the Magdalene From the Desk of Fr. RECITING CREEDS

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1 Published Monthly June 2017 Volume 39, Issue 6 the Magdalene confession of faith for public use, or a form of words setting forth with authority certain articles of belief, which are regarded by the framers as necessary for salvation, or at least for the well-being of the Christian Church. From the Desk of Fr. Neil RECITING CREEDS The early Jewish culture was an oral culture. Most of Jesus followers were illiterate. Short memorable and repeatable sayings served to help Christians remember aspects of the faith. If you notice, we find many sayings in the Bible, which Jesus uttered, or others wrote, that are short and memorable. Pray without ceasing. For God so loved the world Do unto others Rejoice in the Lord always. Jesus Christ is Lord. There are some Christians or Christian denominations who do not recite any creeds. They do not use the Nicene, Apostles or Athanasian Creeds. Is it right to recite creeds? Some Christians think it isn t. Some will say that they have only one creed and that is the Bible. Others will say, I have no creed but Christ. (Ironically this statement is a creed in-and-of itself). The fact is, Christians have been reciting creeds since the birth of the Christian faith and they should not shy away from continuing to do so today. Even the ancient Israelites, long before Christ was born, had their creed, which they called the Shema. "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. It s short, but it qualifies as a creed. Did you know you are reading creeds and confessions many times when you open up your Bible? Recall Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20a, when giving his disciples The Great Commission, said Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (ESV) Not only did Jesus command that converts to Christianity were to be baptized, but those doing the baptizing were to use a specific formula to make the baptism conform to Christ s command. This formula has been preserved and we use it to this very day when baptizing. Philip Schaff, in volume 1 of his three volume set titled The Creeds of Christendom, writes, A St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church 205 So. Glassell Street Old Town Orange, CA Rev. Fr. Neil Edlin, Rector At the Last Supper, Jesus institutes a new command, which Churches all over the world repeat each Lord s Day at Communion. You should recognize this from the prayer the priest says at the consecration. Jesus took Bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in Sunday Services: 8am Mass 10am Choral Mass & Children s Sunday School Wednesday Service & Anointing of the Sick: 9am Creed, or Rule of Faith, or Symbol, is a 1

2 remembrance of me. Likewise, after supper, he took the Cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of this; for this is my Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins; Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me. This formula is from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, but notice it is a direct quote from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11: Here are a few more. These read more familiarly as creeds than the above examples. St. Paul says, Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Timothy 3:16, ESV) This is a very creed-like statement, listing certain things about Jesus. Paul, again, in 2 nd Timothy speaks of The saying. What saying is that? The one Christians must have recited. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful - for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:11-13, ESV) Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: 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, (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, ESV). Paul admits here that the saying is something he received. Someone handed this saying down to him. This implies that it was something that was recited by Christians as a sort of creed or confession. In 1 Corinthians 8:6 Paul writes, for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (ESV) Finally here is a creed-like confession from Peter. When asked by Jesus, Who do you say that I am? Peter replies, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16ESV) It seems clear by just these few examples that in the early Church, even before the Scriptures were complete, Christians were confessing Christ or the Christian faith in creed-like formulas or confessions. Later the Church assembled more formally out of necessity to preserve the pure faith from heretical ideas that had crept in. The Church met in Nicaea in 325AD and later in Constantinople in 381AD to clarify specifically certain aspects of Christ s nature. In doing so, they searched the Scriptures and found in them certain facts about Christ. They took these facts and laid them down in creedal form. This later came to be known as the Nicene Creed and Churches worldwide confess the Nicene Creed each Lord s Day. Creedal formulas have served greatly as ways to convey and remember Christian truth. Though we are much more literate today, the Christian faith still needs to be preserved. The Bible contains all things necessary for salvation. The creeds serve as memorable summaries of what we believe about that salvation. SMM CELEBRATES THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER On Whitsunday in 1549AD, the first English Prayer Book was also born and released. Out of gratitude for Archbishop Cranmer s work on this first edition and in celebration of this 2

