Cafe' Padre'

Epiphany

2012-01-06T08:54:00.002-05:00

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2 ESV)

EPIPHANY, January 6, is a day celebrated by the Church throughout the world. It is a day that brings to a climax the seasons of Advent (preparing for Messiah) and Christmas (the Coming of Messiah). It focuses our attention on the mission and ministry of Christ - redemption of His people.

In the Eastern Church the day commemorates the baptism of Jesus and in the Western Church the focus is primarily upon the visit of the Magi to the Christ child.

The baptism of the Christ marked the beginning of His public ministry to the world. The Father proclaims Him the Son and the Spirit descends in power to affirm that Christ is God the Son sent to save the world.

Likewise, The wiremen of the nations were drawn to the light of the Christ. The same is true today - the wise will see and follow the light of Christ.

However, for both it is a day to remember and rejoice in the reality that God broke into the darkness of the fallen world and brought the light of salvation in Christ - a light that is for both the Jew and the Gentile.
The Church, both East and West, in their celebrations recognize that the good news of Christ for all the nations, a great light that calls those from every tribe, tongue and nations to come to Him.

For us today, we should rejoice and remember that the Light of Christ has shown on us. We should also recount the good news for all those we know that remain in the darkness! God so loved the WORLD...

BEHOLD THE GREAT LIGHT OF CHRIST - EPIPHANY

Peace be with you,
Fr. Keith

Stones of Rememberance

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

"When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know that Israel passed over the Jordan on dry ground." (Joshua 4:21-22, ESV)

The circumstances of life can seem overwhelming. The challenges of today can tempt us to forget the faithfulness of God. This is why the LORD told Joshua to take stones out of the Jordan and built a memorial. He knew the day would come when His people would fear and would forget that God had brought them to this place by His power. He who dried up the flooding Jordan to get them there would not fail to keep them and care for them. Thus, the stones of remembrance would serve them and their children - to remind them to be strong and courageous!

A few years ago my wife gathered rocks on one of our many hikes through the mountains along the Blue Ridge in Virginia. She then wrote on them reminders of God's goodness and faithfulness. She put them in a bowl on our coffee table and then when one of us was facing fear we would get a rock and remember.

Today, I would ask that you take a few minutes to jot down on a 3x5 card a list of those times when God has done the impossible in you. Don't forget these things! You see the God who has given His Son to save you and put His Spirit in you and has met you in the places of your greatest needs - will not fail you today. This does not mean that we always get what we want, but that we will not be left wanting.

In addition, I want to ask you to take time to share with someone what God has done in your life. Show them your rocks! You see as others know what God has done in your life it will encourage them to cling to God in their lives too.

Peace be with you,
Fr. Keith

Greater Expectations

2012-01-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

Peter said, "I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (Acts 3:6, ESV)

The lame man sat outside the Temple hoping to gain the favor of the passers by and to get enough money for his next meal. He had no greater expectation that day - a meal, a few coins in his cup, the pity of a few that would get him through another day. However, that day Peter and John, though not having money to give, gave a gift far greater - they met his greatest need!

What the man needed most of all was healing. That healing could only come through a Savior. Peter said to him in the name of Jesus - the One who came to save His people - WALK! The man stood for the first time in his life of more than forty years (4:22) and he leapt for joy and he danced in celebration. Many of those who had never noticed him before stood and watched in amazement at what God had done. In that I wonder if they dared to dream bigger dreams - to have greater expectations?

What is your greatest expectation for today? Perhaps you have begun with a to do list and several appointments. You are hoping to get through those items and make it safely home. What if God has a bigger plan for you today? I want to challenge us all to believe that God is present with us today. He is still the God of all power and grace. He wants not only to meet our basic needs, but to pour out in abundant measure His grace and goodness. He wants your life to show forth His glory to the praise of His name. He wants others to see Him in you and to dare to believe Him too.

I have no silver or gold today, but in the name of Jesus I say to you WALK IN FAITH and have GREATER EXPECTATIONS!

Peace be with you,
Fr. Keith

New Year's Day 2012

2012-01-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

"Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:6, 9, ESV)

Today marks the beginning of a journey that Holy Trinity will take together in 2012 - The Light the Way Challenge. It is a journey through the entire Bible. The verses above are from Day 1 of our reading plan. They remind us that we daily need to hear the Word of God as we face obstacles in this world.

As we embark on this path we as a faith family are facing several key crossroads in our life together. The questions such as how do we face this new year when we have had to say good bye to so many we love as they have gone home to the LORD; What will the move to a new location mean for us; Will we raise enough in our capital campaign to begin to take steps toward our first building and permanent home; How does God want us to engage the our community in greater mission; Will God add to our number in 2012? If any of you are like me there is a temptation to fear. What will people think? What if it doesn't work out like I think it will? What if it is harder than I anticipate? Each of these and a thousand other questions tempt me to do NOTHING - to risk nothing for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

This morning we are reminded, along with the people of Israel, that the journey of following God is not without obstacles. Israel was looking into a land filled with fortified cities, armies and "giants". In addition, they were on the far side of the Jordan and it was at flood stage. I am sure that Joshua had a few people asking him questions like - what is your plan? How do you think we can get across the river? What will we do when we get to the other side? To each I am sure he responded - The LORD will lead us. He will show us the way. I am also sure that he was tempted to fear and to quit.

Thus, the LORD sends this word to Joshua and to us today - be strong and courageous...the LORD your God is with you wherever you go!

So, as we start this year and we face the obstacles in our lives together, both those as a faith family, as husbands and wives, moms and dads, employees and employers, friends and neighbors and those who love this city, we face them with this hope. In the face of the fear we have faith that the LORD is present. When we don't know what is next we are resolute because we know who does. We will press on in 2012 and we will see God do more than we can imagine or think.

So, to Holy Trinity let's be strong and courageous...the LORD is with us!

Peace,
Fr. Keith

John Calvin: How to Live in 2012

2011-12-31T17:02:00.002-05:00

Below you will find a quote from Calvin's Institutes that I shared with you at the start of 2011. I still believe it is instructive for us all as we look toward a new year.

We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only goal.

I pray this will help you, as it has me, to enter 2012 seeking to live for Christ alone.

Peace be with you,

Fr. Keith

Light the Way Challenge 2012

2011-12-28T11:46:00.001-05:00

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". (Ps. 119:105, ESV)

I want to encourage all the Holy Trinity faith family to join me in 2012 in reading through the Bible. We will face together many opportunities and obstacles this year. These will include a new location, a capital campaign and the possibility of beginning the process of building our first building, as well as others we can't yet imagine. Will we face them in the dark or in the light of the word? We will have opportunities for faith and temptations to fear in 2012, but the question is what will guide us through them - man's wisdom or God's word?

In order to make this "Light the Way Challenge" easy for us all I want to use the Professor Horner Bible Reading plan. Here is a link to PROFESSOR HORNER'S PLAN, there will also be hard copies available in the Narthex on Sunday. In addition there is a great app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices that will allow you to daily track your progress using Professor Horner's Plan. You can choose your favorite translation and some versions, like the ESV, will even read the passages to you. I enjoy this feature as it allows me to listen as I drive or exercise.The app is called YouVersion and you will find it if you CLICK HERE.

You may ask why I have chosen Professor Horner's plan as it does require one to read 10 chapters of the Bible each day. I believe that this plan will afford us as a faith family to discover anew the larger story of the Bible together. It will help us connect the dots from the Old Testament to the New Testament. If you will commit to doing this for at least 30 days you will find, not only is it doable, but you will find it a joy to daily read deeply in God's word.

If you plan to join me in the Light the Way Challenge you can also join the group on Facebook and daily/weekly share your insights, challenges and comments on what God is doing through His word in your walk. So, please go to the Holy Trinity Facebook page and join us!May God's word light your way all year long!

Peace,
Fr. Keith

What is Your Name?

2011-07-31T16:03:00.005-04:00

I just returned from a week long vacation to Hilton Head Island. While there I read a book by Mark Buchanan entitled Spiritual Rhythm: Being with Jesus Every Season of Your Soul. I left the book with much to think about, but one particular passage I want to share with you today has to do with "your name".

I have struggled for years wanting to achieve and accomplish much. I wanted to make a name for myself. After all isn't that what we are supposed to do? My identity has been tied to what I have been able to accomplish and achieve. I have also come to find that no matter what I accomplish there is always more and it is never enough. Over the last several years God has been gently opening my eyes and heart to see myself from His perspective. I am coming to see my identity in a new way. You could say that God is giving me a new name.

Throughout Scripture we find that God will change people's names. Abram becomes Abraham; Jacob becomes Israel; Saul becomes Paul; Simon becomes Peter; and in the book of Judges Gideon becomes Jerubbaal. It is this last name change that Buchanan focuses on in his book. Gideon becomes the one who contends with Baal or Jerubbaal. He is named for God's call upon his life. Gideon is the one whom God has called to destroy the altar to Baal and to call his people back to true worship. This is who God has made and called Gideon to be. Who is God calling you to be? We all must ask this question and seek the answer.

Buchanan uses an illustration from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, not your usual suspect for spiritual illustrations, to challenge us to think about our true identity. The scene is that of the old man guarding the bridge and the questions that must be answered in order to pass over. If you answer incorrectly you are hurled into the gorge. The first question: What is your name? The second, What is your quest? The third, What is your favorite color? The first is a question of identity. The second a question of destiny. The third is a question concerning your passion.

So today I want to challenge you to join me in seeking to see ourselves in light of the Gospel. What is God calling you to be and to do? What is the mission (quest) He has placed before you. This is not your job, but rather your calling from God. Finally, what is your passion. In other words what is it that sets your heart on fire? When you answer these questions and live in light of the answers you will find great peace and joy.

John Piper has said it this way: "You are most satisfied when God is most glorified in your life."

What is your name?

Peace be with you,
Fr. Keith

Palm Sunday: The Gateway to Holy Week

2011-04-12T10:48:00.004-04:00

The season of Lent is a time of contemplation and confession of sin. It is a season of pilgrimage, a journey in which the aim is a new heart and a new direction. Our prayer is “Lord create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me”. The result of a new heart is a new direction, a life of faith, hope and love. This journey of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at the Resurrection. Along the way we encounter our sin and discover anew our desperate need of grace; we enter Jerusalem with shouts of praise, that soon turn to shouts of crucify Him (Palm Sunday); then we are witnesses to the atoning work of the Christ on the Cross (Good Friday); finally we celebrate new life and victory over sin, death and hell in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Easter Sunday).

This Sunday, Palm Sunday, marks the entrance of Christ to Jerusalem. Our Lord enters the city to the shouts of Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. The crowd envisions the conquering King who will establish the rule of Israel. The Palm branches serve as a sign of victory. The shouts of the people are full of hope and expectation.

Yet, the Lord Jesus knows as He enters Jerusalem that these shouts will soon turn to “crucify Him”. Jesus knows that His kingdom will require a crown of thorns. He knows that His pilgrimage will take Him to the Cross. What compels Him to take each step, as He knows the end is the Cross – love! Our Lord so loves the Father that He is willing to be obedient to the point of death even death on the Cross (Phil 2:5-11). The Lord also loves us, you and me, so much that He is willing to go the Cross that we might have eternal life, which begins today as we enjoy life to the full (John 3:16; John 10:10).

We too are on a pilgrimage and we are entering a season that must shape our lives. Palm Sunday is our entrance into the grace of Resurrection. We must see ourselves in the crowd shouting crucify Him and we must receive the grace of forgiveness and new birth found only in the Resurrected Christ. We must come to understand that it was we who nailed our Lord Christ to the cross – He died for our sin! When He prayed, “Father forgive them they know not what they do” He was referring to us.

I encourage you to spend these last few days of the pilgrimage of Lent with your eyes fixed up Jesus “the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the Cross.” (Heb 12:2)

Peace of the Lord be with you,

Fr. Keith

Responding to Rob Bell

2011-04-02T16:48:00.005-04:00

I have just finished Rob Bell's book Love Wins. As a pastor I am heartbroken at the sure confusion and harm that will come to the church as a result of this book. Rob Bell says that what he is holding out is nothing new - that is true. These are the same old heresies of Protestant Liberalism repackaged.

