Lenten Series on ACTS 2:42 - 4 Part Series

Lent 2March 4, 2012
Fr. Philip Eberhart

Taking Aim,  Part 1 of 4:
The Apostles' Teaching

“They devoted themselves… to the Apostles’ Teaching”

Lent is a time for us to recalibrate.  For us to make sure of our foundational points – The points by which we measure our life and living – by which we can find our if we are “on target.” 

There is a show on the History Channel that I enjoy watching once in awhile.  It’s called Top Shot.  Men and women compete in teams with all kinds of weapons, on all kinds of targets, in an elimination competition until there is one left on each team and finally only one who is named Top Shot at the end of the show.  There is always lots of human drama in the competitive natures as they compete and are eliminated, but it always comes down to who is the best a “taking aim.”  Whatever the weapon du jour, the one who is most adept at taking aim, is the one who will eventually win the title Top Shot.

Lent is a time for us to take aim.  And our marks are like the four hash marks inside the lens of a scope on a rifle – a circle with 4 marks at top and bottom and side by side.  Before doing anything with a weapon, you must “sight-it-in.”  You must make sure that the sighting for the weapon is true – that it can hit what it’s aimed at.

I have 4 weeks left in Lent so I’ve decided to talk about the “hash marks” on our scope as Christians here at REZ.  I want to help you “sight-in” your life so that you can become a “top shot” in life as a follower of Jesus.   It is true that if you aim at nothing, you will fall for anything, because friends, if you aim at nothing, you will surely hit it!!

THE MARKS

So what are the marks of our scope?  There are four points of reference that we take as the “cross-hairs” of a sight or scope.  For us as Christians, these four marks are found in the first sentence after the account of the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.  In Acts 1 and 2 we have the account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church – the sermon of Peter on that day and the response of those who heard, as they were “cut to the heart.”  Peter’s response is our marching order for Lent:  Acts 2:38

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

They baptized three thousand that day in Jerusalem and the very next verse give us the pattern – the target scope – for the life that they lived together as a community of faith:

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

These are not new words here among us.  We’ve heard them as the marks of our life together here at REZ for almost 2 years now.  But still I think, we need to be refreshed and challenged in our “taking aim” by using these four marks of our common life in Jesus.

The Apostles’ Teaching

When we say “The Apostles’ Teaching” our default position is to inherently substitute in our minds, “The Word of God.”  And broadly speaking, we are indeed talking about what is our modern translation of the Bible, but this morning I want to more narrowly define what we’re talking about, within the canon of Holy Scripture, when we say “The Apostles’ Teaching.”

Of course the very first and best source of this is the sermon of Peter, just prior to these verses at the end of Acts 2.  Peter, the fisherman; the one who denied Jesus 40 days earlier, and ran away from him for fear of soldiers and servant girls – that Peter, now stands on the front steps of the Temple gate and preaches a sermon that 3000 respond to by being baptized and joining the company of the committed, who spilled out of the Upper Room that morning as the Holy Spirit was being poured out on the Church on Penetecost.

What did Peter say?  Let’s turn to Acts two if you have your bible with you:

Peter explains the present phenomena that they are experiencing by referring back to the promises of the Old Testament Prophet, Joel.  So the Word of God is his reference point – his starting point in teaching about what they are experiencing, but it is just his starting point.

Peter begins to interpret the ancient prophetic voice in the words of the prophet Joel and of others, like David or Isaiah,* in terms of Jesus Christ.  He refreshes their recent memory, by bringing Jesus of Nazareth – his activities, his teachings, his life and his death – into full view.

²² “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. ²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,^[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

After quoting from David’s psalm 16 he continues:
                                 ²⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
³⁵ until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’^[f]
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Here is the root plant, if you will, for the vine that became the New Testament.  Peter and Paul and the other Apostle’s shared as they went, the truth of Jesus of Nazareth and the facts of his life, death and resurrection from the dead.  This is the core of “the Apostles’ teaching” that we are referring to in Acts 2:42 – this is what the early Christians “devoted themselves to.” 

So what are the facets of this early teaching of the Apostles?  Of Peter, of Paul, of Philip, of Matthew, of John Mark, of Dr. Luke or the Apostle John:

1.         God has sent a message and a messenger to earth, one flesh and blood person: His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, of Nazareth. 

2.         Jesus is a man well known to you, both in the force of his life and in the facts of His death.

3.         And now, God has raised this Jesus, from death to life in resurrection and we are witnesses of it.

4.         And, now you must make a choice – a choice of believing or not in the message, the life and the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  All of your future history depends on this choice!

 5.        Therefore, repent – change your mind, and be baptized in the Name of the Lord for the remission of your sins, and you will be saved.

6.         Further, you will receive the gift – the Holy Spirit of promise as a gift of the Father, through the Son, for the living of His life, in and through ours, both individually and as a Body, in Him.

So our first mark of the life of the Gospel is this message of Jesus, his life, his death and his resurrection from the dead.  This is what we see here in Peter’s first sermon and what we see throughout the “kerygma” of the early church.  We find these sermons scattered across Acts and in the letters of Paul and the other apostles to the churches of the first century.

Perhaps its is best encapsulated in Paul’s letter to the Romans, beginning in his greeting in the first chapter:

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— ² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures ³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, ⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. ⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. ⁶ And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

And Paul ends that section of his Roman letter with these words:

                        For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that
                        brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the
                       Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a                          
                       righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written:
                                “the righteous shall live by faith.”

Spend some time this week, and look through the book of Acts and the letters of the Apostles for the Message, the core teaching of the early apostles of Jesus.

Acts 3:11 ff;  Acts 4:8-12; Acts 5:29-32;  the whole 7^th chapter of Acts is Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin; Acts 8:31-40; Acts 10:34-43;  Acts 13:16-41;  Acts 17:22-31;  and finally, Acts 26, Paul’s defense of his gospel message before King Agrippa.

All of these passages contain the elements I’ve outlined, what is known in Greek as the Kerygma – the message of the gospel.  This is what the believers of the first century were devoted to, and this is the message that “turned the world upside down.”