3 historic event, on June 4 th Fr. Edlin will use the 1549 canon during the consecration rather than the customary 1928 version. Listen carefully; though the text is similar it does have some subtle differences. SHORT STUDY CATHOLIC? Recently after mass a few weeks ago, one of our very young and very astute parishioners asked me what we mean when we say in the Nicene Creed that we believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church. The emphasis of his question was on the word Catholic. What do we mean by this? he inquired. This is a very good observation. I'm glad, first of all, to see our young parishioners not only participating in the service and following along, but I'm even more pleased when a young (or old) person is actually reading the words and thinking about their meaning. I responded by saying that this word has a specific meaning in the context of the Creed. For many, including this young man, Catholic has one overarching definition, and that is The Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Church includes this word in their name. The Eastern Orthodox Church contains the word orthodox in their name. Neither the Roman nor the Eastern Churches, however, have the sole claim to these words. Both words fully and rightly apply also to the Anglican Church as well. Anglicanism in its classical form is not only Holy and Apostolic, but it is Catholic and Orthodox as well. All of those words in the Creed apply to the Anglican Church. word or term catholic means according to the whole. The Church is called catholic because it hold the whole faith once for all delivered to the saints, and maintains continuity with the apostolic Church throughout time and space. Dictionaries define the word as not only universal, but relating to all men, all inclusive, comprehensive in interests. We have to be careful about using even some of these terms though. The Church is all inclusive in the sense that it does not discriminate on the basis of male or female, age, origin of birth, skin color, etc. The Church is not inclusive, however, of ideas and practices that go against Scripture and the tradition of the Church.the catholic Church. Though the Westminster Confession of Faith is not an Anglican Confession, it does contain helpful language when addressing the word catholic. It says in part, The visible Church, which is also catholic or universal under the Gospel (not confined to one nation, as before under the law), consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion; and of their children: and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation. Anyone who is a true Christian belongs to the body of Christ and is therefore, a member of the universal, catholic Church. Anglican Catholics or Anglo-Catholics are the English expression of the catholic faith. --Fr. Neil The short simple answer is, the word catholic means universal. The word, when used in the Creed is an adjective as well as a noun. The 3

4 ORDO CALENDAR ACTIVITIES GUILDS, GROUPS & EVENTS SAINT BARNABUS THE APOSTLE "Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles". This is the first reference in the New Testament to Barnabas and introduces us to his actions which would cause him to be called as one of the Twelve Apostles. As a Jew of the Dispersion, he had much in common with Paul. When Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, the disciples were afraid to receive him. It was Barnabas who brought Paul to the apostles, and declared to them how, on the road to Damascus, Paul had seen the Lord, and had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. Later, Barnabas, having settled in Antioch, sent for Paul to join him there in leading the Christian Church. Later, Barnabas and Paul were sent by the disciples in Antioch to carry famine relief to the Church in Jerusalem. Upon their return, the Church in Antioch sent them on their first missionary journey, beginning at Cypress. Barnabus and Paul attended the Council of Jerusalem together. During their time together, they founded many churches in Asia Minor. Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, where Barnabas is traditionally honored as the founder of the Church. It seems that Barnabas continued his journeys for the Gospel, because Paul mentions him several times in his letters to the Galatians, the Corinthians, and the Colossians. Tradition has it that Barnabus was martyred at Salamis in Cyprus. Barnabas gave his all to the Church even his life. Read Acts 4:36-37 & 10:27 ANNUAL PARISH BARBEQUE St. Mary Magdalene is holding its Annual Barbeque on June 4 th beginning at 11:30am. Yes, we have finally moved the date of the event up about a month in an effort to beat the heat. Tell your family. There will be lots of food, games for the kids and music provided by the Little Bear Valley Blues Duo, the DeHarts. Everyone is welcome and it s FREE! Church Picnic attire is allowed this Sunday as well, so dress for food and fun. Parents bring your toddlers, a swim suit and towel for lots of water slide fun. The Church will be supplying the hamburgers and hot dogs but the rest is potluck so please look for information in the Narthex on what to bring. Sign up to make your favorite dish or a dessert and/or bring a friend. And thank you for telling us that you will be coming so we can better plan on how much food and drinks to buy. CONFIRMATION On Sunday June 25 th at the 10:00 service Miss Hannah O Malley and Mr. Michael Whitmarsh will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation by the Rt. Rev. Stephen Scarlett, Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Holy Trinity. Hannah and Mike have been in catechism class every week since January. They have been 4

