep breath" weekend.

But that's okay. It was filled with friends and fellowship instead! We had friends from church, plus friends who were only in town for a track meet, over for hamburgers on Friday night. It was wonderful to laugh together, and I was intrigued to hear an insider's view on the forthcoming new Anglican province for conservatives in North America.

Saturday we served chili to a family of seven that we are becoming friends with (and enjoyed yummy salad and homemade bread that they brought). He is a pastor in a nearby town, they homeschool, they are not Anglicans, they have a wide age span with their kids just like we do, and they'd been praying for another family like that to be friends with. There's also a unique pastoral need that they know more about than we do, having been in that "pastor's family" role longer, but it is to have Christian friends who aren't in your church to discuss the challenges of ministry with. Did I mention that our kids all hit it off the first time we got together? God is so good.

We've been watching the videos from the Do Hard Things conference with them--a conference for teens, by teens. Two homeschooled brothers started the whole thing with a blog called The Rebelution. Their idea was simple: Reject the current cultural idea that the teenage years are a time of immaturity that may last even past the college years; rise above those low expectations to do hard things for God and your fellow man. It's a challenging message for adults as well as teens--Papa Rooster loved the book as much as our three teens did. Our new friends are thinking they'd like to show the DVDs to their youth group, and we'd certainly consider doing that too, if we had one. (Actually, we do--our three teenagers. So I guess we've just done that!)

On Sunday we had a delightful couple visit our church and join us for lunch. We had never met the young man, but we remember babysitting the young lady when she was three years old! She was the daughter of one of our professors, and he and his wife did our premarital counseling, since we were engaged and in college. And she is now expecting a child of her own. It makes one feel very old.

But the cool thing is that we reconnected through the AMIA/Anglican community (initially through this blog, in fact!). Her parents were always hard-core non-denom/Bible church people, so it was quite amazing to receive an email from her describing her and her husband's journey into Anglicanism, which included a recent move to Wisconsin, to an orthodox Anglican seminary a little over an hour away. We hope to see more of them in the next year that they're there. The young man has already offered to preach some Sunday and give Papa Rooster a Saturday off.

Speaking of which, you should see what we got done last Saturday! I have to snap a few "after" pictures and I will post about it this week. We were so grateful to our friends Stephen and Barbara who made the trek to visit us last weekend--we had a wonderful time with them for lunch--as well as for Stephen's excellent message, and the time it afforded us to knock a big project off our list!

Well, that was the last two weekends...time to get started on my week!

Confirmation Sunday

Our bishop is amazing. Here he is, praying for Bantam17...


...and for Bantam13.

For each one of our 23 confirmands, he prayed an individual, Spirit-led prayer that made you wonder how he could possibly know them so well, never having met them. Only by the power of the Spirit, of course!

We meet in this beautiful old chapel only for feast days or special occasions like today. Even though it's aesthetically worshipful, the space itself is difficult to conduct a service in, because of a large wooden rood screen which divides the space in half. Today, we started out with everyone behind the screen:


Another challenge is having both horizontal and vertically arranged pews!

(I like this shot of Father Rooster, in between his father and his bishop. It was a special Sunday for my husband, with his parents, his brother, his sis-in-law, his niece, his wife and four of his children all confirmed!)

After the sermon, the confirmands came forward and were seated in the choir, up near the altar...

...while the rest of the congregation remained on the far side of the screen.


It worked, but our musicians and the altar were too far away from the congregation when we were all on the other side of the screen. We'll try something different next time.

We were blessed to have so many visitors today, especially extended family members of the confirmands, but also a couple of families who were making repeat visits. (And of course, our intrepid photographer friend from Illinois who took on the lighting challenges with an unfamiliar camera: Thanks, Ray!)

Our soup, bread and salad lunch for 23--(same number, but not the same 23!)--came off fine. We had to eat in shifts, however, since I realized late on Saturday night that although I have table and breakfast bar space for 22, I only have 12 chairs and 4 barstools! (I can no longer put off that trip to IKEA. Must buy: bookshelves, folding chairs.) A small group actually used our dining room-turned-schoolroom as a dining room today, on a school/craft table cleared off just for the occasion--with room to spare!

***

Last year, when we met in the chapel on Pentecost Sunday, a mighty wind blew the doors shut.

Today, we met in the chapel for our Bishop to confirm the baptisms of 23 people and pray for them to be filled and equipped for ministry by the Holy Spirit--and there was flooding all over Chicagoland (of which Kenosha is considered a part).

