November 19, 2010
Dear St. Michael’s Parish Family:
I write to you today to bring you very good news on the legal front. Yesterday, the Fifth District Court of Appeals of the State of California ruled completely in our Diocese’s favor on our appeal of the Superior Court’s decision. In effect, the appellate court declared that the trial court was wrong to get involved in ecclesiastical and doctrinal matters, and instead should look at each property dispute based on matters of neutral law. This is very clearly a significant victory for us in a significant battle.
At this point, the case is back in the hands of the Episcopal Church. They can either attempt to have the ruling reviewed by the California Supreme Court, or they can amend their original lawsuit at the Superior Court level and proceed from there. What they will do remains to be seen.
It is important, though, to take this court decision in context. As you are aware, the lawsuit that is in process right now is between the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin and the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin. Since St. Michael’s is a separately incorporated entity, we are subject to a separate lawsuit which is currently on hold pending the outcome of the lawsuit at the diocesan level. Once this case is decided at the Diocesan level, it remains to be seen how the Episcopal Church will proceed at the parish level, if they even proceed at all.
As your rector, I am very excited about the outcome of the appeal yesterday. It is a significant victory in a significant battle. There is much that still needs to happen, but I remain cautiously optimistic about our chances to ultimately prevail. Please continue to pray earnestly that God’s Will will ultimately prevail.
Regardless of the outcome, we will continue to be about the business of proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in a world that desperately needs to hear it. May God bless you all throughout this Thanksgiving season.
Yours in Jesus Christ,
Fr. Townsend Waddill
Rector
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Reflections On Advent
Why do we celebrate the season of Advent? It’s a good question, and one that we as liturgical Christians should definitely ask. We live in an instant-gratification culture that just cannot wait. Christmas seems to come earlier and earlier, often times not even waiting for Halloween to be over, much less Thanksgiving. Why should we as Christians wait when the world around cannot seem to?
The answer lies in our command to be countercultural. When the world throws out the fruit of the Spirit that we call patience, we are called to reclaim it, and to show it forth in our daily lives, even if the culture around us looks at us like we are the weirdest birds on earth.
I am always struck by the two-fold nature of the season of Advent. In Advent, we remember and reflect on those who waited on the birth of Jesus Christ. But we don’t stop there. We ourselves are waiting on Jesus Christ – waiting for Him to come again in great power and glory, and to redeem His Creation once and for all. Let’s reflect on each of these periods of waiting in a little more depth.
Whenever I think of Advent, I am always reminded of the Annunciation. It is that great passage of the Bible when the angel Gabriel comes to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she will bear a son (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel tells Mary that the Lord is with her, she will bear an extraordinary child, and this child will be conceived in an extraordinary fashion.
What is so exceptional about Mary? She shows great faith and reliance on God in a period of uncertainty. We see a broad emotional response in her to the news that this angel is bringing. Her first reaction is one in which she is greatly troubled. When Gabriel announced to her that “the Lord is with you,” she does not know what to make of it, and that carries with it the connotation that it could be either good or bad. Mary then moves from being troubled to being puzzled. Mary knows that she is a virgin and that there is no way that she could conceive a child. After all, she is only betrothed to Joseph. She is not married to him. The Lord tells her that this will be the work of the Holy Spirit. “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” Her response is indicative of her great faith for two reasons. First, getting pregnant as a virgin was seemingly impossible, and second, because getting pregnant out of wedlock in those days brought with it a possible sentence of death. Mary was surely on dangerous ground. In spite of this, though, she responded faithfully to the call of her God, and we as Christian disciples are called to go and do likewise.
In some senses, although we are not called to physically bear the Son of God, our story can be strikingly similar to the story of Mary – just in a different context. We, like Mary, are waiting with anxious anticipation. Mary waited on the birth of her child Jesus. We wait on the coming of the triumphant Lord Jesus Christ in glorious majesty. Mary was called to do something that was quite extraordinary, and so are we as well. Mary was called to live a sacrificial life, and so are we. Mary was called to put her complete faith and trust in the Lord, and so are we.
