1.  Keeping watch.  Each week in the Sanctuary, we’ve “hidden” a lamb.  It has been a “Where’s Waldo” kind of way to remind us to wait and watch for the coming Lamb.  I need those physical reminders to connect my brain to what my heart needs, too.  Looking.  Watching.  Waiting.  Seeing.

2.  Joining in.  At the 4 o’clock Christmas Eve service we invite children of all ages to be part of the Christmas story by dressing up as your favorite Nativity character.  This allows for a bit of fun as we all experience the Christmas story anew!  So, dig through your dress up bins and pull out your finest!  Or, just come as you are — dressed in God’s grace and mercy as a loved and forgiven child of God!

3.  Giving gifts.  Also at the Christmas Eve services we get to gather and give gifts to infants and children in our area – in much the same way that the wise men gave gifts to the Baby King.  So, join us by donating an new, unwrapped item from the following list to be given to Doorways for Women and Children:

children’s toothbrushes

children’s toothpaste

children’s t-shirts

children’s pajamas

Avent baby bottles with fast/medium flow nipples

baby oil

baby “no tears” body wash

baby clothes in a variety of sizes

hair brushes and hair ties

shower caps

shower shoes for kids and adults

As we celebrate the never-changing story of God’s gift – Emmanuel – join us in living the story anew this year.  Come, let us adore Him!

-Louise-

So what’s All Saints’ about? Well, it’s about all the saints. Not just the folks with “St.” in front of their name, but all Christians throughout the whole history of the church. It’s a day when we celebrate the “communion of the saints,” as we say in the Apostles’ Creed — the fact that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, all followers of Jesus across space and time are joined together in one body. That’s why it’s a great time to baptize people — because in baptism, the Holy Spirit joins us into the communion of saints. I’m thrilled that we’ll be baptizing eight people on that Sunday!

All Saints’ has also become an occasion when we take time to remember loved ones who have died — those saints who’ve gone before us into God’s kingdom. We know that many of you have lost loved ones this year, and we want to take time in our worship to remember them. If someone you love has died in the last year, we invite you to send us their name and a photo. We will put all of these together and include them in remembrance and celebration in our worship. Just email them to becky [at] restorationarlington [dot] org by Wednesday, November 3.

- Erin

The Ash Wednesday liturgy captures some of what I love best about Anglicanism–  beauty, intentional words, silence, kneeling, sacrament, tactile helps, Eucharist, confession, Scripture, hope, history, prayer, deep hymns, visible reminders.

One of my dear friends, Cliff Warner is an Anglican priest in Austin, TX. He just wrote his top 5 reasons [in no particular order] for being Anglican.  He says it well…

1. Because I am part of something bigger than myself. Anglicanism is global and historic; it stretches across both space and time.

2. Because Anglicanism has a robust track record of theological reflection, thinking the faith and engaging contemporary issues (William Wilberforce, C. S. Lewis, J. I. Packer, John Stott, N. T. Wright).

3. Because Anglicanism appreciates the role of beauty in worship and formation, paying close attention to the use of words, space and music.

4. Because Anglicanism observes a rhythm of life and worship, from framing our days with Morning and Evening Prayer, to the church calendar.

5. Because the liturgical format of worship is Christ-centered, scripture-saturated and shaped to bring me face to face with my desperate need and God’s glorious mercy, then brings me and all the saints to the Lord’s Table.

Relish this season of Lent.  Be intentional.

Choose to be small.  Let God be big.

In lots of ways, Sunday’s worship exemplified much of what God is doing in and through our church:

• True worship - Andrew invited us to ask ourselves what God asked Elijah: “What are you doing here?” And Matt led us in music that answered that question: joyfully praising the God of glory and love, declaring that we’d rather spend one day in God’s presence than countless others anywhere else.
• Faithful leadership – David introduced and prayed for our vestry, the nine faithful men and women who provide spiritual leadership our congregation. Please pray for them as they continue to discern God’s vision for our church!
• Joyful community – Yet again, the pews were packed, and it was so encouraging to see relationships being formed and deepened in this community that God has called together.  Just a note to those who thought there was a little too much community at 11:00: Come at 9:00!  There’s a little more elbow room!
• Volitional sadness – It’s a little different from the other things on this list, but the title of David’s sermon captures the compelling, upside-down reality of the gospel. It’s by choosing to mourn — to enter into the places of our deepest hurt and sadness — that we find the blessing of Jesus’ comfort.

