The Rector's Blog
Part A- https://youtu.be/hDeEUN2d2sU
Part B- https://youtu.be/EnDwtFe4knI
Part C- https://youtu.be/MkuIbzUMlHM
During this lesson, Fr. Kyle teaches on:
IX. Of Original or Birth Sin.
X. Of Free Will.
XI. Of the Justification of Man.
XII. Of Good Works.
XIII. Of Works before Justification.
XIV. Of Works of Supererogation.
XV. Of Christ alone without Sin.
XVI. Of Sin after Baptism.
A summary of the creeds can be found: https://bcponline.org/ (under "Historical Documents of the Church")
Part 1-A https://youtu.be/HUStU_HbuLA
Part 1-B https://youtu.be/rh39xgUtUVI
In the first of this five part series, Fr. Kyle teaches us about:
The History of the 39 Articles and Articles I-VIII
I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.
II. Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man.
III. Of the going down of Christ into Hell.
IV. Of the Resurrection of Christ.
V. Of the Holy Ghost.
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.
VII. Of the Old Testament.
VIII. Of the Creeds.
A summary of the creeds can be found: https://bcponline.org/ (under "Historical Documents of the Church")
The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the following Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent found in the Ash Wednesday Liturgy:
“Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer” (BCP 264-265).
As the above invitation sets forth, Lent is a season of self-examination and repentance that is marked by times of prayer, fasting, and self-denial, and time spent reading God’s holy Word. All of this is done to prepare us to once again hear and rejoice in the proclamation of our Lord Jesus Christ’s saving work for us during Holy Week and on Easter Day. To enable you to enter the season in this way, I’ve included below some suggestions on how you might observe a holy Lent.
1. Spend time each day reading the Bible – If you are not already committed to reading the Bible each day, now is a good time to get started. To help give you some direction on what to read, try using the Lenten Devotional from Trinity School for Ministry which is provided by the church. This devotional contains the Book of Common Prayer Lectionary readings prescribed for each day of Lent – Old Testament, Psalm(s), Epistle, and Gospel. Reading the Bible using the Lectionary is a great way to read through almost the whole Bible over the course of two years. If you need help figuring out how to do this, Fr. Kyle would be more than happy to help you.
2. Spend time each day in prayer – A great way to spend time praying during Lent is to use the Daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. Both offer the opportunity to “pray” the Bible, as almost everything in each service is merely Scripture recast in prayer form. You might also want to consider coming out to church for Morning Prayer on Tuesdays and Thursdays during Lent. These services begin at 9am.
3. Spend time reading Christian writings – There are any number of good, solid Christian books on the market these days, although not all of them are sold in places like Barnes and Noble or Books-a-Million. Some recommendations of good books are: Core Christianity by Michael Horton, Grace Alone by Carl Trueman, Reformation Anglicanism by Null & Yates, or Free to Be by Forde & Nestingen. Or perhaps try reading something old, such as something from St. Augustine, Martin Luther, or John Calvin. There are now loads of older Christian writings available for free online through sources like Google Books.
4. Attend the Lenten Teaching Series – On each of the five Sundays during Lent, we will be learning about the 39 Articles of Religion in the back of the Book of Common Prayer. These Articles function as a concise summary of Anglican beliefs. If you are not familiar with them (and even if you are), this is a good opportunity to learn about what we, as both Episcopalians and members of the broader Anglican Communion, believe and it’s a good opportunity to get a better grip on what it means to love, trust, and follow Jesus as a Christian in the Anglican Way.
5. Unplug – Perhaps one of the best ways to observe a holy Lent is to disconnect from some, or all, of the electronic distractions that we have going on all around us. Instead of spending time looking at email, or on Facebook, or surfing the Web, turn off your devices for a while and spend time reading or praying.
6. Take up a fast – I know how it goes: Everyone wants to give up chocolate, or sweets, or alcohol for Lent. For many this is done with a slightly selfish bent; that is, to lose a little weight. Instead of that though, how about this: give up one meal a day, as a discipline of the body and a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and use the time you have freed up to study God’s Word.
7. Come for private confession and absolution – Although it seldom happens in the Episcopal Church today, private confession is still available and is quite appropriate to be used during the season of Lent. To unburden ourselves of our sins and hear God’s Word of forgiveness can be quite freeing. If this is something that interests you, please feel free to talk with Fr. Kyle and make an appointment.