Kevin DeYoung has done a masterful job of responding to Bell in his review entitled GOD IS STILL HOLY AND WHAT YOU LEARNED IN SUNDAY SCHOOL IS STILL TRUE. CLICK HERE to read it. I commend this review to you - please take the time to read it! We must know what we believe and why we believe it.

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."

Fr. Keith

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T11:11:00.003-05:00

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a forty day journey to the Resurrected Christ, which is a time to slow down, to quiet the noise of life and to focus on the most important reality of all – our Savior and our Salvation. This journey is marked and shaped by our companions as we join brothers and sisters from many tribes, tongues and peoples, from other denominations, as well as all those who have gone before us.

As I set out on this journey I am a fellow pilgrim on the road of redemption. I join you as we search our souls, confess our sins and find fresh forgiveness. The pillars of this journey are found in Matthew 6:1-18. Our Lord calls us to giving, prayer and fasting

Fasting, the giving up of food, calls us to the forsaking of our sinful desires. Prayer reminds us that these things are only possible as we fall to the feet of our Father in dependence. Giving is the overflow of what we receive. As we are filled with faith and fresh grace we give to others! This is our journey - the journey of Lent!

Peace be with you,
Fr. Keith

Our Only Comfort

2011-01-11T10:12:00.004-05:00

What is your only comfort in life and death?

For too many of us the answer would be something we have or something we do. Yet, these things - the idols of success, control, power - will leave us empty and impoverished. So where do we find comfort - our ONLY comfort in life and death? CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

Peace,
Father Keith

John Calvin on Setting Goals for 2011

2011-01-03T09:47:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday I shared a quote from John Calvin that many have asked me about. It was from Calvin's Institutes and also quoted in Kevn DeYoung's book The Good News We Almost Forgot. I post it here for all who are interested.

We are not our own: let not our reason nor our will, therefore, sway our plans and deeds. We are not our own: let us therefore not set it as our goal to seek what is expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own: in so far as we can, let us therefore forget ourselves and all that is ours. Conversely, we are God's: let us therefore live for him and die for him. We are God's: let his wisdom and will therefore rule all our actions. We are God's: let all the parts of our life accordingly strive toward him as our only goal.

I pray this will help you, as it has me, to set your goals for 2011.

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Advent 4 - We Need A Savior

2010-12-23T15:05:00.004-05:00

Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us, and with great might succor us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we be sore let and hindered, thy bountiful grace and mercy, through the satisfaction of thy son our Lord, may speedily deliver us; to whom with thee and the holy ghost be honor and glory, world without end. (BCP 1549 adapted from the Sarum Rite circa 11th century)

Archbishop Cranmer calls our attention to the reality of our sin and helplessness as we come to the conclusion of Advent. In this collect we are confronted with the fact that we are weak and hindered by our sins, we are "sore let" or defeated. We cannot do anything to save ourselves. Thus, without the Advent of Christ our future is the outpouring of wrath and eternal separation from God. We are in need of a Savior!

Cranmer, upon pointing out our desperate state points us toward grace, mercy and hope - GOOD NEWS. We have been saved by grace! Jesus Christ comes to die taking away our sin, not because of our work or worth, but because of His grace. He meets our sin with mercy, giving us that which we do not deserve. His Advent is for our salvation!

You see, the gift of Christmas is that in Christ our helpless and hopeless condition is overcome by grace. He is born so that we too might live. His coming delivers us from death and places us into eternal life in Christ. Hear the words of St. Paul: "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God!" (Colossians 3:3, ESV)

I pray that as we close this season of Advent, where we have reflected on our need for a Savior, you will be brought into the celebration of Christ this Christmas season!

Peace of the Lord be with you,
Father Keith

Advent 3- Out of the Darkness ... LIGHT!

2010-12-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

Lord, we beseech thee, give ear to our prayers, and by thy gracious visitation lighten the darkness of our heart, by our Lord Jesus Christ. (BCP 1549)

This was the collect for Advent III found in the 1549 BCP, but was replaced in the 1662 with “a Collect reflecting both the coming Advent Ember Days and the appointed Epistle and Gospel for Advent III”.
(Paul Zahl,The Collects of Cranmer, p. 6)

The words of this collect call our attention to the reality that the darkness of our world begins in the hearts of men. The Scriptures are replete with verse calling us to cleanse our hearts, noting that it is out of the heart that sin and temptation flow. As Kris Lundgaard reminds us there is an “enemy within” that is waging war for our souls.

St. Paul gives us a glimpse into the battle that is raging within us in Romans 7.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
(Romans 7:18-23 ESV)

What hope do we have in this battle? How can we overcome the darkness? Only with the LIGHT...

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:24-25)

Thus, I want to join Archbishop Cranmer in calling us to prayer:
Lord, we come asking that just as your first visitation brought light into the darkness of the fallen world, come today and fill our hearts with the light of your gospel. May the light of your second Advent come and forever cast out the darkness of this world replacing with the light of your glory and grace! This is our hope and our prayer. Amen.

Peace be with you all,
Father Keith

Advent 2 - People of the Book

2010-12-06T10:49:00.005-05:00

Blessed Lord, which hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; grant us that we may in such wise hear them, mark, learn and inwardly digest them; that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our savior Jesus Christ. - (Collect for Advent 2 - BCP 1549)

These words were penned by Archbishop Cranmer during the early days of the English Reformation. The milieu of the day was one that had neglected the reading of Scripture in worship, restricted access to Scripture among the common people and had supplanted its authority with that of Popes and religious rituals. Cranmer, like Luther and Calvin, knew that the key to Reformation was for the people to become a people of THE BOOK. Thus, Cranmer sought to inculcate the daily lives of Anglicans with Scripture. The prayers, liturgy, homilies and lectionary are all designed to get the people into the book and more importantly that THE BOOK would get into the people. He longed for them to "hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them". The word would be that which fed them daily and guided them until the King comes again!

In our day most Americans own a Bible. In fact you can download or search on the Internet countless translations for free. Yet, in the midst of all this access to Scripture there is a prevailing illiteracy of the Biblical text. It seems that the endless availability has not caused people to read Scripture, but rather to ignore it. This is true not only of people outside of the church, but of the people who weekly attend worship in Evangelical churches. Sadly, it is even true of many who stand as preachers and teacher of the Church.

We have, today, neglected Scriptural authority for felt needs, church growth marketing, political correctness and corporate models of success. We have big churches with big crowds and yet there is little Gospel! The people in our churches cannot define words such as justification, atonement, sin and sanctification. They cannot name or find the books of the Bible. They don't know the names of the apostles. Many do not have any systematic plan for reading the Bible or a regular time of focused prayer. In other words we are just like the people at the dawn of the Reformation - we have a form of religion with no power.

During this Advent season I want to join Cranmer in calling us back to THE BOOK. I want to challenge each of us this Advent season to set aside 20-30 minutes a day for the reading of Scripture and prayer. I would commend to you the lectionary texts for each day as a place to start and a plan for success. You can follow this link each morning to find the readings for that day: CLICK HERE FOR DAILY OFFICE. Our faith is one rooted in a relationship with a living Savior. He reveals His will for us in His word.

I pray that as you feast upon the Word that your heart would be drawn to hope and anticipation of the coming again of our King Jesus!

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Advent 1 - Two Advents, Two Realities, One Hope

2010-11-30T10:12:00.004-05:00

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick (living) and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer 1662)

This Collect was penned by Archbishop Cranmer for the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. It was rooted in the doctrines of the Reformation and the Scriptures. The readings from Romans 13:8-14 and Matthew 21:1-13 serve to exhort the faithful to live this life casting off the darkness as Salvation is at hand. The King is coming in triumph over sin and darkness.

Cranmer weaves together the two Advents of Christ and the two realities of all believers with our one hope - Jesus.

The first reality is that we live in the fallen world of darkness. We are daily faced with temptations and sin. Our hearts are fallen and given to lust for the things of this world, to pride, to envy and to strife. It was into this reality that Jesus made his first Advent. He humbled Himself and took on the form of man and was obedient to the point of death (Phil. 2). In the first Advent Jesus came as the Sacrifice, the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He is fully aware of our trials and temptations. He has felt hunger, pain, sorrow and suffering. We cannot over come the Fallen and temptation ourselves, so He did what we could not do. He overcame the darkness and it is to Him we can run daily. The first Advent allows us to run to him and cast off the darkness.

Cranmer also reminds us of the coming Advent - Jesus is coming again, not as a Sacrifice, but as the Sovereign KING! He is coming to usher in a new Kingdom where there will be no more sin and the effects of the Fall will be no more. He will bring with Him the beginning of life eternal and the joy of our salvation. This will be our NEW REALITY! This reality seems so distance and hard to believe. However, it is just as real and certain as the Fall, the Cross, the Resurrection and the temptations and trials of this day. Thus, we need to live in light of the certainty of the Second Advent. We need to live as if He were coming today! As Martin Luther said, "I only have two days on my calendar - today and that day."

I want to encourage you to read this collect each day this week and remember: His first coming was real. His second coming is certain. You will face trials and temptations today, but you can run to Him. You will see in face to face one day. Hold fast to Jesus - He is our hope!

Advent: Reflecting on the Collects

2010-11-29T12:40:00.002-05:00

This Advent season I want us to reflect together on the collects of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. I want to begin this journey with two reminders: First, what is a collect? Second, who is Thomas Cranmer and why should we spend the time to think about what he has said?

What is a Collect? The origin of the term collecta, while rather obscure, refers to the ‘gathering of the people together’ as well as to the ‘collecting up’ of the petitions of individual members of the congregation into one prayer. A Collect is a short prayer that asks for one thing only and is peculiar to the liturgies of the Western churches... It is also a literary form (an art comparable to the sonnet) usually, but not always consisting of five parts.

The Address
The Acknowledgement
The Petition
The Aspiration
The Pleading
(quoted from The Collects of Thomas Cranmer, C. Fredrick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl)

Who was Thomas Cranmer? Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury and the leading theological voice at the dawn of the English Reformation. It was his heart for worship and his mind for doctrine that allowed him to pen the first Book of Common Prayer, The Homilies and the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. These documents and his personal example would serve to lead the Church of England out of the darkness into the light of the Reformation. He was the instrument used by God to shape the worship of the English speaking world from the Sixteenth Century through to our day. The words that he penned nearly 500 years ago are still prayed by millions of worshippers around the globe and guide us all to set our gaze upon the LORD.

Now that we have laid that foundation I look forward to beginning our journey tomorrow with reflections on Cranmer’s Collect for the First Sunday of Advent.

Living TODAY for THAT DAY,
Father Keith

You may want to read this entry to get a broad overview of Advent.
http://cafepadre.blogspot.com/2010/11/advent-king-is-coming.html

Advent - The King is Coming

2010-11-22T10:43:00.003-05:00

"The first coming of Christ the Lord, God's son and our God, was in obscurity, the second will be in the sight of the whole world. When he came in obscurity no one recognized him but his own servants; when he comes openly he will be known by both good people and bad. When he came in obscurity, it was to be judged; when he comes openly it will be to judge." - St. Augustine

In our culture the conversation is all about turkey, trees, travel, sales and Santa. However, there is a much more important reality that seems to be unnoticed. I want to sound the alarm and wake us up.

The King is coming! The King is coming! Can you imagine what Jackson would be like if the King was coming? There would be a bevy of activity - cleaning, painting, patching, repairing and replacing of those things marred by time and neglect. There would be a redirecting of life and energy as all would be focused on one thing - the King is coming!

This is the purpose of Advent - preparation, reflection and renewal of heart and life in pursuit of one thing - relationship to the King. Advent is a time when we prepare for God to break into creation! He comes with renewing, restoring and reconciling power! In this season of Advent we focus on the reality of his first coming and prepare our hearts and minds for the reality of his second coming. Do not rush through this season in the pursuit of the treasures of this age, but rather pursue the treasure of the King.

