ST. MATTHIAS CHURCH

ADVENT TO EPIPHANY

DISCERNMENT PROCESS

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
so that the people of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16

December 1st 2008 – January 11th, 2009

ST. MATTHIAS CHURCH
ADVENT TO EPIPHANY DISCERNMENT PROCESS
TABLE OF CONTENTS

THEMES: Pleasing God Truth Matters

Grief and Change Decision in Obedience

Pg. 2 Introduction

Pg. 4 DAY 1 (Dec 1st) P Finding Favour with God

Pg. 5 DAY 2 (Dec.2nd) T Is there a crisis in the Anglican Church?

Pg. 7 DAY 3 (Dec. 3rd) T I am the Way.

Pg.8 DAY 4 (Dec. 4th) T The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

DAY 5 – 7 (Dec. 5th to Dec. 7th) A time of reflection and prayer

Pg. 9 DAY 8 (Dec. 8th) P Obeying God’s teachings

Pg. 10 DAY 9 (Dec. 9th) T The Atonement of Christ

Pg. 11 DAY 10 (Dec. 10th) T The Trinity

Pg. 13 DAY 11 (Dec. 11th) P/T Our Worship

DAY 12 – 14 (Dec. 12th to Dec. 14th) A time of reflection and prayer

Pg. 16 DAY 15 (Dec. 15th) P Understanding Sin and Holiness

Pg. 18 DAY 16 (Dec. 16th) T Pastoral care of sinners

Pg. 20 DAY 17 (Dec. 17th) P Sexual Morality

Pg. 22 DAY 18 (Dec, 18th) T Listening to the Spirit of God

DAY 19 – 35 (Dec. 19th to Jan. 4th) A time of reflection and prayer

(Christmas and New Year Celebrations)

Pg. 24 DAY 36 (Jan. 5th) T Unity within the Framework of Truth

Pg. 26 DAY 37 (Jan. 6th) G Grief – losing what we love

Pg. 29 DAY 38 (Jan. 7th) G Change and adaptation

Pg. 31 DAY 39 (Jan. 8th) D Choosing our Future

Pg. 33 DAY 40 (Jan. 9th) A time of reflection and prayer

Pg. 33 Credit and Links

A Time to Share Sunday, January 11th, 2009 Toonie Lunch in the Hall following the Service

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet

And a Light unto my path.

Psalm 119:105

ST. MATTHIAS CHURCH
ADVENT TO EPIPHANY DISCERNMENT PROCESS

Introduction

As the Anglican Church of Canada faces a looming crisis, St Matthias parish is engaging in a process which it is hoped will assist us to discern our future. We are seeking to find out what God is calling us to be and do as members of the world wide Anglican Communion. The world wide Anglican Communion is facing a “tearing apart of the fabric” due to heretical teaching precipitated through the innovations introduced by The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States, and by the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). The word heretical may seem harsh, but the use of the word “schism” has been avoided because in the normal sense of that word, schism means the willful separation of the unity of the Church due to non-doctrinal matters which have resulted in a lack of charity between the two sides; in other words petty squabbling. Heresy is the correct term to use because the traditional doctrines of the Church are being challenged by revisionist bishops and priests in both the ACC and TEC.

Statistically, the ACC is dying. Many parishes, dioceses and in fact the ACC itself are in deficit situations, both numerically and financially. In addition to this financial and numerical situation, two Gospels compete for our allegiance within the ACC. Some clergy uphold the Bible as the Word of God, and adhere to the Creeds, 39 Articles and the Solemn Declaration of 1893. Other clergy use the Bible as a reference book for insights in living a good life, or proclaim that Jesus did not rise again, was not divine, that miracles don’t happen, or that God is unknowable, that the Holy Spirit is feminine, and that there are many roads to God. These two views are generally known under the catch-all terms of “conservative” and “liberal.” St Matthias has been receiving faithful conservative preaching, teaching, liturgy, hymns, praise, and worship, while all around her other Anglican churches have been experimenting with orders of service, the message preached, the canon of the Bible and the essentials of the faith. It seems that there are two Gospels being proclaimed; one by conservative Anglicans and another by liberal Anglicans and the messages are irreconcilable.

In light of this dire future for the Gospel as passed on by the Anglican witness in Canada, we have undertaken this discernment process. This Advent-Epiphany Discernment Process is designed to encourage critical thinking and lots of prayer. Critiquing the theology as taught at St Matthias and as taught in much of the ACC will be beneficial to our prayerful discernment process. Most major areas of Scriptural dilution are addressed. Many theological issues in the ACC, including same sex intercourse, are raised. Recognition of feelings in this time of upheaval forms part of this document. The ACC is at a cross roads and we must deal with the possibility that we may have to look at different models of “doing church.” The foundational documents of the Church are presented for your prayerful consideration. We cannot stress this enough; we need your prayerful discernment and prayers for one another as we journey together during Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.

Each DAY contains Scriptural readings and references. Please read these. You will also find some commentary and one or more questions to stimulate both a thoughtful response and prayer. Also, Internet LINKS are given for extra reading if you wish to delve deeper into a particular topic. If you do not own a computer, please call the Church Office to request a printout of the material in which you are interested. You are encouraged to go through this package in the order given.

For those not in a home group, it is important to not go through this process alone if at all possible. Please be open to the help from the leadership of this parish, and from your friends within the parish. These are not easy times and our life in community can be of great support. Remember, we are most vulnerable to attacks from Satan when we are alone. It is much harder for Satan to negatively affect people bound together in love and charity in the name our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus and with him that we gird ourselves with the spiritual foundation essential to these 40 Days of Discernment. It is his Word that guides us, his teachings that inform us, and his care that energizes and gives us hope in the midst of such a time as this.

Please pray this Collect daily

Most gracious God, we humbly beseech Thee for Thy holy Catholic Church and in particular for St Matthias Church. Fill it with all truth; in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where anything is amiss, reform it; where it is right, strengthen and confirm it; where it is in want, furnish it; where it is divided and rent asunder, make it whole again through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May God bless you throughout this discernment process.

In Christ,

Your Parish Council.

“God never gives us discernment in order to criticize, only to intercede.”

Oswald Chambers

DAY 1 (Dec.1st) Finding Favour with God (Leviticus 26:3-35 / Luke 1:46-55)

God has given us the Bible as a means for us to live in a right relationship with Him and with each other. It contains all we need to know in order to find favour with Him, as well as quite a few stories about how to incur His wrath. Due to the fall of mankind, we all have a natural propensity to sin. This means that we rebel against God’s commands. Since this is so, the biblical Law is often unpopular even amongst Christians; yet in Deuteronomy, God says that He gave us the Law for our own good. If we believe that God is good and loving, then following His law is something that should give us fulfillment and joy. God knew that our insatiable human appetite would need to be curbed lest we harm ourselves and our relationship with Him.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

We begin by being made right with God. Psalm 51:15-17 is the heart attitude that God desires from us. It is through obeying the teaching in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, and later the teachings from Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament that we remain in God’s good graces.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”

In John 14:21 Jesus said,

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

As an example, let us look at the Virgin Mary. God chose Mary to be the mother of His Son, for Mary had found favour with Him (Luke 1:26-30).

