Koinonia Trinity i & II

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Join the Morning and Evening Prayercall during this Lent. Wake up with God.You can join the prayer conference inthe rhythm of daily morning and evening

prayer. We have dedicated clergy and pos-tulants faithfully hosting the prayer calldaily at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm central time.Ask your clergy for the phone number.

In the Koinonia masthead, the circle with the cross in the center symbol-izes the paten and the diverse elements which form a whole. The Mosaicrepresents the great cloud of witnesses and the church tradition. The redin the letters represents the blood of Christ with the font comprised of indi-vidual pieces of letters that are not joined until the blood uni es them. Koi -nonia is the of cial publication of the Anglican Province of the Holy Cath -olic Church-Anglican Rite (HCCAR) aka Anglican Rite Catholic Church.

It is published quarterly at St. James Anglican Church, 8107 S. Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131. Phone: 816.361.7242 Fax: 816.361.2144. Editors: The Rt. Rev. Leo Michael & Holly Michael, Koinonia header: PhilGilbreath; email: [email protected] or visit us on the webat: www.holycatholicanglican.org Cover picture: Painting of the Risen Christ,

Houston Museum of Fine Art, photo by Leo Michael.

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Holy Trinity Anglican Seminary welcomes you!

Holy Trinity Anglican Seminary (HTAS) is ownedand administrated by the Holy Catholic Church

Anglican Rite of the diocese of Holy Trinity and

Great Plains. Its location in Kansas City, mid- America makes travel easy to meet the campus schedule. It forms part of a long tradition ofthe Holy Catholic Church of Anglican Rite andcontinues this important work of evangelizationof the Kingdom of Christ in the United States of

America and beyond its mission territories.With the advancement of communications, Holy Trinity Angli -

can Seminary will offer online and on campus training for its students. Holy Trinity Anglican Seminary rmly believes that Good Formationwill ensure FRUITFUL Ministry. Keeping in mind the Great Commis -

sion of the Lord, HTAS will train its candidates in strong Scriptural foundation, Sacramental worship in the Apostolic Tradition as enunci -ated in the conservative Anglican Tradition. With quali ed faculty and

commitment to the cause of priestly formation, Holy Trinity AnglicanSeminary is set to impart the traditional Anglican orthodoxy even in theemerging social and pastoral challenges. The seminary will also offercourses for lay students as well. The Seminary primarily serves the Holy Catholic Church An -

glican Rite while students belonging to other denominations are wel -come to participate in our program of study and re ection. The HolyTrinity Anglican Seminary will soon be accredited with a view to con -

ferring the Bachelors Degree in Theology. Holy Catholic Church pays special attention to the forma -tion of her ministers. Church directives require that candidate to the

priesthood undergo a minimum of three years devoted to an intense and speci cally priestly formation. These directives are implemented at this seminary, with particular emphasis on the Anglican traditions of the

Holy Catholic Church.


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Introduction: Samuel Seabury is a memorablename in the Episcopal Church in the United States.Te Apostolic Line was transmitted through himby the Scottish bishops who were still loyal to KingJames II who had themselves descended rom the

English Line. Te Rite o Conrmation was rstand rmly established in the United States. Also the HolyMass as a Sacrice and the work o the Holy Spirit in trans-orming the elements o bread and wine into the Body andBlood o our Savior was made sure by his inclusion o theOblation and the Invocation based on the Scottish PrayerBook into our own American Book o Common Prayer. Tisis one o his enduring contributions to our Liturgy. He stead-astly championed the Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds topromote the primitive Catholic aith and ght tendencieso Deism, Methodism, secular thinking and indelity o histimes. An ecclesiastical visionary leader, he elt i aith is lef

to the vagaries o human mind, Christianity will disappearin 50 years.

Christian Formation: Samuel Seabury was born inGroton, Connecticut on November 30, 1729. His ather, alsoSamuel Seabury was a Congregationalist Minister. He con- verted to Anglicanism afer convinced o the claims o epis-copacy. He proceeded to England and appeared be ore theSociety or the Propagation o the Gospel. Tey tried himand proved him or Holy Orders. Consequently, he was or-dained Deacon and Priest by the Bishop o London. He re-turned to New London, Connecticut as a Missionary o the

Society or the Propagation o the Gospel.

Te young Samuel Seabury was educated at Yale Universi-ty. Afer graduating rom Yale, Seabury served as a Catechistor our years in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y., where hisathers new mission was. He read the prayers and deliveredsermons. He simultaneously read or orders under the direc-tion o his ather. Tereafer, he went to Edinburgh, Scotlandto pursue medicine.