I pray that you have taken the time to examine your priorities and passions - are they in pursuit of your KING? Have you stopped and meditated on the reality that the King of Kings has come to redeem us and is coming again to restore us to our created destiny - eternity with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Church will spend the next four weeks preparing for the King. I pray that you will be present for worship each week and will bring a friend.

THE KING IS COMING - LET US PREPARE TO RECEIVE HIM!

Reflections on Revelation 20

2010-09-02T10:58:00.005-04:00

The reign of Christ is a topic, which for the church, brings both heart-warming comfort and heart-felt controversy. The reality that Christ will reign is the source of hope for all believers. However, the questions swirl as one opens this text for study. Is the reign of Christ a present or future event? When will the Lord return in relationship to the millennium? Will the reign of Christ be for a literal 1000 years? Will the millennial reign be a physical or spiritual kingdom? The list of questions is seemingly endless when one stops to ponder the reign of the Lord Jesus. The only text in Scripture that specifically uses the term thousand-years (millennium) is Revelation 20. The interpretation of this text is one that scholars continue to debate. At the outset, I would like to state that there are men of godly character and brilliant minds that differ greatly concerning the details of the millennial reign of Christ. As I approach this paper it is with an undeniable realization that I am not adequate for this task. In writing I stand on the work of others more gifted and able than me. Thus, I would ask that as you read this paper, and more importantly as you study the Scripture, that you would engage others with a spirit of humility and charity. All believers agree that Jesus is coming again and that He is the way, the truth and the life and those who believe in Him will have everlasting life. So proceed with hope and study with a warm heart the text of Revelation 20.

In order to accomplish the goal of this paper, to set forward an interpretation of Revelation 20, this pericope must be viewed in light of the larger context of the book of the Revelation. The system one employees in the interpretation of this book will greatly influence the conclusions. Therefore, I want to state the system of interpretation, which has most influenced my thinking about Revelation, is progressive parallelism. This system of interpretation has led me to embrace an amillennial eschatology and I write from this belief.

One of the most able modern champions of progressive parallelism/amillennial eschatology is Simon J. Kistemaker, professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL. In his commentary on the book of Revelation for the New Testament Commentary Series outlines the book as a series of seven visions which run parallel to one another and depict the world from the first coming of Christ through the second coming. These sections (visions) are broken up as follows:
1. The Church on Earth 1:9-3:22
2. God’s Throne and the Seven Seals 4:1-8:1
3. Seven Trumpets of Judgment 8:2-11:19
4. Aspects of Warfare and Salvation 12:1-14:20
5. Seven Bowls of Judgment 15:1-16:21
6. Victory for Christ 17:1-19:21
7. New Heaven and New Earth 20-22:5
[ Simon J. Kistemaker Revelation: New Testament Commentary Series (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House Company), p.p. 66-70]

The obvious question is how does one determine when one section ends and another begins? “How do we know when one of these seven parallel sections ends (except for the first one, which forms an obvious unit), the answer is that each of the seven ends with an indication that the end-time has come. Such an indication may be given in terms of a reference to the final judgment at the end of history, or to the final blessedness of God’s people, or to both.” [Anthony Hoekema The Bible and the Future: (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1979) p.224 ]

The most crucial division of sections for our consideration is that of chapter 19 and 20. If one reads the Revelation as a chronology then the only conclusion is that the millennial reign of Jesus must follow the return of Christ. However, if one sees chapter 20 as the beginning of a parallel section of eschatological revelation then the millennial reign does not necessarily follow the return of the Lord Jesus.

…chapters 20-22 comprise the last of the seven sections of the book of Revelation and therefore do not describe what follows the return of Christ. Rather, Revelation 20:1 takes us back to the beginning of the New Testament era. That this is the proper interpretation of these verses is clear …from the fact that this chapter describes the defeat and final doom of Satan. Surely, the defeat of Satan began with the first coming of Christ, as has already been clearly spelled out in chapter 12:7-9. That the millennial reign depicted in 20:4-6 occurs before the Second Coming of Christ is evident from the fact that the final judgment, described in verses 11-15 of this chapter, is pictured as coming after the thousand-year reign. Not only in the book of Revelation, but also elsewhere in the New Testament the final judgment, is associated with the Second Coming of Christ. This being the case, it is obvious that the thousand-year reign of Revelation 20:4-6 must occur before and not after the Second coming of Christ. [ Hoekema p. 227]

When studying each of these seven sections one will note that they are parallel, covering the same events/time frame, but they are also progressive. The final judgment described for us in chapter 6:12-17, and again in chapter 20. The later account gives more information, but remains a parallel account of chapter 6. Likewise chapter 7:15-17 give a glimpse of the eternal state of the redeemed, but the eternal state is described in greater detail in chapter 21. Each section gives us cause to hope in Christ, so as we proceed to exegete Revelation 20 let us do it with hope in Christ.

Amillennial Exegesis of Revelation 20:
The New Heaven and the New Earth [ Kistemaker, p. 530]
The Defeat and Death of Satan
(20: 1-15)
A. The Binding of Satan (1-3)
[Focus on earth]
B. The Saints in Heaven (4-6)
[Focus in heaven]
C. Satan’s Defeat &Demise (7-10)
D. The Judgment Day (11-15)

The Binding of Satan vv. 1-3

The first three verses of Revelation 20 take us back to the fall from heaven and binding of Satan. They refer back to the same events depicted in chapter 12:7-9, which is the battle between Michael, his angels and Satan. Satan was defeated and cast out of heaven to the earth. This clearly occurs prior the Second Coming, for at that time Christ will come as Judge and His sentence will be eternal. However, in Chapter 20 we have a progressive and parallel version of this same account. In verses 1-3 of this chapter it is said that the Dragon was cast from heaven to earth on his way to the abyss or pit. However, as born out in verses 10, 14, and 15, which refer to the “lake of fire”, the pit is not hell, but an intermediate stop. One must also note that he is bound by the angel with a chain. He has already been bound. The binding of Satan is to last for 1000 years. Note that the millennium in verses 1-3 refers to the binding of Satan; it is his millennium of captivity. The purpose of the binding was so that he might not deceive the nations. In other words it is so that the gospel might be spread. It is the time of harvest for the Kingdom of God. It is the church age in which by the power and work of the Holy Spirit and the witness of the church the lost will be redeemed! That is why Anthony Hoekema marks the beginning of the millennium with the Great Commission.[ Hoekema p. 228] (Matt 28:19) The gospel is no longer primarily for the Jews, but is for all nations. “We conclude, then, that the binding of Satan during the gospel age means that, first, he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel, and second, he cannot gather al the enemies of the Christ together to attack the church.”[Hoekema, p.229 ] The nations that Satan ruled have now been claimed for the Kingdom of God. Christ will call out for Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, nation and people! (Rev. 7:9-10) When this time of gospel harvest has come to an end, the Dragon will be released for a short time. This will precede the coming of Christ and the final judgment which are depicted in the final two sections of this chapter.

The Saints in Heaven vv. 4-6

The second scene is that of Heaven and the focus turns from earth and the fate of Satan toward the fate of the Saints during the thousand years of gospel harvest. We are taken into the throne room of heaven in verse 4. “Leon Morris notes in his commentary on Revelation that the word throne is used forty-seven times and all but three of these thrones (2:13; 13:2; 16:10) appear to be in heaven.”[Hoekema p. 230 ] This is key due to the fact that it sets the location of the millennium in heaven, thus this passage is not dealing with an earthly millennium. It is depicting the state of the saint between the first and second comings of Christ. [There is no warrant in the text to assume that the thousand years referred to in verse five is different from the thousand years in verse three. Therefore, this passage presents a parallel account from the perspective of Heaven.]

In the throne room we see all the saints who had died in faith, with special attention being draw to those who had been martyred for Christ. There together they “came to life” and reigned with Christ. The word translated came to life is translated by premillennialists as referring to the bodily resurrection. However, in the text John plainly states that he saw “the souls of those who had beheaded…”, thus we can rightly assume that this is not the bodily resurrection, but rather a spiritual resurrection. These souls, though having suffered death, are alive with the Lord awaiting the Second Coming and their glorification. In the culture and time ofJohn’s writing this book that would be a great comfort. We must remember that many Christians had been martyred for their faith. The destiny of these loved ones was of great concern. In addition this gives us cause to rejoice and hope for those who we love and have died in Christ.

Verses 5 is a parenthetical phrase, which quickly states, those who die apart from Christ do not enjoy this same life and reign with Christ, but remain in sin and separated from God for all eternity. This should motivate us to share the gift of the gospel with those whom God providentially places in our lives. There reality will be determined by their relationship to Christ and His Cross work.

Finally, verse six declares that this heavenly reality is a blessed gift. Those who enjoy this first resurrection will never face the second death – being cast into the lake of fire for eternity. (v.14)

Satan’s Defeat and Demise vv. 7-10

These verses tell us of the same battle depicted in Revelation 19 where the false prophet and the beast fought against Christ, where defeated and cast into the lake of fire. He John is showing us the battle focusing on the role and doom of Satan. Satan like the beast and the false prophet is defeated and cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

First, we note that Satan is released, not that he breaks free, but rather is released by God to once again deceive the nations. This is exactly what he did prior to being bound during the millennium. He was and is the deceiver! However, he was bound so that the gospel could go forth and that people from every nation, tribe and tongue could be redeemed to the glory of God.

Upon his release from captivity he sets out to once again deceive the nations and to gather the enemies of God together to make war against God. As Satan and his followers encircle the saints they are defeated by God and Satan is cast for eternity into the lake of fire. When I read this passage I am reminded of the battle of Helms Deep in J.R.R. Tolken’s Lord of the Rings series. It appears that evil is going to take the day, but then the light breaks across the horizon and the hoard of darkness is defeated. Praise the Lord for the victory He has won!

Judgment Day vv. 11-15

Finally, we see that the defeat of Satan will usher in the Day of Judgment for the world. In this day we will all stand before the throne of God and those who are redeemed by the blood of the lamb will enter into the joy of their salvation and those who are not will enter into eternal torment. [We must take note of the fact that the millennium takes place prior to the release of Satan, his defeat at the Second Coming and to the judgment day.]

I hope this short article will help you to have hope in Christ and His coming again. I also pray that it will spur you to further study and reflection on this important passage.

Suggested Reading
The Bible and the Future – Anthony Hoekema

Revelation: New Testament Commentary Series – Simon J. Kistemaker

The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views – Robert G. Clouse, editor Contributors: George Eldon Ladd, Herman Hoyt, Loraine Boettner and Anthony Hoekema

A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times – Kim Riddlebarger

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Saved from Sin...Saved for?

2010-08-19T11:52:00.010-04:00

As an evangelical priest I preach often of our need for salvation. I do believe that the Fall and original sin has corrupted us all to the uttermost. I believe in the doctrine of total depravity - that we are totally, in every part of us completely depraved. This sin is a part of our nature. We sin due to the reality that from Adam onward we have all been conceived and born with hearts, wills and natures that are utterly sinful. (Psalm 51:5) Due to this reality we all run after sin of our own "free will" and will choose nothing but a path of sinfulness unless God acts to save us (Eph. 2:4-10; Romans 3:23).

Thus, we are each and every one in need of salvation! This salvation is completely the work of a Holy and Merciful God. We don't go looking for Him (Romans 3:10-12) , but the amazing thing about grace is that He comes looking for us(Romans 5:8-9). He sent His Son to be the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world...that all who believe in Him will have eternal life.

The realities of what we are saved from are true and necessary, but I have been struck by the reality that I don't talk about, preach and celebrate what we have been saved for nearly as often! In fact, too often, in our evangelical circles, our desire to "see people saved" leads to the wrong idea and the wrong theology about what we are saved for. Now, I hasten to say that we would all affirm and articulate the right theology on a test, but the fruit in our pews tells a different story. The practiced theology of many evangelicals is that we are saved by grace, but we are saved to work really hard and be really good, so that God will keep on loving us.

