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Update
May 2nd, 2008
Vestry
Goals for 2008
- 100%
Participation in Bible Study and Christian Ed, in keeping
with ASA.
- Growth
of 30 unchurched people.
- Monthly
Discipleship Meeting and Accountability.
- Average
Sunday Attendance of 100 or more.
- Start
up a Formal Healing Ministry.
- 100%
Participation in Service/Ministry in keeping with ASA.
- Vestry
Sponsored Bi Monthly Evangelistic Events involving 100%
ASA. .
Dear
Good Shepherd,
Matt is busy doing many things, so I’m here again this
week. He's written some parts of this update below, but I've
dobe most of it. He’ll be back to talk about Vestry
Goal #2 next week. And I had an article in the works, but
I got distracted by laundry and the ridiculous idea that it
might be time to move Rowan out of the crib. I have put him
to bed more times than I can count. In any case, since
Matt lost his digital recorder, I did want to make sure everyone
got to see his sermon, so, instead of my not yet written article,
here is his sermon that I encourage everyone to read.
Sermon:
The Consequences of Standing Firm
by
the Rev. Matt Kennedy
In
the summer of 2006 I was in Columbus Ohio for the General
Convention of the Episcopal Church. I was there to write articles
for Stand Firm but even if I'd not had a specific job to do,
I don't think anything could've kept me away. The Anglican
Communion asked the Episcopal Church to place a moratorium
on same sex blessings and the consecration of any future bishops
living in non-celibate gay relationships. The future of the
Communion, the future of the Episcopal Church, the future
of Good Shepherd, my future, Anne's future hung in the balance.
If the Episcopal Church had stepped back from the brink; had
she only relented and put the moratoria in place the consequences
we all now face could've been avoided. But she did not. I
was there on the Convention floor when repentance was ruled
out of order.
And there have been consequences.
The consequences for the Episcopal Church itself are obvious.
By almost every objective measure, aside from money—she has
plenty of that—the church is broken, dying, and in decline.
And tragically even as she dies, she clings more tightly to
the philosophies, worldviews, and priorities that destroy
her. She hacks at the pillars of scripture and tradition only
to find that she has nothing left on which to stand. It's
common to hear Episcopalian ministers publicly mock core biblical
truths;' pouring scorn on cental doctrines like the virgin
birth, the bodily resurrection, the atoning sacrifice of Christ,
the fallenness of humanity, the existence of hell and salvation
through Jesus Christ alone and then marveling that their churches
stand empty.
The consequences that come from leading people away from Christ
and into falsehood are obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
But the consequences we must discuss this morning are not
those that follow from rejecting Christ but those that come
from following him.
A few months prior to general convention 2006, Good Shepherd
attended a district meeting at Trinity Memorial Church across
the river that had been called to allow the diocesan deputies
to Convention to hear from people in the pews before setting
off. Camille Lane read the public letter we'd prepared for
the occasion. I'll reread some of it to you this morning:
“As your brothers and sisters in Christ, fully aware of our
own sinfulness, we plead with you to do your part to return
the Episcopal Church to the solid rock of biblical faithfulness
and to be reunited in mind and spirit with our Christian brothers
and sisters across the globe who with one voice declare God's
Word to be true and good despite humanity's inability to follow
it.”
The letter goes on to plead with the delegates to comply with
the requests of the Communion, to step back from same sex
blessings, and to repent of the consecration of Gene Robinson.
“We urge this'” the letter said, “for the sake
of those struggling with sexual temptation, those who need
the Church to tell the truth about the damaging effects of
sexual sin on soul and body so that they might turn from it
and receive Christ's healing, comfort, and forgiveness. We
urge this for the sake of Christian unity, in keeping with
the prayer of Christ on the night before he died, that we
all may be one ( John
17:23 )…But most of all we urge this for the sake of fidelity
to Christ. “If you love me,” he said, “you will obey my commands.”
( John
14:15 ) Brothers and sisters we pray that you will lead
us in loving the Lord by obeying his Word and teaching it
in full. But please know this: regardless of your decisions
at General Convention, we the clergy, vestry, and people of
the Church of the Good Shepherd are prepared to stand firm.
We will not cooperate with or participate in any body claiming
to be the Church that leads people deeper into darkness and
further from the light of Christ.”
That's what we said then. Today we face the consequences.
In a just world, blessings flow from faithfulness. In the
real world, a world in open rebellion against Heaven, the
opposite is true. The consequence of faithfulness is not prosperity,
not wealth, not glory, at least as the world understands these
things. Following Christ often means defying the powers and
authorities of this world and reaping the earthly consequences
for it.
That's why, in this morning's gospel reading, Jesus is very
clear.
