Bishop's Note: Collect for the Fifth Sunday of Pentecost - Proper 10

Bishop Eric Menees

“O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee, and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”

In Part A of this week's collect, we ask the Lord: "...mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people…." Did you know that God hears and answers every prayer? The range of answers is generally the same. YES. NO. And NOT YET. Of course, when the answer is YES we are thrilled. When the answer is NO or NOT YET, we are less than happy. However, the Lord's answer to our prayers is ALWAYS the correct answer. Our responsibility is to ask the Lord, receive the answer and then to obey the answer of the Lord.

Part B of this week’s plea to the Lord is: "...who call upon thee, and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do…." The answer to this request will most assuredly be YES.  If we ask the Lord to show us how we should be following Him; how we should be serving Him; how we should be loving others; the answer will be YES. The question will be: are we open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? The ways He answers are numerous. For me, I often go to sleep asking the Lord for guidance, and I wake up in the morning just knowing what it is I'm supposed to do. This is most especially true with my preaching: “Lord what would you have me say this Sunday,” is often my prayer on Thursday night going to bed - I generally write my sermon on Friday. Now, this prayer also comes after having read the scriptures on Monday and having begun my study of the word - so things are already percolating in my spirit - but it is the Lord's prompting that directs my preaching.

If we are seeking to do God's will in our lives, then we'll be reading His Word, speaking with godly brothers and sisters, examining our dreams, and quietly listening to The Lord. The problem is that, too often, we come to Him out of stress and anxiety because we find out backs against the wall. But I promise you, if you pray for His guidance, God will offer it.

Part C is the most important part of the prayer, in my opinion: "...and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same…." This is the part of the prayer that we often leave out. We ask God for guidance, but then fail to ask Him for the grace and power to fulfill what He guides us to do.

I pray that this week's collect will open you up to the prompting of the Spirit along with the power and grace to fulfill God's desires for your life.

I pray you all a blessed week!

Bishop Menees

Catechetical  Question #2

2. What is the human condition?

The universal human condition is that, though made for fellowship with our Creator, we have been cut off from him by self-centered rebellion against him, leading to guilt, shame, and fear of death and judgment. This is the state of sin.

Note: The Bishop's notes are written for the ADSJ and posted here with his permission for a wider audience. I included his Catechism question because To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism is a seminal document that I believe will help form our identity internally and give other churches an orthodox picture of Anglican Christianity in post Christian cultures. May God richly bless those who wrote it and those who read and inwardly digest it. The Catechism is available from the ACNA website as a PDF, Word or Kindle download. It is also available from Amazon as a leatherbound document.

The Underground Church

Fr. Dale Matson

I sat in my doctor’s examination room today, expecting the usual back and forth, polite but non-productive banter. He is not always a good listener. During the usual prolonged waiting, I was also thinking of how our country was slipping into an anti Christian stance. I am not accustomed to it. When I was young, we even had blue laws in Detroit that closed businesses on Sunday. Time Magazine referred to Madalyn Murray O'Hair as the most hated woman in 1964. She would be mainstream in today’s world. It unsettles me when I think about the future for Christians.

My doctor was not the one with gentle rapping on the exam room door. Instead, I was greeted by the nurse practitioner. She introduced herself with what sounded like a Russian accent. We chatted about my anemia problems. I felt like I needed to get her up to speed on my ongoing issues. I was also curious about her accent. I said, “Did you come here from Russia? Are you Russian? She said, “I am Russian and Ukrainian.” “You must be very concerned about what is going on in the Ukraine.” She said, “I still have relatives there and pray for them and the Ukraine every day.” I said, “Are you Russian Orthodox or Pentecostal?” “No, I am Baptist. We are like the Pentecostals but we don't speak in tongues. My career was cut short in the Soviet Union because I would not join the party; the Communist Party. I am a Christian and it meant that there was persecution. Many suffered for the faith. We were careful not to publicly mention the name Jesus to someone we did not know. We have it good here though.” I said, “Perhaps but it may change yet in my lifetime. We hope our laws of free speech will not be misinterpreted. There are already words that cannot be mentioned. People can be charged with hate speech.”

As we talked, I felt a bit guilty that others were waiting to be seen. I moved to get closure on the medical reason for the visit and closure on our conversation. It was very evident to me however that here was two Christians talking to one another who had never met yet there was total candor and honest heartfelt conversation. “I will pray for you, Russia and the Ukraine.” She said to me, “God Bless You.” I responded that I was an Anglican Priest and gave her a ‘Priestly’ blessing with my hand. We shook hands goodbye.

I am sure thousands and thousands of these conversations go on every day across the country in professional settings. It is two or more gathering together. It is the underground church convened by the Holy Spirit.  I made a point of writing her name in my journal. If only I was as careful about remembering the names of the other new folks I meet. I went to church today in my doctor’s examination room.      

