Our visit to Florida

My family and I had a wonderful trip to Church of the Resurrection in Shalimar, FL. I very much enjoyed the fellowship and getting to meet the many mature Christians who call this congregation home. I especially enjoyed serving at the altar with Fr. Greg, Fr. Mark and Deacon Jason. All are wonderful and spirit filled servants of God.

We also went to Disney World, a dinner theatre and even Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. My son, Connor, strongly states that his best time was visiting Fr. Greg in Shalimar, FL. Coming from a fifteen year old youg man...Now...That's a compliment!

Gospel for Trinity St. John iii.1

THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Nicodemus sought Jesus out during the night. Yes, on some level it was an act of fear. For Nicodemus was afraid to be seen with Jesus, and therefore came to speak to him under the cover of darkness. When religion is out of fashion, there are many Nicodemites out there. I know a few…A few people that seek my advice and counsel but never come to church…They come and see me in my office or call me on the phone when having a pastor is convenient…One of them just texts me…They really don’t want the hassle of belonging to a church family.

Here’s Jesus, a young country preacher from Galillee… Outside the religious power structure. Jesus had no real political power behind Him. But Jesus was doing things that no one could explain. His miracles…His amazing insights... They got Nicodemus' attention. “We know that you are from God, for no one can do such things without God”, Nicodemus said.

In this Gospel message Jesus outlines some basic truths for Nicodemus… And for all of us. Perhaps the most basic truth here is the one that we know the best. The “Gospel-in-a-nutshell” passage, John 3:16. Yes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” You hear it every week during the Comfortable Words. This is why Jesus has come … for the love of God… For the love of a world that is perishing …He came for Nicodemus…And He came for us too. He came because He loves us!

In our scripture Nicodemus approaches Jesus and begins by trying to 'butter him up', “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus pays no attention, always being a man of action He gets to the point. Nicodemus needs to see the kingdom, and Jesus nudges him toward it. Jesus tells him he needs to be born again.

Have you ever heard that question? “Are you born again?” Usually asked by Evangelical Christians... what does it mean? Have you had a conversion experience? Have you given your life over to Jesus Christ? Do you know Jesus personally?

What is Jesus talking about here, “born again”? That's what Nicodemus wants to know. That's what we need to know. For we certainly want to see heaven. We want to be a part of Christ's Church.

Jesus tells us more: “Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit”…. Again Jesus said, “Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit”. This can only mean one thing – Holy Baptism. How many of our friends would be shocked to know that Jesus' words here are in the context of a discussion on Holy Baptism. Not sudden conversion experiences… Like Paul’s moment of blindness turned to sight. I’m not saying those conversion experiences aren’t important. I’m not saying people cannot find God in a flash…That would be just silly…Because, many people obviously do. But…Holy Baptism, this precious gift, is one of our Church’s sacraments…Baptism is part of our faith. Oh, and by it, we are born again. Not of the flesh, but of the Spirit….

My religious mentor spoke to me once about "rocks in a stream". Just like rocks in a stream that have water flowing all around them if you pick up one of those rocks and break it open it is dry on the inside. People are like this with Christ. In our American culture Christianity is all around us. People talk about God all of the time. However, how deep does God really penetrate inside of us?

We have people running around all over the place in our culture saying, "Do you have a personal relationship with your Savior, Jesus Christ?" To these people my answer is this: "Well...I never had a beer with Jesus…However, He took my name with him to die on a hard and dirty cross for my sins. He loved me so much that he gave me eternal life by dying a horrific death for my having done nothing but pretty much slap him in the face by sinning again and again. If that is what is meant by a personal relationship.....Yeah...I have a personal relationship with him." Yes, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Take this Gospel message with you today. Take it in your hearts and out into the world with you on this celebration of the Trinity. Let it nudge you and those around you, as it did to Nicodemus, to be a member of Christ’s Kingdom.

We are the C.S. Lewis Church!

I have often thought about putting out an advertisement that says just this, "We are the C.S. Lewis Church". I am many times amazed at how beautiful our Traditional Anglican worship truly is. I am simply amazed at how many people view things in a negative light because they are not "new" or "more modern". Many are so immersed in our current culture that they believe everything should reflect the modern world around us. That includes a 2,000 year old faith.

