Fall Festival
September 30, 2008
Friday, October 31, 5 PM - 10 PM
Everyone who comes can expect many surprises. Music will abound, along with opportunities to cool the Clerical Hot Air with a DUNKING BOOTH! Practice your pitching!!! We’ll have books, movies, and CDs for you to peruse and purchase. We hope to have children’s toys in good shape. And what is a festival without popcorn, Frito Pie, hot dogs, and other goodies?
We’re working on silent auctions for products from the local businesses and those who wish to donate something special! This will be an evening event with face paintings, music, donated items for purchase … plus, many, many other fine things.
This is going to be a large undertaking, and therefore much manpower will be needed. If you would like to be involved with this truly exciting event contact Carter Dreesman at events@allsaintsanglican.net.
Further details regarding the festival and volunteer opportunities will be forthcoming as the time grows nearer. Don’t miss this opportunity to serve your church and your Lord as well as just have a great time.
Blessing of the Animals—October 4, 2008
September 27, 2008
The Blessing of the Animals
Saturday, October 4, 10:00 AM
All Saints Anglican Church
11122 Link Drive, San Antonio, Texas
344-1920
For the safety of the pets and the participants, please have all pets securely leashed, crated, or caged.
Liturgy Lesson for St. Michael & All Angels: Ministry of Angels
September 26, 2008
We celebrate St. Michael the Archangel, along with all God’s angels today, not for their own sake, but for the ministry among us for God. Created on a higher order than unresurrected man, these celestial beings have intelligence and will and are personal, immortal creatures. Although the word angel means messenger, they have a variety of Biblical roles and ranks: angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, thrones, choirs, dominions, principalities, and powers. Interestingly, Scripture never describes winged angels visiting humans. In fact, in several passages, people visited by angels don’t even realize they aren’t ordinary men until it is revealed. St. Michael, one of Scripture’s seven archangels, is mentioned twice in Daniel—as Chosen People’s helper, once in Jude—disputing with Satan over Moses’ body, and once in Revelation—defeating the Dragon, Satan. A Heavenly warrior, he has been seen of as a protector of individual Christians against the Devil, especially at the hour of death, when his ministry is associated with conveying the Faithful Departed to God. His feast originated in the sixth century and was known in England, as “Michaelmas,” for “Michael’s Mass,” in honor of the day’s festive Eucharist. St. Michael, (whose name means Who is like God? in Hebrew) is the armored commander of the angelic host who will engage and conquer Satan and his demon armies and is considered the Church’s defender, and is, then, represented in art more often than any other angel. He is an excellent reminder of St. Paul’s reminders in Ephesians 6 and 2 Corinthians 10 that our battles in this life are spiritual and not fleshly—and that our God is the Lord of Victory for all who wear His mark.
Liturgy Lesson for St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist: Saints’ Days
September 19, 2008
The Church has set aside saints’ days, (such as St. Matthew we commemorate today) in honor of the first martyrs, and those mentioned in the Gospel as most nearly connected with our Blessed Lord in the work of establishing His Church, and in honor of all those who have given their lives for cause of the true Faith of the Church. They’ve been established for us to study and emulate their virtues and thank God for their examples. It is important to note—we don’t pray to the saints, or address them directly in devotion, but, rather, we may ask our Heavenly Father for our share of their prayers in Heaven. The first record we have of a saints’ day comes from the second century, although it probably existed far earlier. The practice grew from ancient Christians meeting at martyrs’ graves on the anniversaries of their deaths for the Faith Eternal to celebrate their Godly virtues and bless God for their pure lives and heroic examples. The great truth for us in observance of saints’ days is that the saints on earth are fellow-citizens with the saints in paradise, and all, whether living or dead, are members of one great Heavenly parokia, or parish—the family of God—the Communion of Saints. Like Christians we meet, our spirits can “bear witness” with the saints, because we resonate on Christ’s spiritual frequency—one Faith and one Baptism for the remission of sin. We are all rewired to our Lord’s specification. And, we can take joy in that we are empowered, just as St. Matthew was—to preach the Gospel, regardless of the cost. And, like him, we have a great company with us to God’s purpose in our lives. For the Kingdom!
Liturgy Lesson for the Seventeenth Sunday After Trinity: Holy Communion Essential
September 13, 2008
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.’” Jesus’ words amplify how important it is Christians take Holy Communion as often as possible—and why this is central to Christian worship. It conveys life. Yet, it’s not the ceremony that imparts God’s Grace and mystery—it’s the Spirit empowering it, and the attitude of our hearts. Ultimately, this is the case for all worship—liturgical and ancient, or contemporary and unstructured. Our attitude determines our altitude. In short, how do we approach the Lord? Are we doing the “church thing” or are we, as we pray in the Kyrie, Confession, and Prayer of Humble Access approaching the Lord with an understanding of our brokenness—dependent on His Grace? This goes to the heart of the Gifts of the Spirit—the governance of our souls—that is, our minds and emotions. As disciplined adults, we can usually control our outward expression of inner dysfunctions, but, God looks on the heart—and, without the intervening influence of God the Holy Ghost and His Gifts, we won’t be able to effect that change of heart required to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth. In short, the liturgy will remain only well-founded Scriptural words said in a proscribed, traditional manner, without Divine help to the contrary. On the other hand, if we call the Holy Ghost into our lives, receiving Him in the manner the Church Fathers intended in the sacraments, we will have life in us—abundantly! Inhabit us, then, Holy Ghost—govern our hearts and bring power to our worship!
