The Magdalene. St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church. December 2013 Volume 35, Issue 12

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1 December 2013 Volume 35, Issue 12 The Magdalene St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church From the Desk of Fr. Neil From the Heart, the Mouth Speaks "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer." This is one of my favorite bible verses. It is found in Psalm 19:14. It is also one of the optional canticles for both Morning and Evening Prayer found in the Prayer Book. It s a very simple verse to remember and I believe it has great implications. Jesus might have had this verse in mind when He said, "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."(luke 6:43-45 ESV) Likewise, James, I believe, had maybe both the Psalmist and Jesus in mind when he wrote, "So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been 1 Rev. Fr. Neil Edlin, Rector tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.(james 3:5-10 ESV) Letting the words of our mouth and the meditation or the thoughts of our heart be acceptable in the sight of God does not come easy to us. We are sometimes very quick to criticize, but slow to accept criticism. We speak our minds, but speaking our minds means speaking from the heart. And if the Scriptures tell us that the heart is desperately wicked, then it is all the more reason to embrace this short but important passage of Scripture, and work to make it a part of our daily pursuit of holiness. Do you see how the two are so intricately tied together? The heart is the very core of who we are. We think with the heart. We love and hate with the heart. It is the seat of the emotions. It is who we are. We are defined by the heart. So when our heart speaks, we speak. We speak with our tongues, the things contained in our heart. Have you ever said something in the heat of the moment and immediately regretted it? You might be regretting it even while the words are still falling from your lips. You stop and you say, "I'm sorry. I didn t mean that." But the fact is, you did mean that. At that moment you were not meditating or taking your time. You were not making sure that what came out of your mouth was

2 ordered and edifying. Rather, you were speaking what was on your mind or heart at that moment. This is not to say that we cannot think good thoughts. We continue, as sinful human beings to be a mixture of the old and the new man. But sometimes the old man comes forth with a vengeance. We want to do and say what is godly and right, but many times that is not what comes out. The heart has small recesses where evil still lurks. We still harbor hatred for other people. We still at times harbor hatred even toward God. James points out our hypocrisy by telling us that with the same tongue we bless the Lord God and we curse our fellow man.man who is not only created in God's image but in whom the image and glory of God shine forth!! It is the height of hypocrisy when the same man uses the same tongue to bless God and curse men. So the problem is with the heart, not the tongue. God put us together with all of the necessary parts required to relate both to Him and to our fellow man. The tongue is part of the body and is a necessary part of the body. The heart (not the organ in our chest) is, like I said, the core of who we are. The heart is the seat of our affections and desires. It encompasses everything we are, do, desire, and think. So what is our hope? What is the solution? The solution lies not in our own control but in that of God. Our heart must be conquered, changed, regenerated, and sanctified by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Only by prayer and meditation and reading the Scriptures the Word of Christ - will our heart be changed. And in turn, God can and will use us for His glory. Paul tells us that if we have been raised with Christ, we are to seek the things that are above, where Christ is. We are to put to death what is earthly, namely, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. He goes on to say, But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(colossians 3:1-17 ESV) Paul s summary is clear. He makes much use of the idea of speaking, keeping ourselves from slander, anger, obscene talk, etc. These are the things that are being purged from us through the sanctifying power of God every day. We should, then, call to mind this passage of Scripture on a regular basis, so that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts will always be acceptable in the sight of God. Christmas Mass Schedule 2

