Holy Week Services
March 30, 2010
Download the Holy Week schedule for details. There are at least two services every day during Holy Week.
Tuesday, March 30
- 8:00 AM Said Morning Prayer
- 7:00 AM Said Evening Prayer
Wednesday, March 31
- 8:00 AM Said Morning Prayer
- 7:00 PM Evensong/Tenebrae
Maundy Thursday Foot Washing
Maundy Thursday, April 1
- 8:00 AM Said Morning Prayer
- Holy Communion/Foot Washing/Stripping of Altar/Black Veiling of Narthex, Nave, and Chancel/ Beginning of the Vigil at the Altar of Repose*
* Sign up in Ballard Hall to watch one hour with the Lord.
Good Friday, April 2
- 8:00 AM Said Morning Prayer/Litany/Good Friday Altar Service (Missal)
- 12:00 Noon Stations of the Cross /Private Confessions
- 5:00 PM Evening Prayer/Litany/Meditations
- 6:00 PM Stations of the Cross and screening of The Passion of the Christ or Gospel of John movies
- Private Confessions/Intercessions for the parish and Church
Holy Saturday, April 3
- 8:30 AM Morning Prayer/Intercessions for the parish and Church
- 6:00 PM Blessing of the Font/Said Evening Prayer/Litany/Private Confessions and devotions
Easter Sunrise Service
Easter Sunday
- 7:20 AM Sunrise Holy Communion in prayer garden (in chapel if weather is inclement) followed by biscuits and gravy breakfast in Ballard Hall
- 10:00 AM Morning Prayer
- 11:00 AM Sounding of the shofar, Blessing and procession of the Paschal Candle, and Holy Communion followed by Reception in Ballard Hall
- No Sunday School, Children’s Church/Children’s Sermon/Youth Group/Koinonia
Lenten Meditation
March 30, 2010
The Journey: Two Paths to Follow by Isoke Mbongo
March 29, 2010
Parishioner Isoke Mbongo Mbongo has graciously donated 100 copies of his book of poems, The Journey: Two Paths to Follow, to All Saints.
The donated paperback books will be sold for $15 each, and the proceeds will go to missions.
Books will be available in Ballard Hall or may be ordered from Bill Wimp at poetrybook@allsaintsanglican.net.
Isoke has agreed to personally autograph each book.
Book Summary
This collection of Christian poems is inspiring and heartwarming. Written with uncanny simplicity, Dr. Mbongo tackles profound and complex themes that have dogged humankind throughout its existence. Readers are compelled into invoking their own experiences on this journey. A must read.
With distinct honor and pleasure, I recommend Dr. Mbongo’s poetry. This humble parishioner and servant of God writes from a heart filled with the Holy Ghost, and it shows. Read this book and be blessed! ~ THE REV. CB “CHIP” HARPER, Rector, All Saints Anglican Church of San Antonio
Author Profile
ISOKE MBONGO MBONGO, a Christian, Pharmacist and Poet, was born and raised in Victoria, Cameroon and now lives in San Antonio, Texas. He is a member of the All Saints Anglican Church, a Christ-centered, Bible-believing, Ancient, Classical, and Spirit-led parish.
He holds a Bachelors of Science in chemistry and a Doctor of Pharmacy from West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon and the University of California, San Francisco respectively.
Liturgy Lesson for Palm Sunday: In Spirit and Truth
March 28, 2010
Today is Palm Sunday, that day in Lent when we commemorate our Lord’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the “foundation of peace” and the holy city. We begin with the blessing of palms for worship, invoking God’s intervention in our lives to make our worship and other actions more than just a corporeal event or “attendance,” instead asking Him to enter our hearts in triumph—as the Lord of those lives, in spirit and truth—a contrast to the crowds that outwardly hailed Jesus at his arrival but then turned on Him, becoming the mob that demanded His blood on the Cross just hours later. With this prayer, we begin Holy Week—completing Lent’s spiritual creation of new and contrite hearts and preparing us for the joys of the Resurrection Sunday. May we, then, add to our “hosanna,” “Maranatha”—meaning “Come quickly, Lord,” as we give Him real Lordship in the Holy Cities of our Hearts.
Worship with All Saints During Holy Week
March 26, 2010
Services will be held every day during Holy Week.
- Morning Prayer at 8 AM Monday through Thursday
- Evening Prayer at 7 PM on Monday and Tuesday
- Evensong/Tenabrae at 7 PM on Wednesday
- Eucharist/Footwashing/Stripping of the Altar at 7 PM on Maundy Thursday followed by the Vigil at the Altar of Repose
- Morning/Evening Prayer and Litany, 8 AM and 5 PM on Good Friday
- Stations of the Cross at Noon and 6 PM on Good Friday
- Morning Prayer 8:30 AM and Blessing of the Font/Evening Prayer/Litany at 6 PM on Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday:
- Sunrise Eucharist in the Prayer Garden, 7:20 AM, followed by breakfast of biscuits and gravy, courtesy of Father Ed
- Morning Prayer, 10 AM
- Sounding of the Shofar, Blessing and Procession of the Paschal Candle, and Holy Communion, 11 AM, followed by a reception in Ballard Hall
Download and print the Holy Week schedule.