Afer a year in Scotland, Seabury applied or Holy Orders.He was examined and approved. He was ordained a Deaconon the Feast o St. Tomas, December 21, 1753 by the RightReverend Dr. John Tomas, Bishop o Lincoln, acting or theailing Bishop o London, the Right Reverend and Right Hon-orable Dr. Sherlock. wo days later, the Reverend Mr. Sea-bury was advanced to the priesthood by the Right ReverendDr. Richard Osbaldiston, Bishop o Carlisle, also acting orthe Bishop o London.

Te Society or the Propagation o the Gospel (SPG), ap-pointed Seabury as their Missionary in New Brunswick, NewJersey. Shortly aferwards he was moved to Jamaica, Long Is-land. He was inducted to this Living by the Governor, SirCharles Hardy. Seabury was requently called to officiatein Flushing, N.Y., beyond his ministerial borders which hecheer ully did. Both in Jamaica and Flushing he had to coun-ter Quakerism and Methodism.

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First

AmericanBishop andChampion ofContinuing

Faithby Rt. Rev. Edmund A.S.Jayarah D.D.

Bishop Samuel Seabury D.D.,


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Seabury wrote to the SPG that Quakerism o his times haddegenerated into indelity to the true religion o Christ; itwas in contempt o Christian Sacraments. Tey believed as ino redemption was needed; just an inner light was sufficient.Tey, reported Seabury urther believed without any externalworship they will be saved. Tus Quakerism, he added, hadpaved the way to Deism and indelity to Christian ruth andChrists Ordinances.

Seabury was a man o education and lover o Order andabhorred canonical and rubrical irregularities. He counteredWhiteelds revival preaching and his misrepresentation othe Anglican Church as popish and that she taught salvationis that o their own works and deserving. He constantly en-deavored to set these things in their true light.

Need for a Bishop: Te reaty o Peace signed in Par-is afer the War with England by the Colonies on Novem-ber 30, 1782 did not provide or the treatment o LoyalistClergy like Seabury who were persecuted, some imprisonedand churches and properties burnt or conscated. At besta clause was inserted that a recommendation will be madeto the States or restitution. Tis turned out a meaninglessrecommendation because in the rst place it was the Statesthat persecuted the Anglican Church. No restitution can beexpected rom them who were dominated by the Dissenters.Te Church in the United States needed a pure, valid andspiritual episcopacy.

Election Convention in Woodbury, Connecticut : According-ly, on March 25, 1783, ten clergymen o the Church o Eng-land in Connecticut met in secret, or ear o persecution, atthe house o the Reverend John Rutgers Marshall in the vil-lage o Woodbury near Waterbury, Connecticut. Tere with-out a ormal election selected two persons, the Reverend Jer-emiah Leaming and the Reverend Samuel Seabury or eithero them to travel to England and obtain the Episcopal conse-cration. Both these men were not at this meeting and SamuelSeabury, though born and educated in Connecticut did nothave a ministry here but in neighboring New York where hehad been a Chaplain to the Kings army at one time. Seaburysailed to England at his own expense. His instructions wereto secure the episcopacy through the English bishops ail-ing which he should approach the non-Juring bishops o theChurch o Scotland.

In a letter addressed to the Archbishop o Canterburyintroducing the Reverend Samuel Seabury, the ReverendAbraham Jarvis, Secretary to the Convention in Woodburynoted that the urgency o the request was precipitated by aplan ormulated in Philadelphia and spread among South-ern Colonies (New York down to South Carolina) to have anominal ideal episcopate, by the united suffrages o presby-ters and laymen. Te Reverend William White, later Bishopo Pennsylvania was presumed to be its author. In short, anEpiscopate but a Presbyterian orm o church government.

Another letter was sent to the Archbishop o York as well.

Arrival in London and obstacles to Consecration:Dr. Samuel Seabury arrived in London on July 7, 1783. Herst met with the Bishop o London who historically hadbeen the Bishop or all the British colonies. He was support-ive o the need and justication or a resident bishop in theU. S. in view o the independence o the Colonies rom Brit-ish rule but that he would not take the lead in the matter.Te Archbishop o York had lef town and Seabury met theArchbishop o Canterbury who cordially received him just asthe Bishop o London. He said that though a Royal dispensa-tion can be obtained an Act o Parliament alone can dispensewith the Oath o Allegiance to the King. He also would liketo proceed with candor and transparency and would like toconsult with other bishops and the opinion o the Archbish-op o York.

