the Magdalene From the Desk of Fr. Neil Why Did I Say That?

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1 Published Monthly September 2016 Volume 38, Issue 9 the Magdalene From the Desk of Fr. Neil That is the fascinating part about the sin I began with, namely exaggeration or lying to impress others. How deeply rooted it is? How difficult it is to control and predict. How difficult it is to understand why it happens. This happens so quickly and without any forethought that we are shocked. We are able to say or do things in a split second that we should not and we almost can t believe we are capable of such things. Why Did I Say That? During a conversation with someone, have you ever said something that was an exaggeration or even completely untrue and then immediately in your mind you have said to yourself, Why did I say that? That is not even true! And then later you dwell on it more and wonder why you do that from time to time. Why do we exaggerate? Why do we lie? Even as we are saying it, we know it s not true. It would be understandable if we rehearsed a conversation we are about to have and planned to make a few exaggerations to make ourselves sound more than we are. But in this case, we just blurt out untrue words or phrases with ease. This tells us that sin is more than some surface problem that we can deal with on our own. We can work hard and refrain from certain vices, but the problem of sin deep within all of us. It can surface when we least expect it. The answer is in one sense complicated and in another, very simple. The simple answer is: we are Christians and we know we aren't supposed to speak falsely. God has not perfected us. Consequently, we are still prone to sin. We want to be liked, which is not necessarily sinful, but can be. We want to impress others but, we have these moments where we sin so quickly and without any thought or premeditation. The more complicated answer takes more time to unpack but in the end the answer is the same. It is better to understand the more complicated answer, as it affects how we act. Perhaps it will help us tolerate or understand when others do it. Perhaps it will help us to do less of it as we grow in grace. St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church 205 So. Glassell Street Old Town Orange, CA We all have these tendencies. I think to get a better understanding of just who we are and why we do what we do, we need to look to none other than the Apostle Paul. He too, was just as human as we are. Yet despite him being radically transformed into a great evangelist and proponent of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he struggled with the reality and effects of sin as well. Rev. Fr. Neil Edlin, Rector Sunday Services: 8am Mass 10am Choral Mass & Children s Sunday School Wednesday Service & Anointing of the Sick: 9am He writes in his letter to the Romans about his struggle with doing what he knows he should not do, and at times, and not doing what he 1

2 ought to do. Isn't that something we can all agree on? There are those times when we desire to do right and yet we go and do something wrong and sinful. At the beginning of chapter 8 Paul says, the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. This is understood to mean that since we are in Christ through faith, we have been set free from the demands of the law and have entered into a new relationship with God through grace. But in the previous chapter, Paul talks about himself being still of the flesh, sold under sin. He also says I see in my members another law making me captive to the law of sin. These and a few other passages make Paul sound like a defeatist in his view of himself. How can he say this and then in the next chapter sound so different and liberated? This is the Christian experience. This is the Christian man. And this is why we do what we do even though we are Christians. By the way, this article is not written to excuse any sinful behavior. We still should not exaggerate or lie, especially if it is simply to impress others. But understanding why we continue to do so might help us direct and focus our prayers to God so that He can work this sin out of us. In another passage Paul writes, For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17 ESV) This gets us right to the heart of the matter. Christians have the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is said to indwell in us as believers. Yet there is another power at work in us. Paul calls it simply, the flesh. The flesh sets it s desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. They are in opposition to one another so that we don't do the things that we want to do and we do things we don't want to do. The flesh wants to but the spirit does not. This is a war. Deep down there is a power that is at work making us still, in some sense, a slave to the sin that is still in us. The flesh likes to pop up from time to time and have it s way. Sin gets the upper hand and we act without thought. It can be in thought, deed, or in word. Someone said it is like a slave master temporarily getting control of a person who is not really his. 1 And since it can strike at any time, we need to be constantly reminded of who we really are. Paul s comment in Romans 6 will be helpful. Don't let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts. As Christians, we are not really slaves anymore to sin. It will have no more dominion over us though we might think this is not true, seeing that we sin so easily at times. So we must do all that we can to act like it does not have dominion over us. What is the solution? I don't have an answer that will immediately solve the problem of sin cropping up from time to time permanently in this life. This will be a fact of life until we die. We do, however, have the encouragement of the Scriptures with such passages as, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV) A Christian is both a new man and an old man. He is both indwelt by the Spirit and harassed by the flesh. He is freed from the dominion of sin and indwelt by remaining corruption. This will be his lot until he dies or until Christ comes. That is the Biblical realism of Romans 7. (1) 1 John Piper 2