***

Last night, a group of fathers and sons who were being confirmed met at the same chapel for a prayer vigil, just as a page who was to be knighted spent the night before in church. It was a holy time for all who attended.

At the same time, there was a woman attending a celebration in another part of the building. Many years ago, she had been an alcoholic. She had joined AA and hadn't touched a drink in years, but at this particular celebration, she decided to have one. Then she had another, and she began to fear that she couldn't stop. She went for a walk in the building, praying for God's help, and she came near the chapel where our group was praying. Suddenly, she sensed the power of the Spirit come over her, and all desire for another drink was gone.

This morning, she called one of the dads she had recognized in the chapel to tell him about her experience.

***

Despite the chapel's challenges, it certainly seems that the Holy Spirit meets us in a special way in that place!

More Upheaval in the Anglican World

On Monday, the General Synod of the Church of England decided to allow the consecration of women bishops, and struck down all amendments by traditionalists which would have allowed them alternative oversight by their own bishops.

This move takes away the alternative options granted and promised to traditionalists when the ordination of women as priests was first allowed, and is likely to create a major schism in the historic Church of England.

It's also a sad commentary on liberalism, it seems to me. As Fr. David Ould laments:

The talk of being inclusive and generous is just that. Talk. In reality there is no desire to be anything like inclusive and generous.

The lie of the broad church is demolished once and for all. I am now outside the church on a matter that is, according to the discussions of the church, still debatable and where people on both sides are understood to hold their position in good conscience. And that is a ridiculous state of affairs. Our "broad church" has become even narrower. It strikes me that this is in no large part due to an absolute breakdown in trust - I simply do not trust the liberals to play fair. They have demonstrated time and time again that they will not.

If anyone wonders what the objections are to women as priests or bishops, no one explains it better than C.S. Lewis in his article, "Priestesses in the Church?" I was so happy to finally read this short essay for myself (thanks, Barbara G. for bringing it to my attention!).

Please, read the whole thing if you're interested in this topic. Otherwise, the crux of his argument is:

But Christians think that God Himself has taught us how to speak of Him. To say that it does not matter is to say either that all the masculine imagery is not inspired, is merely human in origin, or else that, though inspired, it is quite arbitrary and unessential. And this is surely intolerable: or, if tolerable, it is an argument not in favour of Christian priestesses but against Christianity. It is also surely based on a shallow view of imagery. Without drawing upon religion, we know from our poetical experience that image and apprehension cleave closer together than common sense is here prepared to admit; that a child who has been taught to pray to a Mother in Heaven would have a religious life radically different from that of a Christian child. And as image and apprehension are in an organic unity, so, for a Christian, are human body and human soul.

The innovators are really implying that sex is something superficial, irrelevant to the spiritual life. To say that men and women are equally eligible for a certain profession is to say that for the purposes of that profession their sex is irrelevant. We are, within that context, treating both as neuters.

...unless "equal" means "interchangeable", equality makes nothing for the priesthood of women. And the kind of equality which implies that the equals are interchangeable (like counters or identical machines) is, among humans, a legal fiction. It may be a useful legal fiction. But in church we turn our back on fictions. One of the ends for which sex was created was to symbolize to us the hidden things of God. One of the functions of human marriage is to express the nature of the union between Christ and the Church. We have no authority to take the living and semitive figures which God has painted on the canvas of our nature and shift them about as if they were mere geometrical figures.

To put it another way, Lewis borrows from Pride and Prejudice:

"I should like balls infinitely better," said Caroline Bingley, "if they were carried on in a different manner ... It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day."

"Much more rational, I dare say," replied her brother, "but it would not be near so much like a Ball."

Exactly.

GAFCON Report

Remember I mentioned the Global Anglicans Future Conference (GAFCON) taking place in Jerusalem last week?

Well, there has been great rejoicing since the conference's culminating statement has been released!

Here (from Australian participant Tony Payne) is the best description I've read of what the statement means for the various groups represented: (HT to Barbara G.'s list-serve)

Four different kinds of people at GAFCON were holding their collective breath for different reasons.