As we go through this Advent season, let us always be mindful of the importance of Mary’s witness as a saint of God. God called her, and when he did, she responded “behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” God calls us to do great things for His kingdom on earth while we wait for His coming again in glory. While we wait and do the work of the Lord, may the Lord give us the courage to put our faith and our trust in Him, because we are also servants of the Lord, called according to God’s Word. May God bless you richly during this Advent season.
The answer lies in our command to be countercultural. When the world throws out the fruit of the Spirit that we call patience, we are called to reclaim it, and to show it forth in our daily lives, even if the culture around us looks at us like we are the weirdest birds on earth.
I am always struck by the two-fold nature of the season of Advent. In Advent, we remember and reflect on those who waited on the birth of Jesus Christ. But we don’t stop there. We ourselves are waiting on Jesus Christ – waiting for Him to come again in great power and glory, and to redeem His Creation once and for all. Let’s reflect on each of these periods of waiting in a little more depth.
Whenever I think of Advent, I am always reminded of the Annunciation. It is that great passage of the Bible when the angel Gabriel comes to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she will bear a son (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel tells Mary that the Lord is with her, she will bear an extraordinary child, and this child will be conceived in an extraordinary fashion.
What is so exceptional about Mary? She shows great faith and reliance on God in a period of uncertainty. We see a broad emotional response in her to the news that this angel is bringing. Her first reaction is one in which she is greatly troubled. When Gabriel announced to her that “the Lord is with you,” she does not know what to make of it, and that carries with it the connotation that it could be either good or bad. Mary then moves from being troubled to being puzzled. Mary knows that she is a virgin and that there is no way that she could conceive a child. After all, she is only betrothed to Joseph. She is not married to him. The Lord tells her that this will be the work of the Holy Spirit. “And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’” Her response is indicative of her great faith for two reasons. First, getting pregnant as a virgin was seemingly impossible, and second, because getting pregnant out of wedlock in those days brought with it a possible sentence of death. Mary was surely on dangerous ground. In spite of this, though, she responded faithfully to the call of her God, and we as Christian disciples are called to go and do likewise.
In some senses, although we are not called to physically bear the Son of God, our story can be strikingly similar to the story of Mary – just in a different context. We, like Mary, are waiting with anxious anticipation. Mary waited on the birth of her child Jesus. We wait on the coming of the triumphant Lord Jesus Christ in glorious majesty. Mary was called to do something that was quite extraordinary, and so are we as well. Mary was called to live a sacrificial life, and so are we. Mary was called to put her complete faith and trust in the Lord, and so are we.
As we go through this Advent season, let us always be mindful of the importance of Mary’s witness as a saint of God. God called her, and when he did, she responded “behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” God calls us to do great things for His kingdom on earth while we wait for His coming again in glory. While we wait and do the work of the Lord, may the Lord give us the courage to put our faith and our trust in Him, because we are also servants of the Lord, called according to God’s Word. May God bless you richly during this Advent season.
Engaging the Fight With Evil
“War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world-- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
- Revelation 12:7-9
Recently, I was browsing around in a Christian bookstore, and the title of a book jumped off of the bookshelf and hit me right between the eyes. The book is called Fight: Are You Willing to Pick a Fight with Evil?, by Kenny Luck. I grabbed the book and began to devour it word for word.
As it became abundantly clear to me that I was called to be the rector of St. Michael’s Anglican Church, I began to reflect on our patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. Michael is one of those characters in the Bible who is able to emphatically answer “yes” to the question posed by Kenny Luck’s book. He is an example to us of courage and perseverance.
The passage above from Revelation describes what is commonly known as the War in Heaven. Michael and his band of angels engage in a war against Satan and his minions, and Michael wins. The devil is then cast down to the earth and all evil is cast out of heaven for all eternity.
While the War in Heaven is St. John’s vision of a future event, it has implications for all of us in our daily lives. We are not in heaven fighting Satan directly, but we do fight battles against evil in our daily lives today. With Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are called to engage the battle, and we are called to fight to win!