I would like to use the Parable of the Prodigal Son to illustrate and illuminate for me, and for those who read this post, the end for which we are saved. In this parable we find two sons that are both lost in sin. We find one in a pig pen lost in resulting pain of the idolatry of materialism, sexual perversion and riotous living. We find another brother who is lost in the isolation and anger of his pride, perfectionism and self righteousness. Both of these sons are disconnected from their father and each other relationally due to sin. You see in this story we find that the greatest damage done by sin is relational separation from the father and each other. They are each isolated by their sin and their hearts are hardened by their lusts - they are alone!

The Father did not create us to be alone, but rather He made us for relationship. He made us for SONSHIP! We are designed to long for deep relationship with God and with each other. In the absence of these relationships and due to the alienating effects of sin, we seek to fill the void with the things of this world. St. Augustine famously reminded us that our hearts will not find rest until they find it in God. John Piper might say it in this way - we will not find our greatest satisfaction until we are satisfied in Him. Neither of these sons is satisfied in their separation!

The reality we find in this parable is that the father comes out to each of his sons so that they might be restored to relationship with him and with each other. Our Father comes to us too so that we will find a renewed love for Him and a new love for each other. This new love results in a new way of living. It causes our hearts to desire to live in keeping with the Great Commandment - loving God and loving others.

Yes we are saved from sin and that is necessary. However, we are saved to be sons and daughters. We are saved to enjoy the riches of His presences and to know the warmth of His love. We are saved to share that love with our brothers and sisters, who like us, have been trying to fill the void with all the wrong things.

I pray today that you will hear the voice of the Father calling you into relationship with Him. Come enjoy Him and know His love. Then love others as you have been loved!

We are saved from sins and we are saved for SONSHIP!

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Two Seas One River

2010-08-17T11:43:00.007-04:00

I have been reading Douglas Wilson's book Five Cities that Ruled the World. The five cities Wilson examines are Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London and New York. Each according to Wilson has help to shape the world far beyond the city limits. Wilson gives the contributions of each city to the world as follows (while acknowledging that these are broad generalizations): Jerusalem - Spirit, Athens - Mind and Reason, Rome - Law, London- Literature, New York - Commerce and Industry.

I have been reminded of the reality that God gave us cities as instruments of His glory. It was and is through cities that God will work out His plans of justice, redemption and glory. As a church planter/priest I am challenged by this reality to see my city and my mission in new ways. However, this will have to be the subject of another posting - keep watching and reading.

In the chapter on Jerusalem, Wilson says the following, "I remember being taught as a child that we should be like the Sea of Galilee and not like the Dead Sea. Both are fed by the same Jordan River, yet because the Dead Sea has no outlet, it is not conducive to life. The Sea of Galilee, on the other hand is teeming with life." (pp. 39-40)

This metaphor is not the main point of Wilson's chapter, but it has captivated my imagination for several days now.

The Dead Sea is dead because it has no outlet! It is not flowing and cannot support life. As I follow Wilson's lead to apply this metaphor; As a personal application, I realize that without an outlet to serve others and give away what I have already received I will die. Applying this corporately, if my parishioners merely receive teaching that is not discipleship it is death. They must have an outlet to apply and share what they have received. The must be given opportunities to be "doers" of the Word and not hearers only. (James 1:22)

The model of the modern church has too often been to put together another Bible study, to bring in another great speaker, to add another notebook to the shelf. We have believed that if we just accumulate more knowledge we will become better disciples - it has only lead to consumerism, materialism and neo-gnosticism. It has lead to DEATH. Thus, the church, in spite of all the activity has been ineffective in the one mission given by the Savior- MAKE DISCIPLES. We have made members, we have made scholars, we have made ministers, but we have failed to make disciples!

Dallas Willard defines a disciple as "one who, intent upon becoming Christ-like and so dwelling in his "faith and practice", systematically and progressively rearranges his affairs to that end." (The Great Omission p. 7) Following this definition Willard goes on to say that then the disciple seeks to have others follow him to the Savior by living lives that are salt and light to the watching world. We are called to be living sign posts to the way of redemption. We see this in the words of the Lord and His apostles. The words of Jesus to His first disciples - FOLLOW ME. The words of St. Paul to his disciples - IMITATE ME! Discipleship is a relational and long-term endeavor. It is not a six week study. It is a lifelong adventure! It takes those who have received grace pouring out that gift on others. It takes those who have applied the gospel to the hard places to show others the way. As Eugene Peterson says, we must get into the manure of one another's lives.

So, my question for me, my parishioners and for all my online-friends who will persevere and read to this point: Am I more like the Dead Sea receiving, but not being poured out or like the Sea of Galilee flowing and teeming with new life? I so want the answer to be the Sea of Galilee for both myself, my parish and my friends.

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Anglican?

2010-07-24T15:31:00.004-04:00

Many of us at Holy Trinity have come from diverse backgrounds. If you are like me, my friends and family often say something like… Okay, you are an Anglican – what is that exactly?

The Anglican Mission in the Americas has envisioned the answer in the form of Three Streams …One River (see logo above). The three streams of the Scripture, the Spirit and the Sacred are what form our identity and values as Anglicans. “We believe the three streams together provide a balanced blend of the Christian faith as taught in the one holy catholic and apostolic Church. The Scripture, the Spirit and the Sacred are exemplified in our discipleship, worship, congregational life and outreach.”(www.theamia.org) Let us consider briefly each stream.

The Scripture: The Church throughout history has upheld the Scripture as the revealed word of God and the final authority of matters of faith and practice. In the tradition of the English Reformation we join with the Church in upholding the authority and primacy of Scripture. Sola Scriptura!

The Spirit: We as Anglicans believe that the Holy Spirit, poured out on the day of Pentecost is still being poured out on all believers. The Spirit continues to fill, gift, instruct and comfort all believers. We hold that all the gifts of the Spirit are present and active in the Church today!

The Sacred: We hold to the sacred faith that was once and fore all given to the saints. This faith has been defined in the seven undivided councils of the Church, the Creeds, Confessions, and the Thirty-nine Articles. The faith has been lived out in a liturgical and Sacramental form of worship that engages us and draws us into the mystery of faith. Thus, we are part of an unbroken line of faith that we proudly carry on and guard for the next generation of the Church.

These three streams lead to One River – the extension of the Kingdom to every tribe, tongue, nation and people. We seek to incarnate and extend the Gospel to the world beginning in our own neighborhood.

We are Anglicans – We believe in three streams: The Scripture, The Spirit and The Sacred…leading us to One River – the expansion of the Kingdom!

If you want to learn more go to our webpage and click the tab entitled Anglicanism.

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Life or Death Matter!

2010-07-02T16:54:00.009-04:00

As a father I thank the Lord every day for the gift of my beautiful children. My view of life is shaped by the reality that God is the author of life and that every child is a gift from His hand. "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." (Psalm 127:3, ESV)

It is thus a chilling reality to read the true commitment of some in the feminist movement to killing the unborn. This was on display in a recent article in The Times of London when Antonia Senior stated her belief in these terms: “If you are willing to die for a cause, you must be prepared to kill for it, too.” That statement, published for all the world to see, perfectly distills the inescapable logic of the abortion rights argument. It is based on a willingness to kill — and on the horrifying audacity to call this killing “the lesser evil.”

Reading this both breaks my heart and reminds me that the Church must fight for the lives of the unborn. It is clear with the recent trends in congressional spending and legislation, as well as the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court that it will not be through legislation or litigation that the "culture of death" will be defeated.

The Church must begin to pray for all life from natural conception to natural death. We must again see our reproduction as an element of the Imago Dei, the image of God within us. We must once again believe that reproduction is not a right, but a responsibility - it is a living out of the command of God to Adam in the Garden. "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion..." (Genesis 1:28, ESV)

As Pope John Paul II said in his seminal work Theology of the Body, "The body, in fact, and it alone is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It was created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery of God...and thus to be a sign of it."

Do you see the gulf that exists between the worldview of the Christian and that of the Feminist? The Christian sees the body and the gift of life as a manifestation of the invisible realities of a Holy God. The Feminist views the body as a means to self gratification and the resulting life as irrelevant!

Please read Dr. Albert Mohler's article When Feminism Kills: Abortion as the Lessor Evil and read in her own words the testimony of a feminist.

Peace of the Lord be with you,
Father Keith

Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

2010-06-22T17:12:00.002-04:00

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High
(Ps. 50:14, ESV)

I was captivated by the phrase "sacrifice of thanksgiving" as I read Psalm 50 recently. It struck me as odd. I usually give thanks for the good things, the blessings of God, which does not feel like a sacrifice to me. What could the Psalmist have meant by this strange phrase

As I pressed on in the Lectionary readings the next passage was Genesis 39: 1-23 the account of Joseph and Potiphar's wife. Joseph seeks to live in integrity honoring both God and his master, but falls prey to the lies of a scorned woman. What does he get for his faithfulness? Prison! Yet Joseph continues to walk in faith and the Scripture says, "God was with him

I began to get a picture of a sacrifice of praise in Joseph. As we walk in faith and faithfulness through the good days and the bad we can praise and give thanks! For no matter the circumstance - GOD IS WITH US

God is our greatest treasure not the things of this world. Thus, if we have Him our joy is complete. I am not saying that circumstances aren't hard and don't hurt. I am rather saying that the reality of the presence of the God in the midst of it all is our joy! Thanksgiving in every circumstance is possible.

I pray that we will all find our joy in the presence of the LORD today and it will result in a sacrifice of thanksgiving!

Peace be with you,
Father Keith

Power of Faith and Forgiveness

2010-06-22T17:11:00.008-04:00

And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. so it was not you who sent me here, but GodGen. 45:7-8, ESV

AsI read this passage I thought about how I might react if my brothers, who had sold me into slavery and counted me as dead, were to need my help in order to survive. I think I probably would have wanted to exact revenge upon them. I would want them to taste the suffering that I had endured at their hand.

Joseph's response does not come from a heart of revenge, but rather a heart of faith. He recognized that it was God who had, in His Sovereign plan, sent him to Egypt. The brothers had acted out of hatred, but God was working in it to bring about good. (Romans 8:28-30) God sent him ahead of his family in order to preserve for them life.

Joseph's faith and his forgiveness of his brothers is a clear demonstration of God's grace and glory. He could not have had the faith to endure the hardships without grace. He would not have been able to forgive them without faith. Through his faith and forgiveness his family is reconciled and saved from certain death. In this story we see the power of faith and forgiveness.

The challenge to us is to trust God in all circumstances. Do we believe, like Joseph, that God is at work in all things to bring about His glory? Are we willing to endure hard times for a season to see God's glory? What would be the impact of this kind of faith and forgiveness in the church, in our families and in our communities.

Peace,
Father Keith

Hope

2010-06-22T17:09:00.002-04:00

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber" (Ps. 121:1-3, ESV)

Recently, I have had many ask my opinion about the direction of our country. What do I think about health care reform, the 2010 mid-term elections or the various movements seeking to gain power and disaster of the oil spill in the Gulf?

These are important days and the issues we face are sobering. However, my greatest concern is for the church. We must proclaim and live out the truth of the Gospel in these days. The question I am most concerned about is where is the Church finding its hope? Do we look to a party? To a President? Or do we look to the One who made the Heavens and the Earth?

The Psalmist reminds us that it is not in the power of government to save us. Human ingenuity, power, financial resources and effort will not overcome our great enemies. So where do we go for hope and help? We must look to the hills...to the One who has the power...the source of hope ...THE LORD! In the midst of all that our country is facing the Church must remember this truth. We must lead the way by our example of hope

The Church must in these days live out what we say we believe. First we must look to the hills. We must look to the place where we meet God. Moses went up to the mountain to meet with God. Jesus would draw away to the hills to meet with the Father. We too must run to the hills, the place where we hear from God and worship Him

Second, we must remember the past faithfulness of God. God has always kept His promises to His people. Therefore, the Church can know that no matter the circumstance the LORD is with us. This does not mean that the nation is not in for hard days. It does not mean that Christians will all keep their jobs and have no hardship. It does not mean that the consequences of our greed and entitlement attitudes are not real. However, it does mean that no matter what God will walk with His Church through this valley and He will provide for His people

We claim to serve a King who is still on the throne and controls all things according to His will (Doctrines of Sovereignty and Providence). He is the One who made Heaven and Earth through His own will, from nothing, by speaking a word. He said "let there be..." and IT WAS. Thus, the source of our HOPE is not in a policy, but in a personal and all powerful LORD.