3 Legacy and Lesson of the Non-Jurors England s long and tumultuous history obviously helped form the political philosophy of the United States, but we as American Anglicans have been especially affected by certain key religious and political moments and movements through the development of the United Kingdom. One period that is especially important to traditional Anglicans is the Nonjuring Schism. After King James II, a Roman Catholic, fled to France, the Parliament made William and Mary co-regents in English churchmen were left with a very difficult decision: should they swear allegiance to the Protestant monarchs chosen by the people or did their allegiance still remain with King James, even though he was Catholic and had vacated the throne? As it had been so often in English history, the issue of earthly and ecclesiastical authority was being raised once again. As Bishop Moorman observes, To the Romanists, authority meant the Pope; to the Protestants, it meant the people [i.e., Parliament]; to the Anglicans it meant the king. Despite this, almost all clergy decided to swear allegiance to William and Mary if only to maintain peace between Church and State. There was one small group, however, who refused to swear the oath of allegiance to the newly crowned monarchs. Four hundred clergy and nine bishops including the Archbishop of Canterbury, decided to remain loyal to the Roman Catholic Stuart king, even though he had imprisoned several of them, and even though, as a result they would lose their offices. They are called Non-jurors, meaning those who did not swear (Latin: juro) the oath. American Anglicans owe the Non-jurors for some of our liturgy and traditional practices. No longer part of the Church of England, the Nonjurors were free to revise their worship by removing undesirable innovations and returning to a classical form. They based their communion services on the original 1549 Book of Common Prayer with influence from the Scottish liturgy and research into ancient Greek rites. After the American Revolution it was decided that American churches should use their own prayer book, and it was these traditional versions used by Non-jurors, especially the Scottish Communion Service, that helped form the traditional liturgy we celebrate today. Traditional (or Continuing) Anglicans have something else in common with the 18th century Non-jurors. We too have separated from a national church. Our reasons have been more liturgical and theological than political, but history has shown these are all ultimately connected. History has also shown us, however, what can happen to such a group. The Nonjurors went through further and further schism between themselves, even going so far as excommunicating one another. They could not remain in communion with one another, divided over relatively smaller issues such as the title of prayers, and their attempts at connecting with other branches of Christ s Church failed. In the end, the Non-juror church faded away and the last bishop died in We should be thankful for those who took seriously and with fervent prayer the historical events of their time and made a stand. When we celebrate Holy Communion or say the Daily Office we should appreciate the ancient origins and efforts of Anglicans throughout history that have provided us with a rich and beautiful liturgy with which to glorify God. Finally, we should pray fervently for unity among not only the Continuing Anglican churches but also all those who are part of what we thankfully refer to as the blessed company of all faithful people. Sean Cochran, Postulant St. Mary Magdalene Church 3

4 ORDO CALENDAR ACTIVITIES CELEBRATE THE LIFE ST. MATTHEW SEPTEMBER 21ST St. Matthew's birth and death dates are unknown, but he is believed to have been born in the territory of Galilee (the northern most region of ancient Palestine, corresponding to modern northern Israel). His father is presumed to be Cleophas. Prior to preaching the word of God, he worked as a tax collector in Capernaum. St. Matthew was a Jew and alleged Levite. As such, his education would have included an extensive study of the Scriptures. Some Bible scholars calculate that St. Matthew quotes or alludes to the Old Testament about 65 times. St. Irenaeus ( AD) testifies that it was while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome that Matthew wrote down his account of Jesus' life and ministry {Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.1.1}, and that he was the inspired writer of the Gospel of Matthew according to the testimony of the successors of the Apostles. It is estimated that Matthew's Gospel, the first to be written, occurred between 40 AD and 67 AD. Matthew began his ministry with his own people, spending about a decade in Judea before, according to tradition, later evangelizing in other nations including Asiatic Ethiopia (south of the Caspian Sea), Macedonia, Syria, Persia, Parthia, Medea and Egypt. St. Matthew is the only Apostle mentioned in the Jewish Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud records his trial and execution {Sanhedrin 43a}. He was martyred in either Egypt or Medea. Read Matthew 9:9 and 10:2-4. GUILDS, GROUPS & EVENTS BUY CLOTHES AT NEW2YOU Come support our September 24 th New2You sale from 8am to 2pm. This special event will cameo only clothes, shoes and purses. Please come and buy brand name items at discount prices less than local consignment shops, and second hand stores. Items are $3.00 or less. Watch for announcements in the Narthex. Want to volunteer? Ask Elizabeth Sneddon for details. RALPHS COMMUNITY REWARDS CARD If you shop at Ralphs Grocery Store, please consider joining our Ralph s Community Rewards Program. Bring your Ralphs Club card on September 4 th and we can sign you up to join. Your participation costs nothing but gives us 1 to 2 percent of our shopper s sales each month. If you already are linked to this program, you will have to re-register. Watch for announcements in the Narthex on how to do this on-line or just show up with your card on Sunday the 4 th and we will do it for you. THE MEN CONTINUE ANGLICAN LIFE DISCUSSIONS On Sunday, September 18th, after 10:00am mass, the men will continue with group discussion on our Anglican Life study using the Louis Tarsitano's book, An Outline of An Anglican Life. This is a wonderful way for those men who want to understand what it means to be an Anglican and what life is like in an 4

