Reminder: Annual Meeting this Sunday, January 3, 2010
December 31, 2009
Annual Meeting and Potluck Lunch
Sunday, January 3, 2010
following the 11:15 AM service (no 9:00 AM service)
Koinonia will follow the annual meeting
Confirmation and Reception of New Members Scheduled
December 29, 2009
Bishop David Bena will make an episcopal visit to All Saints on Sunday, January 10th, at 11:15 AM. He will confirm new members and receive confirmed members transferring from other parishes.
There will be no 9:00 AM service that Sunday.
Liturgy Lesson for St. John, Apostle and Evangelist: Gestures of Reverence
December 27, 2009
In worship, you may note those in our congregation make “gestures of reverence”— signing themselves with the cross, bowing, genuflecting, or knocking on the breastbone in repentance at various times in the service. Since the 1549 Prayer Book (the first in English instead of Latin, produced during the Reformation) all gestures of reverence—except kneeling or standing when the rubrics of the Prayer Book require them—are a personal devotion. When worshipping, they are a matter of our hearts before our gracious God—strictly between the individual and Him, as led by God the Holy Ghost and reflect the courtesy and protocol of service in the court of our Sovereign—the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whom we serve in worship. Many new to our corner of Christianity ask me what they should properly do. My answer is always the same—make this a matter of prayer, asking God the Holy Ghost to show us what pleases our Heavenly Father most in our personal devotions. Whatever we do, our devotions should rightly reflect how we submit our bodies, souls, and spirits to the Holy Ghost’s leadership—and make our “gestures of reverence” to serve God with all that we are—with an attitude of submission that pleases Him and edifies ourselves and those around us. May we, then, worship God, as we pray, in the beauty of holiness—being set completely aside for His service, in Spirit and truth!!
Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go
December 26, 2009
“Sexting”–the sharing of sexually explicit photos, videos & chat by cell phone or online—is a fairly commonplace among young people, despite sometimes grim consequences. It is a clear clarion cry for the need to provide a personal Jesus in the lives of our youth. And it’s up to us, Christians, to take action on this. Let’s pray.
O Lord, draw and grow young people in You, by Your Blood & Spirit—who will not give themselves away for nothing. Keep them safe by Your power, Father of Lights. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.
O Christ, arise, help us.
And deliver us for thy Name’s sake.
Come and save us, O Lord God of hosts.
Show the light of thy countenance, and we shall be whole.
–Versicles from the Advent Liturgy of the Wreath, First Sunday
This is one reason why cementing youth relationships in a Spirit-led and Biblically-faithful parish is vital. Parents must set a godly example to their children, early-on…well before middle school/high school age. However, it is also up to each of us to provide every child in our parish and in our families the guidance they need to avoid the potentially evil consequences of what society might view as an innocent practice by curious youth. God’s Word speaks:
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Proverbs 22:6 (New American Standard Bible)
Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
The greatest gift we can give our children is to make them feel a part of our faith community. PARENTS: PLEASE!! WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE…WE NEED YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE GOSPEL AND THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH FOR YOUR CHILDREN. BRING THEM OR OTHERWISE ENSURE THEY COME TO CHURCH FOR WORSHIP, SERVICE, SUNDAY SCHOOL, DISCIPLESHIP, AND FELLOWSHIP CONSISTENTLY!!! PRAY FOR THEM AND WITH THEM. DO ALL YOU CAN TO SET A GODLY EXAMPLE AT HOME. AND, EVEN IF OUR CHILDREN ARE ALREADY MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL AGE, LET’S DO ALL WE CAN TO GIVE THEM THE GIFT OF CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE AND OPPORTUNITY.
Parents, we will support you in your efforts to save and protect your children with strong, spiritual tools. Attend Intercessor Prayer Training the next time it’s offered and make firm friends in Christ in our parish, through our men’s group, Koinonia, Wednesday Supper Club, Intercessory Prayer Team, lay readers, or other fellowship/service opportunities—for partnering in prayer and faith. Together, we can make a difference in our children’s life—and each other’s lives.
Does this mean sometimes we make extra effort, even when we’re tired? It does. But where are our priorities? Providing our children with the power that comes from a strong faith community provides them with the armor they need to protect themselves against evils that will seek to tempt and assault them, not matter how young they are. Our dedicated Sunday School and Youth Ministers work hard to do their part—but they NEED US ALL to partner in prayer, example, and attendance.
After all, the word “parish” comes from parochia, a Greek word meaning “family.” We are family and have to work together for our kids…and each other. This Advent, let’s take the advice of Scripture, taken from our Morning Prayer office, especially in the lives of our kids:
Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ~ Isaiah xl. 3.
Nothing is more important than the lives we build in them in the Lord. Nothing.
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
Annual Meeting 2010
December 26, 2009
Annual Meeting and Potluck Lunch
Sunday, January 3, 2010
following the 11:15 AM service (no 9:00 AM service)
Koinonia will follow the annual meeting
Join us to elect new vestry members, set the budget for the coming year, and share the vision cast for our parish mission in 2010. Enjoy the fellowship and to see where the Lord is leading us this upcoming year!
Join us for Worship, Christmas Eve, 10:30 PM
December 23, 2009
Thursday, December 24, Christmas Eve, 10:30 PM
Candlelight Christmas Eve Mass
Bring your Christmas guests, friends, and neighbors to a beautiful and joyous celebration of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ!
Angela Minns’ Visit with Daughters of the King and Ladies of the Parish, December 5, 2009
December 21, 2009
Vestry and Parish Leaders Lunch with Bishop Minns, December 6, 2009
December 21, 2009
Bishop Minns’ Visit, Eucharist and Koinonia, December 6, 2009
December 21, 2009
Liturgy Lesson for the Fourth Sunday in Advent: The Conversion of Life
December 20, 2009
In Advent spirituality, we meditate on Christ’s birthing in our hearts. In this, we deal with the conversion of life—the movement away from our old life, lived under the power of evil—to a new life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. True conversion is a turning from one way of life to another. Christ calls us to be converted to Him, making him the pattern of our lives, our living and dying in Him. This can only be accomplished as we completely submit to Him and live our lives in respect to His paschal mystery and by the example He left for us to follow. In Advent we review, once again, where our faith rests and how we live. “Trust in Jesus” is not merely a onetime act, but a continuous choice, a moment-by-moment existence in Him. It’s a daily turning from a life lived for self to a life lived in step with the Spirit who continually molds us, if we will allow Him to do so, to be like Jesus.