So the first of our sights is this message of the Good News of Jesus Christ, as Paul says in Romans 1:

² the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

³ regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David,

⁴ and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

⁵ Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.

Let us pray.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Kerygma “Message” of the Gospel through Acts

Acts 2:14-36

Acts 3:11 ff; 

Acts 4:8-12;

Acts 5:29-32; 

the whole 7^th chapter of Acts is Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin;

Acts 8:31-40;

Acts 10:34-43; 

Acts 13:16-41; 

Acts 17:22-31; 

and finally, Acts 26, Paul’s defense of his gospel message before King Agrippa.

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Lent 3

March 11, 2012
Fr. Philip Eberhart

The Gift of Koinonia

Acts 2:42     And the believers devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers.



The word for fellowship in the New Testament, as we look again, at the four marks of our Christian Life from Acts 2:42, is the word “KOINONIA.”  This occurrence of the word in Acts 2 is the first of 20 times we see the word that is translated as fellowship, community, common life, sharing, contribution, communion – there are several facets to explore.

A FELLOWSHIP … OF THE SPIRIT

You have heard the doxology and blessing that we use from time to time from the end of the 2^nd Corinthian letter:  “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the  love of God, and the FELLOWSHIP of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.  Amen.”

Paul again, in his letter to the Philippian Church inquires of them: 

“Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?  Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

This “fellowship” that we have with one another is a gift from the Spirit of God.  His is the motivation and He is the milieu for our fellowship.  It is the basis for the unity that Paul speaks of in his Ephesian letter:

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”

The fellowship of the Spirit is given to the Body of Christ as a gift, but must be maintained in the fragile vessels of our relationships with each other.  Therefore we must look to Jesus as our model and to His Spirit at our motive power for living this “life together” that we are called to.

… COMMUNION TOGETHER

Paul also uses the word to describe the action of the Church as it comes to the Lord’s Table together.  In the act of “communion” we embody a shared life in Jesus Christ:

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

John, the apostle, uses this same language as he talks about the life we have together in the Body of Christ:

“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 

John continues just a few verses on, making the claim that it is our fellowship, our life lived in common – in close proximity – that acts like the blood in the body, cleansing the body of impurity (sin) :

“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.  So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

There is a connection between our life lived together, and the effectual working of the Blood of Jesus, cleansing us from sin.  It is where the spiritual reality of cleansing takes on its actual fulfillment in our lives.  And it happens in the midst of our “koinonia” fellowship!

… IN HIS SUFFERINGS

The other significant reality about this common life is that it is a common life lived in the “sufferings of Christ.”  Paul makes this point in his cry in Philippians 3:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”

Paul understood that we all have a “share” in the sufferings of Jesus, and that it is there we learn, as Jesus did, obedience, and are made into His image.

… IN PARTICIPATION AND CONTRIBUTION

Many times in the letters of Paul we see that the believers are asked to contribute to needs beyond themselves.  The word KOINONIA is used here as well, to signify the act of contributing to the needs of others – the act of participation in the shared life of the Body of Christ.  We participate in the sharing as we open our own hearts and our hands to give beyond ourselves. 

All of these facets of the word “fellowship” shows a rich picture of our common life – of our life, lived together.  And they are the out-working of the very commandment of Jesus, to “love one another as I have loved you.”  It is here that we take on the self-less character of Jesus, who lived his life “for” other – for the sake of others.  Likewise we are to live lives of selflessness, out of our own intimacy of relationship with Jesus, as we enter into the horizontal aspect of our relationships with others in the Body and with those that we meet in the world.

Our fellowship is a deep, committed, shared life lived in common with other believers, into which we invite others, who are coming to faith.  It is the working out of the commandment of our Lord to “love one another” and the words of Paul and the other New Testament writers, as they all speak of the priority of relationships in the Body of Christ.  It is the life that is described by the “one anothers” of the New Testament:

Be at peace with one another

Wash one another’s feet

Love one another, as I have loved you.

Love one another with brotherly compassion

Outdo one another in showing honor

Live in harmony with one another

Let us not pass judgment on one another

Welcome one another

Instruct one another

Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Comfort one another

Agree with one another

Through love, serve one another

Bear one another’s burdens

Be kind to one another … forgiving one another

Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ

Teach and admonish one another in all wisdom

Increase and abound in love for one another

Encourage one another, and build one another up

Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

You get the idea I hope.  This life we live together is a “one another” life – and that is the essence of what “fellowship” means in Acts 2:42.  It is out of this “one another” kind of life that the community and shared, common life we read about in the verses that follow verse 42, springs.  They counted nothing that they owned as their own property.  That is not a forced communalism or communism, it is a voluntary giving – the “one another” kind of life, instead of the “me first” kind of life that we are used to in our culture.

This kind of shared life, in fact, turns our consumerist culture – our “me first and me only” culture – on its head.  It stands out so far from the prevailing self-centered and self-promoting norms, that we cannot help but be noticed, if we but do it, even a little bit!

But it is this kind of committed, common, shared life that we are called to by Christ himself and by the witness of the entire New Testament. 

I pray that you will find yourself in a place among us, where the “one another” life – the shared life of our KOINONIA – calls you to deeper levels of commitment and to deeper levels of sharing, as we become friends and family together in this, the Body of Jesus Christ.

Amen.


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Lent 4
March 18, 2012
Fr. Philip Eberhart

Eucharistic Hospitality

Acts 2:42 – 47

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe^[e] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Last week we talked about the gift of KOINONIA /  FELLOWSHIP that the Holy Spirit bestows on the Body of Christ and that we safeguard in the glass and pottery vessels of our relationships with one another.

We heard a list of the “ONE ANOTHER’s” from scripture that bear on our life lived together -  I want to start there as a bit of a reminder this week:  Just with the listing of adjectives:

Be at peace;  Wash feet; Love, as I have loved you
Love with brotherly compassion; Outdo in showing honor;

            Live in harmony; Do not pass judgment; Welcome; Instruct;

Greet with a holy kiss; Comfort; Agree together;

Through love, serve; Bear burdens; Be kind … forgiving!