Our nation needs to hear this truth and to see our hope. We need to be active participants in addressing the concerns of our nation. However, we must do it as a people who know the KING and trust His plan. We must do it as a people whose hope is not merely a campaign slogan, but a living reality.

Peace,
Father Keith

Take Heed Lest YOU Fall

2010-03-08T12:13:00.006-05:00

"Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." 1Corinthians 10:12, ESV

Yesterday I preached on 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 at Holy Trinity. As I studied for that message the Lord was kind enough to pull back the veil and allow me to see the idols in my heart. It was a reminder of the fact that sin is in my heart and without constant mortification I will fall!

Therefore I would like to offer up several resources that have served me in the process of identifying my idols and then daily putting them to death.

1. The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About The Power and Defeat of Sin by Kris Lundgaard

2. Sin and Temptation by John Owen

3. Humility by C.J. Mahaney

4. Seeing with New Eyes by David Powlison (chapter seven X-ray Questions pp. 132-140) I copied these with permission from PR Publishing as an aid to application this past Sunday for the people of Holy Trinity. These questions will help you do the hard work of searching your heart for your functional idols.

5. The Sinkhole Syndrome by Donald Whitney (This article was published by Ligonier Ministries - it is a warning! Worth a reading!)

I pray that we will each remember that the enemy and the battle are real. I pray that we will put on the armor and fight the fight of faith. I pray that the Holy Scripture and the resources above will aid you today.

Peace,

Father Keith

How Did We Make Such an Evangelical Mess?

2010-03-03T12:41:00.002-05:00

This article by John MacArthur is an accurate and alarming analysis of the Evangelical Church. I encourage you to take the time to not only read it, but to reflect on it.

Peace,

Keith+

How Did We Make Such an Evangelical Mess?

A Word for Men on Life Well Spent

2010-02-08T09:04:00.005-05:00

Men of Holy Trinity I want to share with you some important information! Here are the key ingredients to a live well lived - Read, Pray, Work, Play...read more

I pray that we will be men who invest and spend the currency of time well! Press On!

Keith+

Advent Snow

2009-12-20T09:51:00.004-05:00

The city of Roanoke awoke yesterday to a blanket of snow! In fact it was the largest December snow on record for the city. At my house we had 20 inches to the delight of my children.

I have to confess that my attitude about the snow was pretty negative as I thought about all the things I needed to do that would now be impossible. In addition, I would have to shovel all that snow out of the driveway and off of the deck! Bah Humbug!

My attitude changed this morning as my wife received a call from a sweet parishioner from CHS The River, Mary Alice, who was so thankful that the snow had closed everything down. She went on to say that the quiet and the calm forced upon us by the snow had caused her to refocus on the meaning of Advent.

The snow reminded us that just like the white blanket covering the landscape around us that Christ had come to cleanse us and make us whiter than snow. The stillness brought on by the impassable roads shouts - "stop, look the Christ has come!"

In our world we rush around to get ready for Christmas. We go to parties and brave the malls to purchase all the stuff that will go under the tree. We send out cards and bake cookies for family and friends. All of these things are good, but they all keep us so busy that we will miss the real blessings of Advent.

Advent says look your redemption is drawing near! God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to save us from our guilt and to spare us the wrath we deserve. Advent also says look your Savior is surely coming again! Are you ready? Are you expecting the coming again of Christ? What if it was today?

I pray that whether you have snow on the ground at your house or not, that you will stop and reflect on the goodness and grace of God today! Slow down and savor the season! Praise the Lord for all that He has done.

Peace,

Keith+

The Seven Deadly Siphons

2009-10-21T21:13:00.005-04:00

Today my best friend's post on his blog "Dale Tedder 2.0" is a must read for all pastors and parishioners. Pastors should heed its call. Parishioners should help to ensure that their pastors are able to live out the call to be a pastor and not a professional! CLICK HERE.

To Boldly Go Where NO Man Has Gone Before!

2009-10-19T08:40:00.003-04:00

This morning as I was reading Genesis 12 I was captivated by what God asked of Abram. God said to leave everything and everyone and go! Where was Abram to go? God said you don't need to know that I will show you! As I read those words I was struck by the fact that I have not only planned out today, but I have plans months in advance. I assume that I know what I am doing today, this week and this month. As I thought about this I asked myself - where is there room in your calendar to follow the voice of God? Do you expect God to direct you today? Are you looking for divine appointments today?

It was in the unknown and the unplanned that God was going to bless Abram and through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God's blessing is often found in the unexpected and unplanned appointments - the divine appointments!

Now for all you planners out there I am not saying that we should not have order and organization in our lives. However, I am asking are you seeking the Lord in the midst of your plans. I am saying that today we need to expect the Lord to do something NOT on our planner. I am asking that we all open our eyes to see what God is doing around us and then to jump in!
You see Abram set out to boldly go where God led him. He set out on the adventure of faith and found blessing beyond what he could imagine.

Today that same God wants you to join the adventure!

Peace,
Keith+

The Ten Commandments

2009-10-12T21:36:00.002-04:00

Today marks the 21st reading in the E100 challenge and we read Exodus 19:1-20:21. As I read these verses I was struck by several things.

First, that the Lord did not merely want to deliver Israel from Egypt, but also from their sin. In Egypt they were slaves to severe task masters who forced Israel to carry heavy burdens. However, sin was the cruelest of all task masters and the burden it brought was death. Thus, the Lord gave the Law to reveal sin and to call Israel to holiness.

Second, I noted that the Ten Commandments begin with how we are to relate to a Holy God. Unlike the idols of Egypt our God will not be one thing we worship, but He requires that we worship HIM ALONE. We are not to make idols or speak His name without reverence. In other words He requires that we recognize Him as the LORD.

Third, We are called to set aside the Sabbath - a holy day of rest - for the purpose of worship. This day reminds us that we are not God and that He is God. It is in the ceasing that we remember that we are dependant creatures. He has called on us to labor in this world. However, He alone provides for our needs. All that we have is from Him and should be used for His glory - even our rest! In this rest we are not to do whatever we want to do, but rather to rest and refocus on Him and His will. (Isaiah 58:13-14)

Fourth, the remainder of the commandments focus on how we are to relate with each other. The commandments deal with our heart attitudes which work their way out into our actions. We see in the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus reaffirms that the commandments give us an outward pattern that must be birthed in a heart of surrender and faith.

I pray that we all will remember that God's call on our life is one of freedom. He wants to set us free to love Him and love one another for His glory.

Peace,
Keith+

Severe Mercy!

2009-09-28T08:26:00.009-04:00

Brooke Smith was a beautiful girl with a strong will and an even stronger faith! Friday morning her battle with cancer ended as the Lord delivered her from a body racked with the effects cancer - an evidence of the fall. It was what Sheldon Vanauken called a severe mercy!

From the moment I entered the ER Friday until today I have been struck by the reality of the Fall. The effects of sin permeate the world around us and invade our bodies with pain, suffering and sickness. My overwhelming thought was this should not be happening! How can someone so young with so much promise be taken from us? My only hope is and has been that the Lord - the Redeemer is greater than the Fall. HE IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! HE IS OUR HOPE!

As the Lord would have it our church is reading through E100 and this week the sermon was on Joseph. Quigg+ served us well as he brought to our attention the words of Joseph to his brothers in Genesis 45 "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life."

What the brothers meant for harm was actually God's plan for blessing! I don't know God's plan for the future. However, I know that He is sovereign and His plans are good! Today hurts! Today I choose to trust that God will work together, this severe mercy and all things for good for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28-30)

These realities help me to love and serve the people of our parish who today will certainly mourn. However, we will not mourn as those without hope! We will choose to trust the Lord, to praise Him and to hope in what He will do as He works out His will and plan among us. "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21)

Peace,

Keith+

One Calling

2009-07-29T07:34:00.006-04:00

I want to continue thinking about the mandate of Ephesians 4 the call to unity - to be ONE! What is the basis of that unity? How are we call together and what binds us together for the future? I want to start where St. Paul starts - we have a common calling (Eph.4:1).

What is our calling? We are called into SONSHIP! Ephesians 1:5 says "he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will..." We have not been called merely to believe a set of fact and follow a religious formula, but rather we have been called into a family relationship with a living God!

This calling presents some significant difficulties as our culture has lost the Biblical understanding of family. The Harvard researcher Carle C. Zimmerman, in his work Family and Civilization, identified three models for understanding the family arrangement. First, the "trustee family" which considers itself immortal, existing in perpetuity, and never being extinguished. As a result, the living members are not the family, but merely the trustees of its blood, rights, property, name and position for their lifetime. Second, the "domestic family" which is a household based on marital bond, husband, wife and their children. In such an arrangement, family members emphasize individual rights along with family duties. Third, the "atomistic family" where individual rights are exalted above family bonds, and the family itself exists for the sake of the individual's pleasure.

Zimmerman goes on to show the implications of each of these family models in the culture.

"There are many remarkable differences in these historical stages. In trustee-family societies the family is seen as a mystical reality; in domestic-family societies, it is a moral tradition; when the atomistic family dominates, the home is seen as a sort of cocoon, something you are born into in order to escape. In trustee-societies, marriage is a sacred covenant, in domestic, it is a contract; in the atomistic household, it is a convenient means of companionship. Children in a trustee family are considered a blessing from God; in domestic, they are indispensable economic agents; in the atomistic family, however, they become an economic liability, an expense and an obstacle to personal fulfillment. In the trustee family, the father is the patriarch, a priest-king who must serve his ancestors as well as his offspring; in the domestic family the father is an authoritarian chief executive of society's fundamental economic unity; in the atomistic family, he is a pathetic figure who must be left behind in order for an individual to grow. And each type of family views sexual immorality differently. For the trustee family, it is a criminal act; for the domestic, it is an individual sin; for the atomistic family, it is a private matter, a choice, an alternative lifestyle." (Love Comes First, Scott Hahn, pp.21-23)

As you can see these family models shape and color one's understand of the father, what it means to be a son, as well as how one lives out their familial identity. I believe that the Church itself as the family of God has been affected by the cultural family model. It no longer sees itself as a covenant (trustee) family which holds in trust the faith once for all delivered to the saints and charged with passing that faith on to the next generation. The Church now is a collection of individuals who view "membership" as optional and judge value by personal gain and preference.

If we are going to find unity we must regain the Biblical understanding of the FAMILY of God! We must embrace our call to SONSHIP. We must hold in trust the faith passed down through the communion of saints. We must be zealous to pass it on intact to the next generation!

May we walk worthy of this calling to SONSHIP.

Peace,

Keith+

One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church

2009-07-27T10:34:00.004-04:00

There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope that belongs to your call- on Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6, ESV

The word that sounds like a hammer on an anvil throughout this pericope is the word ONE. As I was preparing to preach Ephesians 4 this week I was struck by the fact that this is perhaps one of the last words I would use to describe the Church today.

The reality is that today looks like the Church in Corinth, each following after Paul, Apollos or Peter - "is Christ divided?" (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). The word denomination comes from the Latin word meaning name - denominare. The Church seems to have repeated this pattern of Corinth - Wesley, Luther, Calvin, England...Charismatic, Calvinist, High Church and Low Church.

I am not saying that we should have unity at any cost. There are times that demand we take a stand and defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints. The Church has been entrusted with excommunication for the very purpose of protecting the Truth! We must preserve the faith, but we must also preserve the unity of the Church. We should not be defined by that which divides us, but rather around that which unites us - CHRIST.

I am left with this question in my heart this week - How can I labor, love and serve to help maintain the unity of the Body in the bond of peace and also hold fast to the faith once for all delivered to the saints.