Te Bishops in England served two masters, Church andState. Several o them in particular, Canterbury, York andLondon were Members o Parliament in the House o Lordsby virtue o their sees. Tey could not separate their spiritualoffices rom the temporal.

Te Connecticut clergy asked or a ree, valid and purelyecclesiastical and spiritual episcopacy. In the end, the Englishbishops placed the ollowing hurdles:

1. Tat it would be sending a bishop to Connecticut,which they have no right to do without the consent o theState.

2. Tat the bishop would not be received in Connecticut.

3. Tat there would be no adequate support or him.

4. Tat the oaths in the ordination office cannot be gotover, because the kings dispensation would not be sufficientto justi y the omission o those oaths.

Te Archbishop o Canterbury was convinced o the expe-diency, justice and necessity but afer consulting with otherbishops and the Attorney General elt an Act o Parliamentwill be needed.

Dr Samuel Seabury had spent more than a year in Eng-land at his own cost and his resources had been depleted. Telast session o the Parliament ailed to empower the Bishopo London to consecrate a bishop or the oreign lands eventhough it empowered him to ordain deacons and priests.Seabury elt he had reached the end o the road afer manylong and tortuous attempts to explain the hurdles in the wayo assuming the episcopacy. He, there ore, now elt he shouldcarry out one o his original instructions i.e. to petition theScottish bishops to supply the Episcopacy.

urning to Scottish non-Juring Bishops: Te bishops o theScottish Episcopal Church who were non-Jurors because they

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still pledged their loyalty to the House o Stuarts instead othe House o Hanover because o their oaths at their conse-cration- just as Seabury was loyal to the King during the Warbecause o his Ordination oaths- were otherwise held validorders through the English Line o bishops going back toKing Charles II. Tey knew Seabury had arrived in Englandor the purpose o obtaining the episcopacy and his or-deal. Tey had made known through Seaburys riendsand acquaintances that they would be willing tosupply the episcopacy i ormally requested.In the meantime they would not meddlewith the talks Seabury was havingwith the English bishops.

Be ore leaving or Scotland,Seabury in ormed the Arch-bishops o Canterbury andYork as well as the Bishopo London o his inten-tion to obtain the epis-copacy through the Scot-tish bishops. Tey didnot orbid him nor placeany obstacles in his way.Silence is speech and inthis particular case, theirconsent.

When Seabury ar-rived in Aberdeen, Scot-land, the bishops methim. Tey tried him andproved him by examininghis testimonials and con- versing with him. On Sun-day, November 14, 1784 DrSeabury was consecrated to theepiscopate by the Right ReverendRobert Kilgour, Bishop o Aber-deen and Primus; the Right Rever-end John Skinner, his Co-Adjutor;and the Right Reverend Arthur Petrie, theBishop o Ross and Moray. Te ourth bishop,the Right Reverend Charles Rose, Bishop o Dun-

blane having previously signied his assent excused hisabsence by ill-health and great distance.

Te ceremony was per ormed in the Chapel at the resi-dence o Bishop Skinner. It was conducted in the presence oa considerable number o respectable clergymen and a greatnumber o laity. Bishop Skinner in his sermon underscoredthe duty that ell upon him and his ellow bishops by saying:As long as there are nations to be instructed in the principleso the Gospel, or a church to be ormed in any part o theinhabited world, the successors to the Apostles are obliged,by the commission which they hold, to contribute, as ar as

they can, or may be required o them, to the propagation othose principles, and to the ormation o every Church, uponthe most pure and primitive model. No ear o worldly cen-sure ought to keep them back rom so good a work; no con-nection with any state, nor dependence on any governmentwhatever, should tie up their hands rom communicating the

blessings o that kingdom which is not o this world, anddiffusing the means o salvation by a valid and regular

ministry, wherever they may be wanted.

Te ollowing day, November 15, 1784,Bishop Seabury and the Scottish bish-

ops signed a Concordat affirmingull communion with the Epis-copal Church and the Catho-

lic remainder o the ancientChurch o Scotland. In sum,

they embrace the aithonce and or all delivered

to the saints; the Churchis the Mystical Body oChrist o which Christalone is its head andsupreme governor;ull communion be-tween the EpiscopalChurch in Connecti-cut and the EpiscopalChurch in Scotland;

a desire or as near acon ormity in Worship

and Discipline as most

agreeable to ApostolicRules and the practice othe primitive church and

that Bishop Seabury wouldendeavor to make the celebra-

tion o the Holy Eucharist con-ormable to the most primitive

Doctrine and practice.