Submit, out of reverence for Christ; Teach and admonish, in all wisdom;

Increase and abound in love; Encourage, build up;

Confess your sins & pray that you may be healed.

The kind of love that is demonstrated in these descriptive adjectives present us with a picture of an extraordinary kind of people – that live and love one another out of the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.

Just a couple of other reminders from scripture:  Paul, to the Galatians (5:22-23)

The Fruit of the Spirit:

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

And again, to the church at Colosse: (3:12- 17)

¹² Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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.

And Peter, in his second letter (2:5-8)

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue,^[e] and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities^[f] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All of these verses serve to remind us of the priority of the Character of Jesus in the community that bears His NAME in the World.  But the question is HOW do we live that character out in ways that are winsome and that draw people into the community.

Jesus said it fairly simply:  Love one another as (in the same way that) I have loved you!  And so this morning I want to make an application of these commandments of Jesus to our life as a community.   In the community of the first Christians in Acts 2 we see a pattern of life lived in public worship and in family meals, including the Lord’s Supper – in the Temple daily and “from House to House.”  This pattern can be seen throughout the NT, in Paul’s travels and ministry to the Gentiles, in his letters to the churches he founded, and in his defense of his ministry, both before the apostles in Jerusalem in Acts 15 and later, before Governor Festus and King Agrippa, as Paul was being taken to Rome in his final days.

Both the Temple worship and the gathering in homes were twin features of the life of the Christian community of the 1^st century – and when the temple threw them out they went to the public buildings, squares – the Resurrection Chapels, storefronts, and public gathering places to proclaim and celebrate the Message of Jesus.  But their life was always marked by this movement from Public to Intimate and back.

And so our life today is marked by the regularity of our gathering, though in a much less frequent way.  Public Worship is here on Sunday, weekly or perhaps even once or twice a month -  Intimate worship & meals together are more frequent for some here at REZ, less frequent for others.

I think you can see the pattern clearly that was lived in the early community:

Acts 2:46 – 47a 

 ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people.

Here we see two kinds of food that was the community’s stock in trade, so to speak:

The food of the Lord’s Table and the food of the family table.  And both were of great importance in the lived life of the community – they were actually seen to be the same food.  The family table was an extension of the Lord’s Table.

Now let me pause here and clarify something about the family.  How many of you have seen the movie, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”?  This movie is a hilarious, and poignant portrayal of the difference between a middle eastern or Mediterranean family structure and a western family structure – in fact that is the underlying theme of the whole movie – How can the two be joined?

The differences are striking!  Our western family is what we call the Nuclear Family, mom and dad and 2.3 children – that’s two kids and a dog!  In the Greek and older Mediterranean cultures, like the Hebrew culture, the family is not simply the Holy Family – it’s the extended family too.  Its usually a group of 20 – 50 people who live their lives in close proximity and relationship to one another – who have a sense of their belonging to each other and who take part in one family business venture. 

Some today are translating that to the culture of the church – recovering this sense of community that is available in a medium sized group that relates to one another more frequently, in meals and in shared work / shared mission in the world.  These are being called Missional Communities.

 Our own history in the Anglican Church is marked by the rise of just such communities in the work of St. Patrick in Ireland, whom we just celebrated yesterday!  His method was to bring a band of dedicated Christian believers alongside a community, set up a monastic community along side the rural town, outside its walls, and then to engage the community leaders and people in the meeting of their needs, for education, for healing, for food.

I was struck as I read this week about Patrick and this community, by the incredible similarity that they had to the early Christians in their model and methods: 

From Hunter’s book, “The Celtic Way of Evangelism” let me just read an excerpt:

Put yourself in the place of a seeker, a refugee, or an abused teenager who has been invited to visit a monastic community, and you have found your way there. What would you likely experience?  You would meet a “porter” stationed near the monastic community’s entrance, whose chief role is to welcome guests and introduce them to the rest of the community. The abbot (pastor), and everyone else, would welcome you with “all courtesy of love.” The abbot (or abbess) would gently inquire about what had prompted your visit (and so begin the ministry of conversation), would read a scripture for you, offer a prayer for you, and extend the “kiss of peace.” The abbot would wash your feet (from your journey by foot) and would show you to the guesthouse – which would be managed by a caring brother who would give you your bedding.  You would be included at the abbot’s table at meals; if the abbot was in a period of fasting, he would break the fast – for the abbot has no higher priority than ministry with guests.  You would learn that the monastic community’s highest commitment is to hospitality to strangers, seekers, pilgrims, and refugees.  The Benedictine Rule 53 mandates, “All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me.’”

Hunter goes on to describe the process of conversation and prayer that follows; of scripture study and worship daily; and of the process of coming to believe among the people of this community.  He contrasts that with our so Western formulas that often force a proclamation (down someone’s throat), have them say a prayer, and then slap them on the back as a friend!  We wonder why evangelism is a scary proposition!  The question is whether we want people to behave before they can belong, or if by belonging, they come gradually to behave differently.

Friends, I am positing something here today that is ancient – and that is new again. It is something that we must recover if we are to reach the generations and people of our post-christian, post-modern world.

People are no longer interested in facts and propositions – in power point presentations and pages of notes.  They are interested in Facebook and YouTube – life lived – moving pictures – video rather than stills.  Even better, invite me to eat with you.  Let’s meet up – hang out.  Share life.

And the community that we share in is expanding as well – I live in a family of 4, but that has expanded, with two gone and 4 more now with us, another family of 4. So we are now six – and people are saying “how do you do that?”

We are even amazed at something as simple as opening our home to someone we love who is in real trouble.  Let alone a stranger who we don’t know.

The Benedictine Rule applies to us now, just as it did when Jesus first said it and when Benedict first applies it.  “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

What does welcome mean for us?