Questions:

1. Contrast Mary and Zechariah’s responses to the Angel Gabriel’s messages to

them (see Luke 1:38 vs. Luke 1:18-20).

2. What is it about Mary’s response that indicates why she found favour with God?

3. What kind of people do you think find favour with God?

4. What heart attitude do we need to bring before God in order to have a faithful

relationship with Him?

5. Why did God give us the Law?

Prayer: Lord, Mary’s prayer of praise (Luke 1:46-55) is a shining example of one totally submitted to you. May this be my heart attitude as well. Amen.

DAY 2 (Dec. 2nd) Is there a Crisis in the Anglican Church? (I Corinthians 1:1-9)

Questions:

1. Is there a crisis in the Anglican Church of Canada?

2. If there is a crisis, what is it really about?

The Anglican Church has traditionally tolerated differences of opinion on that which is considered non-essential (the Via Media – the middle way). However, this virtue has also led us into tolerating that which, in J.I. Packer’s words, is “intolerable”. Since the early 20th century in Canada, a liberal theology has grown up alongside the traditional theology of the Church. J.I. Packer explained that this liberal theology was for the most part brought to North America by Paul Tillich (born on August 20, 1886, in a small village in eastern Germany and passed away on October 22, 1965 in the USA), and popularized by Dr. John Macquarrie, an existentialist and systematic theologian, in the mid 20th century. According to J.I. Packer, all Anglican seminaries in North America have been to one degree or another influenced by Tillich’s views.

Tillich, an existentialist, did not believe in the Incarnation or the Resurrection. He depersonalized God. Tillich applied individual subjectivity to truth, and did not regard the Bible as the Word of God in the traditional sense; rather God and His Word was a state of being in a cultural context. Also, he taught that in order to be culturally relevant, the clergy had to reflect the questions of the culture in the culture’s own language and terms. Ultimately, this modern liberal theology has resulted in the Church interpreting the biblical message through the lens of the prevailing culture. This liberal theology, which adapts to cultural norms, and regards the traditional interpretation of Scripture as irrelevant when it comes into disagreement with the culture, has naturally led to perceiving “truth” as fluid or shifting, according to a given culture at a given time. In other words, what may have been true in a culture of the past may not be true in our present culture. Thus to a liberal Anglican, God’s revelation in Scripture is subject to revision if it does not line up with modern thought. Knowing a bit about this perception of reality helps expose the deep theological division that exists in the Anglican Church of Canada today.

Reread: 1 Corinthians 1:1–9

To those sanctified in Christ Jesus… (v.2)

What a church! Paul paints quite a picture of the Church in Corinth in the opening verses of this letter. Just read a few of the descriptions: a sanctified Church (v. 2), a gifted Church (v. 7), a wise Church (v. 5), a Church blessed with God’s faithful care (v. 8).

Corinth comes across as the perfect church…until we read verse 10. From that point until the very end of the book, Paul lists and corrects the doctrinal and behavioral errors of the Corinthian Church, addressing every kind of fault from factions (1:10) to immoral behavior (5:1). The Corinthians were even denying the resurrection (ch. 15)!

What’s going on? Why does the apostle describe the Church in such glowing terms in the opening verses and then correct such glaring shortcomings throughout the rest of the book? Is the Church at Corinth a Church of saints or a Church of sinners? The answer to this last question is an unambiguous both! The Church in Corinth, like the Church throughout history and like the Church today, was a mixed bag, full of potential and full of problems. Full of problems: a sober reminder that the Church is made up of sinful men and women like you and me. Full of potential: a joyful, confidence-building reminder that the Church is God’s Church, the bride of Christ, to which God has pledged his faithful care (v. 8). We also are in a Church full of problems, problems that are as varied and as serious as those Paul met in Corinth.

Prayer: Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessing of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Questions:

1.

Has the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) reflected “human wisdom” or God’s wisdom as revealed in Scripture?
2.

Has our parish of St. Matthias reflected “human wisdom”, or God’s wisdom as revealed in Scripture?
3.

What are some maturing lessons that God may want us to learn and embrace?

4. What should our posture and our attitude be, exploring the implications of the

state of our Church and our own walk with God?

Prayer: Almighty Father, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners. Grant your people grace to love what you command, and desire what you promise; that, amongst the swift and varied changes of this world, our hearts may surely be fixed where true joy is to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

D

AY 3 (Dec. 3rd) I am the Way (I Corinthians 1:18-32)

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”” (John 14:6-7)

Canada as a nation has embraced religious pluralism. All religions appear to be acceptable in Canada as long as one does not impose an exclusive truth claim. In our multicultural country, Christians are often challenged to account for Jesus’ claim to be “the Way.” Anglican leaders in Canada have answered this challenge in varying ways.

In our own Diocese of B.C., during spring and summer, Christ Church Cathedral exhibited an art piece entitled “Doorways to Spirit,” and included symbols of many of the world’s major religions presented equally with Christianity. This exhibit was in the Chapel of the New Jerusalem during Synod 2008. This certainly denies Jesus’ claim that “no one comes to the Father except through me.” It appears as if Anglicans are advocating a false gospel of pluralism.

If you have not read Bishop Michael Ingham’s book, Mansions of the Spirit: see: http://www.brow.on.ca/Articles/InghamReview.html

Here are a few quotes: Robert Brow said, “Bishop Ingham cannot stomach the idea of a god “who is compassionate only towards Christians” (p. 60). He concludes that Exclusivism is “a morally and spiritually intolerable gospel” (p. 62).”

Robert Brow also said, “In chapter 10, “Drawing the Circle Wider,” Bishop Ingham undercuts the Bible as our authority for religious dialogue, by viewing it as an account of “emerging God-consciousness” (p. 128). And he announces that the stage is now set for us to move beyond the New Testament to “a yet wider view of God’s self-disclosure”

(p. 134).

Did you know that at a certain Anglican bishop’s consecration service, he made a statement with regard to knowing the truth? He said, “There is no monolithic truth.”

Another Canadian bishop refused to share his beliefs because he said they were, “personal.” Please refer to Romans 1:16 and Mark 8:38.

Questions:

1. In this pluralistic culture, how do you feel when claiming that Jesus is the only way to God?

2. Do your feelings of discomfort in perhaps being labeled intolerant of others’

beliefs change the revelation of God in Scripture?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please strengthen us and give us the courage and boldness we need when we are called upon by you to stand up for the truths revealed in your Word, even when no one believes our testimony. May it never be said that we are ashamed of you or your precious words of life, as recorded in the Bible. Amen.

DAY 4 (Dec. 4th) The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 15:1-19)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you have sent us the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. Lead us now into the right discernment of your Word, and make your truth effectual in our lives. Amen.

