Spirit of the Eagle – December 2018
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Rector’s Reflections for December 2018 from Father Tim
Welcome to Advent and December! The Advent [Coming] Season will bring us to the Christ’s Mass very soon! Most everyone gets excited about Christmas. However, in most people’s lives Advent becomes a casualty, or is forgotten completely, in all the holiday planning and gift giving rush. In an old list of bishops, compiled in A. D. 354, these words appear for A.D. 336: “25 December: natus Christus in Betleem Judeae.” [December 25th, Christ born in Bethlehem, Judea.] This day, December 25, 336, is the first recorded celebration of Christmas. When faithful Christians first began to celebrate the birth of Jesus, it seemed proper to prepare for His incarnation with great holiness, so they began observing the four weeks before Christmas as Advent — especially contemplating “the shortness and uncertainty of human life”. Those early Christians thought of the birth of Christ not only in terms of the past, but also in the present as well as in the future. They celebrated His incarnation in the past, His coming to them in prayer and the Sacrament of Holy Communion in the present, and His Second Coming at the end of the world. This latter is where Advent comes in. Advent prayers, hymns, and scripture readings focus on judgment day and the end of the world. They all revolve around solemn themes, but the solemnity is combined with a deep joy. Both early Christians, and Christians today, look forward with confidence and joy, in certain knowledge that God Almighty has ordered all things preparing for His perfect renewal of the old creation, including the gift of a new heaven and a new earth. I hope and pray this Advent Season you sense ‘expectation’, and experience the miracle of the Christ-child coming with everyone you hold dear. ~ Father Tim
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Within the Catholic Church, we hold that which hath been believed everywhere, always, and of all men: for that is truly and properly Catholic, which comprehendeth all things in general after an universal manner. And that shall we do if we follow Universality, Antiquity, Consent. Universality shall we follow thus, if we profess that One Faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world acknowledgeth and confesseth. Antiquity shall we follow, if we part not any whit from those senses which it is plain that our holy elders and fathers generally held. Consent shall we likewise follow, if, in this very Antiquity itself, we hold the definitions and opinions of all, or at any rate almost all, the Priests and Doctors together. ~ Saint Vincent of Lérins, c.445, Against Heresy, Ch. ii
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Be prepared! Most likely we may have visitors in our services for Christmas. Some of them will no doubt be Christmas and Easter only type people, however, some may be seekers who are tired of living their worldly way of life and think God and Holy Church will have answers they seek. No matter their motivation for coming, this is a tremendous opportunity to share the Gospel with them. Christmas provides a once a year opportunity to proclaim the Good News that God so loved them He willingly left Heaven to come to earth in hopes of pursuing a personal relationship with them! No matter how dark their life is, His true light can break through the storm clouds and give them the hope they look for! ~ Father Tim
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December Spirituality Class
In December we will be continuing our transitional class with both Spirituality and Bible Study. The class in December will cover Wisdom and Folly, Proverbs 1-9. The study of God’s word is central to the life and mission of our parish church of St. John the Evangelist. Please join us after Holy Mass on the 16th of December for an engaging, dynamic, and informative exploration of the Holy Scriptures. All are welcome, but be warned: continued exposure to God’s word will change your life.
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“The tree lies where it falls” (Eccles. 2:3). ’Tis true, but yet it is not the last stroke that felled the tree, nor the last word nor gasp that qualifies the soul. We pray still for a peaceable life against violent death, and for a time of repentance against sudden death, and for sober and modest assurance against distempered and diffident death, but never make ill conclusions upon persons overtaken with such deaths; “To God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.” Our critical day is not the very day of our death, but the whole course of our life. I thank the one who prays for me when my bell tolls, but I thank the one much more who catechizes me, or preaches to me, or instructs me how to live. There’s my security, the mouth of the Lord has said it, “do this and you shall live” (Luke 10:28). ~ John Donne, Death’s Duel
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Would you like to commemorate a special occasion? Honor a special person or remember a deceased loved one AND help out your parish? Would you like to mark a special day in your life? Please consider donating money to the Altar Guild for the flowers used for our at Holy Communion. Beautiful flowers glorify God and beautify His holy altar where we gather to receive the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, and deepen our sense of community as we join together with fellow parishioners.
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I am not objecting to the glow of mystery which is part of the charm and part of the reality of any attempt to depict that which is interior to and beyond our life and experience. Nor is it desirable to express the other world in terms of this. What is necessary, however, is to leave no room to suppose that after death we are any different than we were before in our inmost self, to accentuate the continuity of life, and to keep all artificiality out of the picture of the great beyond. The first and best illustration of the effect upon personality of death is found in Jesus Christ. After His reappearance from the grave, He is unaltered in character, tone of thought, and fundamental relationships. What strikes one forcibly is the absence of anything like a break in the continuity of His personality. ~ Charles Henry Brent, The Last Great Adventure
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St. John December Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 2nd of December at 10:30 AM, we celebrate Advent I, Vestry meeting
Sunday, the 9th of December at 10:30 AM, we celebrate Advent II, St. Nicholas Coffee Hour
Sunday, the 16th of December at 10:30 AM, we celebrate Advent III, Bible Study after Mass
Sunday, the 23rd of December at 10:30 AM, we celebrate Advent IV
Monday, the 24th of Dec. at 5:30 PM (Carols at 5:00 PM) Christmas Eve, Vigil of the Nativity
Tuesday, the 25th of Dec. at 10:30 AM, we celebrate the Christ’s Mass, Nativity of our Lord
Coming in January, St. John Chili Supper!!!
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December Birthdays & Anniversaries
Coraline Parker Bock – Birthday – December 3
Jim Barnett – Birthday – December 3
Fr. Timothy Butler – Birthday – December 4
Claudia Anspaugh – Birthday – December 11
Brittany & Joel Sams – Anniversary – December 14
Paige Smith – Birthday – December 17
Michael T. Whalen – Birthday – December 22
Artie Robbins – Birthday – December 24
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I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries. Even so then at the present time also there is a remnant. ~ Jeremiah 23:3; Romans 11:5
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The seeking of Jesus the Christ and the quest for chivalry combined lead directly to one place only: Anglo-Catholicism. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak and the poor. Welcome to the Anglican Catholic Church. ~ Father Tim