How can we become to the world a manifestation of welcome by the Father of LIFE?  How can we become known for hospitality towards one another, but more so, to others, whom we don’t yet know, and who, perhaps, don’t yet know Jesus.

What if we welcome people to His Table?  The Table of Jesus, our altar is the Sacramentum of Welcome – Jesus extends his hands as we break the bread and says anew, every week, “Come!  Come and dine at My Table!  Come and take the Bread of Life – come and take the Wine, my blood shed for you for love of you.”

But what if, our tables in our homes and the tables we share at restaurants around S. Denver took on the character of welcome we feel here on Sunday?  What if, day by day, we gathered together and broke bread together, receiving from God’s hand with glad and sincere hearts?  What if we invited people into that life, that experience?  What if our meals were punctuated with prayer and scripture – if eating together became a place and time for sharing what God is saying to us today or has been over the past couple days?

Eucharistic Hospitality is this kind of living my friends.  It was the kind of living that the early church did and they “turned the world upside down in a generation.”  It was the kind of life that St. Patrick and his band of believers engaged in in Ireland, and the whole land was won to Jesus in three generations!  Today there are over 6000 place names in Ireland alone, that begin with or contain the word “cill” which is the old Gaelic word for church.

The hospitality of the community of St. Patrick is a lively model for us today, as we move into the Facebook generation that is looking for relationship, but does not know how to do it deeply or with meaning.  Eucharistic Hospitality is our way of opening our lives to be lived WITH EACH OTHER - welcoming others into that ‘koinonia’ community of love, marked by the Word of God, by prayers individually and together and life lived together, practicing the “one another’s” in a fellowship that is lifting up Jesus for the world to see.

Welcome to REZ.  May we more fully become the kind of community that we describe here today and may those who come find a home among us, in the love of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of His Spirit.

Amen.

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Lent 5

March 25, 2012

Fr. Philip Eberhart

The Prayers of the Saints

Part IV in Lenten Series 2012

Have you ever wondered what might happen if we really got ahold of the power that is available to us in prayer.  I think is was Malcolm Muggeridge, writing in the early part of the last century, who said, “The biggest problem that we have in prayer is the apprehension of WHO IT IS that we are praying to!”  The “magic” of prayer – the power of it, isn’t dependent upon us, but on WHOM it is we pray TO.  However we must say, in our day and age – an age of distraction and noise, that the Power of Prayer is effected by our simple lack of it, most of all.

The verse we have been studying is, of course, Acts 2:42:

“And they devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

This is now the fourth in the series of the four elements of the life of the early Christians after the Day of Pentecost.  And today we are centering on Prayer or The Prayers, depending on your translation.  Both of those are needed, I believe, in the life of the believer and in the life of the community, for us to begin to see the Presence and the Power of God in any discernable measure, in our midst.

Prayer is by definition, simple communication with God, our Father.  It is taught and modeled by Jesus, who through prayer, as we do, stayed in a constant contact with his Father, referring to His own leadership for His own ministry, while He was here on earth!  Jesus clearly said,  “I do nothing that I do not see my Father doing!”

Jesus Himself, the Son of God incarnate, went away to pray – he found solitary places and times with great regularity – away from the disciples, away from the crowd, alone with God to refresh and to redirect Himself – orienting his face and his life Godward!

You know, we said a moment ago that prayer is relationship in application – it is conversation.  Conversation with our Father, who is the God of the Universe!  We have been granted ACCESS, through Jesus Christ, to the Father – the ULTIMATE power in the universe, who wants to hear us, because He knows us fully and loves us fully – so fully that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, to die in our place so we could have the “right” to come to Him in prayer and in relationship!  So we could be reconciled to Him and walk in Peace with our God, just as Adam and Eve did, in the quiet and cool of the day in the Garden.  Prayer is the greatest Privilege we have!!  It is also the greatest Power we have!! 

Prayer is what connects us to God’s throneroom.  Rev 4 and 8 both describe the prayers of the saints as incense that rises before the Father in the Throne Room of Heaven. 

Let’s make it a little more real and accessible for us in the 21^st Century, shall we?

What if God had a FACEBOOK Page?

First, would you “FRIEND” God?  And second, would He “FRIEND” you back?

I know that some here don’t actually have FB pages but I think the analogy is quite striking for people in our day and age; especially for younger people.  Isn’t it interesting that Abraham was called a “Friend of God!”  And Moses was someone who scripture tells us in EX 33:11 that “Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.”

What I want to do is to make the case for “conversation” with God.  It’s a personal, intimate, one-on-one sharing of your life with Him on a daily basis.  Much like we
“post” on FACEBOOK, the ups and downs of our lives, the needs for prayer and the causes for celebration – God wants to see us on His Page and for us to have Him on our Page!  Its an identification thing.  God says He wants to be OUR GOD and for us to be HIS PEOPLE.  Prayer is the way that we access that REALITY in our daily life.

The Lord woke me up at 4:30 one morning last week with an acronym for prayer.

Prayer is

P – Present * Physical

R – Reality

A – Already

Y – Yielding to

E – Eternal

R – Reality * Revelation

There is a corporate reality to Prayer as well.  It is two fold.  First Prayer is the means by which we come close to one another in Spirit in the Body of Christ.  Apart from living with someone, prayer is the only way for us to come to know someone at the heart level in the Body of Christ.  And the more we pray together, the more we know one another – it is a direct proportion – a quantitative proportion.

That is why this formula, if you will, in Acts 2 is so powerful, and the life of the community that issued from the Day of Pentecost had such impact on people’s lives and on the world around them.

Just look at what followed the verses we’ve been looking at:

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.

We note from the verses in chapter 2 and this verse in 3:1 that the community, Jewish community, had a regular set of “hours” at which prayers were observed in the temple.  Peter and John were going to Temple Prayers, about 3:00 in the afternoon.  It is safe to assume, from other scriptural references, that not only was 3 p.m. a prayer time so was 9 a.m. and noon.  Does anyone else here see any parallels with our own heritage as Anglicans.  Where would we find such a heritage?