3 (Please note new times) Tuesday, December 24 th Christmas Eve 6:00pm ADVENT OUTREACH St. Martha s Guild is coordinating our Advent Outreach program this year. They have again chosen a foreign ACC Mission outreach to Feed the Poor. There is a great need in our Anglican Parishes in Pakistan. Your donations will purchase food, or purchase goats or chickens which will supply milk and eggs to our needy brethren. Until December 22 nd, you are asked to take a tag off the Giving Tree in the narthex and place your donation inside the large fishbowl. Cash (remember to put your name on the tag) or checks are accepted. (Please make checks out to St. Mary Magdalene.) All of the donations will be put together, designated for food or animals and sent to the Anglican Catholic Church for distribution to the church in Pakistan. Please be generous. Our little church can make a BIG difference in the lives of others. TREE TRIMMING Do you enjoy entering the narthex on Christmas Eve and seeing the beautifully decorated tree? Do you feel the Christmas trees in the Parish Hall add to the festivities after the Christmas Caroling? PARISH NEWS 11:00pm Wednesday, December 25 th Christmas Day 11:00am You are invited to help us decorate the Christmas Trees in the Narthex and Parish Hall on Sunday, December 8 th after the 10:00am Mass. With many hands helping, what could be a chore is turned into a wonderful time of fellowship. See you there! CHRISTMAS CAROLING & BROWN BAG LUNCH You are invited to join St. Mary Magdalene s parishioners and friends as we stroll around Old Town Orange singing our favorite Christmas Carols. Be sure to bundle up and bring your adventuresome spirit. It doesn t matter if you think you can t sing, come and join the merry making. Sunday December 15 th 12:30pm We ll gather together for a brown bag lunch in the Parish Hall before we venture out for our afternoon of singing. Hot drinks and holiday goodies will be served in the Parish Hall following the caroling. Please sign-up in the narthex so that we have some idea about how many snacks to prepare. Don t miss out on the fun! See you there! CRAFTY KNITTERS & CROCHETERS 3

4 Our Crafty Knitters group will meet on Sunday, January19 th to discuss their outreach project for Everyone, from experienced knitters to newcomers, is welcome. Gather your knitting needles, crochet hooks and join us for an afternoon of great fun and lots of chatter. There will be no meeting in December. Please, join us Christmas Caroling. If you have any questions, please give Robin Morsk a call. ST. MARTHA S GUILD GIFT EXCHANGE All the women of the parish are invited to our annual Christmas Gift exchange on Wednesday evening, December 4 th at 7:00pm at Sharon Edlin s house. Details about the gift exchange can be obtained from a St. Martha s Guild member. Please give Sharon a call to let her know if you will be able to attend. POOL & PIZZA MEN S OUTING Lou Carlson is planning a men s night out on Wednesday, December 4 th, while the women are attending the St. Martha s Guild Gift Exchange. He has organized an evening of pool, pizza, and conversation. NO GIFTS PLEASE. Billiards / Pool will start at 6:00pm. The pizza will arrive at 7:00. Cigars (for those who want them) will be at 8:00. There will be a $5 charge to cover the cost of the pizza, but soda and ice will be free. Lou says, If you would like something else, bring your own beverage and a glass. Maps to the Club House Pavilion in Lou s neighborhood will be available in the narthex. Please let Lou know if you will be attending. He is also collecting the $5 (cash) for the pizza. VESTRY MEETING Next Vestry Meeting Wednesday, December 11 th Vestry meetings are held at 7:15pm on the second Wednesday night of the month PLEDGE ENVELOPES The pledge envelopes for 2014 will be arriving shortly. Please look for them in the narthex in mid-december. If you have been using the envelopes in 2013 or are new to pledging, there will be a box labeled with your name. If you have not used pledge envelopes in the past and would like to begin, pick up a box without a name. Please be aware that the individual envelopes are not labeled with your name or pledge number. If you are placing cash in the envelope, please mark it with your name or number. Without this information, your donation cannot be credited to you!! 2014 FLOWER & CANDLE BOOK Anne Peterson is beginning to prepare our Flower & Candle book for Each Sunday, parishioners have the opportunity to donate the Altar Flowers or the Sanctuary Candle in Memory of a loved one or in Thanksgiving for blessings. If you would like to give the Flowers or Candles on a particular Sunday, please fill out 4