5 studying hard to learn not only the basics that the Prayer Book calls for, i.e The Lord s Prayer, the 10 Commandments and the Apostles Creed, but they have also been studying Anglican Faith and Practice, how to read the Ordo Calendar Feasts and Fasts and general Biblical Studies. Hannah and Mike will both be well prepared for Confirmation and well equipped to receive the laying on of hands by the Bishop and to begin to take the next step in growing in the Christian Faith. Please remember that those who come late will need to use the alternate parking lot behind the little red pre-school house down the street due to the parking situation. Congratulations Hannah and Mike on confirming your faith!! BISHOP S POTLUCK The Bishop s Potluck will be held on Sunday, June 25th so we can celebrate with our confirmands. Please join us for the Confirmation festivities. For more information, check for announcements in the Narthex. 4 TH SUNDAY BRUNCH The regular 4 th Sunday Brunch Program will be suspended from June through the summer because of our Brown Bag Lecture series. We will resume in October with an in-house Pot Luck. BIBLE STUDY HOW THE BIBLE CAME TO BE have finished our study of the Gospel according to St. John. The new topic for the next six weeks will be, How the Bible Came to Be. Who wrote the Bible? Did the Church just decide randomly which books to include as some critics claim? Did the Church wrongly exclude certain books from the Bible in an effort to drive an agenda as others claim? Come and find out where and how we got this amazing book. Meet us in the Parish Hall on Wednesday June 14 th at 6:30PM. BROWN BAG LUNCH LECTURES Come listen to wonderful lectures on selected faith based topics starting July through September. These lectures will be held at the end of the month on Sunday after 10am service, and typically lasts for 60 minutes. The Guild will be supplying box lunches for purchase but you must pre-order. Watch for flyers in the Narthex on this summer s Brown Bag Lectures. Topics and speakers to be announced soon. KID S CORNER CHILDREN S PENTECOST PROCESSION Parents, please have your children arrive at the church on Whitsunday, June 4 th early enough before the 10:00 service so they can receive procession instructions from Jeannie and Brittney and so they can be given their tongues of fire to carry down the aisle. Don't worry mom and dad; the tongues of fire are paper and Popsicle sticks and some glue. No-Flash pictures are permitted in the Sanctuary. The Wednesday Bible Study continues this month beginning on June 14 th at 6:30PM. We 5

6 LATE SERVICE SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR YOUNG KIDS If you haven t noticed, yes, we have a wonderful Sunday School program running for early grade school children taught by Colleen O Malley. If you are interested in having your child attend, please contact her about the program. There will be a break from the regular program from July 23 through August 20 th. Watch for announcements on summer school activities in the Narthex. THE NEWS REPORT. A NEW LOOK Looking for an announcement, a date or a specific church event at St. Mary Magdalene? Check the Monthly Calendar attached. FANTASTIC NEW2U SALE The Guild s May New2U sale was another success! This time we included not only clothes but also crafts and jewelry. Despite a bit of drizzle, we had a decent amount of foot traffic and sold quite a bit of everything. Thank you once again to all of the ladies who came out to sort, set up and sell. Thank you also to the men who came out to help carry the heavy stuff up and downstairs. Together we made it a good day of fellowship and participation. God blessed us with patrons and overall it was a great day. THE SOUND OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Over the last few months, you will have noticed At the 10:00 service some additional sounds coming from the Choir. There are many talented musicians in our congregation. Not only do our Music Director Andrew Mauzey and Organist Michael LeVan play instruments, but lately we have also heard Mike DeFusco on guitar, Ida Von Mizener on Piano, Freya Von Mizener on violin, and Xinli Von Mizener played the Cello. We also had the pleasure of special guest Ryan Medina played the guitar. Our special thanks to Andrew for finding the perfect balance of instrumental sounds that supplement our communion anthems nicely. DIOCESAN SYNOD The date of the Diocesan Synod is rapidly approaching. On June 2 nd the clergy and delegates of the parishes that make up the Diocese of the Holy Trinity will all meet at St. Mathew s Church in Newport Beach. The Synod is the Annual Meeting of the Diocese. It s all about the business of the Diocese with each of the parishes presenting their financial and parochial reports for the year. Fr. Neil will give a recap about the Synod during announcements on the following Sunday. CHURCH EXTERIOR GETS PAINTED Get ready for a fresh new look. The outside of the Church buildings are going to be painted starting Monday, June 5th. The entire job might take up to a full week or more to complete but will not interfere with any services or other events going on at the Church. The color will remain the same, but a much-needed new coat of paint is in order. Thank you for your continued financial support. 6