OH, in the Book of Common PRAYER!

Friends, this is the reason I’m an Anglican!!!  I came to Jesus at the age of 10 because of the story of Scripture, but I fell in love with the Anglican liturgy at the age of 19, in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer!!  And its not the beauty of the language in the book that matters, it’s the Heritage of Prayer that it passes on.

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE A PERSONAL Book of Common Prayer that you refer to and know how to use?  I must say that as Anglican’s, if there is one thing that should and could empower a life of prayer for us, it is our own BCP!

I get offers and approaches almost weekly from people offering devotional “helps” – books that break down the scriptures into bite-size morsels and offer a place for reflection, journaling and prayer.  And I never get them, because we already have one – We have had one for nearly 500 years!!

I’m part of a group of Pastors who pray together a couple times a month for revival to come to our city – God has put before us that we are to become, individually and together, a HOUSE OF PRAYER.  Jesus said it when He cleansed the temple of its moneygrubbers, “My House shall be called a House of Prayer for All Nations!” 

We are a HOUSE OF PRAYER for the Nation we live in and for the Nations of the World.  We are to be a House Of Prayer, individually, for our neighbors and neighborhoods – like a LIGHTHOUSE of PRAYER on our street.  We should know what the needs are around us – (neighbors know these kinds of things) and we should pray into them out of genuine love and care for those who live around us.

And finally, prayer is warfare!  We heard it last week in Cheryl’s class on Ephesians 6 and many have been living it this week.  We have had three surgeries, another two pending, two of our intercessors got sick this week, Val and I got ran into as we sat at a light the other night … we’re doing something right!!  You’ve heard me say that PRAYER ISN’T PREPARATION FOR THE BATTLE – IT IS THE BATTLE!

Prayer is Present Physical Reality Already Yielding to Eternal Reality and Revelation!  I hope you held your finger in Acts 3, because this is a perfect example of that:  Peter and John were headed to the temple for the three o’clock prayer service.  As they come, a lame man is being set out in his customary place for begging each day, at the “beautiful gate.”  When he saw Peter and John, he asked them for some money.  Peter said, “Look at us!”  Thinking he was to receive alms, the man looked at them eagerly.  Peter then said, “Silver and gold I don’t have, but what I do have I freely give you:   In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!”  Then Peter, grabbing the man by the hand, pulled him to his feet, which were instantly healed and strengthened.

Prayer is Present Physical Reality Already Yielding to Eternal Reality & Revelation!

Prayer is Protection!  Paul tells us in Philippians 4: 6-9

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me--everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

 

Prayer is Present Physical Reality Already Yielding to Eternal Reality & Revelation!

Prayer is the Battle and we are the Battleground!  Our lives, our circumstances, our finances, our loved ones, our homes and jobs, our health.  Paul reminds us of our part in the battle in Ephesians 6:18 – The Primer on Spiritual Warfare:

 

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

 

Over and over again in Paul’s letters  we see the phrase “DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER!”  He uses words like “laboring earnestly”,  “entreaties, petitions and thanksgivings,”  “continue in entreaties and prayers night and day.”

Peter tells us that “the end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.”

This is serious business, my friends!  Prayer is not something we tack on to the few minutes we have in the morning for God or the last thing we do before going to bed, or a few sentences memorized before we eat.  Prayer is the main business of the Kingdom and as such, it deserves our continual attention, because

Prayer is Present Physical Reality Already Yielding to Eternal Reality & Revelation.

Prayer is not preparation for the battle… IT IS THE BATTLE!!

Amen

Speaking for God - Epiphany IV 2012

Epiphany IV
January 29, 2012
Philip D. Eberhart




Speaking for God


Last week I made the appeal for us to keep the main thing, the main thing in this season of difficulty and transition that we are in in the Anglican Mission. This morning’s readings highlight the place from which we speak, as Christians in both the Church and in the world, to those around us.

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

The readings this morning have to be taken as a whole set. And the theme that is developed through them is the vast difference between “speaking YOUR mind and speaking the LORD’S MIND!”

In Deuteronomy 18 we see a promise and a warning from the history of Israel:
The Promise: I will raise up for them a prophet like you (Moses)… who shall speak to them everything that I command.
The Warning: “Any prophet who … presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak-- that prophet shall die."
A great promise and a stern warning … to the People of God.

How can you tell? Do you ever say things to others “in the Name of God?” Well, in fact, not many of us walk around consciously delivering “words” from the Lord. But have you ever gotten a “word” for someone? Sometime they come in the midst of conversations, or in random thoughts – you suddenly know that that wasn’t “from you.”

God uses us at times to BE His Word in a situation or with a person in their struggle. Most often that happens as we are simply, “living and moving and having our being” - IN HIM - along the way. But what if we were more intentional about that part of our Christian experience?

What if we were consciously seeking something “from God” for those around us? Do you think that God would respond positively? I do! If fact I think that God is on-tiptoe waiting for us to allow Him to manifest His love and care for others in the “words” we speak to them on His behalf.

Now I’m NOT advocating a kind of pompous “Thus Saith the Lord” approach. But I am saying that God is anxious to communicate His love to us and to others through us, in the course of our daily conversations and manner of life.

Here is the difference that is pointed out in our scriptures this morning between knowledge and wisdom.

If we share from knowledge, we think we know a lot and have a lot to share with others, whether they need it or not – and we think they always need it!
If we share from wisdom, we know that we don’t know it all, and that even what knowledge we have is probably “tainted” with our own flesh and desires.

If we share from knowledge, we overpower the other person with facts and arguments, trying to make them see our side.
If we share from wisdom, we listen to their side and ask questions that help them to come to new, and we hope better, conclusions about their life.

If we share from knowledge, its more about us and what we can deposit in their life or thinking to bring change.
If we share from wisdom, we know that change only comes from Jesus and we must lead people to Him, not us, for answers to their questions.

Do you see the difference? Have you experienced both in your life?
I heard a great story this week from a member of our parish, as we shared a bit at our last ALPHA class from last fall.