Throughout his letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses various matters of dispute. Now he turns his attention to the most critical of these: the Resurrection. Some at Corinth were saying that there was no resurrection of the dead. Paul speaks of the Resurrection of Christ as primary to the faith “received”: not only his personal faith, but the faith of all the true Church. The Resurrection both fulfills and verifies scripture. Paul reminds his readers that Christ’s Resurrection is not merely a rumored event, but a widely witnessed occurrence, for the Resurrected Jesus had appeared to literally hun­dreds of people, many of whom were still alive (and so available to confirm or refute the story). Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” Yet, today, a vast number of churchgoers, including clergy at all levels, do not believe in the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. In their opinion, a spiritual resurrection or a metaphorical resurrection is perfectly congruent with the Christian faith.

Questions and Application:

1. What do you believe about the physical resurrection of Jesus?

2. Why do you think Paul says, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (v.17)?

3. In your mind, does the meaning of salvation require a literal resurrection? Why

or why not?

You might be interested in reading the following two Easter letters by an Anglican priest at the following LINKS:

http://www.stjohnthedivine.bc.ca/openletters/2007easter.asp – 2007 Easter Letter

http://www.stjohnthedivine.bc.ca/openletters/2008easter.asp – 2008 Easter Letter

Some clergy have treated the Resurrection of Christ as a metaphor. They innovatively use Christian terminology to give new meaning. We believe that new definitions for traditional terms can cause confusion for Christians who seek the truth, and seek to be faithful to the Word of God.

Questions:

1. At St Matthias we have always been taught the literal death and Resurrection of

Jesus. What is your response to the school of thought that approves changing the plain meaning of words that describe actual historical events?

2. With regard to the Creeds, is it required that people believe all the details of the

traditional creeds in order to be Christians?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you physically died and rose from the dead that we might have eternal life. Grant us the certainty of that promise in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

DAY 5 (Dec. 5th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 6 (Dec. 6th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 7 (Dec. 7th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 8 (Dec. 8th) Obeying God’s Teachings (I Corinthians 3:10-23)

John 14:15-17a says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.

John 14:23-24 says, “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

Matt 5:17-18 says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Jesus in His actions broke the Jewish ordinances which separated Jews from Gentiles, and even healed on the Sabbath, which the Jews believed was breaking the Law as they interpreted it. He spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well. He gave the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He indicated that salvation was for all, both Jews and Gentiles through his revelation to Peter. Jesus nullified the kosher laws and the law forbidding entering the house of a Gentile. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles. In Acts 15, Peter, Paul and James and the other leaders of the church in the Council of Jerusalem affirmed that the law requiring circumcision was no longer needed, because, “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.”

On the other hand, Jesus intensified the Holiness Code of the Old Testament. Sexual morality is included in this intensification.

Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Question:

1. Do I understand which Old Testament Laws I am still required to keep?

1.

Examine Jesus’ summary of the Law as found in Matthew 22:37-39. What do you think Jesus means?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to live in righteousness and holiness before you all of our days. With the help of your Spirit may we discern what pleases you, so that we may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from our Lord – to the glory and praise of your Holy Name. Amen.

DAY 9 (Dec. 9th) The Atonement of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11 / I Cor. 15:3-5)

What did Jesus come to earth in human form to accomplish?

Christians call what Jesus accomplished on the cross, using the technical term, “Atonement.” But what is atonement? Christians accept that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Therefore, we need someone without sin to pay the price for our sins, because God is a just and holy God. And that is what Jesus did.

In John 6:37-40, Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Acts 4:12 also says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Questions:

1. What happens to our relationship with God if we walk in darkness, in other

words, walk in sin?

1.

There is great tension in the ACC. Would you say that people are having difficulty being in fellowship with one another?
2.

How do we deal with this difficult, tense situation in light of, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin”?

1 John 1:10 says, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” In light of this passage:

4. If we change what we define as sin, what does that do to our understanding of our

need for Atonement?

5. Would we be negating the sacrificial death of Jesus?

6. When we stand before God on judgment day, how do you think it will be for us when we are called to account for changing God’s Word; that which was defined as sin in the Bible, we now call blessed and approve and practice?

Prayer: Father, you take sin absolutely seriously. Your Son Jesus suffered death upon the cross on our behalf. By doing so, He made a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. Help us to remain true to you, resisting sin in our own lives and doing all that we can to help keep others from sinning as well. Amen.

DAY 10 (Dec. 10th) The Trinity (John 14:15-31; 16:5-16)

Question:

1. If Scripture is God-breathed, can the Holy Spirit prophetically move the Church

in a direction opposed to Scripture?

God revealed himself in Holy Scripture as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus used all three names of the Godhead in giving the Great Commission:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus describes the Spirit’s relationship with Him in John 16:5-15. Jesus explained to His disciples that in order for the Holy Spirit to come, He had to leave. The Spirit has been sent to guide us in all truth, but He will not speak on His own; He will only speak from what He hears. He will take from what is Christ’s and make it known to us.

Therefore, any teaching by the Church that does not line up with the teaching that is found in Scripture cannot be said to be a new revelation by the Holy Spirit. For instance,

some in the ACC have feminized the Holy Spirit, while others have elevated the Holy Spirit in prominence compared to God the Father and Jesus the Son.

At the Diocese of B.C. Synod in June 2008, the U2charist liturgy referred specifically to the Holy Spirit as female: “Your Spirit enlivens all who walk the earth…with her we yearn for justice to be done.”

From the Book of Common Praise, “Who Comes From God,” hymn 392 about the Spirit reads as follows:

W

ho comes from God as Word and Breathe?

Holy Wisdom.

Who holds the keys of life and death?

Mighty Wisdom: Crafter and Creator too,

eldest, she makes all things new;

she completes what God would do.

…wisest one, radiant one, welcome Holy Wisdom.

The theology of the Trinity has undergone some radical revamping in the new hymnbook. The Book of Alternative Services did not introduce many observable changes; however, the Book of Common Praise sought to specifically rename and repackage God with feminine imagery, and without Lordship or Judgment language.

Here are some examples of maternal or feminine imagery of God:

Hymn 623:

A mother’s labour bears her child

She shares creation’s agony

The water’s break anticipates

The hour of her delivery

And by the labour of the Cross

Our mother Christ has brought to birth

Into his own eternal life

The sons and daughters of the earth.

Hymn 554:

Come, people of the living God

Come, people of the living God,

Who is your life, your song;

Hope always, trust your Mother’s love,

Renewed through ages long.

An example of the removal both of masculine naming of God and lordship language is in the treatment of “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”:

(CP # 455, v.1)

Dear God, compassionate and kind, -instead of (Dear Lord and Father of mankind)

forgive our foolish ways!

Reclothe us in our rightful mind,

in purer lives thy service find,

in deeper reverence praise.

Questions:

1. How does renaming God in lyrics affect our understanding of God and our

relationship with Him?

2. By using names for God that cannot be found anywhere in Scripture, do we

undermine God’s revelation of himself in the Bible?

