Lent

In the Book of Common Prayer, the liturgy for Ash Wednesday offers the following:

"Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer."

Listen to the Archbishop of Canterbury's Lenten Reflection

President's Day

On President’s Day we honor two of our greatest leaders, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both who displayed godly characters in their service to our country.

From George Washington’s First Inaugural Address
Having thus imported to you my sentiments, as they have been awakened by the occasion which brings us together, I shall take my present leave; but not without resorting once more to the Benign Parent of the human race, in humble supplication that since He has been pleased to favor the American people, with opportunities for deliberating in perfect tranquility, and dispositions for deciding with unparalleled unanimity on a form of Government, for the security of their Union, and the advancement of their happiness; so His divine blessing may be equally conspicuous in the enlarged views, the temperate consultations, and the wise measures on which the success of this Government must depend.
— George Washington, April 30, 1789


From Abraham Lincoln
"In the early days of the world, the Almighty said to the first of our race, 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread'; and since then, if we except the light and the air of heaven, no good thing has been, or can be enjoyed by us, without having first cost labor. And inasmuch [as] most good things are produced by labor, it follows that [all] such things of right belong to those whose labor has produced them. But it has so happened in all ages of the world, that some have labored, and others have, without labor, enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not continue. To [secure] to each laborer the product of his labor...is a most worthy object of any good government."
— Abraham Lincoln, December 1, 1847

The 12 Days of Christmas

News flash... the Christmas season has just begun! Although popular culture would have you believe that Christmas is over and it's time to have the after Christmas clearance, our Christmas really just started! In most of the Western Church Christmas is celebrated during the 12 days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany, January 6th.

One source writes"
"The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually seen as simply a nonsense song for children with secular origins. However, some have suggested that it is a song of Christian instruction, perhaps dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Christian Faith. They contend that it was a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to youngsters. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Christian Faith. Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Christian Faith that was important for children to learn.

However, many have questioned the historical accuracy of this origin of the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. While some have trying to debunk this as an "urban myth" out of personal agendas, others have tried to deal with this account of the song's origin in the name of historical accuracy (see Snopes on The 12 Days of Christmas). There is little "hard" evidence available either way. Some church historians affirm this account as basically accurate, while others point out apparent historical and logical discrepancies.

However, we need to acknowledge that the "evidence" on both sides is mostly in logical deduction and probabilities. Lack of positive evidence does not automatically provide negative evidence. One internet site devoted to debunking hoaxes and legends says that, "there is no substantive evidence to demonstrate that the song 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' was created or used as a secret means of preserving tenets of the Catholic faith, or that this claim is anything but a fanciful modern day speculation. . .." What is omitted is that there is no "substantive evidence" that will disprove it either.

...this should not prevent us from using the song in celebration of Christmas. Many of the symbols of Christianity were not originally religious, including even the present date of Christmas, but were appropriated from contemporary culture by the Christian Faith as vehicles of worship and proclamation. Perhaps, when all is said and done, historical accuracy is not really the point. Perhaps more important is that Christians can celebrate their rich heritage, and God's grace, through one more avenue this Christmas. Now, when they hear what they once thought was only a secular "nonsense song," they will be reminded in one more way of the grace of God working in transforming ways in their lives and in our world. After all, is that not the meaning of Christmas anyway?" Dennis Bratcher

An explanation of the significance of the 12 days can be found with this original article at the link below:
http://www.cresourcei.org/cy12days.html

So don't pack you Christmas away too soon... the Wise Men have yet to arrive!

Why Rudolph?

Rudolph is my most favorite of the Christmas shows. You really won't believe this one. I came across this article, the first part is printed below:

School board reinstates Rudolph, Santa

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was almost grounded at Murrayville Elementary School this week after a parent complained about the classic Christmas song’s inclusion in her daughter’s upcoming kindergarten concert.

The objecting parent was upset about the words “Christmas” and “Santa” in the song, feeling that they carried religious overtones.

That prompted the song to be pulled from the upcoming holiday concert, which in turn upset more parents.

But Rudolph will be shining bright next Tuesday after New Hanover County school administrators and lawyers determined the song was just, well, a secular song about a make-believe reindeer.

“They’ve determined that it signifies just a day in time, Dec. 25, not the promotion of a religious symbol,” said Ed Higgins, chairman of the county Board of Education. “So Rudolph is back in.”