The Americans, most of whom are at the more ‘churchy’ (in places Anglo-Catholic) end of the Anglican spectrum, were desperately hoping that something would be announced about a new province. What this means for the uninitiated is that most of the Americans at GAFCON have either left The Episcopal Church or are in the process of doing so, and have joined various networks of biblically orthodox Anglicans (such as the Anglican Mission in America). These various networks are working together under the banner of the ‘Common Cause Partnership’ to create a new structure for faithful Anglicans in North America. Their dream is a new province within the Anglican Communion, which has its own Archbishop and dioceses. As Stephen Noll read the Draft Statement, the Americans around me looked like bidders for the Olympic games waiting for the winning city to be announced. (Bold emphasis mine.)

Biblical Anglicans having a hard time in other places—such as the minority of evangelical Anglicans in places like New Zealand and Ireland—were waiting anxiously for other reasons. They were hoping for a strong statement of doctrinally-based Anglican unity that offered them legitimate ‘safe havens’. In other words, if their local bishop took up an untenable position (such as blessing same-sex unions), they wanted some simple and valid way of stepping out from under his oversight and authority into some other sort of orthodox fellowship within the Anglican Communion.

The Africans were bubbling with expectation for different reasons again. They wanted to see a vindication of the bold action that their archbishops had taken over the past five years—the strong and public rebuking of The Episcopal Church, the declaring of themselves out of communion with it, the ordination of their own missionary bishops to America to offer assistance, and their refusal en masse to go to the Lambeth Conference this year. Would the Statement be a strong affirmation of this action, or yet another damp squib? Was this the time when the post-colonial shackles would finally be shaken off, and the strong stand of the Africans be recognized as leadership?

And then there were the rest (including Sydney Anglicans like me), who were hoping for a strong statement around which biblical Anglicans could unite, and offer one another encouragement and practical help—one which made the classic Scriptural doctrine of Anglicanism the point of unity, and not secondary or historical matters (such as whether we wear robes, or use a particular form of service, and so on). We were also just a teeny bit nervous about how much new ‘structure’ would be proposed. Would there be a new centralized power structure that might in the future unhelpfully interfere in the ministry of particular dioceses or churches?

As the Statement was read, one group after another started to react with excitement, whoops of support, ovations, and at many places across the ballroom tears of relief and joy. Remarkably, amazingly, the Statement seemed like it was meeting the key hopes and expectations of each of the groups, while somehow managing to avoid the dangers as well.

For us Sydneysiders, who have watched the battles in Anglicanism somewhat from a distance, the level of emotion was important to witness. For those brothers who have been struggling and fighting against an aggressive liberal agenda, often at deep personal cost and for years, the GAFCON Statement was both a vindication and a hope for a better future.

And here, from Father Lee Nelson, is further explication of what the Jerusalem Statement means:

I think the statement represents a sea change in the Anglican Communion, from one in which traditionalists and reasserters beg the Archbishop of Canterbury for his gracious help to one in which we press on toward the future, paving the way that God has called us to pave.

[Secondly]...this document has huge teeth! Finally, no more ambiguity. We are no longer asking revisionists who peddle a cheap gospel to make themselves clear or to self-impose moratoria. This is a huge change. Instead, the Jerusalem Declaration states (Article 13): "We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord." So there it is. If you ordain those who practice homosexuality, if you refuse to cling to Christian orthodoxy, if you call evil good, we simply don't recognize you. Those bishops who fall into this category - their dioceses are now open territory. We will not apologize. This is where the document was most clear, and about that I'm thrilled.

The third thing that is really positive is that it encourages the formation of a new Anglican province for the Common Cause Partnership. We've been praying for this for some time, and now it has come to fruition. Hopefully, in the next year, we will see the Common Cause Partnership form this province. There is still much to be ironed out, but I think it is very near.

Fourthly, and lastly, this meeting promises to be really the last important meeting we'll have on the subject. If you're like me, you've grown weary of meeting after meeting, not really going anywhere. You're tired of waffling on the part of North American leadership, and even the Archbishop of Canterbury. Well, I happen to think that the Jerusalem meeting pretty much has sealed the deal for North America, and our struggles. It gives us primates committed to our aid, a strong identity, and the go-ahead for a province. I don't know if we could have asked for more.

If you're interested, you can read the whole statement here.

Washington Times religion correspondent George Conger summarizes:
The new “church within a church,” breaking with the liberal churches of North America that also have permitted the blessing of same-sex unions...will force the 80-million member Anglican Communion either to become a weak federation of independent churches or, in the unlikely event that Canterbury either kicked out the GAFCON churches or the North American churches, will produce one of the most far-reaching Christian schisms since the Protestant Reformation.