I do want to add a counterpoint, though, to the idea of the value of volitional sadness.  Entering into sadness isn’t always a good thing. For those who struggle with depression — and we are many — sadness is sometimes a place of stagnation or suffocation rather than of growth. So if you are someone dealing with depression, I want you to hear this: it can be just as faithful for you to seek and experience Jesus’ healing from your sadness as it can be for someone else to seek to enter into theirs.  It’s part of why I’m so grateful that God knows the needs of each of our hearts and meets us exactly where we are.

Where are you? And how is God meeting you there?

On September 15, 2010 at 7:30pm, Erin Bair will be made a transitional Deacon in the Anglican Communion by Bishop John Guernsey at Restoration Anglican Church.

That is a mouthful!

I am so excited for Erin and so proud of the way she has walked this journey.  It has been a long road from The Falls Church to Harvard to Iowa for clinical pastoral training to Restoration.  God has clearly had his hand on her every step of the way.  She has completed a Masters of Divinity.  She has completed an additional year of pastoral care training in a rigorous hospital environment.  And she has spent the last 2 years giving her sweat, blood, and tears to planting Restoration!

Everyone who follows Jesus is given the calling of building His Kingdom.  Every vocation matters. Yet, the church has always set aside some of its members for the task of leading the church.  The New Testament affirms 3 offices of church leadership:  deacon, presbyter (elder), and bishop/overseer (episcopos).  Erin will be ordained a transitional deacon, which means she will be recognized as a member of the clergy, a set apart leader of the church.  But she is on her way to being ordained a presbyter (sometimes called priests).

The next months are a special time of self-evaluation, reflection, and listening to God for Erin.  She is preparing to take significant vows to serve Christ and His bride, the church.  I invite us all to pray regularly for Erin over the next 8 months.  This is an exciting and sober season.

This is what Bishop Guernsey will pray on Sept. 15

Make her, O Lord, modest and humble, strong and constant, to observe the discipline of Christ.  Let her life and teaching so reflect your commandments, that through her many may come to know you and love you.  As your Son came not to be served but to serve, may this deacon share in Christ’s service, and come to the unending glory of Him who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.

AMEN!!

Powerful words.  I hope you will join us on Sept 15 at 7:30 as we celebrate what God is doing in and through our dear sister in Christ.

Bishop Minns looked at Hebrews 12:28 – 13:14 as a description of that kind of church.  You can read the full text of his talk here, but I wanted to share one passage that really grabbed my attention:

THEY LIVE BY FAITH – Leaders are people of faith living in such a way that if God fails to come through they are through! They are the people that I want to follow!

Notice also that the text assumes that there will always be a plurality of leaders. Biblical leadership is always shared leadership. The Bible knows nothing of the solitary clergy leader that is so prevalent in our churches today.

We should also remember that in addition to bishops, priests and deacons the New Testament makes clear that the church needs some to be “apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”22

I look forward to the day when CANA has many more of these kinds of leaders.

As someone who has the privilege to be one of the leaders of Restoration, I feel totally convicted, challenged, and humbled by that first sentence.  To live in such a way that if God doesn’t come through, I am through…  Wow.  I would love to live that way (I think!) but acknowledge that so often I don’t.  I am wrestling and praying through what that looks like.  I would love your prayers as I do!

I also find this passage hugely encouraging.  Because I look around Restoration and, in so many ways, see exactly the kind of church that Bishop Minns is talking about. Restoration is a place blessed with so many gifted leaders.  Not just the staff, but the vestry, small group leaders, our outreach team, children’s small group leaders… So many of you are sharing the gifts that God has given you in so many creative ways.  Our church is enormously blessed by it, and God is using you to build his kingdom!  So be encouraged — I am!

And I am so grateful to be on this adventure with you…

Recently Patrick wrote this reflection, The Strong Bones of Anglicanism. I asked if I could share an excerpt with you.  I think these characteristics of Anglicanism do a great job capturing the elements that I cherish.  I hope this encourages you while you pray for our Restoration team at CANA council.

1. Committed to the authority of the Bible and to the sharing of the Gospel.
   In recent years, Episcopalianism has moved away from holding this as a central tenet of its fellowship to preferring instead an individual’s own assessment of truth. Contrastingly, historic Anglicanism has been known for trusting the Bible as the sole basis for truth and faith. As new Anglican churches are being planted and established churches are being revitalized, especially by those who have left The Episcopal Church, the authority of the Bible is the starting place for fellowship and mission.