My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Well, here we are again. Another year has ended and it’s time to look back on where we’ve been, while also looking forward to what’s coming in the year ahead. As I was doing this in preparation for this report, I was reminded of the charge that had been laid upon me by the Bishop in my ordination to the Priesthood that: “As a priest, it will be your task to proclaim by word and deed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to fashion your life in accordance with its precepts. You are to love and serve people among whom you work, caring alike for young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor. You are to preach, to declare God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners, to pronounce God’s blessing, to share in the administration of Holy Baptism and in the celebration of the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood, and to perform the other ministrations entrusted to you” (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 531).
To put this succinctly, my job among you as your Priest and Pastor is to proclaim God’s Word, the Law and the Gospel (the Good News of Jesus Christ), to you in Word and Sacrament, not only on Sunday mornings but also in all the places of life where you rebel against God and where you struggle, hurt, and labor. I can honestly say that, by God’s grace, I have striven to do just this throughout 2017 and, in so doing, I trust that the Holy Spirit has been at work among you transforming you “by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2) and conforming you to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). To that end, I’d like to highlight some of the ways that I sought to help you to grow in your knowledge and love Jesus Christ in 2017, apart from the preaching and administration of the Sacraments on Sunday morning.
Adult Education – Every Sunday morning at 9:45am, there’s an opportunity available for you to grow in your knowledge of the Scriptures through our Adult Education class. For the first part of 2017, we wrapped up a comprehensive study of the Gospel according to John. Following this, in the Fall, we began a study of the Old Testament lesson for each Sunday to not only help us to better understand the Old Testament itself, but also to learn how to read the Old Testament from a Christian perspective. This has been quite well-attended and there is always room for more. If you are not doing so already, please consider coming out on Sunday mornings to join us!
Rector’s Bible Study – On the second Wednesday of each month, following the Prayer and Praise service, at 7:30pm, I host a Bible Study at the church which focuses on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, which is one of the foundational books for understanding the entire message of the Scriptures. As this is a once-a-month study, we have been working our way rather slowly through the 16 chapters of the book, but I can honestly say that, despite the slowness of our progression, the conversations around the text have been quite fruitful and strengthening for those who attend.
Lenten Study Series – This past Lent, I led a teaching series on the historic liturgies of the Anglican Church in honor of the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We began with a two-part study of our current liturgy, examining the whys and hows of what we do each Sunday morning. This was followed by the celebration of the 1928, 1662, and 1552 Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion Services with some discussion about the differences and similarities of these services to our own present-day service. About 25-30 people attended each of these teachings and found them to quite helpful for better understanding why we worship in the liturgical tradition. Videos of these teachings are available if you missed them.
The Reformation and Why It Still Matters – In the Fall of 2017, I led a three-week study on the history of the Reformation. For two weeks, we focused on the catalyst to the Reformation and the theology of Martin Luther, and on the third week we examined the history of the Anglican Reformation and some of the distinctives of Anglicanism. This study was very well- attended, and I received a lot of positive feedback about it. Videos of these teaching are also available if you missed them.
Morning Prayer – In 2017, I began offering Morning Prayer each Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9am. This is a wonderful opportunity to begin your day with biblically-rich, corporate prayer. While it has been lightly attended on a whole, those of us who do meet find it to be a very enriching and faith-shaping experience. I would encourage more of you to consider joining us.
Before wrapping up my report, I’d like to say a few concluding words about 2017 and then a few words about 2018. (Please understand that there’s a whole lot more I could say, but then the report would end up being 50 pages – and no one wants that!) On a whole, I feel that 2017 was a very good year for Messiah. It was my third full year with you as your Rector and I feel that we have begun to establish a solid rhythm of walking our way through the liturgical year together. Our Sunday morning services are always joyful, hopeful, and encouraging, because they are always Christ-centered and not us-centered. As we enter 2018, I would encourage us all to remember that when we come here on Sunday morning it is at the gracious invitation and prompting of our Lord, to receive His promises in Word and Sacrament that we might be built up in faith, and then, and only then, to turn and give Him thanks and praise. We come because our good and gracious King wants us to know who we are, who He is, and what He has done for us because of who we are, so that we might trust Him more and more.
In addition to this, I’d like to say that I’m quite happy with where our parish life is on a whole. We have plenty of wonderful opportunities for fellowship and growth in faith that, if you aren’t already participating in, I would encourage you to consider.