[A gentleman who works with one of our members here, is a landlord of several properties & has spent a great deal of time telling the horrors of rental property ownership. Late rents, torn up properties and all those headaches that go along with that business. It seems that over Christmas, in fact on Christmas Eve, he called a renter who was delinquent to tell him that he was going to have him evicted. As they talked, the renter said that they were on their way out to a Christmas Eve service somewhere. The reference to Christmas eve and church, reminded the land lord of our member here and that “he would probably not be happy with my evicting someone on Christmas Eve!” As a result the landlord gave the man grace, calling again after the holiday, finding out that a job was imminent for the renter and receiving full payment for the rents due and back payments for over due rents!]

Friends, I want to tell you that this is a picture of the main thing I was talking about last week. In some way, the member of REZ and the way he walks out his faith at his workplace had an incredible impact on his co-worker – without saying much at all.

I was struck by a verse from our Corinthian reading: Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

From the New Living here: 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes”

Or from JB Phillips translation: “1b-3 It is not easy to think that we “know” over problems like this, but we should remember that while knowledge may make a man look big, it is only love that can make him grow to his full stature. For whatever a man may know, he still has a lot to learn, but if he loves God, he is opening his whole life to the Spirit of God.”

Our psalm give us a hint as to the difference here between knowledge and it application in wisdom: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; *
those who act accordingly have a good understanding;

The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom

It is the fear of the Lord – reverence for God and humility before Him – that sets simple knowledge apart from its wise application in our life. Wisdom is knowledge applied with an eye toward whole-hearted obedience to God. And whole-hearted obedience to God and to His Word is the “fear of the Lord” applied.

It’s here that what people experienced in Jesus’ own teaching began: Jesus own life of prayerful obedience to the Father was the fountain head of His power and of his authority. “I don’t do anything except what I see the Father doing!” Jesus said. When did Jesus SEE his Father doing stuff? He saw it when he was in prayer and preparation for his day, away from the crowds.

How do you get the “words” that you speak to other people on God’s behalf? Just come up with them yourself? If we look at the warning I mentioned in Deut. 8 above, I suggest that you NOT do that. Its not from OUR knowledge, but from God’s Word that we are to speak.

Have you ever read something in your morning readings that came up again during the day: Just in the course of a conversation you were having, something someone said to you or something that triggered your memory of a particular verse or thought? This is how God uses His Word to speak to us and to others through us.

And when we know its from Jesus, we can speak with the same kind of authority that He spoke with. That still isn’t a “Thus Saith the Lord” statement from us, but we can preface our statement with, “you know I read something about that just this morning (or whenever) in the Bible: … “ OR “Wow, that’s really interesting. I prayed about something like that this morning!”

We open conversational doors as we listen to what others say and how they mean what they say. We speak to others on behalf of Christ and God, letting them know that God loves them and has them in mind. And once in a while, we get to hear that our presence or a memory of us or something we’ve said or done, has impacted the life of one that we are friends with or of a co-worker.

God’s design is for us to impact our world with His love! What we receive here in this fellowship and at this table is not for us, friends. It’s for them. That’s the main thing that we are up to.

May God richly bless us as we see to be wise in our words and ways, with those we love and with those we live with, at home, at work, at play – every day. AMEN. And AMEN.

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

Epiphany III
January 22, 2012
Fr. Phil Eberhart


Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Keep the Main Thing, The Main Thing!

Well, I’m back! I’m exhausted and frustrated and still needing a few days sleep, I think. I’ve posted my thoughts on your emails this morning and the article on my perspective on both conferences is on David Virtue’s website.

People are asking me now, what is our response? I will say it again, as I said it in my first response on my blog,
                 "Please also know that your "place" in the Anglican Communion is secure. We will pray for our leaders and wait on clarity in this situation, without proffering opinions or judgments about the actions heretofore. We pray that time will be the friend of truth and that things which are done in secret will come to the light, on both sides of the equation. I know that there are always two sides to any conflict and my experience has led me to also know that we are all broken and in need of grace. So let us give grace and prayer and time."

It is certain at this point that clarity has not been achieved yet. After attending both the Winter Conference and the Sacred Assembly in NC this past 10 days, I’ve come away with less certainty in most areas and way less clarity than I thought I had. Our leaders need our prayers and support now more than ever.

Just briefly here’s what I know I know:
1. I am a priest of Rwanda. That has not changed.
2. This church is an AMiA parish, waiting on clear direction.
3. Our bishop has stepped back for the moment, as a new direction is being discerned and as reconciliation is being sought with Rwanda. The Anglican Mission is being advised by its founding ArchBishops, Kolini, Tay and Yong Ping Chung, all very godly men who have established their track record in distinguished servant leadership among us over the past decade. No one is saying that this is the permanent solution.
4. We are going to wait on the reconciliation process being pursued by Archbishop Eliud Wabukala of Kenya and the GAFCON Council. This will address both the reconciliation and the structural questions that are questions of Anglican polity, I trust and hope.
5. Once clear choices are on the table, we will pray together for a season and make a choice if needed, but there is no time-line for that process, nor is there a need for quick action here.
6. I will pray and work for peace amongst our leaders at every turn, and ask the Lord of His Church to restore a biblical unity and direction to the AMiA and to the relationship with Rwanda.

Until then, I want to point to our collect this morning and to several portions from the reading, and say that we are to keep the main thing, the main thing! In my talking to people about Jesus, not one of them has asked me about who my spiritual authority is. Our business is to connect people to Jesus Christ and to His Kingdom!

Since when is strife in the church a NEW thing? This too will pass. Be at peace.  Stay in repentant and obedient prayer for our leaders “up top.” God will work out the details according to His plan. And of that I AM CERTAIN!

Read the collect with me again:
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Friends, this is the main thing! This is our vocation in the Anglican Mission! This is our calling as Christian believers!! Be on high alert as you walk around and talk to people for the CALL of our Savior Jesus Christ to proclaim the Good News of Salvation.