The New ACNA Catechism

Fr. Dale Matson

The ACNA Catechism is a great compromise in size between Luther's Small Catechism and the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. It is called To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism. It has been produced in a time when it is necessary to draw a clear line in the sand between an increasingly pagan western society and innovative and progressive theology on the one hand and orthodox Anglican theology on the other. It was developed by and for the Anglican Church North America. It will be useful in a number of respects.

It will introduce those in contemporary post Christian cultures to historical Anglican Christian theology and it will reintroduce contemporary Anglicans to their own beliefs historically held. Thus it will help form the identity of those within the ACNA and serve as a centripetal mechanism of unity.

Those who worked on the task force like J.I. Packer and Stephen Noll are well grounded in Scripture and highly regarded scholars. Fr. Lee Nelson from our Diocese was also one of the contributors to the new catechism. As a retired psychologist, I believe it is also a great personal improvement book.

Reading it is a faith and hope building experience. It is in a question and answer format. It is similar in some respects to the very first Christian Catechism. The Didache was designed for Christian formation in a culture that was pagan (The Didache, which was written in the first century, forbid abortion).  In our new catechism we hear the following questions:

16. What does God grant in saving you?

God grants me reconciliation with him (2 Corinthians 5:17-19), forgiveness of sins

(Colossians 1:13-14), adoption into his family (Galatians 4:4-7), citizenship in his Kingdom (Ephesians 2:19-21, Philippians 3:20), union with him in Christ (Romans 6:3-5), new life in the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-5), and the promise of eternal life (John 3:16; 1 John 5:12). Each statement cites a passage from Scripture.

256. Why did God give the Ten Commandments?

God’s holy Law is a light to show me his character, a mirror to show me myself, a tutor to lead me to Christ, and a guide to help me love God and others, as I should.

The answers fill my heart with joy as I read what it means to be and live the Christian life. I would commend our new catechism to you. It is 128 pages with 345 questions and answers to things you have always wanted to know as a Christian. There are also historical faith documents in the appendix. It is available in a leather bound copy from Amazon and as a free download from the ACNA website as a Microsoft Word document or a PDF document.  Do you want a REAL self-help book? Get our new catechism.

 

If you want personal renewal, read our new catechism. It will fill you with hope and faith and the essential knowledge of what it means to be an Anglican Christian. This new catechism is not just being used by the ACNA. It is being embraced by Anglicans worldwide and is currently being translated into many other languages.

Bishop's Note: Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Pentecost - Proper 9

 Bishop Eric Menees

O God, who hast taught us to keep all thy commandments by loving thee and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to thee with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Last week I had the great honor of participating in the election of the second Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America - The Most Rev. Foley Beach. The bishops met in conclave for our first election of an archbishop following the model of the Roman Catholic Church. In this process the bishops committed to entering into a time of prayer and fasting, seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Archbishop Duncan, our first archbishop, opened with one of his favorite sayings: "Let's keep the main thing the main thing," quoting Stephen Covey.

In a very real way this week's collect is also reminding us to, "keep the main thing the main thing." The collect reflects the fact that God has, through His Word, taught us to keep all of His Commandments. What comes to mind when you think of God's Commandments? The 10 Commandments are a likely answer.  God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) - not Ten Suggestions, as is often said. Let's be honest - how tough is it to follow the 10 Commandments? Well, about half are super easy to follow because they are negative commandments - Thou shalt not: Steal, Murder, Commit Adultery, Bear False Witness, take the Lord's Name in Vain. The other half are tougher - Worship God and Him Alone, Keep the Sabbath, Have No Idols, Honor Father and Mother, Do Not Covet.   

Jesus summed up all the commandments by reminding us to, “keep the main thing the main thing.” When asked what the greatest commandment was, he said that we are to: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-39)

Let me ask: How's that going for you, fulfilling the greatest commandment? If I'm honest, fulfilling the greatest commandment is my highest aspiration but, admittedly, impossible without the assistance of God the Holy Spirit, whose power and grace constitute our only hope in being able to keep God’s commandments. Simply by seeking to love God and neighbor by His own power and grace, we offer the greatest witness to the world around us. Jesus again told the disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 34-35)

Simply said, LOVE is the main thing. We can and will fulfill the commandments of God if we will but love Him and love one another! I pray that this week you will both give and receive that same love from our one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

God bless you all!

PS. This week I am starting a new practice - placing one of the questions and answers from the ACNA Catechism along with my Bishop's Note.  I pray that you will read it, memorize it and share it with others.

Catechism

1. What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the good news of God loving and saving lost mankind through the ministry in word and deed of his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Romans 5:15; John 1:12; 1 John 5:11-12)

Note: The Bishop's notes are written for the ADSJ and posted here with his permission for a wider audience. I included his Catechism question because To Be A Christian: An Anglican Catechism is a seminal document that I believe will help form our identity internally and give other churches an orthodox picture of Anglican Christianity in post Christian cultures. May God richly bless those who wrote it and those who read and inwardly digest it. The new ACNA Catechism is available here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0986044121/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_dp_1

Dale+