I hope to think through this question together by unpacking the phrase "One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church" from the Nicene Creed in the days ahead.

I welcome your thoughts too!

Peace be with you,

Keith+

The Great Light!

2009-07-15T07:28:00.007-04:00

"...the people dwelling in darkness have see a great light, for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:15-17, ESV

This past Sunday Quigg+ preached from this text calling our church to repentance. (click to listen). I have been thinking about the turning point in my life, as well as those whom I love who are still headed in the wrong direction all week.

Life without Christ is DARK! We have all be in the dark at some point in our lives both physically and spiritually. The darkness is a frightening place. I will never forget camping out on the beach of an uninhabited island in Southeast Asia. I was there with a team of college students, as we spent two weeks in Southeast Asia as Eco-tourists for Jesus! That night on the beach was dark - there were no lights except for the fire we built and the stars in the sky. We also encounter real spiritual darkness week too . I came to understand darkness in a whole new way during that week. The sunrise was indeed the dawning of a great light and our prayer was that as it pushed back the darkness in the physical world it would also bring a spiritual light!

The dawning of the great light in this passage leads to a great imperative - REPENT for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The light enables us to see where we need to go. Repent, we need to turn around or reorient the course of our lives.

However, my thoughts this week have moved me from the imperative REPENT to the indicatives that result. When we change our direction it leads us to a different life not only in eternity, but TODAY!

How does this imperative change the indicatives of today?

When we see the great light of grace we see people through new eyes - the eyes of love and mercy, for we know the hurt of sin and the joy of forgiveness. We view our possessions not as a means to our pleasure alone, but as resources for loving and serving others. We view our time differently too. We invest time in relationship with God and with others! We speak a different language, one seasoned with grace and peace. Our passions are set in different directions. As the great light enables us to see we keep on walking in a different direction.

The imperative REPENT must lead us to the indicatives of NEW LIFE as we walk out faith in the here and now of life.

Peace,
Keith+

Imagine the Potential

2009-05-11T21:54:00.005-04:00

My mother was adopted! I am often reminded that my life, the lives of my son and daughter and the hope the the grandchildren I will one day love are the direct result of this one choice for life! I am so thankful that my mother's birth mother and father gave her the gift of life through adoption. I am so thankful that my grandparents gave mother a home full of love and hope! Imagine what is yet to come!

Please watch this video and Imagine the Potential!

Manure

2009-05-11T14:55:00.008-04:00

I have been reading the parables of the Travel Narrative (Luke 9-19) recently and was captured by an unexpected parable - The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)

The parable about an unfruitful fig tree is one that I have read over many times, but this time was different! As I read about the landowner's frustration with the fruitless fig - I was in agreement - CUT IT DOWN! However, the heart of the vine dresser captured my attention. He wanted another year to toil in the ground and spread manure on the fig tree. He loved the fig and had already invested much of his time and energy in caring for the tree. Yet, he wanted to do more! He wanted to get into the dirt and manure because he believed that in so doing he would see fruit. The vine dresser knew that in the manure - the smelly and dirty "waste" - was found the very essence of new life and fruit.

As a priest (as a Christian) I often have the attitude of the landowner. If there is no fruit cut it down! I am a bottom line kind of guy - is it working or not? Yet, in this parable I found myself drawn to the heart of the vine dresser. I heard the Lord calling me into the dirt and manure of people's lives. Are we not called to love one another in the hard places?

Today, I am asking the Lord to allow me to see the manure of life and celebrate that in these moments are found the very essentials of life and fruitfulness. Has God called you into the dirt and manure today? If so you have every reason to hope for a bountiful harvest of fruit!

Peace of the Lord be with you,

Keith+

John Calvin and The Holiness of God

2009-04-01T15:09:00.002-04:00

I recently attended the Ligonier Ministries National Conference! It was a refreshing both personally and pastorally. I was attended with my best friend and fellow pastor Dale Tedder. Dale has a picture of us at the conference and some audio of the conference speakers on his blog Deacon's Orders...click here! The speakers included Al Mohler, RC Sproul, Ligon Duncan, Robert Godfrey, Sinclair Ferfuson, Alistair Begg and more!

Peace,
Keith+

Why Bother With Discipleship?

2009-03-02T15:44:00.005-05:00

As we journey together through the season of Lent we must realize that God intends so much more for us than merely escaping hell. He goal for us is transformation! He wants us to go from slaves to sons! He wants us to become disciples, those who are followers of Christ!

Here is an article by Dallas Willard (passed on to me by my best friend via his blog) that is a MUST READ.

If we are Christians simply by believing that Jesus died for our sins, then that is all it takes to have sins forgiven and go to heaven when we die. Why, then, do some people keep insisting that something more than this is desirable? Lordship, discipleship, spiritual formation, and the like?
What more could one want than to be sure of their eternal destiny and enjoy life among others who profess the same faith as they do. Of course everyone wants to be a good person. But that does not require that you actually do what Jesus himself said and did. Haven't you heard? "Christians aren't perfect. Just forgiven."

Now those who honestly find themselves concerned about such matters might find it helpful to consider four simple points:

First, there is absolutely nothing in what Jesus himself or his early followers taught that suggests you can decide just to enjoy forgiveness at Jesus' expense and have nothing more to do with him.

Some years ago A. W. Tozer expressed his "feeling that a notable heresy has come into being throughout evangelical Christian circles--the widely-accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need him as Savior and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to him as Lord as long as we want to!" (I Call It Heresy, Harrisburg, PA.: Christian Publications, 1974, p. 5f) He then goes on to state "that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred scriptures."

This 'heresy' has created the impression that it is quite reasonable to be a "vampire Christian." One in effect says to Jesus: "I'd like a little of your blood, please. But I don't care to be your student or have your character. In fact, won't you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I'll see you in heaven." But can we really imagine that this is an approach that Jesus finds acceptable? READ MORE...

Prudes at Dinner, Gluttons in Bed

2009-02-26T14:49:00.004-05:00

This is a thought provoking article from the Washington Post by George F. Will...

Put down that cheeseburger and listen up: If food has become what sex was a generation ago -- the intimidatingly intelligent Mary Eberstadt says it has -- then a cheeseburger is akin to adultery, or worse. As eating has become highly charged with moral judgments, sex has become notably less so, and Eberstadt, a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, thinks these trends involving two primal appetites are related. Read more

Long Obedience in the Same Direction

2009-02-26T08:20:00.000-05:00

Today marks 20 years of faithfulness and sacrifice to a church, a city and to the LORD! Quigg Lawrence arrived in Roanoke VA twenty years ago to a small congregation born out of an encounter with Christ. This band of people had been changed through a Cursillo (the Catholic version of Emmaus Walk) Weekend.

This small group of "fools for Christ" under Quigg's love and leadership has grown to a congregation of over 1,000. They have cared for the homeless through partnership with the Rescue Mission, they have given water to the thirsty in Rwanda, they have given sacrificially to support Young Life in Roanoke and to birth new work in Botetourt and Floyd counties, they have built churches in Asia and Central America, they have planted two new AMiA churches in Virginia and are helping to plant a third. In other words - God has taken this small band of people and one Priest committed to the Gospel and is changing the world!

In addition to all of the stuff you can see God has used Quigg to shepherd real people through real life. I know that I for one am a better man, husband, father, priest and follower of Christ because of my friendship with Quigg. I am one of countless stories!

Bedford Falls was a different town and its people were better through the influence of one man - George Bailey! We too are better and Roanoke is better because of Quigg+.

THANK YOU QUIGG+!

Rendering Unto Caesar

2009-02-26T08:01:00.000-05:00

President Obama is a man of intelligence and some remarkable gifts. He has a great ability to inspire, as we saw from his very popular visit to Canada just this past week. But whatever his strengths, there’s no way to reinvent his record on abortion and related issues with rosy marketing about unity, hope and change. Of course, that can change. Some things really do change when a person reaches the White House. Power ennobles some men. It diminishes others. Bad policy ideas can be improved. Good policy ideas can find a way to flourish. But we at least need to be honest with ourselves and each other about the political facts we start with. To read the who text of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput's address click here.

Ash Wednesday: The Journey Begins

2009-02-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

Ash Wednesday is the launching point of a journey - a journey of soul searching and preparation. As a priest I enjoy the role of teacher, guide and counselor. However, today I am a fellow pilgrim on the road of redemption. I join you as we search our souls, confess our sins and find fresh forgiveness. The vehicles of this journey are found in Matthew 6:1-18. Our Lord calls us to giving, prayer and fasting.

Fasting, the giving up of food, calls us to the forsaking of our sinful desires. Prayer reminds us that these things are only possible as we fall to the feet of our Father in dependence. Giving is the overflow of what we receive. As we are filled with faith and fresh grace we give to others! This is our journey - the journey of Lent!

This is not an easy road for me as I long for the sense of control, assurance and predictability. Yet God is calling me to a place of surrender, sacrifice and rest as I experience His embrace.

Henri Nouwen's book The Return of The Prodigal Son is a favorite of mine. I have begun reading it again as a part of my Lenten devotions. As I look at the Prodigal fall into the embrace of his father in Rembrandt's painting I know that is the place I most want to be.

I pray that as you journey through this Lenten season you will allow the disciplines of fasting, giving, and prayer to draw you into your Father's embrace.

Peace,

Keith+

Shrove Tuesday

2009-02-24T19:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight our family joined in with a host of Christians around the world as we piled our plate with pancakes in preparation for Lent. Today, the Tuesday prior to Ash Wednesday, is known as Shrove Tuesday. What in the world is Shrove Tuesday? I am so glad you asked!

Shrovetide is the English equivalent of what is known in the greater part of Southern Europe as the "Carnival", a word which, in spite of wild suggestions to the contrary, is undoubtedly to be derived from the "taking away of flesh" (carne levare) which marked the beginning of Lent. The English term "shrovetide" (from "to shrive", or hear confessions) is sufficiently explained by a sentence in the Anglo-Saxon "Ecclesiastical Institutes" translated from Theodulphus by Abbot Aelfric about A.D. 1000: "In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then my hear by his deeds what he is to do [in the way of penance]". If you want to read more click here.

Now that you know what Shrove Tuesday means you are probably asking how pancakes fit in with this day. In England, in preparation of Lent, people would clean out their pantries of items that would be given up during the season of fasting. Combining these items they would feast on pancakes and thus a tradition was born. (You know the English love their traditions and thus as Anglicanism spread so did the tradition.)

I pray that you will enjoy the pancakes and will prepare your heart for the journey of Lent!

Peace be with you,

Keith+

Hope

2009-01-23T12:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a video that depicts the HOPE that we must stand for in our culture! Watch this video and see what happens when we value life over convience.

Peace,

Keith+

LIFE!

2009-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:15-16, ESV

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which has resulted in the killing of 50 million unborn babies in the United States of America. The contrasting imagies of this week for me are those of our first African American President and the unborn child.

In the first picture I celebrate the victory over racism. It has not been that long ago in the history of our nation that men and women were persecuted and thought to be of NO VALUE, merely due to the color of their skin. We must remember that African Americans were viewed not as PEOPLE, but rather as PROPERTY! They could be abused, beaten and discarded without penalty. It was the LAW of the land that slaves had no rights and no voice. They needed the Church to stand up and be their voice! How could we have ever seen our brothers and sister in this way- it is UNTHINKABLE. How could we have remained silent for so long?

The second picture, that of the unborn child causes me to mourn for our nation's willingness to once again be silent! We see the pictures of pre-born children in 4D sonograms - their faces, fingures and toes and we see their hearts beating. Looking at their faces how can we say they are NOT PEOPLE? How do we once again view people, this time not African American, but pre-born Americans asPROPERTY to be disposed of in trash bags behind abortion clinics? How long will we the go on calling this a right? It is not a right it is a holocuast and the Church must not stand by and say nothing!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. BLESSED is the man who fills his quiver with them!" Psalm 127:3-5, ESV

Lord God give us the grace to turn from our sin! Help us to see every child as a gift and blessing from your hand. Make us a nation who not only gives equal right to every race, but who celebrates the life of every person from conception to natural death! Amen!