If the Episcopal Church “did not believe that there would be consequences” for consecrating an openly practicing homosexual as a bishop, “that was an arrogant thing,” Archbishop Jensen said, adding that the “consequences have been unfolding over the last five years. Now their church is divided.”

“All around the world, the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused” and will break with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, he said.

...The meeting also will announce new structures for parishes in the U.S. and Canada that no longer wish to be in communion with their national churches - an act made possible in church law and custom by the declaration that unity with the North American churches no longer exists. In addition, more than 600 Church of England clergy will reportedly swear allegiance to the new GAFCON body at a meeting next week in London.

GAFCON comes a month before the Anglican Communion summit in Lambeth, England. The Anglican churches of Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya are present here, but will boycott the once-per-decade Lambeth Conference.

It will also put forward a declaration of common doctrinal principles and lay out plans for a new Book of Common Prayer based on the historic Church of England 1662 prayer book. Nigerian Bishop John Akao said the GAFCON churches also will pursue a common way of reading and interpreting the Bible and work on a definitive catechism.

I know that many of my readers are not Anglican, but rejoice with us for the rise of this great united movement of orthodoxy within a desperately troubled denomination!

A Must-Link

My real-life friend at Square Peg in a Round Hole has written an excellent post on what making the sign of the cross means to her:

Of course, many may ask, as I once did, - why is a physical action even necessary? Isn’t reflection upon these realities enough? And for you they may be. But physical action can often serve as a way of re-centering our mind, of speaking to deeper realities, and bringing our physical self in line with our heart and mind. In our culture there are many physical actions we perform as connections to deeper realities: shaking hands in greeting, arms in the air to cheer at sporting events, the peace sign at rallies, folded hands in prayer. For me, the physical act often breaks into my wandering mind. It’s hard to think of something else when you are physically doing something. And so making the sign will bring my mind back into active engagement into the action around me, and cause my heart to refocus on the Cross and the majesty & mystery of a personal triune God. If you’ve never tried it, I’d encourage you to do so. You may be as surprised as I was by how it can touch your life.

I recommend the whole post!

Odds 'N' Ends

It's been a quiet evening. Blondechick15, our most verbal and somewhat high-maintenance child, is at a Christian drama camp until Friday. The public areas of the main level of our house are finally in an unpacked state for the first time in weeks, so tonight I actually felt like I had a few moments to sit down at the table with Chicklet5 and play a phonics game with her.

We had a lovely time, and she wanted to play something else. As we put away the ABSeas game, I noticed the Spirograph set--one of my favorite childhood pastimes. So I showed her how to sharpen her pencil and choose a little wheel and watch what happens as you trace it round and round. We sat and did Spirograph for a long time, transfixed by the endless patterns and variations. I think I need more Spirograph in my life.

I stayed up till 2 in the morning on Saturday night, focusing on my office/school room mess, since we had friends from our old church, Rez, coming for the Sunday morning service at Light of Christ and coming over after the church picnic to see our house. It was as good a motivation as I'd had in awhile, and with the house all quiet, I was able to get a lot of stuff put away or dealt with decisively--even if that meant placing it in the box of stuff to be dealt with at some later, non-urgent date.

My homeschool books still need to be organized--I shelved them willy-nilly, in no particular order, just to find out how many will fit. And of course, there is still filing to do. (I am still planning to revamp my whole filing system.) But I was able to take pictures! and host our friends without embarrassment. Yippee!

(Actually, Kay and Randy are such old friends that we can no longer embarrass each other. It was wonderful to be with them again!)

And this morning, I hosted (without embarrassment) two other women (and their children) from Light of Christ to discuss what we're doing with our Sunday School/nursery/Children's Church. It was a good, thorough meeting. We considered a lot of options and worked out a good plan, I think. Our only regret was we didn't have time to talk about all the other things we wanted to--unrelated to the church, like homeschooling. We'll have to meet again next week, we agreed, just to finish talking!

Our meeting was precipitated partly by a big hole in our Children's Ministry team. One of our core couples, after 18 months of investment in the foundation of our church plant, is returning to the church where their sons remain heavily involved. While we bless their decision to worship together again as a family, we will so miss them and their service as guitarist and teacher (him), worship leaders (both) and Sunday School teacher/nursery worker (her).