A Line in the Sand
March 25, 2010
Bible Reading: “1Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1 (New American Standard Bible)
Bonus Reading: Rom 8:2-8; Hebrews 10:19-31
Saturday, March 6th was the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo. The siege of 183 men who would not submit to a tyrant’s rule was punctuated by a dramatic impromptu ceremony where the garrison’s commander, Lt Col WB Travis, drew his saber and traced a line in the sand, inviting anyone who wanted to remain to certain death to walk across this sandy demarcation, knowing their stand would save lives elsewhere. Any of the defenders who felt they should leave would be allowed so to do. All except one crossed to stand with Travis and were killed in the Mexican Army’s final assault on their position. That man lived the remainder of his life regretting his choice.
This Lent—and every day—we all have a line to cross. Will we stand for the certain death of our flesh or escape to regret?
Read a devotional from a well-known and much-beloved local Christian author, who summed his review of Romans 8:1 with the statement, “You are saved, not because of what you do, but because of what Christ did.”
Wow, that is so true. But it’s truth taken out of context. Consider the words later in that same chapter: “12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
We clearly can’t just do anything our flesh leads us to, and then come back to the Father to confess it, if we never exercise our wills to change. We have to cross that line to crucify our flesh and live as the Spirit leads…not as our natural inclinations dictate.
The thing is, God will give us our will; he’ll let us choose. And the Church, so many times, enables our bad choices by not drawing the line in the sand. However the Scripture is crystalline; we are in the position of the Alamo defenders. We know death is coming. So we can choose to cross the line now, or face a life of regret as the man who left the Alamo did.
So, the outcome is certain death. But is it? Jesus modeled this for us when He made His choice in Gethsemane. He chose to give His life; it was not His preference at the time, but He chose it. At the same time, He asked the Father to make us all one, as He and the Father were. There is a linkage there.
Hebrews 10 tells us we are to encourage each other to good works. This means we stimulate each other to life in the Spirit, not bogging down in the flesh. We empathize, but we encourage. And pray. And stand together, as the defenders did in that crumbling old mission, facing huge odds. We understand that the Enemy of our souls intends to destroy us forever. The fledgling Texian army of the day cried out, “Remember the Alamo” in a decisive victory over a much larger and better-equipped Mexican force—keeping the defenders alive in their hearts.
We Christians remember Jesus and His Saints, remembering His Blood and the martyr’s blood as we face the Enemy’s assault. And we cross that line, as they did, knowing their sacrifice served a Higher Purpose. And we live on, much more vividly than the defenders of long ago…because He lives in us. Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” And He is. Our Hope of Glory. The Bright and Morning Star. What good news! A life lived in and to Him is not lost…not regrettable…but it does come with a cost.
Ourselves. We offer them in prayer in every mass: “our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee.” Thing is, if we’re honest with ourselves, this gets tough to do. Sure it does…if we’re trying to do it all ourselves.
Here’s some more good news: all we have to do is to decide to cross the line. Jesus told us how we’d get the strength to walk: Acts 1:8 (Amplified Bible) 8But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.
So, this is what I think the Lord speaks to us:
- Don’t submit to the tyrant’s rule—even if the tyrant is your own flesh
- Cross the line and stand with Me
- I’ll send you the Holy Ghost to give you strength and vision
- Stand with each other as you stand with Me—to encourage, rally, and support each other
- You will never die
Let’s walk across it together.
Victory in Jesus,
Chip+
Book Review: The Scarlet Thread
March 22, 2010
The Scarlet Thread
by Francine Rivers
Available in the All Saints Bookstore
Review by Anne Pargeter
Sierra Madrid feels in complete control of her life. She is married to a successful husband she loves, has two children and a home she loves in her hometown. When she is suddenly yanked from her comfort zone when her husband insists on taking a dream job in Los Angeles, Sierra is resentful, unhappy, and her life begins spinning out of control.
Interwoven with Sierra’s story, through entries from an old journal, is the story of Mary Katherine McMurray, one of Sierra’s ancestors. Like Sierra, Mary Katherine must leave everything familiar to her when her husband up roots the family to travel west, by covered wagon, along the Oregon Trail.
Both Sierra and Mary Katherine resent the changes they must face to follow the men they love. Both women struggle desperately to regain control of their lives through their own efforts, and both are unable to do so until they relinquish control to the One who loves them unconditionally, and Who is the only One truly in control of all our lives.
If you like history, you will enjoy the excellent descriptions of the brave (and sometimes completely unsuitable) people who were drawn by the promise of land to face the many hardships of the Oregon Trail.