5 the form in the narthex, place it in the box marked Flowers & Candles, and Anne Peterson will record your request in the 2014 Flower & Candle book. Your donation will be recognized in the Sunday bulletin. The suggested donation is $30 for flowers & $12 for the light, but feel free to give what you are able. Mark flowers / candles on your check and place it in the offering basket during Mass ORDO CALENDARS If you are interested in purchasing a 2014 Ordo Calendar please sign the clipboard in the Narthex and Father will order one for you. This colorful calendar of the church year is filled with helpful information about the Feasts and Ferias of the church. The calendars will be $10 each, which covers the cost. NEWEST ACOLYTE Roland O Donoghue has joined our Acolytes. He was recently confirmed by Archbishop Haverland and had been waiting to serve. Roland is receiving some on the job training from his father, Michael, and is doing a GREAT job. Roland has already demonstrated his dedication by showing up to serve the day after he had been in the hospital. Roland, everyone thanks you for your service and dedication. You are an inspiration to us all. ADVENT OUTREACH Another way to give during Advent is to consider donating to Father s Outreach Discretionary Fund. As winter approaches, there is much need in our local community. During this time of year, the church is asked more often for help with food and shelter by those less fortunate than we are. This Outreach Discretionary Fund allows Father to give help when he sees a need. Donations may be placed in the alms basins during Mass, and should be designated Outreach Discretionary Fund. Remember to put your name on any cash so the treasurer can record your donation. Thank you in advance for helping others in our community during the upcoming winter months. ALTAR GUILD Ladies of St. Mary Magdalene, After many years of faithful service, two of our Altar Guild members are retiring at the end of the year. Therefore, I am looking for volunteers to join the Altar Guild. Experience is helpful, but not necessary and you will be trained. The Altar Guild is an important and necessary ministry in the Church. Serving on the Altar Guild is a rewarding and spiritual way for women to serve our church. Some of the duties include taking care of the linens used in Mass, changing candles, polishing the brass, taking care of the Mary Chapel and getting the flowers each week. If you are interested in learning more or volunteering, please contact Marceil Burgess at (951) or cell phone: (562) Many Thanks, Marceil Burgess BIBLE STUDY Our Wednesday evening Bible Study is going 5

6 through the Book of Romans. The Bible Study meets in the Parish Hall on Wednesdays from 6:30pm 8:00pm. Evening Prayer follows at 8:00. (The Bible Study will not be held on vestry meeting night December 11 th AND December 4 th Guild Gift Exchange & Men s Outing. Next study: Dec. 18 th.) PLEDGE CARDS It s that time of the year when you are asked to prayerfully consider your financial giving to your church. You should have received a pledge card for 2014 in the mail. If you have not already done so, there is still time for you to complete the card and place it in the alms basin during Mass. If you did not receive a card, pick up one from the literature racks in the pews, fill it out and place it in the alms basin. ST. MARTHA S WOMEN S GUILD St. Martha s Women s Guild meets on the 2 nd Sunday of the month after the 10:00am Mass. All women of the parish are members and are encouraged to attend. If you want to get involved in the church or just know how church activities operate, come join us. NO Guild Meeting in December Join us on the 2 nd Sunday as we decorate the Christmas Trees COMMUNITY GROUPS The following community groups meet regularly at St. Mary Magdalene. Al-Anon Monday evenings at 7:30pm Saturday evenings at 7:00pm CHADD Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Third Monday evening at 7:30pm Orange County Fictionaires Critique Group for Professional Writers 1 st, 3 rd & 5 th Wednesdays at 7:30pm FOURTH SUNDAY BRUNCH Every Fourth Sunday, our church family has brunch together at 11:45am. This is a great way to get to know other church members. Everyone always has a wonderful time visiting with each other and of course partaking of the delicious food! November s Brunch was at the Broken Yolk in Orange. Watch the Sunday bulletins for information about upcoming brunches. If you have any questions about our brunches or suggestions for future outings, please give Elizabeth Sneddon a call. SUPPER CLUB Each month, a parishioner is invited to plan a night out on the town for their fellow churchgoers. This is a great way to get to know your church family in a casual atmosphere. The Supper Club host or hostess plans an excursion to a restaurant or an evening in their own home. You then set out a sign-up sheet in the narthex and make reservations if needed. Remember to bring your wallet because the evenings are Dutch Treat. Barbara Taylor is the coordinator of our Supper Club. If you have any questions or want help in planning an outing, please give her a call. There will not be a Supper Club in December. Watch for details about our January outing. 6