What else? Oh, GAFCON. My heart is in Jerusalem with a bunch of conservative Anglican leaders from every continent (300 bishops and over 1,000 delegates) who are seeking the Lord this week for a solution to the crisis in Anglicanism created by the Episcopal church here in America:

It would be far easier to relate to our revisionist friends if they would quit the masquerade and admit honestly that they have birthed a new religion altogether. It is the misuse of the name “Christian” and “Anglican” that makes “togetherness” impossible for so many. It would be the same were a Muslim to deny Mohamed the title “prophet” and yet refuse to relinquish the descriptive self-referent “Muslim.”

That's a quote from blogger/priest Matt Kennedy, who is there with his wife, also a blogger/priest. Our friends and leaders, William and Anne Beasley are there too. No one really knows what the outcome of the conference will be:

...at GAFCON it is safe to say even the leadership is clueless about what to expect -- or what (if anything) will be agreed upon or acted upon by next Sunday. ...each leader has made it clear that is no formal agenda to produce a specific outcome. They stress this gathering is a time of listening.

...the final statement will not be written until the end of the conference (and there will be no final statement unless all the Jerusalem Pilgrims can agree on it). Secondly, for the first time the laity of the Anglican Church will have a large presence and a strong voice. There will be no action and no statement without the laity.

If you are so led, please pray for those at GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference).

In other news, Chicklet5 taught herself to ride a two-wheeler. I have pictures.

And Bantam13 and I went to the guitar store today to buy him a new G-string. (Seriously.) Tonight, he started a highly recommended "Learn to Play Guitar" course on DVD and practiced for over an hour. Stay tuned.

Pun intended.

Our Family's Lenten Practices

We discuss and model three disciplines with our kids during Lent: confession, fasting, and engagement.

Confession:

We discuss: Why do we need a whole 40 days of penitence? We should confess our sins year 'round, shouldn't we?

And we should indeed. But we get comfortable in our sins. Or we pretend they're not really sin. Or we're so used to them, we forget about trying to change. After all, nobody can live a sinless life. Why bother?

I love Frederica Mathewes-Greene's answer:

[I]f we're Christians we're always hearing that God loves us just the way we are, and that Jesus has paid for all our sins, so it looks like there's nothing left to do. We can spend this life watching TV. Yet we have to ask: why are our lives so tedious and uninspired? Why do we who claim to be Christian behave no better (kinder, more justly, more honestly) than those who don't? Is this whole life just waiting around to go to heaven, killing time at the mall?

When we read the New Testament it's clear that early Christians experienced something a lot more exciting than we do--something transforming, in fact. In the Bible and other early writings they describe "life in Christ" in terms that are vigorous rather than stagnant; they were being changed day by day into the likeness of his glory. The most distinctive thing about the way early Christians describe their lives is *energy*. God is at work! Look out! Amazing things are happening!

…If you want to be transformed, you'll have to change. If you're going to change, you have to admit you need to change. You have to look inside, where it's dusty and cobwebbed, and let the light start to shine in.

This is why repentance feels like a relief. It's admitting the truth about ourselves--stuff God already knows, but which we go to exhausting lengths to deny. Once it's in the open, we can deal with it, and start to see things change. We may even see miracles, even if they're just in our own behavior: more hopeful, more compassionate, less cranky. (The rest of this article is here.)

Lent is a time set aside to deal with sin. So during Lent we practice confession, asking God to search our hearts and put His finger on those things in our lives that need to change.

Usually the older kids and I write out our confessions, and we share some or all of them out loud. I have seen the relief that comes from admitting that they sometimes sneak candy or intentionally make their little sister cry or lie about Lego claims (after multiple trades, ownership gets fuzzy). And it's good for them to know that I know that I sin against them on a regular basis, with anger or a blaming spirit or failures of love.

We talk about the difference between sins of commission (things we have done) and sins of omission (things we have left undone). Ignoring a little siblings' request for help is sinful. Not being loving is as bad as being mean. Forgetting those in need is wrong. We may also discuss the Litany of Penitence, from the Ash Wednesday service, as an example.

We often burn these confessions in the fireplace on Ash Wednesday, but I think this year we'll wait and do it on Good Friday. I think for myself it will be powerful to confess my list daily for 40 days.

Fasting:

As we say no to our appetites, we strengthen our will to say no to sin. So we serve no desserts during Lent, and we encourage our kids to give up some little enjoyable habit or something that distracts them from the Lord or from obedience (as we also do). They've given up Legos, secular music, a favorite breakfast cereal--and sometimes they find, in their Easter basket, a small Lego set, a CD or a box of cereal.