Epiphany is the season of revelation. It is the revealing of the mystery of God’s plan of redemption for the whole world in Jesus Christ. And the revealing happens through you! People are starving to know that God exists and moreover that He loves them and has them in mind – He has a plan, in the midst of all the “stuff” that life throws our way.

The revelation of God’s love and His plan for others, comes as they see you going through your life’s ups and downs, blessings and challenges, in relationship to God and in reliance on God.

The disciples in our Gospel lesson where engaged in their every day activities, fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Mark’s gospel takes a picture that is much larger and crops it into a small shot at the moment in time when Jesus invited the fishermen to come with him, to follow him as disciples, as learners from a teacher – and the subject matter, “Fishing 101” – but for people.

Intrigued? They were. And so they left their commercial nets and boats and began to walk alongside Jesus as he encountered life, as He taught in their homes and in the markets and synagogues. As he touched and healed blind and lame, lepers and all manner of unclean people, they watched and learned. The heard his message, “Repent and believe the good news.” The Kingdom of God has come near – its AT HAND. In fact, its right in front of you!

We bring that same message! The disciples followed Jesus for many months as He “went about all the towns and villages of Galilee, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Matt 4:23; 9:35. But then we transition to a new phase of his public ministry. In Matt 10 and Luke 10, Jesus sends out the 12 and the 72 to go on ahead of himm with the words, “Freely you have received, freely give!” He gave them authority to heal and to drive out demons, and to say, as He did, The Kingdom of God is near you. “Repent, and believe the good news.”

This is our message and our method. This is our vocation as Christians. This is The Main Thing that we need to keep The Main Thing. Everything else is a distraction. All the stuff we run into in life in the world, even the stuff we run into sometimes in the church, must not detract our vision from the main thing!

Who are you praying for? Do you have a list of people who you’ve talked with over the past months who are on their journey? Are you encouraging them? Praying for them? Going for coffee with them? Do you send notes or emails? Do they know that you love them?

Evangelism isn’t a question and a prayer with someone – a stranger to you, although sometimes that happens. Evangelism is living your life on Mission – living your life On Purpose – God’s Purpose! Evangelism is living as a blessing to others, both in word and deed. “Church for the sake of others,” as Bishop Todd Hunter puts it. This is the main thing!

The main thing is the steps of Luke 10:

a. Live your life as a blessing and speak peace into people’s lives. It will get their attention

b. Hang out with them, eat with them, share your life and let them share theirs.

c. In the course of life, you will see ways that you can serve them, and meet some of their needs, in the name of Jesus. Do it. Do it immediately and cheerfully, and when they look at you and ask, “Why?”

d. Say, “the Kingdom of Heaven has come near you.”

Tell them the great news of God’s unfailing love for them – so much so that He sent His Son to give them eternal life, and you to meet their need.

I want to close this morning with a familiar prayer, from the words of St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

A Perspective on Two Conferences

A Perspective on Two Conferences
Fr. Philip Eberhart
Resurrection Anglican (AMiA), Centennial, CO
................................................................

As I fly home after a week of Winter Conferencing and Sacred Assembling, I have some time to reflect on, as Chairman Murphy says, "What I think I think." I am an AMiA priest of going on 11 years, a former network leader, and a careful observer and listener to both sides in this family squabble and potential "divorce." (I am a "world-class hopeful romantic" to borrow a movie line, but I fear the divorce may already have happened.)

That's what it feels like after all is said and done. I haven't actually decided if the divorce is final yet, but there are going to have to be some big changes for repentant words and reconciliation to turn into restoration. And there is alot more, as with any family dysfunction, that is not seen than is seen publicly. I am convinced however, that love actually does "cover a multitude of sins" so you won't find any expose' here. 

NO DISSIDENTS HERE

What I have discovered by listening is that there has come upon us a "perfect storm" made up of human failing, spiritual warfare, and genuine ambition, more or less godly in its genesis. I've discovered an array of relational mis-steps over years, from the lowest to the highest levels, the cumulative effect of which has been to spoil our "alphabet soup." There are no dissidents - well, only a few that can actually be identified - who are pouring fuel on the fire for ends that I don't fully understand. As I understand it the "back door" of AMiA has always been as open as the front - maybe more so!

What I have encountered at both of this past two week's gatherings is truckloads of sincere grief and a kind of foggy lack of clarity that pervades every conversation. Most are still unclear even about 'what' happened, let alone how. When we play with time lines in hopes of finding an analytical way through, we come face to face with our propensity to assign motives that demonize and villify others in the process of our "discernment". Not that discernment is a bad thing here, but we must be careful to discern what the Spirit is saying, mostly about my own sin, not the sin of others. It's never been very helpful to confess one another's sins, as it is the antithesis of James' admonition, moving us away from healing!

A "DIFFERENT" WINTER CONFERENCE

With these words we were welcomed to Houston's posh downtown Hilton Americas for the 12th Annual AMiA Winter Conference, of which I am proudly an alum of all twelve. From just a few churches and lots of us "tire kickers" at the first Winter "Homecoming" Conference in '01, through twelve years of the blood, sweat and tears of slugging it out planting a church, through "building the bridge as we crossed it," through network formation, re-formation, and expansion, through an ever widening Anglican missional enterprise, through partnership with other Anglican bodies and always in relationship with our beloved Rwanda - to a very "different" Winter Conference. Very different indeed!

Winter Conference, sans our Rwandan friends, save former Archbishop Kolini and the other founding archbishops, Moses Tay and Yong Ping Chung. Our beloved leaders and founders are once again among us - consolation for a moment that we are still "on track." But on track for what and to where? Chairman Chuck is the ever diligent visionary, pointing to a new way forward, as a "Missionary Society," with appropriate and compelling slides, charts and graphs at the ready. But lingering and nagging questions bubble up in the 'anglican' part of me. What is our relationship now to Rwanda, and what does the presence of retiree archbishops signify? I want to give them due honor and heed their admonitions to press on, but how can this be? Is ++Kolini separated from Rwanda too? Apparently, and tragically I fear. What else can it mean? I remember sitting with him at a clergy convocation as he recounted the pain and sacrifice associated with his work on our behalf over the past decade, and weeping. Now I weep again to think - once again he chooses us over homeland and retirement security?

