Feasts of St. Michael and all angels

Icon of the Archangels

First off, My apologies for not writing, I wish I had an excuse, but I dont (aside from school).

Second, I want to start bringing attention to the saints and their works. As a Church, we are not alone. We are the latest heirs to the faith, founded by God Himself, through Christ and the Holy Spirit; the faith handed to the apostles, and sustained by the Saints and Martyrs. It would be wrong of us to forget this fact. Hence the church’s tradition of Feasts remembering our history.

Today I would like to focus on the Feast of of Ss. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel, and all angels. There isn’t much that I can say in remembrance of the Archangels lives, besides the fact that they exist.

The Rundown:

• St. Michael is traditionally the angelic defender of the faith, and the commander of the Lord’s armies. He notably appears in both Daniel and Revelation
• St. Gabriel is the messenger of God, delivering news of God’s work. He met with the Blessed Virgin and announced that she would be pregnant with the Son of God.
• St. Raphael is the healer of God, the performer of His miracles. The only mention of Him in scripture comes from the Book of Tobit where he leads Tobias to his wife. He may also have been the angel at the pool of Bethesda.
• St. Uriel is not as well known or written about as the other three. He is only mentioned in 2 Esdras, and only in passing. According to tradition, he was the one who guards the gates of Edan, and the one who went through the streets of Egypt, killing the first born

+Alex Resurgent

Feasts of St. Michael and all angels

Here We Go Again/ Same Routine Again/ Marching Down the Avenue/ One More Year and Ill be through

Tomorrow I pack up and leave for my Senior Year, which starts in about a week and a half. I have my own apartment this year, about half a mile off campus. For the first week or so Ill be cracking away at the school news paper, getting some ads sold (I’m the Ad Manager), and looking for a job (your prayers on that front would be most appreciated). This post is, if anything else, just something I can look back on in December to see if I got what I expected.

This semester I’ve an exciting load

• Music for Non Majors
• Reformed Theology – Calvin and Barth
• Bible, History, and Archeology
• My Senior Thesis Class

Im hoping to get a lot out of it. If I learn anything nifty, Ill post it.

Likewise, I have an extracurricularific life outside of class. Things Im looking forward to:

• Reconnecting with Friends
• Getting further involved in my Church
• Getting frustrated with my church
• Working on the paper
• Nykerk

Likewise I have a few goals

• Start a Daily Liturgical Prayer Group on Campus
• Grow Closer to friends
• Explore a few seminaries (Wycliffe and Regent in particular)
• Apply to a few seminaries
• Develop and cultivate a world view (this blog will assist with that)
• Have a good time

Thats about it

Fair Winds

+Alex Resurgent

Bishop of the Resurgent See

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

My Struggle| Legitimacy

Lately I have noticed a very serious presence of arrogance. It started around my confirmation, and is getting stronger every day.

Most noticeably, it turns up when I’m (usually reluctantly) talking theology with people. I go to a Dutch Reformed school, dominated by Catholics, and am in a Wesleyan family. Usually in these discussions I am the one defending things like apostolic succession, episcopal governance, the sacred nature of the sacraments, or why I don’t recognize the Pope as the end-all-be-all of church authority (but still think of him as a swell guy). I try to be diplomatic, but in the back of my head and heart I am secretly thinking “give up your Presbyteries, come back to the true church”

More Dangerously though, my arrogance turns up when I’ve been meeting with people to discuss and discern possible paths for ordination. I’ll ask  my questions and listen to what they have to say, and then something along the lines of “There is no way I am going to be a pastor in the Reformed Eastern Anglo-Catholic Church – Lutheran Rite, they are not truly of God” Usually my reason for thinking this is rather stupid to.

That is very dangerous. In the first example, its a simple disagreement, we all have them; Coke vs. Pepsi, Obama vs. McCain, AFC vs. NFC. Life moves on. But in the latter, Im not just waging a debate, I am dismissing an entire demographic as not being of God, dismissing their faith as a sham, dismissing them as people.

This is my struggle. If I do enter the ministry, I should go into it thinking that my tradition is the most holy way to be in communion with God, meaning that I have to denounce other traditions as insufficient faiths. How can I take this position, and still see the fact that God is at work within these other traditions, that their faith is as legitimate as mine?

+Alex Resurgent

Trudging Through the Faith

I don’t remember many of the chapels from the Christian High School I went to, but I do remember one speaker who said something about Christianity being a faith of action. That if belief was all that mattered, we would all die at our baptisms and go directly to heaven; do not pass go, do not collect 200 Dollars; but we are all still alive after our baptisms (unless we’ve been doing something very wrong), which means we still have things to do.

Thus we are called to an “active” faith, one where we interact with God in everything we do (preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words), one with hearts of prayer, service, and love. But what does this “Active faith” look like?.Many more churches are trying to create this through small groups, community out reach, discipleship training, and what not. This is wonderful.

But at the same time I am mildly afraid. This active thing is great, but I am also afraid that it will soon become routine, and people will get bored. At my church there are small groups that are falling apart because they’ve been together for half a decade, and they have become bored. Service groups are likewise having a hard time because after several years, the weekly trip to the Salvation Army is not what it used to be. To keep people happy we need new songs, new classes, new outreach, and new programs. The Church now runs on novelty.