One of our friends asked his nine or ten year old daughter what she had given up for Lent. "Well," she sighed, "I tried giving up sin. But I just couldn't do it. So I guess I'm switching to chocolate."

(Baby steps, kids--it's all about baby steps. Even for grown-ups.)

Disciplines of engagement:

During Lent, we try to add in a practice that will help us grow spiritually. We may purpose to memorize a Scripture passage, or read the Bible every day (besides our family Bible reading), or choose a character quality we want to exercise and grow in. We may select special Lenten devotional reading, or choose a ministry to serve in, or save money for a charity (a traditional Lenten discipline of engagement called almsgiving).

And we continue to discuss Lenten themes throughout the 40 days. One time, we were reflecting on the Psalm 51 Ash Wednesday reading ("For he himself knows whereof we are made; he remembers that we are but dust. Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the field; When the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.") I explained that it's important for us to realize how small we are and how short our lives on earth are, and how big and eternal God is, rather than having such a huge focus on ourselves.

"I get it!" Bantam(11, at the time) said, "It's like, we're the ants, and God is the dude!"


Lent's practical disciplines and prayerful emphases help us as we wage war against the sin that so easily entangles us. As Christ was put to death, effectively taking our sins with him, that He might rise in glory, unblemished and unstained by sin—so we too, during Lent, attempt to put to death a little more of that sinful nature, that we may rise above it, with Christ, during Easter!

Testimony

With permission, I am delighted to share this poem with you, written by the father of a homeschooling family that has recently joined the core team of our church plant. It describes his experience in joining us on one of his first Sundays.

It is beautiful and humbling to be a part of what God is doing there!


I remember entering a room
With a carpet of red;
Before me, a fireplace,
A table, a cloth.
All around me were people
Just come off the street;
There was a salesman, I think,
And a builder perhaps,
A woman wearing a coat,
And a man with blue jeans.
One guitar could be heard,
And some words were said,
Which must have been prayers.
And as a song filled the air,
I discovered this room
Was actually a throne room--
These people were actually attending a King.
Their music now echoed off celestial walls,
And the people around me,
I could suddenly see,
Were actually nobles--
I could see in their bearing
Their dignity and grace.
And as I looked up before me
Where once stood a man
There now stood a priest
With an outstretched hand
He offered me bread
By now I could see
Things were not what they seemed
This bread was actually
The body of the King!
The glorious and infinite and transcendent Man
Had offered Himself for me, for me!
I accepted the gift with tears in my eyes
And as I turned, I feared
That these princes and nobles and holy ones and priests
Might perhaps disapprove
Of this commoner who weeps

May not be reproduced without permission.

Don't forget about the first-ever Carnival of Anglican Advent Traditions! (Details here.) Post your submission(s) on your blog and email the URL of the post(s) to me by noon on Tuesday!

It's going to be so exciting to meet new Anglican--or any liturgically-minded--bloggers and readers. I can't wait to be inspired by everyone's ideas!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm ready to think about Advent--how about you?

An Advent Carnival

Do you desire to make your Christmas preparations and celebrations more Christ-centered?

Curious about how a full observance of Advent can lead to a more joyous Christmas celebration?

Would you like to find out how others approach the season of Advent?

Join us on Wednesday, November 28th, here, when I'll be hosting a blog carnival focusing on "Anglican Advent Traditions." We'll be sharing inspiration, information, activity ideas, craft ideas, music and more. Please plan to come for a visit. We pray you'll be encouraged as you begin your Advent observance, or perhaps as you learn about it for the first time.

Bloggers - if you would like to submit a link(s), please email me at the address in my sidebar with your link and a brief summary by noon on Tuesday, November 27th. Feel free to "steal" the graphic above and use on your own blog. (If you have any trouble with that, ask Kerry at A Ten O'Clock Scholar--whose idea this was! Yay!--and she'll send you the graphic file directly.) And please, spread the word on your blogs!

Non-bloggers, if you'd like to contribute, we'd love to hear from you in the comments section when the Carnival opens on Wednesday!

Something Happens...

In my last post in this series, I contrasted a typical evangelical view, of communion as a memorial only, with a sacramental understanding of it as a spiritual feast--food and drink for our souls. With a sacramental worldview, you believe that something happens when a sacrament is performed or received.