And the message we hear is new. Sorrow for what has happened, but a sense of calling to go on ... even a broader calling to global church planting! Awesome! But what of our Rwandan relationships? I am a personal friend of His Grace ++Onesphore RWAJE because of the sister-to-sister church partnerships begun in '02. A decade of trips, work, care and love. I don't want to go forward without this relationship. Do I have to choose between parents?

Repentance, healing prayer, God's presence ... and the nagging questions. What are we now? Where are we now? Whose are we now? We know we belong to Jesus, and there is great solace in that, but... as Anglicans we believe that its BOTH faith AND order. Don't we?

I told friends who asked that I actually came away from Houston with more questions than I had when I went! And I was not alone. On the Sunday in between my intercessors could only weep and the whole church arose to prayer for my wife and I personally and for The Mission.

A SACRED ASSEMBLY

Only two weeks ago or so we found out that there was to be a winter conference, part the second. Just a day in-between. Time to fly home, change clothes, do church and fly out again. The other half of the family was doing their reunion elsewhere. Even the thought was sobering, like a "polar bear" dip in an icy Colorado lake! I understand the need to convocate, especially at times like these, so I begged my bookkeeper and she found the needed denarii for this additional three days. Thanks, Cheryl and my board.

It's been important for me to hear and see all that was being said and by whom. The Sacred Assembly (a great alternative to "WC-the sequel") gathered two Archbishops, Rwaje and Duncan, six bishops, three Rwandan and two US former AMiA bishops with a guest appearance by Julian Dobbs, an ACNA/CANA bishop. The assembly was hosted by Archbishop Rwaje and facilitated by Bishops Barnum and Glenn, along with a team of clergy leaders and the gracious gifts of hospitality at Church of the Apostles in Raleigh, NC.

Representive clergy and laity from 109 parishes gathered in what I would characterize as a repentant, grief-filled, introspective time of worship, teaching, exhortation and prayerful communion. Bishop Glenn commented, "Personal pain robs us of perspective, but worship restores it." We heard encouragement from ++Rwaje - "You are still with us. We are still with you. We have not left you."

From ++Duncan a sermon with humble beginning, "His church is not yet a spotless bride;" "we have sinned against each other;" "God works in all things for good..." but then he also reflected his personal pain at The Mission's (read +Chuck's) choices regarding full jurisdictional inclusion and participation in the ACNA, calling our "Personal Prelature" (i.e., +Chuck's working directly under and for ++Kolini as "Primatial Vicar") unanglican. Really? Wasn't that what all the provinces who rescued us, prior to AMiA or ACN or ACNA did? Then he went further, inferring our prior TEC days of undisciplined, ungodly, rogue bishops, by saying "It's a cruel thing to have to send our problem of discipline 8000 miles away." What does someone from the AMiA take away here? Wow.

The rest of the messages were generally challenging and encouraging. +Terrell and +Thad led gently with an eye to those who were double-dippers, like me - who attended both conferences - probably 15-20% of the conferees I had seen in Houston. Others from the Anglican Mission Center in Pawleys Island were there as well, Canon H. Miller, AMiA's Exec. Director, Bishop John Miller of AMiA and Canon Kevin Donolan, the AMiA's canon law expert. All were treated well, at least by the leadership of the meeting. We ended with a eucharist that held the seeds of the most hopeful time I've been a part of all week: The Prayers of the People became prayers of repentance - individual voices, repenting for specific things aloud to God, and the company gathered responding, "Lord, hear OUR prayer." I wept again. All the players were prayed for from Archbishops down. The sense of grief and sorrow was tangible. Perhaps this is our way forward!

SO WHAT? ... SO NOW WHAT?

So we have convocated, and spoken our minds and listened and prayed. Now what? Is there a way forward? and to what end? Is the goal to preserve the unity of the Body or to preserve the work of the individual groups? Is the divorce final? Are we able to move forward ... together - or will it be otherwise? As one friend put it, "This is a tragedy of the first order, and we are behaving like its a wake - a mixture of a funeral and a party."

Having gone through the Episcopal Turf Wars (some are still in them), I remember the feelings I had. Betrayal, grief, profound sadness at having to choose one set of friends over another, but the choices were clear then, "gospel" or "other." Here the turf wars are not gospel driven, and the choices are not clear. There are no clean hands that I can see, save perhaps our Rwandan primate. I trust ++Onesphore, my friend of almost a decade. I trust my Bishop, +Sandy Greene, the god-father of one of my twin daughters, and a friend of 20+ years. Here I am torn again. I am canonically resident in Rwanda, and my church is a member of the Anglican Mission, an Illinois 501-c-3 non-profit, licensed to do business in South Carolina. What are my choices? Go entirely with Rwanda and leave my bishop and friend of two decades? Go with The Mission and ... well ... we don't know just yet. Its unclear what a Mission "Society" is, at least in this particular setting. Nor is it clear how we are going to remain under Anglican authority, or with whom.

I think the most hopeful star in the night sky is the "family intervention" that began in Nairobi a few weeks ago. Could we pay attention to that meeting and its requirements? (See the Nairobi Statement by Archbishop Eliud Wabukala). Is it possible that this perfect storm can be recovered from? I still have hope at this point, but it is a thin slice of bread. In my heart, I really want to say what Bob Newhart said in his "psychologist" sketch many years ago, to the woman who had an inordinate fear of being buried alive in a box... "STOP IT!" If repentance means turning around, if reconciliation means coming together again, if restoration could lead us to a truly, biblical, united and missionary Anglican witness in the USA and around the globe, why not stop moving in directions that will not achieve the completion of the work of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we don't, God help us ... and that is where I'll stop it, as that is my sincere prayer and our only hope for the future.

Fr. Phil Eberhart
FrPhil@RezAnglican.org