The Journey Continues

The die has been cast.  Lord willing, I will be confirmed into the Anglican Church on Sunday, May 6, 2012.  I believe this is the route I must take at this point in my Christian walk.  I sadly leave behind my Presbyterian brothers and sisters at my former church as I was a part of the praise and worship band, and it was (and still is) a great fellowship.

Different things led to this decision, which is the culmination of prayer, investigation and interviews over the past year.  Strangely enough I "discovered" Anglicanism while studying Eastern Orthodoxy last summer.  I became intrigued by the idea of the ancient, original Church which came from the Apostles.  All I was really familiar with was the Protestant Reformation (all those denominations) and (as I was always taught) the apostate Roman Catholic Church.  What happened to that original church?  Well, for the most part, it was rolling right along until a thousand years into its existence the Great Schism happened in 1054.  That's when the Western church broke away with all that papal stuff and became the Roman Catholic church.  Of course then, 600 years later was the Protestant Reformation, protesting against the many abuses and apostasy of the Roman church.  What was left of the "original" church (what is now referred to as Eastern Orthodox) has its doctrinal problems as well, but may I say I believe they haven't strayed as far from the true path as the Roman church has.


(I am trying my best to keep this from turning into a history lesson.)


During the first or second century, Christian missionaries made their way to the British Isles.  The Church has been present there in one form or another ever since.  The English church evolved on its own until the Roman church asserted itself and dominated the English until the Reformation of the 1600's.  The term "Anglican" comes from the word "English", thus the church in England is/was the Anglican church.  The English church, along with others, broke away from the Roman church during the Reformation of the 16th century during the reign of Henry VIII.  Some believe this is when the Anglican church began, when Henry wanted a divorce and the pope would not grant it.  So, Henry, being a good politician and not letting a good crisis go to waste, declared himself head of the English church and declared it independent from the Roman church.  Thus, in a sense, the Church of England  began at that point, at least as a part of the Protestant Reformation.  What makes the Anglican church unique is that not only was doctrine corrected from Roman error, but many of the good aspects of the church such as liturgical worship were retained.  Anglicanism has been considered as the "Via Media" or "middle way" between the Protestants and the Catholics.  After the American Revolution, Anglicans in the new upstart nation began referring to themselves as Episcopalians, after the type of church government, to distance themselves from England, since the British, of course, were the enemy.  Over the past 200+ years, as is more often than not the case, the Episcopal church has drifted away from sound doctrine and wandered down the path to apostasy.  In the late 20th and early 21st centuries there has been a movement of Anglican churches severing ties with the Episcopal church and remaining true to God's word and the "Anglican Way".  That is where I find myself today....preparing to join a small Anglican parish in my hometown which is part of the Reformed Episcopal Church, which is a part of the Anglican Church in North America.

Enough Bible Translations?

Sorry ESV....looks like you may owe royalties to the NKJV and the NASB.  Listen to one while reading the other and see what I mean.

Saturday Worship

What a blessed time at the building dedication of All Souls Anglican church today. There was great worship, a good crowd and good music.  I believe the St. Andrews choir added a special touch to the service with the accapella singing during the Eucharist.  Will this lead to further talks between the two parishes and a possible merger?  Only time will tell.

Very Convicting Article

From Ligonier's Tabletalk Magazine:

Seeking the Lost

Luke 15 "I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance" ( v. 7).
Generally speaking, a dog owner will search high and low for his pet if he finds that his animal is missing. He might walk through his neighborhood yelling out the name of his dog in hopes that it will come running. The local animal control center may receive several visits a day from this owner, hoping to find that the dog has been picked up and brought there. Normally, he will also plaster the telephone poles on the local streets with flyers promising a reward for the animal's return. He may even go door-to-door, asking his neighbors if they have seen his pet.
While dogs are a good gift from the Lord, it is indeed sad that too many followers of Christ are more concerned to find lost pets than they are to find lost people. We easily grow complacent about our participation in the mission Jesus has given to us (Matt. 28:18-20 ). The task of world evangelization is so large that we often ignore it. Without necessarily bearing a malicious intent, most of us probably overlook the desperate needs found even in our own communities. Church buildings are often treated as doctor's offices. Just as a physician waits at his practice for patients to come for treatment, so too do we act as if sinners will of their own accord visit the church in order to find salvation.
The task of seeking, however, belongs to the Christian community. As indicated in the three parables found in today's passage, God's passion is to seek out the lost. If they died tonight, the unrepentant sinners around us would go to hell, and our concern for these unbelievers is to be so great that we search them out, share the Gospel, and then rejoice when someone trusts Jesus (Luke 15:1-10 ). Lest there be any doubt about the Creator's desire to find and be reconciled to lost sinners, the parable of the prodigal son tells us that the Father Himself rejoices when errant men and women return to Him (vv. 11-32).
We who have been found by Christ must never forget our desperation, lostness, purposelessness, and hopelessness before the Savior found us (Eph. 2:11-12 ). May we go out of our way to find and befriend non-Christians so that we might be used of Jesus to lead them into His kingdom.

Coram deo: Living before the face of God

How much do you know about the spiritual needs of your city? Where is the closest neighborhood to yours that has been given over to drug lords and other criminals because the hope of Christ is so absent? Where are those affluent areas in which people attempt to find purpose in their possessions because they do not know the One who makes life meaningful? Work with your pastor and elders to find unbelievers and then go and do what you can to bring the Gospel to them.

You Can Go Home Again (at least with some things)

I have returned to singing in a church choir for the first time in over 15 years, and I must say, I was very blessed during my first rehearsal, especially singing ancient hymns acappella.  We will be participating in a building dedication service for another church this weekend and I am very excited about it.

A Tale of Two Parishes (continued)

I hate it when things aren't clear-cut.  Take the current situation concerning the two local Anglican churches.  The idea of the two merging apparently isn't as obvious and easy as it seemed at first.  St. Andrews has some good reasons for persevering and moving ahead on their own, that is if they can relocate, move to morning services and retain an ordained minister.  All Souls' location is not the best and there are some, as yet, unanswered questions pertaining to doctrine. 

Speaking from my perspective, at my age I would love to immediately be able to worship in a "church" building.  I have been involved in my share of "store-front" situations and, frankly, I am tired of them.  Musically, All Souls has the more urgent need for voices in their choir, but St. Andrews' choir is great and my first experience of singing with them (in a brief , impromptu rehearsal) was wonderful.  If a definite doctrinal difference can be revealed between the two, that would tip the scales in favor of St. Andrews.  At the same time, however, it must be said...they are both Anglican churches, each a part of larger Anglican groups that are officially in communion with each other.  The "biggie" for me in all of this is that I don't believe in coincidences.  The circumstances leading up to this point make the whole idea of merger seem quite providential to me.  And that is what it comes down to ultimately.....what is God's will in all of this?  Hopefully, time will tell.  I have the luxury, for the moment, to attend the services of both parishes and see how this all plays out.  However, as always, I am the impatient type and cannot seem to wait on the Lord.  Some repentance seems to be in order on my part. 

So the story continues.........

Thought for the Day

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.” – Marcus Aurelius

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