Schedule Changes for Saturday, September 13th
September 10, 2008
DUE TO HURRICANE IKE, the following Saturday meetings/classes have been cancelled:
1. The Women of All Saints Meeting has been cancelled
2. Salt & Light Class has been cancelled
NOTE: The class on Saturday, September 20 will be the Instructed Eucharist - class will run from 10:30am - 11:45am.
Women of All Saints, Brunch, Saturday, September 13, 10 AM
September 9, 2008
Julie Morgan, President of the Women of All Saints, announces:
We will be kicking off the first ladies gathering of the year with a brunch this Saturday morning at 10am in Ballard Hall. Ladies who are attending Salt and Light can eat first, go on to Salt and Light class in the church, and join us later at the end of our time together. We will learn all about the fall festival planned for the end of October as well as enjoy great food.
All ladies of the parish and girls ages 9 and up are invited to attend and bring friends.
Hospital Witness: Patti Babb
September 8, 2008
Now that I’m back in the church office after a three-month absence, I want to share some of what has happened and the importance the support of the parish played in my recovery.
In April, a grocery store display of Dr Pepper cases fell on me. I was taken by ambulance to the hospital emergency room where they discovered fractured bones. This can’t be happening, I have a church retreat this weekend and am going on a cruise to Alaska in two weeks, I thought. Well, I missed those events. Instead, for the next month, I was in acute rehab at the hospital, most of the time lying down confined to bed. Healing of the bones is a slow, painful process.
As Fr. Chip’s assistant, I’m used to being around lots of people and active in events of the parish. The lengthy confinement was going to be a big problem for me so as soon as the morphine wore off I asked God if I could have a ministry here in the hospital, flat on my back. Amazing how that worked! Nursing staff began to come in, sit down, and talk about their lives, concerns, and worries. I was given a wonderful opportunity for intercessory prayer and even to lay hands on and pray with one nurse who was so tired she could hardly function. I began to recover and stayed in good spirits, regularly receiving Holy Communion and many cards, flowers, emails, and visits from the parish family. I‘ll bet the patient next door never expected to hear “Lord of the Dance” in the hospital. There was never a day that I was alone.
I was very eager to get up and begin the intensive physical therapy so I could regain enough strength go home. When I went to the rehabilitation center, my joy and enthusiasm for recovery were tools the Lord used to help others there. One day we claimed my room for the Kingdom and from that point on folks came in just to hang around because it felt good. I shared my God and All Saints with anyone who would listen. They heard it on the bikes in therapy, the walkers as we toddled down the hallways, and in my room. I sat with people who were in dementia and told them about God’s love for them. I was on a mission and hoped that somewhere through the fog, their spirit would relate.
A woman from the administrator’s office came to my room with a stack of papers to sign. My bulletin board with all the cards and emails from the parish caught her eye. She got teary when I told her this was holy ground and the Holy Spirit is always here. “Come in anytime,” I told her. She said she had come expecting to see yet one more bitter, abandoned, elderly person, and she realized now how her heart had hardened toward the patients. It was a revelation for her. We talked about faith, church, and how Jesus loved her. She left feeling refreshed and probably somewhat surprised by the encounter.
Another patient came to my room one day to tell me she had a terrible dream the night before, and she asked if I would come to her room and pray for her protection at bedtime. I called Karyn Pleake for support, and we prayed together before I went down there. God so honored the prayers, and the lady knew without a doubt angels were guarding her as she slept. The Lord even brought a child’s song to mind, “When at night I go to sleep, fourteen angels watch do keep…” Funny, I hadn’t thought of that in years.
There was more of course, but I wanted to thank those of you who supported me—my priests, friends, and parish family—and to share with you some of the joy and realization that even flat on your back, God can provide a ministry. Sometimes when you least expect it can happen. It will—just ask.
Liturgy Lesson for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity: He descended into Hell
September 6, 2008
The Apostle’s Creed is our most ancient summary of the Faith, frequently linked to the Apostles themselves. In this “Cliff’s Notes” of Christianity, there has always been questions about the statement “He descended into Hell,” referring to Christ’s entry to the nether regions after His death on the Cross. To some, the descent into hell represents the physical agony of death upon the Cross. To others, the word hell means Hades or Sheol, the collective abode of the dead, divided into Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom—the state of God-fearing souls—and Gehenna, the state of ungodly souls. Thus the descent into hell suggests the Son conveyed the sins of the world to hell; or preached the Good News of deliverance to the godly dead such as Lazarus the beggar and the repentant thief. A third-century Syrian Creed speaks of Jesus, “…crucified under Pontius Pilate and departed in peace, in order to preach to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the saints concerning the end of the world and the resurrection of the dead.” Still others believe the descent provides God’s justice by providing an opportunity for all mankind—in eternity as well as in time—to hear the message of redemption from the Word Himself. Whatever interpretation we accept, we should study the Scripture this teaching derives from closely. Some of the standard texts are Job 38:17, Psalm 68:18-22; Matthew 12:38-41; Acts 2:22-32; Romans 10:7; Ephesians 4:7-10, 1 Peter 3:18-20, and 1 Peter 4:6. However we approach it, we must remember the outcome—Christ came forth, leading captivity itself captive, and holding the keys of Death and Hell. He is our victory and life—and will never leave us!
Recognition Sunday, September 7, One Service & Potluck
September 5, 2008
Don’t forget this Sunday is Appreciation Sunday
One service only at 11:15am
Potluck and Music to follow.
So, please bring your favorite recipe and partake of food, fellowship and fun!