"If
anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,
his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even
his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” ( Luke
14:26-27 )
The word hate here “miseo” does not refer to a feeling. Jesus
isn't saying that to be his follower you must feel hatred
toward your family in the way that we understand hatred. He's
not saying that you need to divorce your husband, neglect
your kids, run away from your parents or cut off your relationships
with your siblings. But if your commitment to, your loyalty
to, your parents or your spouse or your children or your siblings
is greater than your commitment to Jesus Christ, then you
cannot be his follower. To be his follower, you must, if necessary,
be willing to forsake all of these relationships.
Family was the most important nexus of relationships to first
century Jews. When we think of family, we tend to categorize
it separately. There is my school life, my work life, my church
life and my family life. In the first century, your family
was your life, your future, your work, your inheritance, your
insurance, your property, your name, and your heritage. To
forsake family was, literally, to forsake yourself. And right
up front, Jesus says, as a condition of being my follower,
you must be willing to do it.
“And”, he says in verse 27, “anyone who does
not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
When we speak of the cross, we think “religious symbol” Our
crosses are gold plaited and adorned with decoration. The
cross the disciples knew was gruesome; a device of torture
and death and political oppression. We've spiritualized the
call “to take up the cross”. Taking up the cross for us means
dying to self, dying to sin, or dying to bad habits and all
of that is good and necessary and included in the call to
take up your cross, but we must not leave out the plain meaning.
If you want to be my disciple, Jesus says, you must be willing
to die, not just to self, not just to sin, not just to bad
habits, but to die in a real and literal way because in the
course of your Christian life you might be called to do so.
To follow Christ in the world that despised him means being
despised. And if your devotion to and love for Jesus Christ
is superseded by or eclipsed by your love for your family
or your love for your own life, then you will shrink back.
If you choose to follow Jesus you must be prepared to face
the consequences of that decision. And so before you do, Jesus
calls you to think through and be prepared for the worst.
I don't think I need to explain the relevance of all of this
to our present circumstances.
Are you prepared? Are you prepared to lose this building?
Are you prepared to lose what your fathers and mothers and
grandparents worked hard to build here? Are you prepared to
face the criticism and disapproval of colleagues, friends,
and family members who simply cannot understand, no matter
how eloquently and reasonably you explain it to them, why
this struggle is necessary? Are you prepared to lose their
respect? Are you prepared to leave this place with nothing?
Are you prepared to pay the consequences of being a follower
of Jesus Christ?
Count the cost.
“Suppose,” says Jesus in verse 28, “that one of you wants
to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate
the cost of to see if he has enough money to complete it.
For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it,
everyone who sees it will ridicule him.”
In 2006 we committed to stand firm on the rock of Christ and
the word of God. Are we able to finish this work?
"Or," says Jesus in verses 31-32, “Suppose a
king is about to go to war against another king, will he not
first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand
men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand.
And if he is not able, he will send a delegation while the
other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
In the same way,” says Jesus, “any of you who does not give
up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be
my disciple. That's the Gospel according to Jesus. That's
his invitation. Jesus is not a prosperity preacher. He doesn't
say, “come to me so that I can give you success in your business
ventures, kick your career path into overdrive, give you popularity
at school, make your dreams come true in this world, smooth
out life's rough edges." That's not the gospel. The world
hates Jesus and hates those who follow him. Success here,
happiness here, total fulfillment here; you may have them
and if you do thank God but that's not the good news of Jesus
Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ is that you can have
Jesus Christ. The good news of Jesus Christ is that the God
of heaven and earth has come to us in bodily form to make
peace by his blood and to live forever with all who call on
his name. But to have him, for him to have you, you must let
go of everything else; count it, as Paul says in Philippians
3 , rubbish, so that you can know Jesus Christ and the
power of his resurrection.
And so if we want that. If, as a body, we want Jesus Christ,
we must count the cost. The cost may be our building. The
cost may be humiliation. The cost may be walking out of here
with just the shirts on our backs.
But while there is a cost and while there are consequences,
the beauty, the glory, the joy of losing it all and gaining
him and bearing witness to him and standing for his name and
his word, far outweighs all that we could ever lose. He is
the pearl of great price; He is the treasure of heaven; He
is the one who made us and the one for whom we were made.
He is our beginning and our final destination. I would sooner
be with Jesus in a tent or a parking lot than compromise him
in a cathedral.
