February 2025
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
February 2025 from Father Tim
February 2025 begins with Candlemas (2nd), The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin. A long name for the shortest month which will close out Epiphanytide (9th), open up our Gesima Days (16th & 23rd), and includes S. Matthias, Apostle & Martyr (24th). S. Blase falls on the 3rd and throats may be blessed on that day and the Sunday following. We’ve had a lot of discussion lately about seasonal hymn selection and our ability (or inability) to sing them well. Maybe some of you feel a Saint Blase throat blessing would come in handy right now. Some may ask, “Why do we sing traditional hymns?” The answer is simple, “We are a traditional Anglican church.” Anglo-Catholic. Stubbornly so. Modern worship songs do not fit into our liturgy. There are good reasons we should learn to sing all of our traditional hymns. First, we should honor our history of faith. We are a branch of the ancient Church with an ancient liturgy. We sing old hymns, pray using an old version of English, immersing ourselves in the witness of the saints who have come before. Second, our hymns were written by theologians, pastors, poets, and scholars. Contemporary worship songs are written by marketable musicians as marketable songs. It is a money making business. Most of these well-meaning people have dubious credentials at best, and their work demonstrates this. Third, our hymns were not written to be popular. They were written to be long lasting. They have eternity in mind. Fourth, our hymns have been scrutinized for generations, and stood the test of time. Fifth, traditional hymns were written for congregations, contemporary songs are not (even though many churches try their best). Sixth, singing our hymns is part of our liturgy. Yes, they require a deeper level of effort and engagement, but therein is the discipline of corporate worship. Our liturgy is a discipline that asks much of us. It doesn’t only confront us with the drama of the Christian story, but demands that we play a part. And in those moments of discipline, effort, and personal engagement, in the hassle of deciphering tough words and hard stanzas, we don’t merely learn what the word “verdant” means, but we learn to give thanks for the God who has graciously brought pilgrims like us to this green, rich, living countryside. Lastly, words have meaning! Traditional hymns rely on elegant, eloquent, and refined language so that we get the Christian story right, and become the parish church we need to be. May God bless you this February. ~ Father Tim
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Do you know someone who never has eternity in mind? If yes, invite them to church this February where they can discover personal engagement with the living Christ. ~ Father Tim
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Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing Him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven. ~ John Wesley, 1703-1791, Anglican Priest, Theologian & Evangelist
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Do you know?
Do you know Saint John’s made a charitable donation to the Anglican Catholic Church Mission Fund in January? Do you know our Book of Life Club will continue our discussion of the book Gospel Allegiance by Matthew Bates in February? Do you know The Usual Suspects will be discussing The Book of Esther in our February Bible Study? Do you know the O’Fallon side nave window restoration is underway? Do you know that we have begun a restore of our pews in the choir and nave?
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Saint John February Ordo Kalendar
Saturday, the 1st of February, at 7:30 AM, Rule of Faith Meeting
Sun., the 2nd of Feb., at 10:30 AM, Purification B.V.M., Candlemas
Sun., the 2nd of Feb., at 4:00 PM, Baptism of Emily & Paisley Edmondson
Wednesday, the 5th of February, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 9th of February, at 10:30 AM, Epiphany V Mass
Wednesday, the 12th of February, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sat., the 15th of Feb., at 9:00 AM, Morning Prayer & Litany for Mission
Sat., the 15th of Feb., at 9:45 AM, Bible Study, Book of Esther
Sat., the 15th of Feb., at 11:00 AM, Book of Life Club, Gospel Allegiance
Sun., the 16th of Feb., at 10:30 AM, Septuagesima Mass, Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, the 19th of February, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Saturday, the 22nd of February, at 7:30 AM, Rule of Faith Meeting
Sun., the 23rd of February, at 10:30 AM, Sexagesima Mass
Wednesday, the 26th of February, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
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As I have already observed, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although scattered throughout the whole world, yet, as if occupying but one house, carefully preserves it. (Against Heresies I:10:2) ~ S. Irenaeus, 122-202, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
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The great hymns of the church are on the way out. They are not gone entirely, but they are going and in their place have come trite jingles that have more in common with contemporary advertising ditties than the psalms. The problem here is not so much the style of the music, though trite words fit best with trite tunes and harmonies. Rather it is with the content of the songs. The old hymns expressed the theology of the Bible in profound and perceptive ways and with winsome memorable language. Today’s songs are focused on ourselves. They reflect our shallow or nonexistent theology and do almost nothing to elevate our thoughts about God. Worst of all are songs that merely repeat a trite idea, word, or phrase over and over again. Songs like this are not worship, though they may give the church-goer a religious feeling. They are mantras, which belong more in a gathering of New Agers than among the worshiping people of God. ~ James Montgomery Boice, 1938-2000, Christian Theologian, Bible Teacher, & Author
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February Birthdays & Anniversaries
Kyle Maycock – Birthday – February 3
Lincoln Bock – Birthday – February 3
Vivienne Miller – Birthday – February 9
Helena “Lennie” Fisher – Birthday – February 11
Brian Miller – Birthday – February 13
Donna Davis – Birthday – February 21
Bob Petrie – Birthday – February 23
Sarah Miller – Birthday – February 26
Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Dunn – Birthday – February 26
Sheila Myers–Birthday–February 27
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Why should we want to worship Jesus well?