2. Committed to authority in pastoral leadership.
   If you’re an Anglican pastor, you should always know to whom you are responsible. Every ordained pastor has another experienced, and usually older, pastor supporting him or her in the background.  These are people to whom they can report to and seek counsel. We call these seasoned leaders Bishops.

3. Committed to being a global church with global fellowship and accountability.
   Anglican Bishops share in their own community not only through domestic fellowship, but by joining together with Anglican Christians all around the world, who together help each other to discern the will of God for the church. The body of Christ, in its most faithful form, should be representative of all tribes, tongues and nations to which we are called to take the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. God speaks uniquely to each church, but His messages can never stand in conflict with His Word. We need each other, across cultures, to ensure that we are faithfully hearing the will of God, especially when our hearing may be impaired by our own sin.

4. Committed to shared-leadership in the local church.
   Anglican churches are always led by an ordained pastor as well as a small group of church members [called the vestry] who work together to lead the church and steward its resources.

5. Committed to interdependence of churches, and not independence.
   Anglican churches believe it’s better (more biblical, safer, and more enjoyable) to be a part of an association of churches under authority than to be independent.

6. Committed to the use of the Book of Common Prayer as an aid to private and corporate worship.
   Anglican Christians use this wonderful little book that’s filled with prayers and worship aids to help them structure their time with the Lord, both in private and together in corporate worship. The purpose of structure in worship is to ensure that they are not concentrating on merely one area of life with the Lord. Worship in an Anglican church will almost always include: singing, readings from the Bible, a teaching on the Bible, prayers, confession of sin and the assurance of God’s forgiveness, and a celebration of the Lord’s supper also called Communion or Eucharist. The prayer book also contains Anglicanism’s historical documents and creeds (statements of belief) to which it holds.

7. Committed to coming together for special services of worship during special times of year.
   Anglicans, especially during Christmas and Easter, have lots of worship services! When Anglicans remember the birth of Jesus and his death and resurrection, they hold services during the week so that they can walk together through these great events in the life of Jesus. Anglicans love to grow closer to each other, and to the Lord, during these times.

8. Committed to valuing all three streams of the Christian faith: Anglo-Catholic (with an emphasis on liturgy and sacrament) Charismatic (with emphasis on the sanctifying and empowering work of the Holy Spirit), and Evangelical (with emphasis on the authority of the Bible to lead people to the saving work of Jesus’ death and resurrection).
   Imagine the church as a great river that runs in three parallel streams fed from the same spring, each flowing with power to eventually empty into the same ocean. This is the church, given by God, flowing from his heart through time towards the same place: the return of Christ and the glorious inauguration of the kingdom of God in full at the end of history. Anglican Christians think that all three streams of the church bring equal glory to God and each have unique value for drawing men and women closer to the Lord.

by The Rev. Patrick Ware

“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”   Romans 15: 5-6

This is what I have been praying for myself this week as I get ready to head in to 3 days of meetings with our ‘denomination.’  This annual gathering in Herndon, VA is an opportunity for us to hear teaching on being a missional church, for us to meet the Primate of all Nigeria (Archbishop Nicholas Okoh), and to be encouraged by our bishop, Martyn Minns.  I am looking forward to seeing colleagues from around the country who are faithfully leading congregations that want to be salt and light in this world.  And, to be honest, I like attending the sessions on ‘key HR policies for CANA parishes’ and ‘what’s in the constitution and canons…’  It’s the nerd in me.

Restoration has a team of 3 delegates:  Ramsey Wilson, Richard Hines, and Erin Bair. They represent us in various seminars and discussions.  They get to tell our story as an encouragement to others.  And they will help us think about our on-going relationship to the wider Anglican Communion.  I am so grateful to not have to attend by myself!!

Andrew Thompson will bring a team of middle-schoolers on Friday to help set-up and serve in the background.  I am proud of them for jumping in to meet this need.

I ask for your prayers over the next 3 days.  Pray for Restoration to be a voice in our local community that attracts those who are curious about Christianity.  Pray for the Anglican church in North America as we seek to hear God’s voice and discern new structures.  Pray for humble faithfulness to the Scriptures for the world-wide Communion.

See you on Sunday.