I picked up a little book the other day: Following Prince Caspian, By Thomas Williams

I found something Thomas Williams had written very interesting. "We did not experience the culture that proceeded ours, so our own culture becomes the norm to us. Because its all we've known...We're likely to be guilty of what Narnia's creator, C.S. Lewis, called 'chronological snobbery'--the assumption that the present is is always an improvement over the past".

I have been told on numerous occasions things like, "no one will ever be interested in Traditional Anglican worship. The language is too hard to understand. The way of worship is too old". Yet, we continue to get younger and younger crowds at church services...C.S, Lewis' writings seem to be more popular now than when I was a child. Everyone that comes to our services at Trinity comment about its "spirituality".

As Thomas Williams writes, "Our present culture is turning reality upside down. Our age has lost its solid footing on truth in pursuit of the glitter of materialism and pleasure, and in the process we've swept aside the timeless standards that stood in our way. We're like adolescents gorging on junk food while our souls starve."...Yes, I do believe we in the Traditional Anglican Movement truly are the "C.S. Lewis Church".

The Small Church

I have always loved belonging to small churches. My fondest memories are from my small church experiences. My original church home was in a small church.

I recently attended a small church conference presented by Dr. David Ray. David Ray is a small church pastor and small church coach. He has taught classes on the small church in seminary and has advised numerous small churches around the country. It was a very interesting conference and here are some of the highlights:

1. The largest problem with small congregations is an “inferiority complex”. We must get rid of the idea that “small is bad”. After all, before 1950 unless you were in a big city you were probably a small church.

2. Every single small church Dr. Ray has seen fail is because of one reason…Negativity. “A negative attitude kills a small church long before a lack of money, resources or a lack of membership ever could”.

3. No successful small church considers being small “bad”. They have a sense of family. A sense of, “We take care of each other”.

4. Ask yourself, “Why you want to grow?” If the answer is anything other than, “to spread the gospel” it’s the wrong answer.

5. At the last judgment God will not ask, “Were you successful?”…But, “Were you faithful?” Focus on what is important.

6. Small churches cannot be good at everything. Pick your strengths and play to them. After all, David did not slay Goliath with Saul’s sword. David used what worked for him.

7. Be size appropriate. Pick hymns and liturgy that work for a small parish. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Pick hymns easy to sing and music people like.

8. Don’t forget, big mega churches even have to use “small church ministry groups” to be successful. A small church really does it better than they do anyway.

9. “Small churches are hard to join and are even harder to get out of.” A lot of people like anonymity. They want to be lost in the crowd. Many people don’t want to be bothered. People that join a small church love relationships. They don’t mind being called up and asked, “What happened to you on Sunday?”…“It’s hard to leave a small church because…People will hunt you down.”

10. Small churches that are successful are not self absorbed, but look outward. Find some community projects and do them.

11. Small churches do wonderfully at: Carry-ins, birthdays, graduations…Really any excuse to eat and socialize. Do those things often!

12. Identify one person in the parish that has “something to catch”. (i.e., a cheerleader, a deep faith, a positive attitude) and replicate it.

13. “The Moth Principle”…People are like moths. They are attracted by light and warmth. Give out both of these things…Always!

14. Just identify one problem every couple of months and solve it!

15. Don’t get hung-up on “we must have young people”. Don’t ignore trying to get young people…But, remember every single one of us are getting older and there is always a “new crop of older folks coming-up”…In fact, wait long enough and you will be one of them. One parish in Florida never gained a person under forty-five but grew from eight members to over a hundred members in five years by being loving, faithful and just having a “good time”.

I'm sure happy to belong to a small church family.

Sunday After Ascension

The Epistle. 1 St. Peter 4:7-11
7 THE end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

I quote Peter in our Epistle today when I say, "The end of all things is at hand".
C.S. Lewis’ wrote, "Do not look so sad. We shall meet soon again."
"Please, Aslan," said Lucy, "what do you call soon?"
"I call all times soon," said Aslan; and instantly he was vanished away - C.S. Lewis - Voyage of the Dawn Treader

This last Thursday was the celebration of the Ascension on the Church calendar. Christ Ascended into heaven as He was watched by His followers, in what many would no doubt say was “an end.” I’ve never personally liked goodbyes. I especially hate watching friends walk out of my life. Everyone of us has had that experience…Watching friends leave. Often times friends will exchange promises to keep in touch, though the truth is that they seldom follow through. “Don’t be a stranger”, they always say. Or, “I’ll come back and visit”. But, we all know distance usually doesn’t really make the heart grow fonder….However, we have to remember we are speaking about God’s kingdom here.