Prayer: Gracious heavenly Father, may your Holy Spirit guide us into all truth. May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened that we may know you better, as you have revealed yourself to us in Scripture. Amen.

DAY 11 (Dec. 11th): Our Worship (Romans 12:1-2 / John 4:1-26)

When we truly worship God, we are in a state of complete surrender to Him. All that we are and all that we have are acknowledged to be his. The desire of our hearts should be to praise him, to give thanks for all our blessings, seeking to do his will, to know his Word, to faithfully serve him and him alone, and not to worship idols that take our eyes off Jesus. Jesus revealed to us what perfect worship is. We begin our worship services by saying the Collect for Purity: “Almighty God unto whom all hearts be opened, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and magnify your Holy Name through Christ our Lord, Amen.” Our worship of God happens by choice, not just when we sing songs of praise and worship. Worship is doing everything to God’s glory: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31.)

Read: Psalm 100

In comparison to Psalm 100, what do you think of the lyrics below, which were sung at Synod of the Diocese of B.C. in June 2008? (The U2charist liturgy has been a popular order of service in North America for a few years. It promotes the Millennium Development Goals).

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come here to justify
One man to overthrow
In the name of love!
One man in the name of love
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!

O

ne man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resists
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!
…nobody like you…there’s nobody like you…
Mmm…mmm…mmm…
Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love…

Do these lyrics sound familiar? They should if you listened to the 1980’s hit parade. The Christian influenced rock band U2 from Ireland penned them in honour of Martin Luther King Jr. In a misguided effort to be culturally relevant, the compilers of this service failed to properly worship Jesus. In this, arguably the best of the songs Synod representatives were expected to sing as worship of Jesus, Jesus is only one dying or dead man among many others. His Resurrection is nowhere in sight. His death is but a parallel to an act of senseless violence against the hero of the lyrics, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Later in the U2-charist service, all were expected to sing this song by U2, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

I

have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I

have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing fingertips
It burned like a fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with a ton of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

I believe in the Kingdom Come
When all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes I’m still running
You broke the bonds
And you loosened the chains
Carried the cross
Of all my shame
all my shame
You know I believe it
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for

While Christian imagery is employed, the most powerful line of the song is, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” Standing in the presence of the altar in the cathedral singing “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,” is totally incongruous and a little sad. When we gather together to express our praise in an outpouring of song, it is important that the lyrics do justice to our worshipful desires.

When we consciously give God the glory in everything we do from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night, He says to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) Consciously placing ourselves in God’s presence means that we limit our opportunities of going astray and falling into sin. Being purposefully mindful of God assists us in maintaining our relationship with Him. Can we strive to “walk in the cool of the day” with our God? (Genesis 3:8) The worship that God wants is our fulfillment of His purpose for us by obeying Him with our own free will, for His glory.

Micah 6:8 exemplifies a worshipful life in God.

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.”

Questions:

1.

Do I worship God in all that I do?
2.

Do I worship God faithfully at St Matthias?

Prayer: LORD I know I am far from perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Lord, help me to forget what is behind while I strain toward what is ahead, pressing on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has

called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”( Neh 9:5-6). Amen.

DAY 12 (Dec. 12th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 13 (Dec. 13th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 14 (Dec. 14th) A time of reflection and prayer

DAY 15: Understanding Sin and Holiness: (Psalm 103 / I Peter 1:13-15; 2:1-2, 9-12)

Spirituality has changed much over the centuries. Christians have had different views of Heaven and Hell, and different concerns regarding these aspects of our faith system. These days, focus is mostly on the goodness of God, on the redemption of Christ and the fact that God really wants us to be with Him in Heaven. Sin is a dirty word in our culture and often in our churches, no matter what the denomination. How do we grapple with the concepts of Heaven and Hell today? What are our views? Do they affect how we live our lives? Do we fear God? Do we have a healthy fear of God, in the sense of awe and respect? Do we understand the holiness of God? Do we understand that God cannot look on sin?

Jesus is our friend and brother. Jesus loves us. He wants us to be like him. Do we know what we must not do in order to be like him? Are we aware of what the don’ts are as well as what Jesus’ mercy and grace are?

In Medieval times, people viewed God and Jesus himself as the great King of Heaven. Heaven was thought to be like a medieval king’s court. Jesus was depicted as the divine king, triumphant and alive on the cross.

The aspect of the suffering servant was definitely not emphasized in early medieval spirituality. This human aspect of the suffering servant was not focused upon until the time of St. Francis in the 1200’s. Today, Christ is so human in current understanding that many neglect his divinity.

People of the Middle Ages were very much aware of the holiness and perfection of God and their own imperfection and sin. People felt the guilt of sin keenly and feared eternal punishment.

Entering a Romanesque church of the 1100’s was a sobering experience. One would pass beneath the archway over the west door, and usually the tympanum over the door would depict Christ seated in Judgment. The best example of this is found at St Foy, Conques. The sculpture depicts the Blessed on the right hand side of Christ receiving his blessing, and the Damned being pulled into the Mouth of Hell.

Today, we have lost both a working understanding of God’s holiness and a complete understanding of our own sinfulness. While medieval focus on Hell and Damnation is terrifying and disturbing, it should be at least as disturbing to us that people today no longer know what sin is and blithely rely on grace saving us.

It seems appropriate therefore to find a balance between the two forms of spirituality: the old one with its emphasis on the sinfulness of man, and the current one with its emphasis on the grace of God. Regretfully, this Grace of God is now extending to those who are living in unrepentant sin.

Questions:

1.

Do I truly understand the doctrine of Atonement?
2.

Do I truly understand and appreciate what Christ accomplished on my behalf on the Cross?
3.

Do I comprehend my own sinfulness?
4.

Do I comprehend God’s grace?
5.

Do I abuse God’s grace?

Prayer: Psalm 103

DAY 16 (Dec. 16th) Pastoral Care of Sinners (I Corinthians 5:1-13 / II Cor. 2:5-11)

Question:

1. How would you like the Church to care pastorally for you as a sinner?

In John’s Gospel, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees, who bring before Him a woman caught in adultery. Jesus saves her from an imminent stoning, and then says to her:

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:10-12).

In this act, Jesus removed the death penalty for adultery, but He did not remove the eternal consequences of not following God’s moral laws, if the woman did not repent. Jesus gave the woman the opportunity to repent and leave her life of sin. He hoped for transformation in obedience to God’s law.

In Luke 19, Jesus called Zacchaeus the tax collector down out of the tree and invited Himself to dine at Zacchaeus’ house. In response, Zacchaeus identified Jesus as Lord and publicly repented of his sin. He gave half of his considerable wealth to the poor and promised a fourfold repayment to anyone he had cheated. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house… For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:9,10). The key to salvation is Zacchaeus’ repentance and personal transformation.

Jesus never modeled acceptance of the sin of others. He did warn us to take care of our own sins before worrying about the sins of others.

