April 5, 2007
Holy Week"I
am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even
though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you
believe this?"
(John 11:25-26)
- Message from Canon David Anderson, AAC President
- 'Windsor Bishops' Unlikely to Meet Before August
- Archbishop of Canterbury's Summer Plans May Preclude Meeting With
Bishops
- Easter Meditation from the Church of Nigeria
Message from Canon David Anderson, AAC President
Beloved in Christ,
This is Holy Week, so my remarks on recent news will be brief in
comparison to previous weeks' messages, in part so that I can share an
Easter story.
The American Anglican Council's (AAC) Communiqué Compliance Office has
completed its March report, and it will be released to the global Anglican
Primates during Easter Week. The report will subsequently become available
on the AAC Web site.
The big 60th birthday bash for Elton John – and individual who is known
to be hostile to Christianity and is a gay advocate living with his legal
partner – was held last week in, of all places, the nave and chancel of the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. The Cathedral is said to
be hard up for money and so rents out the space for secular uses, although
this event must certainly push the envelope. Religious statuary and the high
altar, signs of a better and more spiritual time, all looked on as revelers
ate and drank and celebrated, but not in celebration of the sacred mysteries
of the Christian faith. Welcome to the progressive move of the Episcopal
Church.
Finally, in an event closely tied to Easter, the Very Rev. Jeffrey John,
a Church of England priest who was at one point the bishop-appointee of
Reading, has flown his true faith colors in remarks about the atonement and
Good Friday. Speaking to BBC Radio, John termed the traditional teaching of
Christ's crucifixion "repulsive" and "insane". Having to withdraw from an
appointment to the post of Bishop of Reading in 2003 after it became clear
that he was living in a homosexual relationship, John was subsequently
appointed dean of a cathedral and is
reported by Jonathan Wynne-Jones of the Sunday Telegraph to be
accusing clergy who preach this Easter that Christ was sent to die in
atonement for the sins of mankind as making "God sound like a psychopath."
(The full transcript of his remarks are posted to the AAC Blog here
) This is actually not surprising, as the AAC has been saying all along that
the real issues at stake in the Anglican Communion are primarily the person
and work of Jesus Christ and the authority of Holy Scripture, and
secondarily sexual morality. You might say that theology is the sleeper tie
underneath the rails of morality. When the sleeper ties crumble and rot, it
is not surprising that the rails pull loose and derail and wreck the train.
So we are well advised that it is not just the American Episcopal Church
that is in train-wreck mode.
Enough with the news. I wish to include a story now that touches on Good
Friday and Easter. Long ago I was rector of a church in a small town in the
intermountain region of the United States and volunteered part-time to work
with the American Cancer Society (ACS) for my area. A supervisor with ACS
was driving from out of state to meet me and discuss Cancer Society issues,
and I warned him that the small town had a posted speed limit of 35 miles
per hour. Many motorists driving 65 mph or faster came to the city limits
and only slowed slightly, discovering that a policeman hid in an alleyway
with his radar speed gun. I warned the ACS supervisor to slow down to
exactly 35 mph, or he would get a speeding ticket.
The time for our appointment came and went, and our lunchtime meeting
looked forfeited. Then, just as I was giving up, in he walked, looking
sheepish, and sat down. He said, "You were right, David, the patrolman does
hide in the alley!" I asked what had happened, and he unfolded the story:
He was thinking about what he wanted to say at our meeting and was still
going 45 mph when he went by the alley. Immediately, the policeman was on
him with lights flashing and pulled him over. The problem was that my friend
had a driver's license from a state that did not have a reciprocal
arrangement with my state, so the policeman had to physically take him to
the judge for a hearing. The judge was a member of my congregation and took
pity on my friend, although my friend foolishly told the judge that I had
advised him about the policeman hiding in the alley.
The judge told my friend and the policeman that the admission of guilt
and the patrolman's testimony meant that the judge had no choice but to find
my friend guilty, and that the fine (remember, this was a long time
ago) was $20 with court costs. Then, the judge reached into his pocket and
withdrew personal money, handed the clerk of the court his own $20, and
said, "Mark it paid." The law was the law, and the judge couldn't be a just
judge by overlooking what was clearly wrong, but the judge was also a caring
and compassionate person, and so satisfied the terms of the law by paying
the penalty at his own expense.