School officials also found the use of “Santa” to be okay because he’s considered a nonreligious figure.

My question is, 'why poor Rudolph?' Didn't he get picked on enough for that red nose. Seriously, it is like saying that kids should not have those Peeps marshmellow chick candies at Easter, because they represent the resurrection. Can't we just leave the 'Christ' in Christmas and leave poor old Rudolph alone!

Read entire article at:
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081205/articles/812050251

Making a Switch

Beginning on the Sunday of Advent 1, we will begin using the Revised Common Lectionary. The 2006 General Convention meeting in Columbus concurred this resolution.

Resolved, That the 75th General Convention direct that the Revised Common Lectionary shall be the Lectionary of this Church, amending the Lectionary on pp. 889-921 of The Book of Common Prayer, effective the First Sunday of Advent, 2007; with the provision for continued use of the previous Lectionary for purposes of orderly transition, with the permission of the Ecclesiastical Authority, until the First Sunday of Advent 2010.

Why change the assigned readings for worship?
(From the Episcopal Church website)

The Revised Common Lectionary provides these new features:
The option of semi-continuous reading of the great Old Testament narratives on the Sundays after Pentecost, to provide exciting new preaching opportunities, vacation Bible School ideas or informal summer story-telling for adults as well as children.
[Genesis through Judges in year A; the Davidic Covenant and Wisdom literature in Year B; the prophets – Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel and Habbakuk – in Year C.]

The option of lections in thematic harmony with the Gospel of the day for the Sundays after Pentecost. This follows the pattern of the present lectionary in which the readings from the Old Testament and the New Testament are chosen in relation to the Gospel.

The Inclusion of women and their role in salvation history, offering texts about women never heard on Sunday before.

The most notable example is the account of the woman anointing Jesus at Bethany [Mark 14:3-9]. Jesus responded by saying “wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” This text, omitted in the present lectionary, is included in the Revised Common Lectionary as part of the Passion narrative read on Palm Sunday in Year B.

*The Revised Common Lectionary preserves around 90% of the Gospel readings in the Lectionary of The Book of Common Prayer 1979.

Why is the Revised Common Lectionary of value to the Episcopal Church?

It is a truly ecumenical lectionary shared by most Protestant denominations and widely used throughout the Anglican Communion.
It provides new opportunities for ecumenical Bible study and shared resources for teaching and preaching.
It has improved the choice of appropriate texts for Sundays and Festivals.
It incorporates most of the readings with which the church is familiar.
Most new resources for preaching, teaching and the planning of worship are already being developed to support the Revised Common Lectionary.

Who is already using the Revised Common Lectionary?
American Baptist Churches in the USA
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Anglican Church of Australia
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Anglican Church of Canada
Presbyterian Church in Canada
Christian Church [Disciples of Christ]
Presbyterian Church in the USA
Christian Reformed Church in North America
United Church of Canada
Church of England
United Church of Christ
Anglican Church in South Africa
United Methodist Church

*The Roman Catholic Church has not adopted the RCL. However, there are already many differences between the Episcopal and Roman Lectionaries, even though the Episcopal Lectionary was patterned after the Roman Lectionary.

The Lectionary texts can can be found at: http://www.io.com/~kellywp/index.html using the RCL selection for the appropriate Sunday.

Archbishop of Canterbury on Advent

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We begin Advent of Sunday. Archbishop Rowan Williams reflects on Advent.

Pray for our leaders

It doesn't matter what party you belong to, what your affiliations are, or how you voted, it is our responsibility as Christians to pray for the leadership of our country.
I came across a website on the Internet called the Presidential Prayer Team, www.presidentialprayerteam.org. On its homepage it listed prayer requests for President Bush, words from Billy Graham, prayers for our troops, and prayers for various other leaders, plus other resources. I was interested, so I did a little bit more digging and found out, according to the website, that it was born out of the national tragedy of September 11th. Millions have joined together since then to pray for the President, his cabinet, the nation and our armed forces. It states that it is not a political organization and it says, "we pray for our national leaders in accordance with biblical principles, regardless of political persuasion. PPT exists in perpetuity to stimulate prayer for whoever occupies the Oval Office."

I Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness."
Our country and its leaders need our prayers now more than ever. Pray that they may make wise decisions, have a discerning spirit, and that God may guide them to be faithful leaders. God bless America.