5 Anglican parish. We will be gathering in the Narthex. Contact Lou Carlson. WOMEN DISCUSS LIFE ISSUES Please join us in the Parish Hall on Sunday, September 4th, from 9:10 to 9:50am as Karen Carlson continues to lead us in bible based discussion concerning life issues that are resolved through biblical truths and the empowerment to truly love. We will spend just one more devotional on this topic, and invite all married and single women to come and discuss what biblical submission to a husband or spiritual elder really means and how it works in real life. We will begin to learn how a woman actually is intended to be a minister to her husband. KATELLA GRILL IS THE PLACE TO MEET Feel like some delicious pancakes or a sumptuous omelet? SMM s no-host 4 th Sunday brunch is being held at the Katella Grill in Orange on September 25 th at noon. Please come and join us in fellowship. RSVP YES on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. INTERESTED IN THE ANGLICAN MISSIONARY FIELD? Anglican s have a great resource at their fingertips to learn about the World-Wide Anglican Mission Field. The Trinitarian is the Official Gazette of the Anglican Catholic Church. First published in April of 1979 as an organ of the Diocese of the Holy Trinity, it became a church wide publication in 1982, and is distributed today throughout North America and across the world. Articles on current Outreach efforts are highlighted as well as the Archbishop s thoughts on current events. For an annual subscription of $25, you stay connected to our brothers and sisters throughout the globe. Consider becoming a subscriber. On-line subscriptions are also available. Contact Circulation Manager Paul Holmes at Trinitarian201@gmail.com. PRAY FOR OUR DEACON Fr. Neil is calling for every member of SMM to light a candle and pray through the month of September for Christ s blessings on Sean Cochrane as he prepares to take his oral exams. VOLUNTEER IN GRATITUDE Donate 3 hours of your time to our Labor Day Parking Lot Fundraiser held on the first weekend in September. This fundraiser gives us the option to upgrade the church building or provide support to the poor without touching our tithing funds. We need your help. Each shift has 3 people with one man to direct parking and the others to take money or hold signs. It s really lots of fun. The lot fills up quickly so most of the time we listen to music, talk and eat. THE NEWS REPORT. THANK YOU OC CHROME & POWDER COAT COMPANY A big Thank You to OC Chrome & Powder Coat for polishing some of the brass furnishings in our Church. This company has refurnished our Tabernacle, Flower Vases, Candle Sticks and Baptismal Font. We have used them for about 6 years and they have always provided us with outstanding service. Pray for the owner of this Company that our Lord blesses his business for the kindness he has shown to us. 5

6 If you have any need for metal polishing, chroming, sand blasting or powder coating, please call OC Chrome & Powder Coat. Check the advertisement page at the back for more information. OVERVIEW OF THE CULTS Our special thanks to everyone who participated in this most informative lecture series, and purchased a sack lunch. All proceeds go directly to our Missions Outreach Program. Pictures are posted on the Narthex wall about these missions. One is in Caracas, Venezuela and the other is Mary s Kitchen. GIANNA IS A HIT! The Craft Guild hosted a Learn to Make Ribbon Roses lead by Gianna DeFusco on August 21st. Everyone came out to enjoy this fun day. Gianna showed us how to use ribbon roses to make all sorts of enhancements such as lapel pins and hat décor. We all had a very enjoyable time. Thank you, Gianna. The Craft Guild meets every third Sunday of the month after the 10am service. This group knits, crochets, quilts and hand crafts all kinds of things from cactus gardens to coil baskets. The September 18 th meeting will be a regular crafters session so bring your project and join in the fun. 450 LUNCHES FOR PAC-A-SACK The PAC-A-SACK Project 2016 for Mary's Kitchen & Homeless Shelter ended with many grateful smiles as we unloaded the final 250 sack lunches on Saturday. These lunches are actually breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next day since the Kitchen is closed on Sundays. In total, SMM made 450 sandwiches to feed Orange s displaced workers. Many are veterans. If you are interested in volunteering at Mary s Kitchen, please contact Violet, SMM Outreach Coordinator. GREAT GARDEN GOODIES A big hug to all of our gardening friends who contributed wonderful fruits and vegetables during the summer. The Kimberly s cucumbers and squash were fabulous in the Organic Green Salad made for the Patronal BBQ. Everyone s oranges, lemons and persimmons were lovely. Maybe we will see more of Mike s fabulous heirloom tomatoes next year. CALENDAR AT A GLANCE Labor Day Parking Lot Event SEPTEMBER 9/2 9/4 Fri 5pm 9pm, Sat 10am 9pm, Sun Noon 9pm Men s Devotional 9/4 9:00am - 9:30am Women s Devotional Ralph s Rewards Sign-Up Day 9/4 9:15am 9:50am 9/4 After Each Service Patriot Day Mass 9/11 10:00am Service Men s Group Meeting 9/11 11:30am Women s Guild 9/11 11:30am Vestry Meeting 9/14 DARK Craft Guild- Knitting 9/18 11:30am New2You Sale Clothes Only 9/24 Sat 8am 2pm Sunday Brunch 9/25 Noon, Katella Grill OCTOBER Pledge Sunday 10/2 8:00am & 10:00am Men s Devotional 10/2 9:00am 9:30am Women s Devotional 10/2 9:15am - 9:50am OSC Wellness Fair 10/7 8:30am -1:00pm Men s Group Meeting 10/9 11:30am Women s Guild 10/9 11:30am Vestry 10/12 7:15pm Craft Guild-Knitting 10/16 11:30am In-House Brunch 10/23 Noon 6