Jesus and the Apostles did not teach tolerance of sin. Paul did not tolerate sin either, as demonstrated in the difficult passage of I Corinthians 5:1-12. Paul condemned the incestuous relationship that the church in Corinth accepted. For the sake of the man engaged in the incestuous relationship with his father’s wife, Paul ordered that he be expelled from the Church in Corinth. He was to be expelled as his eternal salvation was more important than lack of friction in the church. Paul wanted the expulsion to bring the man to repentance, which it in fact did, as we find out later in II Corinthians. Paul’s expulsion of the man merely confirmed the disobedient choice the incestuous man had made. Expulsion, being cut off from fellowship with the body of Christ, was meant as a wake up call to the sinner. Paul advocated full inclusion and return to the church family immediately upon genuine repentance and turning to the Lord, away from sin. If this sounds harsh, it is much more lenient than the Mosaic Law which required the death penalty for the same sin. Paul’s discipline is geared toward moving the man to repentance, just as Jesus’ actions did with Zacchaeus and the woman caught in adultery.

Questions:

1. Who was acting in a pastoral manner toward the incestuous man, the

Church in Corinth or Paul?

2. Which course of action caused the least amount of pain in the long run

(from God’s perspective)?

3. As we deal with similar situations of sexual immorality which require a

pastoral response from us, do we have God’s eternal purposes in mind?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you revealed that when we repent and confess our sins, we are forgiven. May we have the grace of charity and love when we correct our fellow Christians caught in sin, for we are all too aware of the sin in our own lives. May all of us, your children, come to a time of refreshment and peace in the midst of this fallen world. Transform us and renew our minds that we may test and approve what your will is, your good, pleasing and perfect will. Amen.

Day 17 (Dec. 17th) Sexual Morality (I Cor. 6:9-19 / Galatians 5:16-26)

At St Matthias we have been consistently taught to uphold the biblical prohibition against incest, fornication, adultery and same sex intercourse as taught throughout Scripture. At the request of General Synod 2007, the Primate, appointed two committees to draw up a blessing liturgy and revise the marriage canon, with appropriate theological rationale. These documents are to be presented for debate and presumably ratification at General Synod 2010. Statistically, based on the results of previous patterns of voting, it is clear that the momentum to move in the direction of change will carry the day.

Should General Synod have a miraculous change of heart, and turn back from its present trajectory, parish council hopes the Diocese of British Columbia would honour the Motion passed (2008), which stated that the Diocese of B.C. would wait until General Synod has decided the issue. However other dioceses across the country have ignored the Lambeth moratorium and the House of Bishops’ request for a moratorium. For example, the Dioceses of Montreal, Huron, Rupert’s Land, Central Interior and Niagara have decided to move forward, in violation of Lambeth, and General Synod 2007’s recommendations. In other words, it is just a matter of time before the ACC follows the lead of the Diocese of New Westminster and officially blesses same sex unions as a preliminary step before homosexual and lesbian marriages take place within the Church.

The ACC is currently in the paradoxical situation of saying, that in its official stance, the sanctity of adult same sex unions has been accepted in General Synod 2004; however the ACC is not yet ready to officially bless them.

The House of Bishops has issued a statement (2007) recommending that pastoral care of self-identified homosexuals in civil partnerships include, for those who desire it, a celebration of Eucharist with the church community in order to celebrate their civil union. While this is not to include nuptial vows, it offers the blessing of the sacrament that Jesus gave to us at the Last Supper. This recommendation has been put into effect in the Diocese of BC.

Sexual sin as defined biblically includes any type of sexual behaviour outside the bonds of marriage, including same sex intercourse, no matter what the context, be it a committed same sex union or promiscuous union. And the penalty for continuing to disobey the Lord’s commands regarding sexual impurity is that the offender will not inherit the kingdom of God. People’s eternal salvation is at stake, particularly Christians who knowingly disobey Scripture or seek to have Scripture reinterpreted to make themselves feel better about disobedience.

This is a verbatim quote from a sermon delivered by our Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, preached at St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow, July 13, 2008. At this particular part of the sermon, he was speaking on the matter of the blessing of same sex unions. He said, “Our 2004 Synod called for an opinion from the Primates Theological Commission as to whether or not this is a matter of doctrine. Well the Commission reported last year at General Synod that it is a matter of doctrine; that it is a matter of Church teaching. But the Commission said it’s not Creedal, it’s not Core. In other words, we are not convinced that you should put this particular issue as a matter of Church teaching alongside for instance, the Incarnation, or the Resurrection, or the Trinity, or the Eucharist. Those are Core doctrines. They’re Creedal in nature. They are of the essence of the faith. They are of the essence of everything God has done in Christ. This is a matter of teaching, but it’s not Creedal. Your salvation doesn’t hang on this. So the Commission is now looking at, at the request of General Synod, as to whether or not this is a Spirit led development of doctrine. And so the conversation continues.”

S

exual sin is a big deal. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Jesus bought our bodies with the price of His own torturous death. It stands to reason that He cares about what we do with our bodies. Our bodies are not our own. They belong to Him. And we are to honour Him with our bodies. That is why sexual purity matters. It is a matter of honoring God with our bodies.

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

If we are to run this race in this 21st century context, in a culture which idolizes sex, we must take our stand for sexual purity. To run in such a way as to win the prize includes not compromising our teaching on sexual ethics as given to us by God’s word.

Read: Romans 12:1-2:

We have conformed to the pattern of this world long enough, and many have found it wanting. We must renew our minds, cast off the relativism that has invaded, the overwhelming thoughts of being called bigot, or intolerant, that paralyze us as we attempt to express our obedience to God’s Word. In fact we must pray that God will renew our minds, as we cannot do this in our own strength. But we can pray that our wills will be conformed to His will, His good and perfect will. Our bodies are to be offered as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing in His sight. We must not fall into the corruption of this world and the idolatry of sex.

Questions:

1. Is there any area of my life that compromises the Bible’s teaching on sexual

morals and ethics?

1.

Have I ever asked my priest for helpful information that might enable me to lovingly minister to someone who is struggling with same sex attraction or other sexual temptations, such as addiction to Internet pornography (an enormous problem in our culture)?
2.

How can I be like Christ (who ministered to the woman caught in adultery, or who ministered at the well to the unmarried woman living with a man) when helping others deal with sexual sin in their lives?

Prayer: LORD Jesus, please enable me not to conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. I offer my body as a living sacrifice to you. Help me to keep it holy, and may my actions and decisions be pleasing in your sight, both in my own life and as I relate to others. Amen.

DAY 18 (Dec. 18th) Listening to the Spirit of God

(1 Corinthians 2:6-16 / Jude 17-19 / John 14:23-24)

On the surface this seems to be fairly straightforward. That is, it is straightforward to the people of God filled with the Holy Spirit. We are talking about people being born again as referred to by Jesus in John 3:1-15.

Yet our dilemma is that completely opposite positions are being taken in the Church. Who is being led by the Holy Spirit of God and who is being deceived by the spirit of this world? At this point it is helpful to look to Holy Scripture to give guidance as to how to discern what is of the Holy Spirit and what is not.