This is one of the complaints that is leveled against the “traditional” churches, that the worship is always the same, which makes it dull and boring. I will admit that sometimes I get sick of Rite II Book of Common Prayer services. The prose is beautiful, but how many times must I hear “Of thy own have you given us o Lord…” Sometimes I wish we could break out the incense and noise makers, and do the Qurbana or liturgy of St. John the Divine.

But at the same time I am glad for the monotony. Once upon a time I tried praying the daily office twice a day, it lasted about a month, I got bored. During that month I was bludgeoned with the prayer of confession. And I started to notice that I started treating people better, because I kept hearing “Forgive me Father for I have sinned, both in what I have done, and what I have left undone”. It was a tad unnerving.

Perhaps this is why we don’t like monotony, we’re afraid it may begin to change us and challenge us (another reason why I stopped the Daily Office). If we live out our active faiths by constantly changing, we’re to busy forming ourselves -and indeed God)-instead of giving Him time to form us.

+Alex Resurgent
Feast of St. Martha

Amazing Liturgy of the Day

The Holy Qurbana of the Syriac Orthodox Church

I wish i could find some more of this in English. I just love the way the words flow together.

A Personal Relationship?

As long as I can remember, I have always heard something along the lines of “You need to have a personal relationship with Jesus, thats all that matters.” And to an extent I have agreed, although at times Ive quipped that one should also have a relationship with the Father and the Spirit as well, but for the most part I’ve agreed.

Earlier I was looking up at the stars, contemplating the sheer gravity of Everything (a favorite past time of mine), and it hit me. What does that term ‘personal relationship’ mean, what on earth does it even look like.

I severely doubt it looks like the illustration above. I cant say Ive ever winked at God in my prayer times, and I sincerely hope that He has not blinked at me. I tremble at the thought of what that would mean. Come to think of it I have never felt Chummy with the Eternal One. And I dont think anybody has (except maybe the sculptor of the above).

But I must inquire further into this.

In the times when I can remember feeling fitfully close to God, it has always felt as if I was in the room with a Monarch (which of Course God is), but when I examine it, it doesn’t feel “personal”. HM Queen Elizabeth is my Queen. In such capacity we have a “relationship,” although I feel like political scientists would have a hayday trying to define what it is. It is anything but personal. I can pledge to God my life and my service in return for his wisdom and protection, but that does not cover going to a bar to chat about problems.

The only other time I can think of being close to God is at the alter receiving the Eucharist. There can be nothing more personal or intimate than consuming/being consumed. It is an overpowering feeling, but again, it is not “personal” in the sense that everyone in that congregation, diocese, province, and communion is doing the same thing. It is intimate but not personal.

Part of me believes that it is impossible to have a personal relationship with God on the same level as having a personal relationship with my best friend. Im okay with that. I am totally content with knowing that I have stood in the courts before the King of Kings. I could ask for nothing else. But part of me wonders if I am missing something. If I’m not, how many have turned away because they felt the same way?

+Alex Resurgent

Anglican Communion makes an Encore on Colbert

Tad bit late, I know.

Pretty good and informative, tho I wish that he had given more time to the interviewee, but thats the Report for ya

+Alex Resurgent

Reflection in John 8:53-58

Gospel of John 8:53-58 (NKJV – Highlighting my own)

Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?”

Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.“

Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.“

I came across this verse today, and the highlighted stuck out to me. I love the Gospel of John because of its “dark” nature. When I say dark, I don’t mean that Christ is evil in the gospel. He is more akin to Van Helsing, minus the killing, He is good, but not in the way that would expect a good guy to be. He always seems to be kinda off in left field saying profound things that, rightly so, make us feel very uncomfortable, mildly creeped out, and leaves us wishing that He would go to another block.

This is one of those passages that sent shivers down my spine.

The first shiver came at the response that Christ gave to the Challenge against His identity. Christ comes back with the claim the He knows the Father more than the teachers of the law, no biggie, we’re used to this. Then He turns to address the challenge of His greatness compared to Abraham, “who is dead…”

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Christ refers to the eschaton, to the end times, IN THE PAST TENSE. It is very unnerving to me to think that Christ, during His existence on earth, was already privy to, and knowledgeable about the nature of eternity. He had been there, done that, if there is a t-shirt, Im presuming He has that as well. Jokes aside, I invite you to meditate on the fact that as Christ was teaching little kids, He was already witness to the full completion of time.

The second shiver comes when Christ reveals His “age” to them with “before Abraham was, I AM.” Yes there is some crazy tense action in this passage too, but it is not what got to me. By using the proper name of God, in conjunction with His preexistence of Abraham almost gives the impression that it was Christ Himself talking to Abraham, instead of God the Father. Although this is not a view that is held as truth, knowing the Christ was at least party to the revelations in the Old Testament, via His place in the Trinity, defiantly provides a different angle to reading the Old Testament.