God’s kingdom is a very different kingdom from how we often times perceive it. It’s a kingdom where you don't earn your pay. Where you get more than you deserve. Where God serves man. Where death brings life. Where the last are first…And the first are last. And where sinners are made righteous because the righteous one took all sin upon Himself. We have to remember that we Christians do not belong to a kingdom of this world. We belong to a kingdom of grace. Our perceived earthly rules really don’t apply to God‘s Kingdom…And…We’re really (all of us) actually living in God’s kingdom.

How would it change things if you thought that today was indeed your last day upon planet earth? If you were told that before the sun set upon this day, you would stand before your Maker, how serious would you be about prayer? I don’t know about you. I’d be getting pretty darn serious about prayer…and fast. Peter is saying in this Epistle: You better get serious about prayer right now because the end of all things IS at hand. You do not know how much longer you have. None of us truly do. You and I are just a heartbeat away from His presence….However, the truth is this…We are always close to His presence

Let’s ask ourselves: Do we want a God that truly understands us? Do we want to have a God that can identify with us? Well, if you’re a Christian…Then, you have that. The Ascension certainly underlines this….Think about this: One part of the Holy Trinity is human flesh. Jesus Ascended into heaven flesh and all. No other religion can claim that one. No other faith connects God to His people like Christianity does. We are truly blessed….For we are always close to His presence. He is never far from us.

At times it may seem like Christ has left us alone. Even though he has ascended and rules on high, the way he rules might not be what we expect. Again, His kingdom is very different from what we expect. We see conflicts in our family, stress at work, and not enough money in our pockets. We struggle with health problems, and we see our loved ones taken from us in death. We may feel abandoned by the one who promised He would care for our daily needs. Even when we turn to God in prayer, it can seem like our requests fall on deaf ears. We feel alone.

As Peter says…Be of sound judgement. Pray often and wisely. If we do this we will grow to understand God and know that we are closer to Him. In C.S. Lewis’ tale, "The Chronicles of Narnia," Lucy sees Aslan, the Christ-figure after having been parted from him for many a year and exclaims, "Aslan, you’re bigger.
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?" she asks.
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
Here is an interesting truth. The older and more mature you are in the Lord, the bigger you will see that He is. The more in awe of Him you will be. The closer you will feel to him.

Peter writes, “Above all things, have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8). Notice that this is specifically described as a love that is fervent among yourselves. You would have thought that Peter would have said that we are to be fervent in our love for the Lord. But Peter had been taught something special about love from Christ himself.

In scripture Christ asks, "Peter, do you love me?" And when Peter answers in the affirmative, Jesus says to him: "Then feed my sheep." Peter is passing on that same command here. Here is the point. Do you love the Lord? Then show it by loving His people. Show it by keeping fervent in your love for one another. Show that you know the Lord is close. Show that you know we are part of His body.

Peter says we are to serve one another: As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same to one another (1 Peter 4:10). The same thing is taught here in Peter’s Epistle. He teaches us that spiritual gifts are for one another. Your spiritual gifts have been given for my benefit and my spiritual gifts have been given for your benefit.

When we are speaking of Spiritual Gifts, we ought not to lose sight of the fact that we are talking about GIFTS. A “gift” is something that you are given. You don’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. You are simply given it. It is the same with our salvation. God’s gift was wrapped in human flesh, born as a baby and growing up to walk our dirty streets and to die on cross as an atonement for our sins. His body was broken and His blood was shed for all of us. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for sins. Jesus took your sins upon Himself and suffered for our sins. He is the Savior who saved the undeserving.

I ask each of you this question. The question is a simple one. The question is the same one Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love Christ?”…If so, figure out what your gift is and use it. Become active in your parish. Become active in His body. This isn’t fire insurance people. We don’t just keep or membership in Trinity Church in a fire proof lock box and say… “Yep, I am paid up. I am going to the pearly gates someday”. This is the body of Christ. It is our salvation. It is our spiritual family and our home. Become active in the life of the Church. Become active in His body. Sing, perform a song, head a committee, volunteer to bring something for coffee hour, ask to help with Vacation Bible School…Use your gifts and Feed His sheep. Feed His sheep. Because…He is close.