So it is with law and grace. So it was on Calvary, and so it is now, with
that grace of God still available to you and me and to everyone willing to
encounter it. Have a blessed and life-renewing Easter!
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus,
The Rev. Canon David C. Anderson
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
'Windsor Bishops' Unlikely to Meet Before August
Source:
The Living Church
April 4, 2007
Scheduling conflicts with the Easter season and summer vacations have
pushed back the next meeting of ‘Windsor Bishops’ at Camp Allen until
probably sometime in August, according to several familiar with planning.
The bishops are likely to draft resolutions for consideration during the
fall meeting of the House of Bishops, The Living Church has learned. The
House of Bishops has been asked by the primates to respond to a series of
requests made of it by no later than Sept. 30. The requests, which were
contained in a communiqué issued at the conclusion of the primates February
meeting, are intended to clarify The Episcopal Church’s commitment to the
Windsor Report.
The ‘Windsor Bishops’ have met twice previously at Camp Allen near
Navasota, Texas, and have made a public commitment to both the Windsor
Report and to keeping their dioceses in full communion with the Archbishop
of Canterbury.
Archbishop's Summer Plans May Preclude Meeting With Bishops
Source: The
Living Church
By the Rev. George Conger
April 3, 2007
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams’ withdrawal from the
international Anglican scene this summer presents a smaller window of
opportunity for him to accept the invitation from the House of Bishops to
meet before the primates’ Sept. 30 deadline to respond to the Dar es Salaam
communiqué.
Archbishop Williams will take a two-month study leave in June and July,
and will be on vacation in August. A spokesman for Lambeth Palace told The
Living Church the three-month break for the archbishop has been listed in
his calendar for several months. He added that Archbishop Williams intends
to write a book during his leave.
In a March 21 interview, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said
that while she and Archbishop Williams were together during the February
primates meeting, she had invited him to visit the United States this year.
She said he declined the invitation at that time, citing the press of other
business and a full calendar. She added that she hoped he would reconsider
the invitation in light of the House of Bishops’ formal request for a
meeting.
No decision on this second invitation has been made, a spokesman for the
archbishop said, but he said it was under consideration.
While the prospects for a U.S., trip this year appear problematic,
observers note that an emergency primates’ meeting, similar to the one in
London called by Archbishop Williams in 2003, is likely to be held later
this year in order to consider the response requested from the House of
Bishops in the primates’ communiqué.
In a letter to his diocese, the Bishop of Northern Michigan, the Rt. Rev.
James Kelsey, recounted a meeting between Archbishop Williams and American
bishops attending last month's TEAM Conference in South Africa.
“When asked what would happen after the Sept. 30 deadline set by the
primates’ communiqué, and who would decide about the adequacy of the
response of The Episcopal Church to its demands, Rowan Williams responded
that it would not be he who would decide since, as he said, ‘I’m not a pope;
that’s not how our system works... I’ll take it to the primates, and they
will decide’.”
At the press conference held at the close of the Dar es Salaam meeting,
Archbishop Williams said that if the House of Bishops declined to honor the
primates’ requests, there would be consequences.
“If the reassurances cannot [be given] in good conscience, then in fact
the damage is not repaired, and that has to affect some of the consideration
we would want to give about the organs of the Communion,” he said.
Since the release of the primates’ communiqué, members of Archbishop
Williams’ staff report a significant increase in the amount of
correspondence sent to Archbishop Williams by grass-roots members of The
Episcopal Church. While the correspondents represents a diversity of views
on the issues currently dividing the Anglican Communion, many of the notes
and letters express pain and surprise upon learning of the tenuous position
of The Episcopal Church within the Anglican Communion at present.
Easter Meditation: The Resurrection of Christ as the Bedrock of
the Christian Faith
Source: Church
of Nigeria News
By the Rt. Rev Emmanuel Egbunu
Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19
The historicity of the resurrection event holds the Christian faith
together and binds all believers of all ages and in all places into one
family of faith. What we believe about the resurrection of Christ says a lot
about our faith whether as individuals or as congregations or even as
denominations.