These verses served to me as reminders that Christ is, was, and ever will be.  To often I limit Christ to my time line of being prophesied about-living-dieing-and sometimes returning, instead of realizing that Christ was with the Children of Israel, through His relationship with the Father, and was at the day of Pentecost through His relationship with the Spirit.

The wholeness of time and space is reflected in each and every word that the Trinity has spoken.

+Alex Resurgent

Feast of St. James

Lovely Resolution from the Episcopal Church of Sudan

Im trying to avoid a lot of the news from Lambeth until it is over, but I did stumble across this amazing resolution from the bishops of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. The bolded parts are what really got to me

July 2008

In view of the present tensions and divisions within the Anglican Communion, and out of deep concern for the unity of the Church, we consider it important to express clearly the position of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan (ECS) concerning human sexuality.

We believe that God created humankind in his own image; male and female he created them for the continuation of humankind on earth. Women and men were created as God’s agents and stewards on earth We believe that human sexuality is God’s gift to human beings which is rightly ordered only when expressed within the life-long commitment of marriage between one man and one woman. We require all those in the ministry of the Church to live according to this standard and cannot accept church leaders whose practice is contrary to this.

We reject homosexual practice as contrary to biblical teaching and can accept no place for it within ECS. We strongly oppose developments within the Anglican Church in the USA and Canada in consecrating a practicing homosexual as bishop and in approving a rite for the blessing of same-sex relationships. This has not only caused deep divisions within the Anglican Communion but it has seriously harmed the Church’s witness in Africa and elsewhere, opening the church to ridicule and damaging its credibility in a multi-religious environment.

The unity of the Anglican Communion is of profound significance to us as an expression of our unity within the Body of Christ. It is not something we can treat lightly or allow to be fractured easily. Our unity expresses the essential truth of the Gospel that in Christ we are united across different tribes, cultures and nationalities. We have come to attend the Lambeth Conference, despite the decision of others to stay away, to appeal to the whole Anglican Communion to uphold our unity and to take the necessary steps to safeguard the precious unity of the Church.

Out of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we appeal to the Anglican Church in the USA and Canada, to demonstrate real commitment to the requests arising from the Windsor process. In particular:
- To refrain from ordaining practicing homosexuals as bishops or priests
- To refrain from approving rites of blessing for same-sex relationships
- To cease court actions with immediate effect;
- To comply with Resolution 1:10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference
- To respect the authority of the Bible

We believe that such steps are essential for bridging the divisions which have opened up within the Communion.

We affirm our commitment to uphold the four instruments of communion of the Anglican Communion: the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council; and call upon all Provinces of the Communion to respect these for the sake of the unity and well-being of the Church.

We appeal to this Lambeth Conference to rescue the Anglican Communion from being divided. We pray that God will heal us from the spirit of division. We pray for God’s strength and wisdom so that we might be built up in unity as the Body of Christ.

The Most Revd Dr Daniel Deng Bul
Archbishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and Bishop of Juba

What is so refreshing about this is that it

• Addresses the primary issue of the Church (witness of Christ)
• Realizes that the present controversy, no matter whos side your on, makes us look incredibly bad to just about everyone
• Affirms the nature and uniqueness of communion, as a tribute to the power of Christ, and expresses a desire to preserve it, so that we may better share the gospel.
• Appeals to the American and Canadian Churches to change their behavior, instead of condemning them with words such as “schismatic” or “heterodox”

Good Work. I hope we see more statements like this coming out of churches.

UPDATE

Another Comment by The Archbishop of Sudan HERE

I want to highlight this segment from his statment.

“This issue of homosexuality in the Anglican Communion has a very serious effect in my country. We are called ‘infidels’ by the Moslems. That means that they will do whatever they can against us to keep us from damaging the people of our country. They challenge our people to convert to Islam and leave the infidel Anglican Church. When our people refuse, sometimes they are killed. These people are very evil and mutilate and harm our people. I am begging the Communion on this issue so no more of my people will be killed.

“My people have been suffering for 21 years of war. Their only hope is in the Church. It is the center of life of my people. No matter what problem we have, no material goods, no health supplies or medicine; no jobs or income; no availability of food. The inflation rate makes our money almost worthless and we have done this for 21 years. The Church is the center of our life together.

“The culture does not change the Bible; the Bible changes the culture. Cultures that do not approve of the Bible are left out of the Church’s life; people who do not believe in the Bible are left out of our churches…

Wow. This man should be made a saint.

+Alex Resurgent

Prayer for Lambeth…

Good Evening,

For the next few weeks the bishops of the Anglican Communion are meeting in Lambeth to discuss issues, to pray, worship, and grow together as the visible head of the church. I pray for her sake, that the Holy Spirit would be active in this conference, opening the ears, eyes, and hearts of those involved; that through the conference wounds would be healed, and new bonds formed.

And also for the Church outside her bishops, her members, that we may derive some hope from the conference. There are many out on this blogosphere that are less then hopeful for this conference. I pray that we too would see this time as healing, and look for the brighter things that come out of the depths of chaos. Although some skepticism maybe warranted; God is big and can work in His Church.

This is my prayer for the next two weeks, and I ask you to pray the same.

+Alex Resurgent