Of course, this is not to say that everything in our parish life is perfect. We still have some struggles with finances, just as many churches do. That said, in 2018, I call on all of you to remember to be good stewards and keep up your pledges and, if you are not already doing so, to work toward tithing. Your faithful giving helps to keep us moving forward and provides us with opportunities to do new and exciting things in our community and abroad.
And here’s what’s in store for 2018 on my behalf. Starting in February, I’ll begin hosting a Catechism class for those 10 years old and older who wish to learn more about the Christian faith as it’s given expression in the Anglican tradition. For the five Sunday nights of Lent of this year, I’ll be doing a teaching series on the 39 Articles of Religion, which I believe is our confession of faith as Anglican Christians. In addition to that, for each of the Sundays of Lent, I will be preaching on the Ten Commandments (2 Commandments per Sunday) as a way of strengthening our understanding of how God calls us to live and think. Beyond this, I hope to (finally) get a few things off the ground that I have been thinking about for a while. First, I’d like to begin a type of “Theology of Tap” program at Harry’s Ale House, where those of us who are interested can meet and read through some Christian texts in a public space, and where others can be encouraged to join us. Second, I’m also seeking to begin a personal prayer ministry at Starbucks once a week. The idea is that I’ll sit at Starbucks and have my coffee and do my work with a “free prayer” card on the table for any customers who might like prayer. This would help me get to know folks in our community more and perhaps encourage some people to come and join us on Sunday mornings.
The very last thing that I’ll address with you all is my Doctoral degree, as I know some of you are interested in where things stand with this. In 2015, I began a Doctor of Ministry (DMin) program through St. Paul Lutheran Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and Sioux Falls Seminary in South Dakota. This is a three-year program, which means that I am wrapping up the bulk of my studies this coming semester. After the semester concludes in June, I’ll have two more classes to take in Sioux Falls itself and then I’ll need to write my doctoral dissertation, which will be a study of the Rite I and Rite II liturgies of our Book of Common Prayer, focusing on their use as Pastoral Care as reflected through Martin Luther’s understanding of the distinction of Law and Gospel. I very excited to begin working on this project, as it’s something I’ve been contemplating for quite some time.
Well, with all of this said, I wish God’s peace to all of you in 2018! I look forward to continuing to walk with you as we grow in our love and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ!
Your spiritual father in Christ, Kyle+
From Messiah's Messenger Advent edition 2015
What is Advent?
When it comes to Advent and Christmas in the world around us, things are somewhat skewed. Advent is essentially non-existent and Christmas now begins sometime in the afternoon on October 31st. There are a number of reasons why this is so, two of the biggest ones being
the consumerist culture that we live in and our ever-increasing need for instant gratification. Unfortunately because of the world’s influence on the Church this mentality has tended to permeate the Church and to cause Christians to lose focus on the Advent season at the expense of gearing up for Christmas early. Thus we see many churches today singing Christ- mas hymns during the season of Advent or preaching sermon series on Christmas in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Advent, which is such an important season on the Liturgical calendar gets buried and/or pushed to the side.
So, what is Advent and why is it so important? Is it just Christmas-lite or is there a deeper
meaning to it? It of course bears saying at this point that Advent is not Christmas-lite. The
Christmas season on the Liturgical Calendar does not begin until December 24th and then it
runs for 12 days up to January 6th (Remember “The 12 Days of Christmas?”). Advent is a
season of expectation and hope that drives to Christmas but it is not Christmas. Advent is a
time of looking forward to God’s fulfillment of His promises in Jesus Christ; it is a season of looking forward to the comings of Jesus. The word “Advent” itself means “a coming.” Now, we do this in two ways. One, we join with our faithful ancestors of the past and look forward to the joyful promise of the First Coming of the Messiah, the Christ, the fulfillment of which takes place on Christmas Day. This is why we hear about the ministry of John the Baptist so heavily during the season of Advent and why our Old Testament lessons tend to be the clearer prophecies of Christ. But during Advent we also join with all faithful believers across time to look with expectation and hope to the Second Coming of Christ as well. So, during Advent we also have readings that proclaim Christ’s second coming in the mix. That said, this is a joyful season of preparation. Our Lord has fulfilled the promises of God and come in the first instance to be born among us that He might die and rise for us. But we also look with great joy and hope and expectation to the fact that He is coming again when the Father wills for Him to come again. In both cases though this means that there is some patience to be had. Much like you can’t open your Christmas presents until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so we must wait to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child on Christmas Eve. And we must wait with patience for our Lord’s Second Coming; He will come when it is right for Him to come and not a moment sooner.