“What's the plan for Mother’s Day?”

“It’s Mother’s Day. I guess we should go to church. And I suppose it's best to go to the 8:00 AM service. The 8:00 AM is always the shorter service anyway. Then maybe we'll go out for the Mother’s Day brunch special down at the restaurant. Then we‘ll go over and see grandma. After that we‘ll go home and call your mom out in California....”

What's the plan? We all make lots of plans. Maybe you were planning for early retirement and the financial crash of the last year made you change your plans. Maybe you were planning to grow old with your spouse, but it seems that cancer or heart disease had other plans. Maybe you had planned to work your way up the ladder at work, and now there's “no ladder” to climb….Maybe there won’t even be a place to work if the economy doesn't improve soon.

So…How many times do we stop and think…“What’s God’s plans?” … “What is God’s plan for all of us, or more importantly in my life? Where do I fit into God's plan?”

The Apostle Paul lays out God’s plan step-by-step. The plan that was predicted in scriptures, and by God himself. The same plan Jesus Christ fulfilled:

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul makes it clear: “That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

Original Sin was never part of the plan… At least it wasn't God’s plan anyway. But when Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, God had a plan to address it. He promised a savior …an offspring of the woman…A Mother… that would crush the head of the serpent. And Jesus was that plan.

Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, as the scriptures said He would. Jesus told those around Him: “Tear down this temple and I will rebuild it in three days”. He knew that He came to die. It was the reason Jesus was born. Jesus is no great teacher like Zoroaster or Buddha…HE is the savior of the world. The one sacrifice for all our sins, who gave up His life in a horrible and painful death. He is God in flesh.

The plan was not for Jesus to rest in a tomb. Jesus was resurrected from death…And so are all of us who believe in Him. None of us know what the future holds. What we Christians do know is that God is ultimately in control. Every single one of us are sinners and are living in a sin-filled world. But God's plan is certain and in Jesus Christ that plan is made complete… Again…God promised a savior …An offspring of the woman…A Mother…

Genesis 3:15 "I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your descendants and her descendants will be enemies. One of her descendants will crush your head, and you will bite his heel."

What is the plan for Mother's day?...Jesus is that plan! Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Keep Going!

Jesus wasn’t supposed to be betrayed! Judas was supposed to be a disciple, not a traitor. Jesus wasn’t supposed to get arrested…convicted…and crucified. What about all the miracles? What about all the plans? What about all the disciples Jesus had won? James and John were making plans to put their thrones next to Jesus in the kingdom they expected him to usher in. Judas had his own plans though. We don’t know exactly what they were, but it’s pretty apparent Judas’ plans weren’t good. His plans didn’t have everyone else’s best interest at heart. They certainly didn’t have Jesus’ best interest at heart.

Jesus’ plan was simple – go up to Jerusalem, be handed over to the elders and chief priests, to suffer, to be crucified, and to rise again on the third day. We have to have some respect for God’s planning. God sees and knows how it has to be. That was the plan all along. God’s way of dealing with our sin in Christ. The Christ had to die. The Christ had to rise. This was God’s plan of salvation…Not ours.

They say in the theatre, “the show must go on”. No matter what happens, if you forget your lines, if a back drop doesn't come down, if the audience doesn’t applaud…Well, the show must go on! Christ’s Church is like that too. “The Church must go on!” No matter if you have a bad few days. No matter if you have some disappointments, the word has been given to us to teach and preach. The Church must go on. The gates of hell will not prevail against her! Though it may have seemed, at first, that God’s plan had been thwarted by a scheming Judas, the Church did go on! A new apostle was picked to take his place. The disciples prayed and allowed God to determine who would lead His Church. Everything is ultimately in God’s hands. The Church has had many set backs over the years. It has has seen its leaders corrupted. It has seen heresy spread by false teachers. However, it has always "Kept Going!" God has always made sure that good and faithful shepherds would be brought forward to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At this time God is bringing together thousands of orthodox Anglicans from across North America to form a new jurisdiction. This new jurisdiction, The Anglican Church in North America, will be the beginnings of a new faithful witness to the Gospel of Christ in the Anglican tradition.