Engage the Battle! Can you imagine what would happen if St. Michael and his angels had chosen not to fight to the battle? They could have made every excuse or come up with every reason not to fight. If they had fallen away from the battle, Satan would not be defeated and sin and evil might reside in heaven for all eternity. Battles between good and evil – Satan and God – happen all the time in this world. We are called to engage the battle, and to do so with courage and conviction, knowing that we have the ultimate weapon against evil, Jesus. If we choose not to engage the battle with courage and perseverance, then we allow evil to take hold in the world around us. When we choose not to fight for Jesus Christ, it creates a vacuum, and that vacuum is filled with evil.
Win! When we are called to engage the battle, we should do so in order to win! If you look at most successful fighting forces around the world, they usually have two things, good solid training, and an effective command structure that helps them strategize and guides them into how they should fight. The same is true for an army of Christian soldiers. We have the ultimate training program, God’s Holy Word. We are called to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Bible as our training regimen, so that we can be effective in the fight against evil. An army that is not well trained will be overcome in battle. Likewise, if we as Christian disciples are not well trained, we will be overcome in the battle against evil. Our command structure is Jesus Christ Himself, and His Church, the Body of Christ. If we stay tuned to Him in prayer, and mutual discernment within the church, we will be very aware of where and how God is calling us to fight. We will be doing His will as we fight against evil, and he will give us the tools we need to win.
In closing, I encourage you to use St. Michael as an example of the courage and perseverance in the fight against evil in all the world. God is calling. Gird up your loins and join the battle. Jesus is counting on you for his army of disciples.
- Revelation 12:7-9
Recently, I was browsing around in a Christian bookstore, and the title of a book jumped off of the bookshelf and hit me right between the eyes. The book is called Fight: Are You Willing to Pick a Fight with Evil?, by Kenny Luck. I grabbed the book and began to devour it word for word.
As it became abundantly clear to me that I was called to be the rector of St. Michael’s Anglican Church, I began to reflect on our patron saint, St. Michael the Archangel. Michael is one of those characters in the Bible who is able to emphatically answer “yes” to the question posed by Kenny Luck’s book. He is an example to us of courage and perseverance.
The passage above from Revelation describes what is commonly known as the War in Heaven. Michael and his band of angels engage in a war against Satan and his minions, and Michael wins. The devil is then cast down to the earth and all evil is cast out of heaven for all eternity.
While the War in Heaven is St. John’s vision of a future event, it has implications for all of us in our daily lives. We are not in heaven fighting Satan directly, but we do fight battles against evil in our daily lives today. With Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are called to engage the battle, and we are called to fight to win!
Engage the Battle! Can you imagine what would happen if St. Michael and his angels had chosen not to fight to the battle? They could have made every excuse or come up with every reason not to fight. If they had fallen away from the battle, Satan would not be defeated and sin and evil might reside in heaven for all eternity. Battles between good and evil – Satan and God – happen all the time in this world. We are called to engage the battle, and to do so with courage and conviction, knowing that we have the ultimate weapon against evil, Jesus. If we choose not to engage the battle with courage and perseverance, then we allow evil to take hold in the world around us. When we choose not to fight for Jesus Christ, it creates a vacuum, and that vacuum is filled with evil.
Win! When we are called to engage the battle, we should do so in order to win! If you look at most successful fighting forces around the world, they usually have two things, good solid training, and an effective command structure that helps them strategize and guides them into how they should fight. The same is true for an army of Christian soldiers. We have the ultimate training program, God’s Holy Word. We are called to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Bible as our training regimen, so that we can be effective in the fight against evil. An army that is not well trained will be overcome in battle. Likewise, if we as Christian disciples are not well trained, we will be overcome in the battle against evil. Our command structure is Jesus Christ Himself, and His Church, the Body of Christ. If we stay tuned to Him in prayer, and mutual discernment within the church, we will be very aware of where and how God is calling us to fight. We will be doing His will as we fight against evil, and he will give us the tools we need to win.
In closing, I encourage you to use St. Michael as an example of the courage and perseverance in the fight against evil in all the world. God is calling. Gird up your loins and join the battle. Jesus is counting on you for his army of disciples.
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