Keith+

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus: A Man of Faith!

2009-01-09T16:51:00.000-05:00

Our great, good friend is gone. Fr. Richard John Neuhaus slipped away today, January 8, shortly before 10 o’clock, at the age of seventy-two. He never recovered from the weakness that sent him to the hospital the day after Christmas, caused by a series of side effects from the cancer he was suffering.

click here to read more.

I am so thankful that I was able to recently attended a lecture by Fr. Neuhaus at Roanoke College. Fr. Neuhaus on that night was speaking about the role of faith in politics. He called us all to stand against a culture of death and for a culture of life. He called us not to stand for a political party instead of a personal Savior. I left that hall with renewed zeal to live and vote to the glory of God.

Father Neuhaus was a man of sharp mind, stout conviction and courage. He was always ready to stand against any who would undermine orthodoxy regardless of which quarter the assault may come. I pray that God will raise up men with these same qualities to continue the faithfulness and sacrifice of Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. His loss is felt across the Church and the Culture by both Evangelicals and Catholics alike!

Peace be with you all!

Keith+

Truth and Freedom

2009-01-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, First Things, and came across this aticle which I think is a must read! The article outlines why Truth is essential to a free civilization. There is NO freedom without truth! Here is a taste of what Michael Novak had to say...

Where truth doesn’t count, conversation is empty. Where truth doesn’t count, persuasion can be no more than seduction or intimidation. Power rules.

To read more follow this link. http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1247

Peace,

Keith+

Calvin's Institutes: Are you reading with me?

2009-01-06T09:21:00.000-05:00

Today is Day 2 of reading through the Institutes! I pray that many of you are joining me on the journey of reading through Calvin's Institutes this year as we celebrate 500 years since his birth. Some may be wondering why I am so excited about doing this together. Derek Thomas summed it up best in his blog:

The Institutes as we now have it is the product of a lifetime's thought and reflection by one of the greatest theologians the church has known. In part, as it grew from six to eighty chapters, it reflects Calvin's own growth in his understanding of the Christian life. In all of its pages it reflects, as the preface to the first edition had indicated, not so much (as in Aquinas) a sum of all theology (summa theologiae), but a sum of all piety (summa pietatis). Theology and ethics have a symbiotic relationship.

If you have not started reading it is not too late. You can email me for a reading list or go to my earlier post on Calvin at 500 and follow the link to get one. Join me today in reading this work that will both ground you theologically and set your heart aflame for Christ and His glory!

Peace,

Keith+

Epiphany: Feeling or Feast?

2009-01-06T08:50:00.000-05:00

People hear the word epiphany and think of a feeling and NOT a feast. However, for Christians this word should call to our minds the feast/celebration of Christ making Himself known to the world.

Epiphany (Greek for "to manifest" or "to show"), is a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. Epiphany falls on January 6 or, if celebrated on a Sunday, on the first Sunday after New Year's Day. Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the child Jesus on this day, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles. Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)

I pray that today you will celebrate the "manifestation or revealing" of Christ to every tribe, tongue and nation! We can know Him because He has made Himself known to us. Let us feast on the blessings of Christ and share the bounty with others today and everyday.

Peace,

Keith+

Beginning With The End In Mind

2008-12-31T22:17:00.000-05:00

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

This past Sunday my family and I had the privilege of worshipping at Judson Baptist in Nashville Tennessee. This is the church home of my wife's family. It is a great fellowship under the leadership of Dr. Gene Mims. (pictured above)

Dr. Mims' message this week was concerned with our focus heading into the new year. He reminded us that there was little to nothing we could do to affect what has happened in 2008, but that how we entered 2009 would affect greatly what would happen in the days ahead. He said that we must "live in the moment, but not for the moment as we were created to live for more - Christ and His glory!"

What is your focus as you enter this new year? How are you intentionally going to live so that Christ might be glorified in your life?

If you do not pray and plan - focusing your heart and mind on Christ - you will miss many of the blessings and much of the joy of 2009!

I encourage you to begin this year with the end in mind...and then you will be able to say "better is the end of a thing than its beginning...".

May the grace and peace of Christ be with you throughout 2009.

Peace,

Keith+

Lessons From the Farm

2008-12-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

My family has been visiting relatives in Tennessee over the holidays. We have seen the most beautiful farmland as we have driven the back roads of the "Volunteer State".

These travels have led me to reflect upon the many passages of Scripture that use farming to teach us about following Jesus. Scripture calls us to sow seeds, to reap the harvest, to depend on God for the rain and the sunshine, we are to bear fruit, etc Each of these metaphors is rich with meaning for us today. The farmer and the farm are rapidly disappearing from the American landscape. Spiritual farmers are disappearing from the Church in America as well. We have traded the work of "farming faith" for "supermarket faith". Supermarket faith wants to substitute quick fixes, felt needs, marketing hype and a multitude of flashy programs for the plodding work of being "parables of Jesus". You see it is in the brokenness and the ordinary that Christ takes our lives and makes us "parables of Jesus". Through our lives the world gets a picture of how Christ redeems and restores creation. This is not quick work - just as it takes time for the farmer to till the soil and water and fertilize the crop and then to see the fruit so too our souls need time to be formed and filled. In order for this to take place we must leave the supermarket and go back to the farm!

On the farm the soil of our souls can be tilled by meditating on the Word, long prayers and silence for listening. We can plant the seeds of Bible study and Scripture memorization. We will be pruned by the thoughtful and loving care of deep relationships - those in which our sins are observed and corrected and our needs are met with love and sacrifice. We will see fruit in our lives of growing Christ-likeness and compassion for those who do not know Christ.

So, I want to invite you to put down your PDA, turn off your cell phone, turn off the computer, unplug the TV and spend some time on the farm with Jesus. Let the rain of His grace bring "the bloom of springtime" to your soul.

Peace of the Lord be with you,

Keith+

Walking in the Light

2008-12-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7, ESV

In 1 John 1:1-4 John tells us the truth about the Savior, in verses 5-2:2 he tells us the truth about our sin. In the midst of this he contrasts walking in darkness (sin/rebellion) and walking in the light (repentance/obedience/humility).

When walking in the darkness he tells us that we have no fellowship with Him (God). Sin has broken our relationship with a holy God! When discussing the benefits of walking in the light he does not say, as I would have expected, that it restores our relationship with Him, but rather that we have fellowship with one another and our sins are forgiven. Why?

John is sharing with us a great truth - when we are walking in the darkness it not only breaks our relationship with God, but it hurts everyone close to us. Pride, greed, hatred, lust, lying, stealing, harsh words all lead to suffering and seperation. However, when we run to the cross and humble ourselves before God we find forgiveness which restores fellowship with God and one another. The blood of Jesus washes away our guilt and the wrath we deserve is put upon Him. This opens the door for us to have fellowship with each other.

Thats right - with each other! When we experience forgiveness it makes us able to forgive, when we are blessed it enables us to bless others, when we have received amazing grace we are able to show grace, when we have been loved we are able to love. You see it is in the context of community that the fruit of forgiveness is harvested. It is in the relationships of the Church, the body of Christ, the Family of God, that we live out a life of grace.

The false teaching which John is combating had said that special knowledge would lead to spiritual freedom - this led to the haves and have nots. Those who had the "special knowledge" were better than those who did not. John was saying we all are sinful and seperated from God. We all need forgiveness and fellowship. We all need to be reconciled to God and to live life together. This is still true today - there should be no spiritual lone-rangers. We need each other to confront sin, to comfort pain, to challege error, to carry each other along, so that our lives will show forth the fruit of grace to the glory of God.

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to have a church family who will shine the light of truth and serve each other for the glory of God. God has blessed me beyond words by allowing me to serve you and walk with you - in the Light!

Peace of the Lord be with you,

Keith+

Calvin at 500

2008-12-26T20:14:00.000-05:00

There are few figures in Church history that have been so loved and so hated as John Calvin. I do not agree completely with Calvin at every point, however, I do believe every Christian should be aquainted with him. Therefore, I would like to recommend that you follow the link I have attached to this post and request from Reformation 21 a reading schedule that will guide you through Calivin's Institutes in 2009. This year (2009) is John Calvin's 500th birthday - let's celebrate by reading, reflecting upon and responding to Calvin! r21@alliancenet.org

Keith+

True Identity - Children of God

2008-05-17T17:05:00.000-04:00

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God..." (1 John 3:1, ESV)

John is so captivated by the love of God that he begins this sentence with an imperative - SEE or LOOK! John wants our gaze to be riveted upon the love of God. Where is this love most clearly seen? The Cross! It is at the Cross that we come to know the cost and the comfort of love.

The cost of love is Christ's perfect life and sacrifice for our sin (John 3:16). He died that we might live! The wages of our sin - Death. In our day we often rush past the reality of the cost in order to get to the benefit. However, we will never understand the benefit if we don't pause and reflect on our sin, our guilt and then we can understand the comfort of the Cross.

The comfort of love is that we are cleansed by the blood sacrifice of Christ and we are forgiven our sin. In addition, Christ's righteousness is imputed (credited/given) to us. Thus, when God looks at us we are seen not in our sin, but in Christ's righteousness. We are no longer slaves of sin, but now we are called CHILDREN OF GOD! Look at that - that is love!

This is the reality that has capture John's attention. This is love - we are guilty, but now we are forgiven by the grace of God! John says look WE are now called the "children of God"!

What does it mean to be someone's child? A child is a part of a family. The family is the covenant community in which a child is raised and from which he gains identity. My grandfather used to tell me that I had a good name and that I should always work hard, be honest and live in integrity - to "live up to your name". I knew from a young age what was expected of me as a part of my family. I was to conduct my life in a way that carried on the honor of my family name.

In addition to identity, knowing who you are, one gains direction from family. Children learn how to live from watching their fathers and mothers. This is why we read in Deut. 6:7-9 that fathers were to teach their children at every moment and by every action what God had commanded. Fathers must remember that every action and every day is a teaching moment - what they see and hear they will live out!

John is in this short verse reminding us we have a name and we have a pattern of life in Christ. We now carry the name of Christ - and we are called to live to the glory of God! (1 Cor. 10:31) Our call is to live the Christ-Life today in our homes, church and community. What John is saying to us is that we are to look at the love of God and then we are to live in light of who we really are - children of God.

I pray that we at CHS will live out these truths that others may see Christ alive in us - CHILDREN OF GOD!

Peace of the Lord be with you,
Keith+

Reformed and Charismatic!

2008-02-08T20:28:00.000-05:00

Books on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

by C.J. Mahaney

"I am reformed and charismatic. I hold both a Reformed view of soteriology (the doctrines of grace) and a charismatic/continuationist position and practice."

Thus begins a post on CJ Mahney's blog that I want to recommend to you all.

C.J. has had a profound affect on my own life and journey of faith. I too am both Reformed and Charismatic! I am fully convinced of both God's divine sovereignty and the ongoing work of God the Holy Spirit. To many of my friends this seems like a contradiction...Reformed and Charismatic.

For all of you who may desire to learn more about the ONGOING work of the Holy Spirit click the link (click on the title above next to CJ's picture) to C.J. post and read...study deeply...discover the power and work of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you,

Keith+

Rejecting Our Option to Experience God

2008-02-08T19:55:00.000-05:00

A. W. Tozer Daily Devotional
Friday, February 08, 2008
That Incredible Christ
Chapter #25
The Increasing Knowledge of God

That first picture of God and man at the time of the creation shows them in close and openhearted communion. Adam listens while God explains how it is to be with him in his Eden home and lays down a few easy rules for his life on the earth. The whole scene is restful, relaxed and altogether beautiful. But the communion did not last. Adams very likeness to God, viz., his freedom to choose, permitted him, though it did not compel him, to make a choice contrary to the will of God. So sin entered and the wondrous fellowship was broken. Seen from our human standpoint redemption must rank first among all the acts of God. No other achievement of the Godhead required such vast and precise knowledge, such perfection of wisdom or such fullness of moral power. To bring man into communion with Himself God must deal effectively with the whole matter of justice and righteousness; He must dispose of sin, reconcile an enemy and make a rebel willingly obedient. And this He must do without compromising His holiness or coercing the race He would save.

