13 September 2009

Welcome to  St Alban's Anglican Church       

Today's Scripture: Isaiah 50: 4-9a                     James 3: 1-12                          S. Mark 8: 27-end

 

Today: 9.00 a.m. Matins;      9.30 a.m. BCP Holy Eucharist;         6.00 p.m. Evening Prayer

This Week: Mon (HOLY CROSS DAY) 12.30 PM HC; Tues-Fri 12.30 PM Midday Prayers

Next Week: Sunday 20^th September 9.00 a.m. Matins; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist.

14^th Sunday after Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS (September 14th)

Begun around the seventh century as a result of rediscovering fragments of the cross of Christ, the feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross celebrates the victory that Christ won on Calvary over evil, sin and death. It reminds us that salvation is offered to us by Jesus’ sacrifice and that from now on there is nothing on this earth that can ever hold permanent sway over our lives since Christ has conquered all that stands in the way of fullness of life. Until quite recently this feast was considered of such importance that the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in the week in which the feast fell were designated as Ember Days, days of special prayer and fasting.

 

DO ANGELS EXIST?

Over the ages there are some things in Christian

tradition that are stressed for a while and then are almost forgotten for long periods of time. It’s not that they’ve been denied, rather that they have taken a back seat while other things have been more prominent. This has been the case with angels.

Although the bible often talks about angels, we are never told exactly when they were created. They seem to be there at the earliest times. In the bible we come across Michael the Archangel defending heaven against the rebellious angels, Raphael helping the young Tobias, and Gabriel making various announcements, particularly to the Virgin Mary. There are lots more examples of angels intervening on earth and Jesus speaks about them too. In fact, angels seem to be a natural part of the way Jesus viewed the world and the kingdom of heaven.

Angels in the bible are spiritual, non-bodily beings who serve God, praise God and carry out whatever is necessary for God’s plan of salvation to come to fruition. The actual word angel comes from the Greek word for “messenger”. Most apparitions of angels, especially in dreams, show them bringing a message from God to the individual. This is what happened to Joseph when he was told that Mary’s child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and when he was warned to leave home and escape the slaughter of Herod.

If we take the Old Testament and New Testament seriously then we cannot simply bypass angels. But we can ask ourselves some questions that might help us to understand them a bit more than simply as ghostly phantasms.

 WHAT DO THEY DO?

Because God’s relationship with us is based on love and care, angels are often depicted as being sent by God to look after and protect people. From this aspect of their character there grew up the idea of Guardian Angels. Popular piety encompasses many forms of devotion to the Guardian Angels. St. Basil Great (died 378) taught that “each and every member of the faithful has a Guardian Angel to protect, guard and guide them through life”. This ancient teaching was consolidated by the bible and the early teaching of the fathers of the Church and lies behind many forms of piety.

 

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS 

Mon (HOLY CROSS): Numbers 21: 4–9, Phil 2: 6-11, John 3: 13-17

Tues: 1 Chron 13, Mark 10:1-16, Acts 13:44 – 14:7

Wed: 1 Chron 15:1 – 16:3, Mark 10:17–31, Ac 14:8-end

Thurs: 1 Chron 17, Mark 10: 32-34, Acts 15: 1–21

Fri: 1 Chron 21:1 – 22:1, Mark 10: 35–45, Ac 15: 22–35

Sat : 1 Chron 22: 2-end, Mk 10: 46-end, Ac 15:36 – 16:5

NEXT SUNDAY: Jeremiah 11: 18-20, James 3: 13 – 4: 3, 7-8a, S. Mark 9: 30-3