The book also paints a good picture of the stresses and temptations that many modern couples face in marriages today and how easily these influences can come between people, even two people who really love each other. The book clearly portrays how easily life can get out of control when we forget who should be at the center of our lives.
Francine Rivers is a best-selling author and three-time winner of the Romance Writers of America Rita Award. She has been writing for more than twenty years.
Liturgy Lesson for Passion Sunday: Stations of the Cross
March 19, 2010
On the nave walls, you may have noticed stations for the Way of the Cross, an ancient devotion intended for us to each make a small pilgrimage with our Lord through His Passion and Death. This is a very Scriptural practice—St. Paul taught us to glory in Christ and Him crucified, and we are also instructed to be willing to share in Christ’s sufferings, taking up our own crosses and following Him. This small, but intense devotion is a way we can do that, rehearsing His propitiation in a series of 14 meditations, walking from one station to another to help the faithful to make in spirit, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ’s sufferings and death. To aid in that devotion, we have placed small booklets in each pew from now until Easter. The origin of this devotion may be traced to the Holy Land, where the Via Dolorosa at Jerusalem was reverently marked out from the earliest times and has been the goal of pilgrims ever since the days of Constantine. For us, we use the stations and devotions to help us put our lives in perspective and to reproduce devotions in holy places in other lands for those who were hindered from making the actual pilgrimage. For us, as we make our devotions to the Lord, may we ask the Holy Ghost to help us to take up our cross and follow Him in our Lenten examen, growing in Him, as we rehearse His Passion for us all!
Liturgy Lesson for the Fourth Sunday in Lent: Laetare – Rejoice
March 13, 2010
The Fourth Sunday of Lent, called “Laetare” (Rejoice) is named for the first words of the Introit prayed or sung before the procession to the Holy Table. In the first six or seven centuries, Lent began on the Sunday after Quinquagesima (50 Days before Easter)—but was only thirty-six fasting days. Church Fathers then added four days preceding, making a Biblical 40-day fast—as Jesus did in the Wilderness before He began His ministry. Originally the middle day of Lent, the Thursday before Laetare enjoyed relaxed discipline with special joy to encourage the faithful in their devotion through Lent’s Holy Ghost–powered examen. Later, it was moved to the more practical Sunday feast day. Like Gaudete Sunday in Advent, this Sunday uses flowers on the altar and more festive worship music and allows rose-colored vestments instead of the more penitential purple as on the other Lenten Sundays, reminding us that it’s the quality of our devotion—not the details–that God wants—and that we are not to make our customs into the Law. The contrast between Laetare and other Lenten Sundays, then, echoes a promise God gave us in Scripture—that when the Enemy [of our Souls] rushes in like a flood, He would provide a standard to rally to—much like during the Exodus, when God instructed Moses to fashion a brazen pole and serpent; which, when looked upon, ensured Israelites bitten by venomous snakes would live. This all points us to Jesus—our Hope of Glory—our Standard to rally in the Wilderness to live eternally. On this day that is also called Refreshment Sunday, Sunday of the Five Loaves (from a miracle recorded in the Gospel), Mid-Lent, and Mothering Sunday, we rightly take joy in today’s Epistle, as it cites our right to be called sons of God—and not in bondage to the letter of the law—eating the miracle meal from Jesus’ own hand—nailed to the Cross for us. Rally us, Lord—we follow you!!
Holy Week Schedule 2010
March 12, 2010
Holy Week offers many opportunities for worship at All Saints. See the highlights below or download a complete schedule.
Palm Sunday: Blessing of palms in the prayer garden; procession into the nave; Holy Communion, 9:00 AM & 11:15AM
Monday – Friday: Said Morning Prayer, 8:00 AM
Monday & Tuesday: Said Evening Prayer, 7 PM
Holy Wednesday: Evensong/Tenebrae, 7 PM
Maundy Thursday: Holy Communion/Foot Washing/Stripping of Altar/Black Veiling of Narthex, Nave, and Chancel/ Beginning of the Vigil at the Altar of Repose*, 7 PM
Good Friday: Morning/Evening Prayer & Litany, 8 AM & 5 PM; Stations of the Cross, Noon and 6 PM
Holy Saturday: Morning Prayer, 8:30 AM; Blessing of the Font/Evening Prayer/Litany, 6 PM
Resurrection Sunday: Sunrise Communion in prayer garden, 7:20 AM; Blessing and procession of the Paschal Candle & Holy Communion, 11:00 AM; followed by reception in Ballard Hall
All Week: Appointments with priests for private confessions (call 344-1920 to schedule)
*Vigil at the Altar of Repose: Sign up in Ballard Hall to pray and watch and wait and pray with the Lord for one hour at the Vigil at the Altar of Repose from the end to the service on Maundy Thursday until the sunrise service on Easter.