But we must have our eyes open. We cannot follow this path
blindly. We must know, you must know what lies ahead. There
will be consequences. So this morning if we would be his disciples
we must count the cost.
end
UPDATE CONTENTS
ASCENSION SUNDAY
ACOLYTE PRACTICE
GOOD SHEPHERD IN THE NEWS
LEGAL DEFENSE FUND
BABY SHOWER
VOLUNTEERS
TWO COMMITTEES
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST STARTING IN MAY 7
A
GREAT FOUR PART SERMON ON REPENTANCE AND SALVATION
SERMON & PODCASTING INFORMATION
THINGS TO PRAY FOR
SERMON STUDY INFO
BIBLE STUDY
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH
CHICKEN
BBQ AND RUMMAGE SALE
CONFIRMATIONS
DOCTRINES AND DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH: ADULT ED
NEWS
ASCENSION SUNDAY:
This Sunday is Ascension Sunday, one of the most neglected
feast days of the Church but it is also one of the most important.
Jesus said that it was a "good thing" for him to
leave and ascend to the right hand of the Father because once
there he would send the Holy Spirit. When Jesus walked with
his disciples, they saw God face to face. Now, through the
Holy Spirit he not only walks with believer, he dwells and
lives in our hearts.
Second, the Ascension is the victorious culmination of the
work of Christ on the cross. Humanity was fallen and alienated
from God, enslaved to sin and death. But in and through faith
in Jesus Christ, redeemed humanity returns, through the veil,
to the Holy of Holies, to the courts of the Father. In Christ,
we live in the very presence of the Father in heaven. Because
he is there and we are in him, we will one day be where he
is also. The Ascension is the culmination of the Redemptive
work of God. When Christ is seated, when he rests, at the
right hand of the Father, the work is done and the eternal
Sabbath begins.
Third, he makes continuous and eternal intercession for his
people. He is our advocate before the Father's throne, pleading
his own blood as the atonement for our sins. And just as he
receives the love and blessing of his father, so do we who
live in and through him.
ACOLYTE PRACTICE: There will be acolyte practice
after church this coming Sunday so please be sure to be there
if you are an acolyte.
GOOD SHEPHERD IN THE NEWS: If you missed Good Shepherd
in the news (channel 10... the Time Warner Cable news station)
here
is a link to the video report and here
is a link to a brief response I wrote at Stand Firm.
LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: Some parishioners were asking
how they might contribute specifically to the legal defense
of the parish.
The Anglican Communion Network, of which we have been a member
since 2004, has established a legal defense fund to help beleaguered
parishes like ours pay legal costs that, in a protracted battle,
can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The high
price tag attached to litigation often means that smaller,
poorer, parishes have no choice but to surrender their property
even when they have a fighting chance of victory.
If you would like to donate money for the defense of Good
Shepherd please follow this
link
Be sure to indicate that your donation is specifically for
Church of the Good Shepherd, Binghamton
You may donate through paypal at the link above or by credit
card over the phone or by check through the mail. Here is
that information:
Anglican Communion Network
535 Smithfield Street, Suite 910
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-325-8900
LIFE CHOICES BABY SHOWER: ACW with Father
Matt and Father Anne's guidance and help has been planning
a baby shower for the Life Choice Baby Boutique! The client's
earn points to "purchase" items in the Boutique.
Points are earned in various ways, such as, church attendance,
be involved in a discussion of a Christian book, or attend
classes sponsored by the Life Choices. How can you help? The
half sheet in the pews has some suggested items that Center
needs! There is a basket at the back of the Church to put
new or slightly used baby items in!
Everyone is invited to the party on May 11 where cake and
punch will be served!
The young women and men involved in the Life Choice Center
programs THANK YOU!
VOLUNTEERS:
For several weeks now we have been asking for volunteers to
help clean the church and to help out with the Shepherd's
Bowl. This need has not yet been met. Here is the problem.
There are about three senior ladies who clean this church
every single day. There are a large number of able bodied
young people and middle aged people who enjoy the fruits of
their labors but do not contribute.
This is not right. I am more than happy to have people putting
bible study and Christian education and worship first. That
is where they belong. At the same time our sisters are burdened
by the messes we leave and the fact that many do not clean
up after themselves. Please clean up after yourself and I
encourage you to consider committing to a cleaning team to
help clean the church. If you would like to volunteer, please
call the church office 723-8032 or email me at lambeth@flash.net
TWO COMMITTEES: I am looking to form three new committees
to help the vestry lead and organize the work of the parish.
The first committee will be the "missions committee".
It is important to support the work of Christians who are
spreading the saving gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
But we are often unaware of their ministries and too busy
to look into it. It would be the task of the missions committee
to look for worthy missionary efforts and bring these to the
attention of the parish as a whole and the vestry. It would
also be withing their purview to invite missionaries to speak
or give presentations to the parish in consultation with the
rector.
The Evangelism committee would be tasked with thinking through
and devising plans for sharing the gospel specifically in
Binghamton. How can we be more effective evangelists as individuals
and as a church. The evangelism committee would organize events
and local missions in consultation with the rector and vestry
and communicate evangelism strategies to the parish.