You believe that something happens when you anoint someone with oil for healing--that it is a special avenue for God's grace. When you have been anointed with oil for ministry, whether it is for reading the Scriptures or serving communion or becoming a priest, you believe that you have been set apart for a purpose; you understand that it is Christ Himself who ministers through you.

You believe that something happens in baptism, and you want that for your newborn. While baptism alone doesn't save, you believe that it sanctifies, or sets apart; it plants a seed of faith that, with proper care and watering, will grow into a flourishing tree of faith which the child, when he is older, can choose to publicly confirm in the sacrament of confirmation, a sort of parallel to "believer's baptism." (I know that baptism and confirmation are not always thoughtfully practiced in many liturgical churches, but when they are, it is a wonderful way to bring up children as fully-included members, from birth, of the household of faith.)

Confession, too, is another sacrament in which something happens, as Lauren Winner describes in Girl Meets God:

I say confession because the church teaches that we should, and I say it because, when I don't, I feel over full--not in a good, cup-overflowing way, but in a sticky, sweaty, eaten-too-much way.

Confession makes sense to me because it is incarnational. In the sacraments, the Holy Spirit uses stuff to sanctify us. In the Eucharist He uses bread and wine, and in confirmation He uses oil and in baptism He uses water. In confession, the stuff He uses is another person. In that way, confession teaches us about the Incarnation all over again. ...

Here, in confession, God is connecting us to Himself not through bread or oil or water or wine, but through another broken body, one who absolves you, and then says, "Go in peace, and pray for me, a sinner."

Let me highlight this sentence: "In the sacraments, the Holy Spirit uses stuff to sanctify us." Sacramentalists tend to have a high view of matter. Liturgical services are filled with material symbols--candles, robes, special linens for the altar, incense--and experiences, such as standing, kneeling, crossing oneself, prostrating oneself. In a sacramental worldview, something happens when the light signifying God's presence is lit. Something happens when you get on your knees before God.

Something happens when you use holy water for cleansing. When I first encountered this practice, I thought it smacked of superstition--and indeed in some cultures where Catholicism has blended with paganism, ones does find an extreme of superstitious materialism. But properly understood, the use of material substances in worship is God-designed and expands to include our very own bodies. As C.S. Lewis, that great Anglican theologian, has explained:

And let me make it quite clear that when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being 'in Christ' or of Christ being 'in them', this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts -- that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body.

And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion. It is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution -- a biological or super biological fact. There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.

Something happens...

You don't check your reason at the door when you enter a liturgical service--but we do worship a God whose higher ways we cannot begin to understand. Our faith is more than a rational affirmation of belief. God chose to send his Son to earth in a material body, and He continues to minister his presence not just through right understanding of his word, but through the material things which He created.

(to be continued)

More on the Sacramental Stream

Weeks ago, I began a little series explaining more about the church we're planting, and why we believe people will come and are coming to it. In Part One, I described it as a "three streams, one river" church, made up of the three streams of liturgical/sacramental tradition, evangelical, Bible-based teaching and discipleship, and freedom of the Spirit in worship. I've been exploring the least-familiar-to-most sacramental stream; Parts Two and Three discussed its emphasis on ritual and ceremony.

I mentioned that a visitor to our church plant emailed me in advance of her visit and shared: "I feel like the Episcopal churches here are dead but also that the non-denominational churches are missing the importance of the sacraments." She was one of four people in the same week who said to me, essentially, "We've crossed over a 'sacramental line' and now, we can't go back."

What did she mean, that the evangelical churches were missing the importance of the sacraments? In Part One I touched on the difference between the official church "Sacraments" and the adjective "sacramental," but now, let me illustrate the crossing of that sacramental line by contrasting views about Eucharist, or communion.

Most evangelical denominations hold a memorialist position on communion; that is, they believe that it is a remembrance of Christ's death, and no more. Sacramental churches believe, by contrast, that somehow the bread and wine become the spiritual food of Christ's body and blood. It is not a memorial service the priest invites us to, but a feast!

(This Wikipedia article summarizes various theological positions of sacramental churches. Some believe in varying degrees of a literal transformation, with detailed theological explanations for how and when that happens; Anglicans are less interested in the rational discussion, believing simply that something happens in the Eucharist service that is a mystery, and somehow ordinary bread and wine become containers of the "Real Presence" of Christ.)

The conventional definition of sacrament is "an outward sign, instituted by Christ, that conveys an inward, spiritual grace through Christ."