The palpable error is, that none of those for whom Christ died can be cast away and destroyed, that no virgin’s lamp can go out; no promising harvest be choked with thorns, no branch in Christ cut off for unfruitfulness, no pardon forfeited, and no name blotted out of God’s book:–that no salt can ever lose its savour; nobody receive the grace of God in vain,bury his talent, neglect such great salvation, trifle away a day of visitation, look back after setting his hand to the plough, and grieve the Spirit till he is quenched, and strives no more. This error, so conducive to the Laodicean case, is expressly opposed by St. Peter, who informs us that some ‘deny the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.’ And Christ himself, far from desiring to keep his lukewarm purchase in his hand, declares that he will spue it out of his mouth, Rev. iii:16. ~ John William Fletcher, 1729-1785, Anglican Priest & Theologian
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The glorious St. Simeon also was very happy…to carry Him as did Our Lady…we do this when we endure with love the labors and pains He sends us, that is to say, when the love which we bear to the Law of God makes us find His yoke easy and pleasing, so that we love these pains and labors, and gather sweetness in the midst of bitterness. This is nothing else but to carry Our Lord in our arms. Now if we carry Him in this way, He will, without doubt, Himself carry us. ~ S. Francis de Sales, 1567-1622, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
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The Presentation of Christ in the Temple
The words of old Simeon, let us remember, will yet receive a fuller accomplishment. The “light” which he saw by faith, as he held the child Jesus in his arms, shall yet shine so brightly that all the nations of the Gentile world shall see it. The “glory” of that Jesus whom Israel crucified, shall one day be revealed so clearly to the scattered Jews, that they shall look on Him whom they pierced, and repent, and be converted. The day shall come when the veil shall be taken from the heart of Israel, and all shall “glory in the Lord.” (Isaiah. 45:25.) For that day let us wait, and watch, and pray. If Christ be the light and glory of our souls, that day cannot come too soon. ~ J.C. Ryle, 1816-1900, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
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What is apologetics, and why should you care about it?
“Apologetics” comes from a Greek word meaning defense, or answer, as in a legal setting. The scene is 1st century Rome. You’re on trial and are being accused of something, and you need to respond. Your answer is your “apologia”.
The word appears in Scripture in 1 Peter 3:15. So, Christian apologetics is giving an answer to someone who asks why Christianity is true, or perhaps sharing why you are a Christian. Technically speaking then, if no one has asked you, it’s not apologetics for you to share. The word “apologetics”, though, has come to be defined partially by how it functions. In practice, it serves as a way to encourage the faith of the Christian, and as the tip of the spear in evangelism. Apologetics can pave the way for the gospel to make inroads into hard hearts as well as (for me) drawing oneself closer to God. This is what I’ve been getting at with prior contributions to the newsletter. Asking good questions like how someone knows their worldview is correct is a good way of getting into evangelistic conversations. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all sunshine and roses. There are some negative perceptions of apologetics, some of which are even deserved. There are too many examples of bad apologetics. But why should you care about apologetics? In my view, this is simple: the person who shouldn’t care is the person who has never considered a hard or curious question about the world, God, or the Bible, or is never around those who have, or has no children, or doesn’t want to evangelize, or doesn’t want to love the Lord with their whole person. You get the picture; apologetics is a necessary skill for evangelism and for training up the next generation, and for standing strong in our anti-Christian culture. A good many of you may even be doing it without even realizing it!
At St. John’s, I want to do the same kind of thing I do on campus at UC, and provide a space where we can talk about these things and how we can have a confident witness. A space where we can honestly discuss the hard topics and pursue good answers that will empower us. To that end, stay tuned on developments to do with a class Father Tim is encouraging me to lead. This will be very entry level, all ages, both genders, all levels of education, and we’ll be talking about apologetics and worldview issues. If you’re interested, please talk to me at church sometime and tell a friend. ~ Chris Stockman
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The seeking of Jesus Christ and the quest for chivalry combined lead directly to one place only: Anglican-Catholicism. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help and defend the weak and the poor. Welcome to the Anglican Catholic Church. ~ Father Timothy Butler