If you are interested in taking part in either of these committee
please contact me or Anne. I do have some ideas about people
I hope to nominate.
WEDNESDAY NOON EUCHARIST STARTS MAY 7: Anne will
celebrate communion every Wednesday at noon. Thank you for
your positive feedback.
A
GREAT FOUR PART SERMON SERIES ON REPENTANCE and SALVATION:
by John McArthur. Listen to all of it here.
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace_to_you/
SERMON & PODCASTING INFORMATION: NOTE: I STILL
CANNOT seem to find my digital recorder. If you've
seen it, please let me know. I need to get FIVE sermons up
on the pod-site. Until I find it there will only be the texts
availible. All other recent sermons may be downloaded at the
Good Shepherd podcast site
THINGS TO PRAY FOR: 1. God will protect and
guide us. 2. That we as a body will be prepared to go wherever
God leads. 3. That we will not compromise biblical principles
for the sake of ease, convenience, or gain. 4. That we will
not compromise the love of Christ for hatred, bitterness and
anger. 5. That we will know what to do when the time comes
to do it. 6. For the Lord to change the bishop's heart.
SERMON INFORMATION: This Sunday we are going
to take a break from the sermon series on our present circumstances
because it is Ascension Sunday. Next Sunday is Pentecost,
the coming of the Holy Spirit. These are major feast days
and we need to talk about what God accomplished through both
of these mighty acts. After Pentecost we'll complete the current
series. If you want to prepare for this Sunday, be sure to
read Acts chapter 1.
BIBLE STUDY: ALL the Bible Studies are up
and running as usual this week.
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH: Youth group
will be meeting on a regular schedule this weekend: Jr. High,
2-4; Sr. High, 6-8. Micah will be handing out the new schedule
for May-June. Again, please be thinking about what days of
the week work well for you during the summer. Also, parents
please let me know about vacations this summer, so I can plan
ahead for activities. Jr. high parents, please continue to
help bring in new kids by offering rides and talking to new
parents. This is a great ministry tool. Sr. high, we'll be
finishing up our discussion on the movie we watched two weeks
ago. Be prepared. :-)
CHICKEN
BBQ AND RUMMAGE SALE:
This Saturday please don’t forget to come to the Rummage
and Chicken BBQ. If you have Rummage it needs to be to the
church this morning, so that it can be priced. The sale, I
believe, starts at 10am, but if you want to help out, come
at 9. Chicken will be available to buy late morning (you would
think I would know this by know) through lunch time and into
the early afternoon. If you would like to help with the chicken,
show up early and dress warm because I think its supposed
to rain. See you there!
CONFIRMATIONS: Several of you have asked
about confirmations. We have a large number of people who
are ready for confirmation classes but Bishop Atwood's schedule
is still unknown. When we know his schedule then we can begin
to plan classes. Thanks for asking.
ADULT EDUCATION SERIES: DOCTRINE
AND DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH: This week we'll
briefly discuss the condition of the Church in the west through
the middle ages and during the crusades and discuss the causes
of the
Reformation. For background reading, you might want to read
these articles
This
is an article from a protestant (actually puritain) perspective
that provides a decent biographical sketch of some of the
most important reformers:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/Reformation/Reformation.htm
Here
is an adequate (not excellent) article on the history of the
Reformation and some of the primary theological disputes
http://www.lepg.org/religion.htm
And
this is a Roman Catholic website that examines the history
of the Church during the middle ages from a Catholic perspective:
http://www.silk.net/RelEd/medieval.htm
HAVE YOU…. shared your faith with a friend? The vestry
has challenged all of us to share our faith in Jesus Christ
with at least one non-believer each month.
Good News for the Week:
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will
you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He
said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons
that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And
when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he
was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And
while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two
men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee,
why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was
taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as
you saw him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:6-11)
Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND
TO CHURCH
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday May 4th, 2008
Monday:
pastor's day off
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
10:00a.m.-1:00 p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
6:00 p.m. First Light Bible Study
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
10:00a.m.-1:00 p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
12:00pm Holy Eucharist (side chapel)
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
10:00a.m.-1:00 p.m. Pastor's Open Door Hours
5:30p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30p.m. New Beginner's Bible Study
Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Saturday
10:00am Women's Bible Study
PENTECOST
SUNDAY
8:00a.m. Worship, Holy Communion and Sermon
9:15-10:15a.m. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL AGES
10:30a.m. Worship, Holy Communion, Music, Sermon
2:00pm-4:00pm Jr. High Meeting,
6:00pm - 8:00pm Sr. High Meeting
God Bless,
Matt+
John
14:1-14
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