How did the Apostles understand the resurrection event? And how did they
interpret it to the believers? In what is popularly known today as the
Apostles’ Creed – a summary of what they believed and taught (dating back to
about 150 A.D but not necessarily composed by the apostles themselves), the
confession is made: “He [Christ] suffered under Pontius Pilate, was
crucified, dead and buried; He descended into hell; On the third day He rose
again…”
If Christ had not risen from the dead, Christianity would only be the
story of a beautiful life that ended up in the grave. Like the life of the
Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Apostles. From the passage above, we can glean
some fundamental truths to strengthen our faith this Easter season.
“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless” (v14). Right
from the day of Pentecost, Preaching has remained a great activity in
Christianity. It is the avenue for proclaiming the Christian message to
unbelievers, and it is the means of nurturing believers on the truths of the
faith. There is hardly any Christian gathering where some form of preaching
or exhortation does not take place. In the ministry of the Apostle Paul who
himself wrote these words of 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection of Christ is
a central theme. The entire New Testament teaching gives the subject of the
resurrection of Christ and Christians a pivotal place. If Jesus was not
raised from the dead, then our preaching will only relate to living well and
dying well in this life, and the story ends there. The great importance of
preaching is highlighted by Apostle Paul when he says, “How, then, can they
call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the
one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone
preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14). If Christ has not been raised, our
preaching would be at best like the feeling of the disciples on the road to
Emmaus: "He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the
people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to
death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was
going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this
took place…” (Luke 24:19-21). The Apostle Paul too would not have had any
Damascus road experience or indeed anything to say about the power of His
resurrection.
“and so is your faith.” Christian faith rests on the reliability of God
and His word. The Scripture promise was Isaiah 53:11 “After the suffering of
his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge
my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”
The Psalms also present these prophetic words about the resurrection: “I
have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will
not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body
also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor
will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of
life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at
your right hand” (Psalm 16:8-11). Faith that does not have the reliability
of God’s words as an anchor cannot be biblical faith, whatever else it may
be. If after all the prophecies, and the words of Christ Himself, He still
did not rise from the dead, then there would hardly be a good reason to
believe anything else about Him. All the great and precious promises of the
Bible that comfort us in the times of bereavement will crumble like a pack
of cards. John 3:16, 11:25-26, 14:1-6, 19 would all be meaningless.
“False witnesses about God”
If Christ is not risen, not only will the preaching be useless, the
integrity of preachers would be at stake for they will be preachers of
fiction rather than truth: More than that, we are then found to be false
witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ
from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised
(v15). Christian preachers would be deceivers. In that case, Christian
preaching that is not based on truth, and therefore without integrity, would
be the greatest tragedy of Christianity.
“Your faith is futile; you are still in your sins” (v17). The
resurrection of Christ confirms that heaven was satisfied with His atoning
death on the cross. Christian preaching proclaims forgiveness of sins
through faith in Christ. Because of the great importance of this to our
faith, we will look at a few passages to make clear the emphasis of
apostolic preaching as commanded by the Lord Jesus Himself after His
resurrection:
Luke 24:47 - repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:43 - All the prophets testify about him that everyone who
believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Acts 26:18 - to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of
sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
At every celebration of Holy Communion, these words are recalled to
strengthen the faith of God’s people: “This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
How eternally devastating it would be to get to the end of our lives and be
told that all we ever believed about the forgiveness of sins was a lie! As
the apostle further says, “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ
are lost.”
Death is not the last word
The resurrection of Christ proves that death is not the last word as far as
God’s relationship with man is concerned. Death came into the Garden of
Eden, but immediately a picture of redemption followed with the clothing of
Adam and Eve with garments of skin (Gen. 3:21). As the Bible says in Romans
5:17; “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that
one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of
grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man,
Jesus Christ.” The Lord Jesus assures us that because He lives, we will
live also. The greatest consolation for Christians in the hour of death and
bereavement is that death is not the last word in God’s dealing with man. By
the resurrection of Christ, death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Cor.
15:54). We must let Paul say the last words: “If only for this life we have
hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has
indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead
comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be
made alive” (1 Cor. 15:19-22).
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away
Kept the folded grave clothes where Thy body lay
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won
No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life
Life is nought without Thee, aid us in our strife
Make us more than conquerors through Thy deathless love
Bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won.
Collect for Easter
Lord of all life and power,
who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death
to make all things new in him;
grant that we, being dead to sin
and alive to You in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory;
to whom with You and the Holy Spirit
be praise and honour, glory and might,
now and in all eternity, Amen.
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