Prayer
O God, how often have I exercised the freedom You have given me to turn away from You to sin. That freedom I now use to flee to You and life in Christ!

Scripture
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

— Genesis 3:8

Thought
Adam and Eve rejected their option to experience God. They exercised their God-given freedom to turn away from God. We have all inherited their "spiritual DNA." We choose sin and darkness. In Christ God calls us to come to Him, to know Him.

THIS POST TAKEN ENTIRELY FROM THE A.W. TOZER DAILY DEVOTIONAL

Lent: A Time to Remember and Repent

2008-02-04T19:56:00.000-05:00

We live in a day when we tell each other and ourselves that we are "good". There is really no need for repentance because we are all so good. The only problem with this is that Scripture tells us a different story. "

None is righteous, no not one...All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." Romans 3:10-12, ESV

St. Paul's message is not that no one does anything that could be called "good", but rather that we (ontologically) are not good. Our nature is corrupt, or to use biblical language - we are sinners. The result of the Fall really was a separation from God, a spiritual death that leads us to physical and often emotional death as well. It is from a broken heart of love that he tells us the truth concerning ourselves - we are sinners - thus, we need a Savior. The Gospel, or good news, is that Christ has provided the guilt offering for our sins in His atoning death on the Cross.

As St. John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407) put it:

"Although we praise our common Lord for all kinds of reasons, we praise and glorify him above all for the cross. Paul passes over everything else that Christ did for our advantage and consolation and dwells incessantly on the cross. The proof of God's love for us, he says, is that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. Then in the following sentence he gives us the highest ground for hope: If when we were alienated from God, we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life!"

It is this hope of reconciliation that is the focus of Lent. We are reconciled to a holy God when we confess, or agree with God, that we are rebels, enemies of God, sinners. Then in repentance, by grace turning away from sin, we seek to follow after Christ and live according to His will and Word. During Lent, the forty days beginning at Ash Wednesday, the Church throughout the World will focus our hearts and minds on the gravity of sin and the grace of our Savior. "It [Lent] calls us back to God, back to basics, back to the spiritual realities of life. It calls us to put to death the sin and the indifference we have in our hearts toward God and our fellow persons." (Robert Webber) We will fast and pray for our sins and that God in His mercy will awaken men, women and children from every tribe tongue and nation to the gravity of sin and the grace of the Cross.

I would call on each member of Church of the Holy Spirit to consider that Christ GAVE UP the glory of heaven and TOOK ON the likeness of a man that He might redeem for Himself a people - The Church. In my family we will each give up something as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for us and we will take on something that will bless someone else. These small acts will remind us of the great gift of grace we have received from our Lord. I would ask you to consider during the next forty days spending time in prayer, fasting, giving up something and taking on something for another as we prepare to celebrate the victory of the Cross on Resurrection Sunday. In other words it is TIME to remember the gravity of sin and TIME repent!

Peace be with you all,
Keith+

The Profile of a Leader

2008-02-01T12:34:00.000-05:00

The following is my outline of a talk given by J.I. Packer at the 2008 Anglican Mission in the Americas Conference. Dr. Packer is one of my spiritual heros! It was an honor to talk with him personally and to be lead by him pastorally. I have also attached a picture of me with Dr. Packer as we shared a cup of coffee from Land of a Thousand Hills - check this mission out at the following link. http://www.landofathousandhillscoffee.com/

7 Qualities of a Leader - J.I. Packer
(Taken from the book of Nehemiah)

Note: In the Old Testament, as well as in the New, we find that God often sends leaders out in pairs...Moses and Joshua, Samuel and David, Ezra and Nehemiah

1. Openness to the Leading of God : which involves the following characteristics

Consecration - I am your servant
Communication - prayer to hear God's will
Concern - a broken heart over what hurts God and His people
Competence
Circumstances - you are in the right place to do something

2. Wisdom to plan for God's glory

3. Zeal to work and get others working

4. Prayerful trust in the faithfulness of God

5. Practical care for the needy people of God

6. HUMILITY in times of obvious success - giving God all the glory

7. TENACITY in times of apparent failure - trusting in God's call and His power.

I wish that I could recount the whole teaching for you as it is much richer than this outline. However, I hope that this will whet your appetite as a leader to read and meditate on Nehemiah.

Peace be with you,
Keith+

The Battle - Power

2008-02-01T11:59:00.000-05:00

"...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" Ephesians 6:18, ESV

Having put on the armor of God in preparation for battle (check previous post) we must next have the strength for battle. The strength/power for this spiritual battle comes through prayer! Prayer does not from the outside looking in seem to be powerful. Kneeling...eyes closed...asking...yeilding...listening... these are not words we routinely assoicate with power. Yet in the economy of faith they are the very essence of power and strength.

We must note when we are to pray - at ALL times. If you are like me I attempt to do things in my strength first and if that doesn't work out then I pray. It is because in my heart I am a glory robber. I want to still God's glory for myself. I want men to think much of me! I want to be seen as powerful. The truth, however, is that I am weak and apart from God I can do nothing. If this is true - and it is true - then there should never be an occassion that prayer is not my first response.

In addtion, we must note how we are to pray - IN THE SPIRIT. Now I am sure that this phrase is going to make some people very nervous. As a guy who formally lived in a tradition that deminished the Spirit's power and ongoing work I understand these feelings. However, I now believe - like Paul - that the Spirit is God and the source of all strength and power today just as He was in the New Testament church. Paul is telling us that we must pray in the Spirit. This means that we don't start by assuming our goals are God's goals - we ask what God wants and we wait and believe the Spirit will speak! (Romans 8:26-27) When we have heard from God the Holy Spirit we then ask for His power to accomplish it remembering that we cannot do it in our strength.

Many Christians have reduced prayer to the habit of asking God to do what they want Him to do. The practice of asking God for the next thing on your wish list. If this discribes prayer in your life I want to challenge you. Paul is reminding us we are in a battle, a spiritual war, for the Kingdom of God. We have on our knees the ability to hear from God, to act for God's glory and in His power to see His Kingdom come!

Today - pray in the Spirit as you enter the battle and see what the Lord will do!

Peace be with you,
Keith+

The Battle - Preparation

2008-01-19T11:06:00.000-05:00

I was recently talking with a man who felt his life was headed for disaster. He had relational, financial and vocational challenges. He was defeated! He had recently retired from the Army where he served in Special Forces. He said to me Keith, I know about war and fighting battles with guns, grenades and tanks, but I don't know how to fight this battle.

In January many of us make plans and set goals. We are going to lose weight, save money, work on our spiritual and personal relationships. We have lofty ideals and airtight plans. I would guess that as we begin the third week 2008 we have begun to discover that our plans and goals are at war with our circumstances and habits. We have already missed our target and the battle seems impossible. So what are we going to do?

As I talked with my friend we looked together at Ephesians 6:10-2o and made the following observations.

First, the battle is real and it is fought in the spiritual realm. Paul, thus tells us we must be strong in the LORD. In other words we cannot wins this battle in our own strength. Second, he tells us to PUT ON the whole armor of God. My friend being a soldier understood armor, but he needed to actively put on the spiritual armor needed for battle. This armor is made up of:

1. The Belt of Truth

2. The Breastplate of Righteousness

3. Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

4. Shield of Faith

5. Helmet of Salvation

6. The Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God

Before we can fight the battle we must prepare! We must be armed!

If you find yourself in a place similar to my friend, don't lose hope! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!

St. Stephen the Martyr

2007-12-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

St. Stephen's Day, December 26th, the day after we celebrate the birth of Christ is the day we remember that faith in Christ has a cost. St. Stephen lived to serve the Church and died proclaiming the love of Christ. He was a deacon, servant of the Lord, a man of faith and it cost him his life

Stephen: Man of Faith
This morning as I read Acts 6 and 7 I thought about Stephen's life prior to being called as a deacon. He must have been a godly man. A man who loved God and others with a great passion. I say this because he was one of seven men chosen to serve as deacons to the widows in Jerusalem. His character must have set him apart from others. His life must have been such that he was distinguished as being full of the Holy Spirit. Yet, I am sure that his life was a simple life lived in humble devotion. He must have been like the one described by Ish. 66:2 - "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." It was this humble faith that made him fit to be a deacon. In light of his humble faith the Apostles prayed over him, laid hands on him and sent him out to serve the Church.

As I read I remembered the day that I was called out to serve the Church. I will never forget when the bishop laid his hands on me, prayed over me and sent me out to spend my life serving the Church. I wonder if Stephen felt like I did - "Lord are you sure you want to use me?"

Stephen: Humble Servant
Stephen then spent his life serving. Deacon means table waiter. He did anything and everything necessary to serve others. In the Anglican Communion we have the threefold order of Bishop, Priest and Deacon. Before you can be Bishop you must be a Deacon. Before you can lead you must learn to be a servant. It is often said once a deacon always a deacon. We are all called to serve Christ and His Church with our lives.

Just as Christ came into the world to die, Stephen's faith in Christ brought about his death! It was because of his obedience he died. In our day it is often proclaimed that faith in Christ will lead to health, wealth and prosperity. Stephen is a reminder to us all that faithfulness does not always bring about worldly success, fortune or fame. In fact Christ said that all who followed Him would be persecuted (2Timothy 3:12). Stephen understood this truth better than I ever will!

Stephen: Man who loved the Lord and the lost
Stephen's life also caused me to reflect on the lengths to which love will go. You see it was Christ's love for the Father and the elect that led Him to the cradle and the Cross. Stephen's love of Christ and those who were lost led him to the edge of town where he was stoned to death. His desire to see those who had the form of religion, but not the power of relationship come to faith cost Stephen his life. His final words are haunting "Lord Jesus receive my spirit...Lord do not hold this sin against them." He died longing for the forgiveness of his enemies.

Today, let us all be full of faith, eager to serve and living to love others - especially those who do not know the love of Christ!

Peace and grace of Christ our Lord be with you all,

Keith+

African Anglicans - Suffering and the Savior

2007-12-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

Bishop Alex Bilindabagabo came to CHS to share his heart and vision for ministry in Rwanda. As I spent time with Bishop Alex and heard his passion I was reminded of why our lives were connected. Our hearts and lives are joined together by suffering and the Savior.

Bishop Alex endured the suffering of genocide in Rwanda. He watched as those whom he loved were abused and killed. He personally knows the pain of suffering while the whole world watched and did nothing. This understanding is what led Archbishop Kolini and the House of Bishops in Rwanda to act when they saw suffering in America.

The Episcopal Church USA has taken a decided and determined course toward liberalism. This departure from truth has left many faithful, god-fearing, orthodox Episcopalians suffering. Over a period of years, these faithful clergy and laity alike pleaded for someone to step in and bring orthodoxy back to the Episcopal Church. However, no one acted, and the suffering continued. Archbishop Kolini could not watch and do nothing, so he acted! He provided oversight and helped give birth to what was only a dream, The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA).

The Church of the Holy Spirit was the first parish to finds a home in the AMiA. We were one of those parishes that had tried to stand firm for the gospel and the authority of Scripture, but it seemed that we stood alone. In February 2000 CHS, under the leadership of Quigg+ and our vestry, left the Episcopal Church and moved from suffering to mission in the AMiA.

The AMiA as a missionary movement has been committed to reaching the 130 million non-believers in America. We have planted on average one new parish every 3 weeks for the last six years. CHS as a part of the AMiA has planted two parishes, CHS Orchard Hills in Boutertort and CHS The River in Blacksburg. The Mission as a whole now represents over 130 parishes in America and in Canada, with prospects for growth in other countries as well. We are committed to reaching out to those who are suffering in sin without Christ.

The AMiA like our brothers and sisters in Rwanda are moving forward turning suffering into joy to the glory of our Savior.