When one reads the Old Testament, we find that it is filled with accounts throughout the history of Israel and Judah regarding false prophets that led God’s people astray. In the New Testament, we see that the early Church had false teachers and prophets infiltrate its leadership as well.

Read: 2 Peter 2:1-3

Ultimately it was those filled with the Spirit of God, who could discern who was of God and who was not. The Apostles were certainly such people. The modern day Church has always looked to its bishops to be people who should have the spiritual gift of discernment between the spirits. But this no longer seems to be the case as we have bishops who are diametrically opposed to one another on serious matters of doctrine. For many in the pews it is bewildering, wondering who is truly walking in the light of God and who is not. Bishops on both sides of an issue believe they are the ones following Christ. Yet, God is not double minded. Therefore in such cases, it could be that both are not in Christ, or one is in Christ and the other is not (one is born again and one is not.). Those are the only two possible options from which we can choose.

Read: John 16:13-15

When we are discerning the spirit in an individual, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we look for the one whose life and doctrine is in line with Holy Scripture. God does not contradict His Word. He is consistent in the confines of His covenants with His people, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. The canon of Scripture found in the New Testament was written by people filled with the Holy Spirit. The decision to include it in the canon of Scripture was made by people filled with the Holy Spirit. Throughout history the great saints have always been people who obeyed the Apostles’ teaching in their daily lives. To put it another way, if God is not consistent, if God says one thing to one culture and another thing to another culture, then the reliability of God’s holy Word can no longer be trusted. God can no longer be trusted.

The kind of tension that we face in the Church, if accepted as tolerable, can only lead to one result, the undoing of our Christian faith. To say, “let’s just get along with one another” when the fabric of our Church Communion has been torn through major doctrinal disagreements indicates a Church divided, and that Church will fall. It cannot be blessed by God, for we will be a Church that has grown lukewarm. We would be a Church without a cohesive message. Any credibility left to the Church in the world would be lost. The Church of Jesus Christ would be a scandal. It is safe to say that we can agree that God would not want something like that to happen to his Church.

Question:

1. How can you discern who is walking in the Spirit of God and who is not?

1.

What are God and His Word saying to me about the issues that are dividing the ACC?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the Counselor, the Spirit of truth. Jesus promised that when He left to return to heaven, He would not leave us as orphans. You have made your Holy Spirit known to us, for He lives with us and is in us. Help your leadership of St. Matthias be of one mind in Christ. Help us to faithfully follow the leading of your Holy Spirit, that in all things, we may rejoice in your favour and bring honour and glory to your holy Name. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

DAY 19 (Dec. 19th) to DAY 35 (Jan. 4th) A time of reflection and prayer

(Christmas and New Year Celebrations)

Let’s celebrate that unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given!

Day 36 (Jan. 5th) Unity within the Framework of Truth (John 17)

Romans 11:19-20

“You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.”

The metaphor of the branches grafted into the olive tree stands biblically for the Gentiles being grafted in the place of the unbelieving Jews. But they are warned. Because they have been grafted in, it is also that much easier to cut them out. The same goes for us today. Unbelief caused the Jews to be cut off from the tree. Unbelief in God’s word as revealed in Holy Scripture will cause the ACC to be cut off from the tree. Statistically, our own shrinking and aging congregations should be sounding alarm bells regarding our beliefs and our faithfulness to God’s Word.

Read: 1 Peter 4:1-5

There are Christians who can tolerate and even approve of sexual sin in others, all in the name of God. And at the same time they condemn fellow Christians who do not condone sexual sin. Many heap abuse on the “intolerant conservatives.” At the September 2008 Diocesan Synod, our Synod reps were called names by a number of people standing at the microphone, such as “delusional” and “hateful;” our ideas “reprehensible.” Our position favouring negotiation over litigation for the property of St. Mary’s Metchosin, was likened to our reps being the kind of people who would approve the sexual misconduct that happened at St Saviour’s.

Not every doctrinal disagreement within the Christian church justifies division. Anglicanism has the virtue of a healthy breadth not present in some denominations. We insist on “mere Christianity”—Scripture as it has always been understood, and the creeds as they have always been professed—without being dogmatic on issues that the Scripture and creeds leave open for reasonable disagreement. We embrace the Via Media (the middle way). Anglicanism’s founding Thirty-Nine Articles reflect this approach: “whatsoever is not read [in the Scriptures], nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required” (Article VI, BCP p.868).

A healthy doctrinal breadth in nones­sential matters, must never be confused with indifference to God’s Word, which “is God-breathed and . . . useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Thirty Nine Articles state, “It is not lawful for the Church to ordain any ­thing that is contrary to God’s Word written” (Art. XX, BCP p.706). A church that tolerates and even blesses what the Bible forbids cannot long expect to maintain its identity as the church of Jesus Christ.

The importance of truth

Transcendent truth lies at the heart of Christianity. The God of Israel is the “God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16); Jesus is “the truth” (John 14:6); the Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17); God’s “word is truth” (John 17:17). Real truth—truth that accurately reflects life’s realities, joys, and hardships—is ultimately found in a relationship with the living God. The despairing notion that truth is unknowable, that we live in ambiguity about important doctrine, or that we can affirm only what is “true for us”— is not Christian. Such notions are tantamount to saying that we cannot know God. But Jesus taught that we can, and that to know God is to know truth: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

The importance of unity

Unity, too, is bound up in our relationship with God and our concern for those who do not know Christ. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed in John 17:20-21: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

The Lord thus cares deeply for unity in his body, and breaking fellowship with other believers without justification is wrong (e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:10; 3:3–5; 12:25).

The church is a body in which everyone has something essential to contribute

(1 Corinthians 12:12–27; Ephesians 4).

When part of the church abandons essential truths, it becomes impossible for the whole church both to vindicate truth and maintain unity. The same Jesus who prayed, “that all of them may be one,” also told us to break fellowship with unrepentant sinners who call him Lord (Matthew 18:17). The same Apostle who challenged the early Christians to “agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought,” also charged them to break off fellowship with those in the church who persisted in immoral behavior (1 Corinthians 5). In short, the Bible is clear that false teaching and unrepentant sin may not be accommodated by God’s people—just as it is clear that those who do repent must be welcomed back into fellowship (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

The Church cannot have unity just for the sake of unity. A genuine amalgamation of both unity and truth can be found in the Prayers of the People in the BCP.

Questions:

1. On what is Christian unity founded?

2. Is Christian unity founded in structure?

3. Is Christian unity founded on beliefs?

4. Is Christian unity founded in inclusiveness?

5. Did Jesus teach tolerance as we understand it today?

6. What is unity?

7. How should unity be expressed in the lives of Christians?

Prayer: “Grant, Al­mighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world” Amen.(BCP).

D

AY 37 (Jan. 6th) Grief – Losing what we love

(Lamentations 1:1-10 /Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

For a long period of my life I believed that the church was in denial . . . Then I came to the stunning realization that it’s not the church that’s been in denial, it’s me that’s been in denial.