Memorialists practice the outward sign, but don't realize or emphasize the inward spiritual grace that comes with it. So they usually decrease the practice to once a month or only once a quarter. They tend to place emphasis on searching one's heart for unconfessed sin right before "taking communion" rather than on the grace that they are receiving by it. (Even the verb choices are significant. Growing up in my Baptist church, we "took communion;" in liturgical churches, you simply "receive," often without a direct object.)

In a liturgical service, confession has its place before the Eucharist, but then we switch gears to a section of liturgy called the Great Thanksgiving. In it, we focus on what Christ did on the cross to cancel our sins and we ask God to "sanctify these gifts, to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord, the spiritual food of new and unending life in Christ."

We receive the bread and the wine with the words, "the body of Christ, the bread of heaven; the blood of Christ, the cup of salvation," reminding us again that Christ not only died once for us, but He continues to feed us with spiritual food. The emphasis is on what Christ did and continues to do for us.

See the difference it makes to believe that communion is more than a remembrance; it really is spiritual food? Food strengthens and sustains; it builds up the body. One is so thankful for food. That is why we call it Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving." When you believe that, you want Eucharist every Sunday! You know you need more than an intellectual feeding through the sermon; you need spiritual sustenance as well.

Not to say that you can't receive spiritual sustenance through the worship, the sermon, the prayers and the fellowship at a non-sacramental church; God feeds us all through them as well. But communion is like an extra helping (or two) of grace and spiritual strengthening!

So that's the sacramental line that once you've crossed, you can't go back. Because that sacramental understanding begins to pervade all elements of your worship--and life, not just communion...

More on that next time!

All Saints' Service--Updated

We're meeting in the pretty chapel today, since it's All Saints' Sunday and we're doing two baptisms! It'll be our first baptismal service--so appropriate on All Saints'.

Rejoice with us!

Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

***

Our first baptismal service was lovely. Both families brought a lot of extended family with them, and with 5 of our regulars missing, we had 63 people there! (Our regular attendance has been running right at 40 adults and children.) It was glorious to worship together in that lovely space.

We were surprised to see how much room 63 people took up--it made us realize that the chapel must only seat around 160 people. We were hoping that place could be our home for quite a few years, but...God only knows....!

All the Saints in Heaven

Yesterday was All Saints' Day.

All Saints' always reminds me of a banner that our sending church displayed every year on the Sunday we celebrated that day in the church year. It was a joint effort of a gifted painter and an experienced banner maker, and it depicted Christ on the cross, painted in oil on canvas. Underneath his outspread arms, were painted many faces, half hidden in shadow, that disappeared into the folds of fabric that formed the rest of the unpainted parts of the banner.

Those faces peeking out from beneath Christ's arms and from the folds of fabric represent all those who have gone before us, that "great cloud of witnesses." We join them in the heavenlies during the Eucharistic liturgy when the priest invites, "And now, joining our voices with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, who forever sing this song" and we sing, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of heaven and earth; Hosanna in the highest."

That moment often reminds me of my friend Beth, who lost her 17-year-old son in a car accident. She told me once that she feels so close to him during those moments in the service. "It's as if the veil between heaven and earth is so thin during the Eucharist."

I often think of those who lived before modern medicine, who experienced death far more often than we do. As painful as it would have been, there was a grace for them in knowing death to be part of life, in expecting it, instead of being so far removed from it as we often are. Heaven would be a much more real place to those who imagined it peopled with relatives and friends, a place of joyful reunion as well as worship. As Beth said to me, "Heaven seems so much nearer to me now that I have someone so close to me there."

And that reminds me of one of my favorite books, Stepping Heavenward by E. Prentiss. In it, the young diarist remarks, "It seems now that I have a child in heaven and am bound to the invisible world by such a tie that I can never again be entirely absorbed by this."

One can even imagine why the practice of praying to saints was so popular in past centuries, with Heaven so real and so close. C.S. Lewis remarked:

There is clearly a theological defense for [devotions to saints]; if you can ask for the prayers for the living, why should you not ask for the prayers for the dead? There is clearly also a great danger... The consoling thing is that while Christendom is divided about the rationality, and even the lawfulness, of praying to the saints, we are all agreed about praying with them. (from Letters to Malcolm)

Praying with them..."joining our voices with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven"...perhaps even for us moderns and post-moderns, the veil between Heaven and earth is thinner than we imagine.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith... (from Hebrews 12)