• Appreciate our Anglican heritage with realism. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was a rediscovery of the Gospel, renewed the emphasis placed on Scripture, and allowed for the laity to participate in communal worship. Indeed, the Reformation was one of the leading contributors to the rise of the modern world. But, Guinness gently reminded us, history is never simple. The Reformation had many sins of its own: iconoclasm destroyed many great works of art. Even with the new emphasis on the Gospel, Protestants were continually outshone by Catholics in terms of mission: the Jesuits had mission hubs in Asia and Latin America by the close of the sixteenth century. Political entanglements also pervaded the work of Reformers: as Anglicans, we certainly know this to be true. Reflecting realistically on our past will help us face the future.
• Face up to the cultural transformations of our age. There is no denial that there has been a shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, which has certainly made our globe seem much smaller. There has also been a shift from Singular Modernity to Multiple Modernity, a concept which may be a bit more difficult for us, as Americans, to accept: Modernization no longer equals Westernization. This is especially evident in the recent events concerning the Anglican Church during which the Church of Nigeria came to the rescue of orthodox believers in North America.
• Be prepared for a war of spirits. Immanuel Kant predicted that rationalism would necessarily lead to “perpetual peace.” We need to look no further than our daily news outlet to see that this has not been the case, nor does the trend seem to be headed in that direction. Existing in the same societies are completely different world views with completely different values, accounting for the culture class. Culture wars are fueled by holy wars, whether between religions or between denominations. The war of spirits has also seeped into individual believers. The acid of pluralistic relativism is eating away at the orthodox beliefs of individuals. (52% of American Christians believe that Jesus is not the only Way.)
• Keep the challenge of secularism in perspective. Secularists seem to have a lot going for them: they are often among the educated elite, they seem to have a lot of fuel against any religious worldview. But, Guinness reminds us, all their great ideas are baseless. Secularists, and Atheists in particular, really have no grounds for morality. (In one of Richard Dawkins’ books, he expresses a sort of moral outrage at the idea of boiling a lobster alive. I wonder whether he is able to defend his averseness from an evolutionary standpoint.) Guinness also characterizes secularists of having an extraordinary “tone-deafness”: they cannot pick up the music by which ordinary people live their lives, they are indifferent to the richness and mystery of life.
• Keep the challenge of Islam in perspective. The Islamic passion for justice, as well as its great moments in science and scholarship are admirable. But Islam is increasingly becoming de-territorialized and de-confessionalized. In short, it is beginning to face the problems of modernization. We need look no farther than the current conflict in France over the burqa to see this. No matter which side of the matter you take, it is obvious Islam is having to face modernity head on.
• Face up to the lethal distortions of faith in the modern world. Guinness states: “The modern world has done more destruction to faith than all the persecutors of Christianity combined.” He cites three factors: a shift from integrated to fragmented faith; a shift from authority to preference; and a shift from exclusivity to syncretism. The shift from integrated to fragmented faith is obvious in our lifestyles: where we work and live and worship are no longer within the same spheres. I can’t walk to work,  nor can I walk to church. The demographics in my neighborhood are much different than those in the neighborhood where Restoration is located, and these different spheres have different world views. The shift from authority to preference is illustrated in there being no cohesion between belief and behavior. (Evangelical behavior certainly, more often than not, does not reflect belief.) The shift from exclusivity to syncretism is a reflection of modern consumerism: take what you like, leave what you don’t. Consumerism has pervaded even our worship.
• Pray and work for Reformation revolution in modern times. Bizarre things are happening in this country in the name of Christ (the Michigan “Christian” militia group comes to mind). We, as Christians, need to hold the distortions of Christian doctrine in the same contempt Luther held Tetzel’s indulgences. Remembering that the Church has a doctrine of its own failure, we continue to have hope that the Church can be awakened. Our faith should be such that it survives the teeth of modernity and continues to influence culture.

In short, Guinness challenges us to analyze the modern world to understand the difficulties it presents to Christian living. The Church may have been temporarily crippled by modernity; indeed, it seems to have gone terribly astray, but we have theology and history to give us hope. So we continue to live and work for the building of the kingdom, knowing that we need not fear, for He who is greater than the world is within us.

During Holy Week, all the offerings we collected were given to the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF). The total that came in that week, including Easter was close to $11,000!!  We gave it all away.

ARDF is an organization committed to an holistic, high impact community development approach that crosses cultural and economic boundaries in some of the most challenging parts of the world. They work directly with Anglican churches in the Global South to ensure that believers are strengthened and encouraged, lives are rescued and made whole, and Christ is glorified.

Currently, some of ARDF’s projects include training healthcare workers in Kenya to prevent the spread of Malaria, training locals in Sudan in new agricultural techniques to help them move toward self-sufficient farming, and providing relief for earthquake victims in Chile. 

Thanks, Restoration, for giving so generously to our brothers and sisters throughout the world.