7 In November we went to the Tartan in Orange. Like always, everyone had a wonderful time of fellowship and delicious food. Come and bring your friends and family and enjoy a night out on the town! CATHOLIC A real mental stumbling block to many people seems to be the use of the word, Catholic in any description of Anglicanism. This undoubtedly is one of those emotional prejudices dating from the days when Catholic described solely the Roman Catholic Church and Romanism was sorely feared and disliked by non-roman Catholics. A more sober look in the light of the full sweep of developments since the Reformation will perhaps help to develop a broader and less emotional attitude, at least among Anglicans. It is unfortunate that the word Catholic ever came to be exclusively associated with the Roman Catholic Church. It is also the proud possession of the Eastern Orthodox Churches and of the Old Catholic Church, as it should equally be the proud possession of Anglicans. For what does Catholic mean? It means the Christian religion which is full and complete and clearly continuous with the primitive Church established by Jesus Christ and continued by the Apostles. Without any question, Anglican Churches fit into the bounds of that description. The Church of England, from which all Anglicans descend, was the Catholic Church of England as it derived from the Apostles through the early Celtic Church, the Church of St. Augustine, and the Church of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in England. It was THE continuous Christian Church in England. It was separated from the Roman Pope by Henry VIII and in succeeding reigns was simplified, purified and purged of the Roman excesses of that period. It never ceased to be demonstrably Catholic. It came in that character to America. Anglicanism retained at the Reformation and retains to this day all the marks of the Church Catholic. It looks to the Scriptures as the basis of all teaching; it remains in the Apostolic succession of bishops; it recognizes the two Gospel Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Communion and the five lesser sacraments of Confirmation, Penance, Holy Orders, Matrimony and Unction (however they are variously described and called), and it recognizes and uses the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. These are the fundamental elements which Anglican Churches share with all other parts of the Catholic Church. In the Apostles Creed, we Anglicans confess our belief in the holy Catholic Church, in the Nicene Creed, in slightly different terms, we confess our belief in one Catholic and Apostolic Church. Every time we say those words, we reaffirm our claim to be Catholic. Because to be Catholic means to be a full and complete Christian, then it follows that to be Catholic means to be loving, charitable, broadly inclusive, and tolerant within broad limits. To be Catholic means to seek the unity of all Christians and especially to draw within the broad limits of the true and original Christian faith all who may now stand outside those limits because of ignorance, prejudice, misunderstanding or rejection. Anglicanism claims its priceless heritage of Catholicism. It is, to be sure, a part of Catholicism which is Protestant Catholic insofar as it has protests against the supreme authority of the Pope. It is also Reformed Catholic insofar as it has always sought to remove from its faith and from its practice and from its worship those abuses and excrescences which crept into the church at various times from the Dark Ages to modern times. But whatever adjective is additionally applied, Anglicanism always retains the basic adjective of Catholic. Let all 7

8 Anglicans be proud to call themselves Catholic. Let all Anglicans seek to preserve in its fullness and purity the complete Christian faith which is their Catholic heritage. And let all Anglicans pray and work of that spread and unity of the faith which is an integral part of the meaning of the word, Catholic. + DATES TO REMEMBER DECEMBER S M T W T F S Mass & Healing Service 9:00am Wednesdays Bible Study Wednesdays 6:30pm 4 Women s Gift Exchange 7:00pm 4 Men s Outing 6:00pm 8 Tree Decorating after 10:00 Mass 11 Vestry Meeting 7:15pm 15 Christmas Caroling 12:30pm 24 Christmas Mass 6:00 & 11:00pm 25 Christmas Day Mass 11:00am JANUARY S M T W T F S Mass & Healing Service 9:00am Wednesdays Bible Study Wednesdays 6:30pm 5 Birds on a Wire Lunch Group 8 Vestry Meeting 7:15 12 St. Martha s Guild/Men s Group 14 Supper Club 7:00 19 Crafty Knitters / Men s Group 26 Annual Meeting COFFEE HOUR TREATS Dec 1 Mercado 8 Guild 15 Morsk Gates Jan 5 Watch for 12 the Treat Roster 26 Please plan on setting out treats at 8:30am and cleaning up after the 11:15 social time. Be sure to switch with someone else if you are unable to take your Sunday. Don t forget you re in charge of cleanup as well as treats! ALTAR FLOWERS / SANCTUARY LIGHT Altar Flowers Sanctuary Light Dec 1 Advent 8 Advent Burgess 15 Advent 22 Advent Rosenkrantz 29 If you are interested in giving one of these for a future Sunday, please sign up in the Flower and Candle binder in the narthex of the church. Our suggested donation is $30 for flowers & $12 for the light, but feel free to give what you are able. Mark flowers / candles on your check and place it in the offering basket during Mass. Visitors are always welcome. Join us! 8