So think on this as you celebrate Advent this year. Let the season be what it is, namely a time for preparing to hear again the Good News of Christmas Day and also a time of preparing to hear the Good News that He has re- turned. And then let your joy and praises ring out on Christmas Eve when we all gather to praise our Savior who is born for us.
Your spiritual father in Christ, Kyle+
A brief history of the Reformation's impact on the Anglican church
The Theology of Martin Luther
Martin Luther and the history of the Reformation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY3FyEzRSE8&feature=youtu.be
Holy Week Services at Church of the Messiah, Fredericksburg - April 9-16, 2017
Palm Sunday
April 9, 2017
8:30 AM (Rite I) & 11 AM (Rite II) The Blessing of the Palms
(in Narthex)
Procession into the Church
The Reading of the Passion Holy Communion
This day begins as a triumphant day of public devotion to Jesus. In heart and mind we join the great crowd that gathered at Jerusalem to honor Jesus as King. We do this by carrying and waving Palm branches, a sign of victory and triumph. At the same time, as we welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, we are confronted with the truth that Jesus, our Messiah and King, is something different and something more than we ever expected Him to be. This gets fleshed out as we hear the Passion narrative (the account of His betrayal, trial, suffering and death), the mood changes, and we begin to look forward to the events of Good Friday.
Maundy Thursday
April 13, 2017
7:30 PM
The Lordʼs Supper Stripping of the Altar Prayer Watch
Why do we have Holy Communion, or the Lordʼs Supper, as the main service of worship each week? Because Jesus, on the Thursday of Holy Week, called the disciples together and shared one last meal with them in which He left them His last will and testament in the bread and wine, namely His Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. He then instructed
His disciples to continue to observe this Sacrament in which He promises to be present to us to freely and unconditionally forgive us our sins. After Communion, there will be a dramatic stripping of the Altar to remind us of the violent manner in which Jesus was “betrayed into the hands of sinful men.” Before we leave this service in silence, there will be a period of time available to sit in silence in the Lordʼs presence, to “keep watch” with Him, praying silently or reading the Scriptures. The church will remain open until 9 AM on Friday for those who wish to stay and keep watch.
Good Friday
April 14, 2017
12 PM - Good Friday Liturgy
The Reading of the Passion
The Veneration of the Cross
Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament
7:30 PM - Evening Prayer, Rite II
This is the day that Jesus dies for us. He offers, in great pain and suffering, the one “full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world.” Come hear how in this most loving act of Jesus, He gives His all that the powers of evil are conquered and we receive salvation. This service includes the reading of the Passion according to John, the Solemn Collects, The Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament.
As the Good Friday Liturgy is only to be celebrated once, at 7:30 PM we will be having an Evening Prayer service complete with Good Friday readings, sermon, and prayers specific to the day.
The Great Vigil of Easter
April 15, 2017
Holy Saturday - 8 PM
The Lighting of the Paschal Candle Reading of the Prophecies
Renewal of Baptismal Vows
The First Holy Communion of Easter
This dramatic service begins with the church in
darkness. Seemingly, the powers of sin and
death have won. But then the New Fire is
lighted, symbolizing the overcoming of sin and
death by Christ, who is the Light of the World. Then the Paschal Candle is lighted, and a procession is formed to go to the sanctuary. There the Paschal Candle is blessed, and Godʼs victory over evil is celebrated in the reading of the Exsultet and the reading of the Prophecies of Christʼs victory over sin and death. We all renew our Baptismal vows and the joy of Christʼs resurrection is reflected in the First Holy Communion of Easter.
Easter - The Day of Resurrection
April 16, 2017
8:30 AM (Rite I) & 11AM (Rite II) Festival Celebration of Holy Communion
The enemies of God are defeated. The dark powers of the spiritual underworld are overcome. Jesus is alive and in being raised makes the promise to His followers, “Because I live, you will live also.” He is raised, not with a word of vengeance and retaliation for a world that wasted Him, but simply with a word of forgiveness and salvation for the whole world. So Easter is a time for great rejoicing! Come out and join us as we praise our Lord Jesus Christ whom God raised from the dead!
During these weeks, Fr. Kyle led us through the 1928/1662 Eucharist Service. Following the service, we had a time for question and answer.
Our Lenten Series will conclude this Sunday, Apr. 2th with the 1552 Eucharist Service and time for Q&A.
1928 Eucharist
1662 Eucharist