— the Rev. David Roseberry, Christ Church Plano, as reported by Jesse Hyde, Dallas Observer, 27 July 2006

Many of us may have no perception of grieving over the current Anglican crisis. Yet, many others of us are grieving over the church.

What is grief?

The loss of anything significant results in grief. Grieving occurs when something is lost and readjustment is necessitated. Grief is a normal response which may in­clude anxiety, fear, uncertainty, loss of equilibrium, and a feeling of not only some­thing not being right but of something feeling terribly wrong. Something that was near and dear and close to us, something that was counted on is gone.

One grief specialist described the difference between mourning and grieving: mourn­ing is external expression; grieving is internal feeling and processing. Mourning includes crying out to God in desperation, anger and exasperation; grieving is the aching and pain connected to the loss.

Grief can affect us physically, emotionally, cognitively, socially, and spiritually. Physically, grieving tires the person. Emotionally, there is shock, sadness, empti­ness, and anger. Cognitively, there is disbelief, internal debate, and eventually some resolution. Socially, there is conflict with some, closer unity with others, and withdrawal for a season. Spiritually, there is bewilderment over how God can al­low this, frustration with others who disagree or will not take a stand one way or another or soon enough, and a reexamination of what really matters in Christian faith and practice.

Grieving can be a normal process or it can become pathological. Normal grief often involves intense sorrow, pain, stress, anger, depression, and corresponding physical symptoms along with changes in personal relationships over a long period of time. There is often denial, restlessness, disorganization, inefficiency, irritability, and apparent obsession with talking about the issue. When a person dies there is often recurring loneliness and depression, but when an institution dies this may appear more as apathy and hopelessness. The depths of these are experienced differently by different personalities, but healthy grieving eventually leads to a restoration of physical, mental, and relational well-being.

Pathological grief may include prolonged denial that something is lost, hyperactiv­ity that seems frantic and fruitless, anger that is destructive and condemnatory, and impulsivity that may result in foolish words or actions that have severe consequenc­es that were not anticipated.

One of the dangers in the present Anglican controversy is a self-righteous indig­nation that makes a person feel entitled to lash out at those who differ, to attribute bad motives to those who hold a different opinion within their own congregation, diocese, or the denomination. Vigilance is needed in self-examination to avoid premature reaction and further damage as well as to forge constructive direction to move beyond the grief.

Grieving takes time

Grieving takes time—even years. In a North American culture that values efficiency and pragmatism, people often minimize the reality of grief, feel embarrassed by its symptoms, and fail to acknowledge its inevitable process through time.

Perhaps the best-known outline of the process are the five stages observed by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (On Death and Dying, 1969):

1. Denial (this isn’t happening to me!)

2. Anger (why is this happening to me?)

3. Bargaining (I promise I’ll be a better person if . . .)

4. Depression (I don’t care anymore)

5. Acceptance (I’m ready for whatever comes)

Unhealthy grieving

The world unfortunately does not always handle grief very well. Often people will find themselves falling into these unhealthy steps of grief management.

1. Bury your feelings

2. Replace your losses

3. Isolate yourself

4. Wait for time to heal

5. Regret

6. Distrust vulnerability

Does that sound familiar? It’s the program society has been offering for years.

Do you know what God has to say about this program? It doesn’t work! If we try to follow society’s program in grieving any sense of loss we may have in the midst of the ACC crisis, we stand to become victims of the toxicity of our own unhealed pain.

The Letter of First Thessalonians admonishes the church: “We do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). When we come to the issue of possible anger or grief over the current crisis, this verse suggests that there’s more than one way to grieve. The verse also suggests that the Christian approach to grieving is a hope-filled approach, and that maybe the world’s approach isn’t quite so hopeful.

Healthy grieving

Bill Hybels has outlined a helpful Christian approach to grief management that contrasts with the world’s method:

1. Feel your feelings—“Jesus wept” (John 11:35)

2. Review your loss—“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer

and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,

which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ

Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7)

3. Share your pain in Christian fellowship—“If one falls down, his friend can help him

up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

4. Pray for the Holy Spirit to heal—“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another

Counselor to be with you forever” (John 14:16)

5. Reconcile—“as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18)

6. Trust God with your future—“He is the One who goes before you. He will be with

you, he will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dis­mayed”

(Deuteronomy 31:8)

What can we do?

The Bible is realistic about grieving. There is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2). There are valleys of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). The Messiah is described as a man of sorrows and familiar with grief (Isaiah 53:3). Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).

God’s grace is sufficient to supply every need. The Holy Spirit comes alongside and comforts us at our point of need, including the season of grief, but God’s plan is for believers to comfort one another with this same comfort, encouragement and support.

What practical things can we do to help ourselves or others to grieve healthily?

Create margin in your schedule so that you have time to listen to God and are available for God to use you.

P

ray for the leaders of the church.

Pray for all, that our words and actions would honor Christ.

Seek God’s peace (shalom) with others, which demands the

framework of justice and righteousness.

Speak the truth in love.

Acknowledge anger, but do not sin and give the devil an opportunity to hurt Christians, the church, or the cause of the gospel (see Ephesians 4:25–27).

Take care of yourself during these especially stressful days—eat healthily, get appropriate rest, and exercise.

Be there for one another to listen, comfort, and encourage.

Questions:

1. Am I grieving over anything?

2. If I’ve been grieving, where am I in healing?

1.

How am I dealing with the changes in the ACC over the past several years?
2.

What would the St Matthias saints who have gone before us to Heaven think of the present dilemma in which we find ourselves?

Pray: Almighty and eternal God, draw my heart to you, guide my mind, fill my imagination, and direct my will, so that I may be completely yours, utterly surrendered to you. In this stressful time, please help me and my brothers and sisters of St. Matthias work through the sorrow and grief that we are going through. Help us to constantly hope in you. I pray for all the strength that I need to sustain the Church family and me. Use me, I pray, as you choose, and always to your glory and to the welfare of your people through Jesus Christ my Savior and Lord. Amen.

D

AY 38 (Jan. 7th) Change & Adaptation (I Corinthians 10 – 11:1)

Life is full of change. Regardless of whether we’re grieving or not, the Anglican crisis has presented our congregation with a number of changes that we cannot avoid (e.g., polarization, declining membership in the ACC, redirecting resources, having to deal with the crisis, etc.). And just as grief can be dealt with in healthy or unhealthy ways, change can bring the best and the worst out of people.

For the church, Jesus Christ provides us with the solid rock foundation to which we can anchor our lives. And the Scriptures provide the reference point to which the church must turn in order to align change in our lives with the purposes of the Lord.

Our resistance to and fear of change grows exponentially when we fail to engage in the process. Change is a process, not a product. As such, when we all have to deal with change, we may experience a wide range of emotions and reactions. Some of us may feel exhilaration. Others may feel loss and sadness, even anger and grief. Others may not feel anything at first, or even later may wonder what all the fuss was about. Some may resent change that happens outside of their control. Perhaps we did not plan to change but now find ourselves reacting to changes as they happen.

