"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephesians 4:4-6
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Fr. Scott's sermon discussed the Epistle lesson for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (Ephesians 4:1-6 BCP p. 213). The verse quoted above helped him along the Canterbury Trail to Anglicanism. Two things drew him to Anglicanism: 1) the wonderful rhythm of the liturgy, the cycles of the feasts & seasons, the continual prayer of the Church and 2) there is nothing distinct about it! Unlike many modern churches which pride themselves on how they are different, Anglicans are not trying to invent any thing new or do our own thing. We seek to take part in the one faith St. Paul is talking about. We never say we follow the Anglican Faith because the Anglican Faith is the Catholic Faith or the universal faith. What has been believed everywhere, always, and by all. Our Lord already told us everything we need to know - things are settled. This actually brings great peace knowing we do not need to update our beliefs based on the world around us. This freedom through submission is the theme of today's readings. This submission vs freedom is the paradox of the Gospel. Do you want to be free? Submit to God. By submitting to this one faith we don't need to worry about the changing culture, keep up with the latest madness of the world, make concessions to the new ways people think, nor worry about our leadership leading us astray.
Every Sunday, we submit in this one faith by partaking of both the Word and Sacrament. We are called back to the Bible as our source of authority for the Word of God. We use a consensus approach on interpretation, meekly learning how the Church Fathers and other earlier Christians understood a passage. We also have the living participation of the Sacrament, meaning the Sacrament of the Eucharist. You can't just study the faith, you have to live it. Coming to Church, in the unity of the Spirit which is communion with your neighbor, makes us become the one body.
When asked what makes Anglicanism unique, you can say with pride, nothing. We only follow what has always been believed. Nothing new here is a badge of honor. We have been set free from the struggles of this modern age because our faith is ageless. We seek to know God through His Word and through communion with Him.
Please find Fr. Scott's complete sermon at the 22:30 minute mark at the following link:
Thank Fr. Scott, for the wonderful sermon.
During the service today, Garon served solo with Fr. Scott. Thank you so much for stepping up and helping St. Peter's!
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In Christian Education Fr. Scott discussed the Second Council of Nicaea which took place in 787 AD. Prior to this council, the Byzantine Empire was being ravaged by the Muslim invaders. The Emperor Leo III came to believe the Muslims were winning because God was angry over the Christian use of images. In 754 AD, he called the Council of Hieria, which at his insistence condemned icons. This council became known as the Headless Council because none of the 5 patriarchs attended.
In 787 AD, a new council, the Second Council of Nicaea was called during the reign of Constantine V (the son of Leo III). At this council, attended widely by the Church, they determined that icons and images are allowed because:
-The OT commandment against images is superseded by the incarnation of Jesus. God is not invisible anymore.
-The OT is not consistent on this issue, for example Moses and the serpent the staff, the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant, and the 10 cherubim on the Temple veil.
-Idols are wrong because they depict false gods not because they are images. Therefore images of real things are allowed. Anyone ever take a picture?
-There is a strong tradition of Christians using icons, especially after the break from Judaism.
-There have been miracles performed around icons.
-Finally, the Emperor can not dictate what to believe, only the Church decides that.
In the West, these issues were not so controversial to most Christians, so the Pope did not need to worry about them. Also the Byzantine Emperor was not in control of any of the Pope's territories. However this did mark the end of the Byzantine Papacy with the Pope crowning a new Emperor in the west, Charlemagne in 800 AD.
A major player at this Council was St. John of Damascus. He spoke about the distinction between adoration which is due to God alone and veneration which can be given to saints and angels with following word:
" I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter who became matter for my sake."
Thank you Fr. Scott for another very informative class!
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Fr. Scott, Teresa, Earl, Agnes, and I attended the Requiem Mass for Fr. Greg Miller on Wednesday at St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Weaverville, NC. Bishop Jones, Bishop Grundorf, and Fr. Steve Miller (Fr. Greg's son) all officiated at the service. Fr. Steve Miller gave a beautiful and moving sermon about his father. Earl and Teresa knew Fr. Greg for many years and were so grateful for all his support during the early years collecting for a Memorial Gift to St. Matthew's in the name of Fr. Miller. If you would like to contribute please let Fr. Scott or Daryl know.
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During our after services lunch (provided by Sue and Rosalind) Ambler shared some online Anglican resources she regularly uses:
a podcast by Fr. Brandon Meeks of the ACNA. He covers "faith, theology, and culture through a traditional and Anglican lens". The episodes are short and informative!
The Cradle of Prayer offers recordings for morning and evening prayers and free daily downloads, read directly from the pages of 1928 Book of Common Prayer. The daily readings are presented as part of the podcast, allowing you to listen to the entire Bible over the course of the year just by putting on the Podcast during your daily commute.
Thank you Ambler for sharing those resources!
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On Saturday, October 16 at 9am we are scheduling a yard work day at the church. We hope many are able to help with picking up trash around the property, digging out some weeds, trimming bushes, etc. More information to come on the work to be done and tools to bring. Please join us!
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