Another principle of change is that plans and practice are two distinct phases that require both patience and time. Plans must sometimes be adjusted as they are put into practice. We constantly assess what’s working and what’s not. Plans and practice don’t always go at the speed that we would like. For some, change cannot come fast enough. Others need time to absorb, reflect on and study all of the whats, hows, whys, and what- ifs.

We best respond to change when we are engaged in a horizontal rather than top-down process. It is the people of an institution, not the institution itself, that change. This is a key reason why home groups are so valuable in a church setting. Through home groups, individuals have time to process and participate in the changes by corporate prayer and discernment. The home group is also the perfect place for Christians to support one another in times of crisis. Each member of a group is going to deal with change at their own pace.

Some people are venturesome innovators who lead the way in promoting change as soon as it emerges. Meanwhile, others are cautious observers who need more assurance before embracing change. The majority of people are at different stages between these two extremes. Our fellowship needs to be a safe place which allows each person to honestly express where they’re at in dealing with change.

Questions: based on 1 Corinthians 10 (Read)

1. What struggles and temptations can we anticipate in the months ahead?

2. How can our congregation guard itself against both ungratefulness for God’s

provision and cynicism in the face of challenges?

Based on 1 Corinthians 12 (Read)

3. What special role can our congregation play in the body of Christ?

Based on 1 Corinthians 13 (Read)

4. How does our congregation manifest love?

Prayer:

Almighty God, by the Passover of your Son, you have brought us out of sin into righteousness and out of death into life, in the midst of this ever changing and sinful world. Grant to me and to all who are sealed by your Holy Spirit, the will and the power to faithfully proclaim your Gospel as revealed in Holy Scripture to all the people you would have us witness to, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

D

AY 39 (Jan. 8th) Choosing our Future (Romans

We need to ask ourselves if there are false prophets in the ACC, in our diocese, even in our church. The ACC is losing its membership. That is a fact. The statistics prove this. The DMRIT Report, commissioned by the Diocese of B.C. Synod, records in grim detail the prognosis of the attending physicians: death by slow degrees. Diocesan Attendance Totals for 2003 were 5555; for 2007, 4955, a decline of 600 people or 11%. The number of Baptisms which took place in 2007 was 135, while the number of Funerals was 349. Most telling regarding the bringing up of our young people in the Gospel, only 39 people were confirmed in 2007 in the whole Diocese.

“Twenty-five parishes reported operating deficits for 2007. Furthermore, other parishes were only able to enjoy a surplus by either drawing upon capital investments or employing part time/shared priests in order to declare a surplus at the year’s end.” (DMRIT Report p. 9) The Report goes on to say that while the diocese has 56 churches, only 38 are needed if a viable 150 attendees is used to calculate the size of each parish. The Report projects that only 29 churches will be needed in 2011 and 25 in 2015 based on declining attendance projections. Simply put, our aging congregations are dying and there isn’t a viable generation coming up to fill the pews that our seniors leave vacant. Not only that, conservative Anglicans have been quietly, and not so quietly, leaving for more than two decades for theological concerns.

In his speech to Synod, September 2008, the Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi, the Diocesan Congregational Development Officer, stated that according to statistics gathered by the National Office of the ACC, the last Anglican would close and lock the doors of the last operating Anglican Church of Canada in the year 2061 if something wasn’t done. To combat this troubling trend of shrinking membership, the Diocese has called upon all parishes to grow by 2% each year without using evangelism (this was voted down at Synod September 2008)

And this presents a real dilemma for us at St. Matthias. Yes we may be able to bring some new people into a theologically sound parish, but it is hard bringing people into a National Church that is at odds with about 70% or more of the members of the Anglican Communion due to its perceived apostasy. True evangelism, growing Christ’s Church in this environment of theological liberalism, is a difficult task. How do we respond if we are asked, “What do you Anglicans believe in?” If we are honest, we can only say what we at St. Matthias believe in, and continuing with the same honesty, we would be obliged to report that there is a large church in Victoria that states on its website, “unlike most other denominations, the Anglican church has no unique set of beliefs which define it, and to which members are required to agree.” We would be obliged to say that more and more of our leadership are espousing revisionist theology.

We have a choice. We can just continue to carry on as before, doing the good works of outreach that we are presently doing, preaching faithfully, building community. That is good. But there are people who are now looking to other denominations. Also, being satisfied with the status quo likely carries with it decreased giving as we are already experiencing now. Yes we can also continue to be a beacon of orthodoxy in our Diocese. Yet for all of our efforts to date in trying to influence other more revisionist Churches, no real fruit has been produced. This leaves us in a difficult and increasingly intolerable position. We are literally becoming an island in a sea of liberalism.

Contrary to the description by the DMRIT that we are a healthy parish, we are in actual fact feeling more and more inhibited in our association with different branches of the Anglican Communion. It is becoming harder and harder to agree with others in the Diocese about what is the truth of the Gospel. Where is the unity of purpose amongst us and other parishes? Where is the unity in our Diocesan corporate worship? We are truly a dysfunctional Church. We are dysfunctional because our relationship with the Diocese and National Church has become more and more impaired due to our adherence to the Scriptures, the Solemn Declaration, Creeds, and 39 Articles.

Questions:

1.

How are we to faithfully ensure that we can pass on the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the next generation?
2.

How can we best be salt and light to this world without compromising the revealed Word of God?

Prayer: Like the Israelites living surrounded by the Canaanite culture, Lord, we live in a North American culture which does not honour you, nor does it recognize your Law. Personal sexual fulfillment and materialism are the idols of this age. Strengthen our resolve to resist the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Lord Jesus, please help us always to remember this, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart. Amen.

DAY 40 (Jan. 9th) A time of reflection and prayer

Sunday, January 11th, 2009 A Time to Share

(Toonie Lunch in the Hall following the 10 AM Service)

CREDIT

Credit for the idea to produce this discernment aid and for some of the material within the sections of Unity within the Framework of Truth, Grief – Losing what we love, and

Change and Adaptation must be given to The Falls Church, Truro Church and the over thirty contributing writers and editors from across the Diocese of Virginia who put together 40 DAYS OF DISCERNMENT www.40DaysofDiscernment.org

(Note: this weary typist offers his humblest apology if he has missed any other sections that benefited from this document.)

Other LINKS

http://www.anglicanessentials.ca/pdf/montreal_declaration_aec.pdf – Montreal Essentials Document

http://www.anglicanessentials.ca/pdf/solemn_declaration_aec.pdf – Solemn Declaration of 1893

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=8283&com_id=90916&com_rootid=90916&com_mode=thread&#comment90916 – History of homosexuality statements in Canada by ACC

http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/39articles.html The Thirty nine Articles of Religion

http://www.lambethconference.org/resolutions/1998/1998-1-10.cfm 1998 Lambeth motion 1.10

This Document has been produced (2008) by the Parish Council of St. Matthias Anglican Church, 600 Richmond Avenue, Victoria, BC, V8S 3Y7

Email: ctk28@telus.net