Be ore leaving or Connecticut,Bishop Seabury wrote to the Society or

the Propagation o the Gospel whose Mission-

ary he was or 31 years that he be continued in thatcapacity. Te SPG replied to him they cannot employ himany longer because o their charter. Tey did not recognizehis Episcopal character but simply addressed him as Rev. DrSeabury. Te stipend he received rom the Society came to anend. His riends in England would support him till the endo his vocation. He will also receive hal the pension as theormer Chaplain to the Kings army in New York. Above all,he would depend on his heavenly ather or his sustenanceand that o his amily. He openeth His hands and lleth allthings living with plenteousness.

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Back in the United States: Bishop Seabury arrived in NewLondon, Connecticut on June 27, 1785. Te clergy met inMiddletown, Connecticut on August 2. Tey reaffirmed theirearlier election o him and heard testimonial o his consecra-tion. Tey knelt be ore him in the Chancel rail and BishopSeabury gave his apostolic blessing. Afer thanking them heasked that they meet in Convocation the next day to receivehis Charge to them. Tis was his rst Charge to his clergyand Bishop Seabury charged them three things.

Te rst is delity to the gospel. Only the pure doctrineso the Gospel be airly and earnestly and affectionately pro-posed, explained and inculcated; and that we suffer nothingelse to usurp their place, andbecome the subject o ourpreaching.

Te second is recom-mending candidates orHoly Orders. Te bishopshall lay hands suddenly onno man. He cannot be per-sonally acquainted with ev-ery candidate. He has to relyon the recommendations othe clergy. Here he under-scored the importance o se-lection which is ounded onCan do versus Will do. Abil-ity to do the job can be testedby examination o academicabilities. Tese are tangibles.But willingness to do the job will more than dependon what the bishop listed asintangibles i.e. good temper,prudence, diligence, capac-ity and aptitude to teach.Tese make a worthy anduse ul clergyman. I a man shall not be a use ul clergymanhe shall not be recommended whatever his moral characterand literary attainments may be. It is always easier to keepsuch persons out o the ministry, than to get rid o them onceadmitted. Tis calls or a care ul observation o the candidate

over an extended period o time. Te clergy shall make nosudden recommendations.

Te third is their immediate attention to the Sacred Riteo laying-on-o hands upon those who have been baptized,and, by proper authority admitted into the Christian Churchcalled Conrmation. Te bishop exhorted, there is moreto Conrmation than a mere affirmation o the baptismal vows. It implies and originally understood to imply as it hasbeen handed down rom the apostolic age and the primitivechurch, to mean the actual communication o the Holy Spiritto those who worthily received it.

Te bishop said, In Conrmation, by the imposition othe hands o the Bishop and prayer, we believe the Holy Spiritto be given or sanctication, i.e., or carrying into effect thatregeneration which is con erred in Baptism. By Baptism weare taken out o our natural state o sin and death, into whichwe are born by our natural birth, and are translated, trans-planted, or born again into the Church o Christ, a state ograce, and endless li e; and by Conrmation, or the imposi-tion o hands o the Bishop, when we personally rati y ourbaptismal vow and covenant, we are endued with the HolySpirit to enable us to overcome sin, and to per ect holinessin the ear o GodFor these reasons, the Christian Church

has always appropriated this rite to thesuccessors o the Apostles, the supremeorder o the Christian priesthood.

Bishop Seabury was the rst AmericanBishop to establish and spread the Rite oConrmation in the United States. TeRubric states in order to be admitted tothe Holy Communion, a person has tobe conrmed by the bishop or is readyand desirous to be conrmed. Whenthere was no resident bishop in the Col-onies, the priest taught the catechism tothe baptized and admitted them to theHoly Communion as ready and desirousto be conrmed.

Rector and Bishop: Bishop Seaburywas made Rector o St James Church,New London which position he held tillhis death and throughout his Episco-pate. He traveled by horse or in his sulkyconrming, ordaining, consecratingchurches, preaching and driving awaystrange and erroneous doctrines.

Address to Masonic Lodges: Te bishopwas invited to address Masonic gather-

ings in New York and Connecticut on the Feasts o the holySaints John, the Evangelist and the Baptist, to whom thelodges are dedicated. On these occasions the Right ReverendBrother was respect ully received. Tey heard their distin-guished brother exhort them to brotherly love and benevo-lence. He himsel exemplied these twin virtues in his ownli e. He reely dispensed his medical knowledge and skills tohis impoverished parishioners and ock in the days ollow-ing the ravages o war.

Rejection of Arianism and Socianism: A believer in theRevealed religion Seabury warned o the existence o Arian-ism and Socianism. Te ormer repudiated the eternal co-existence o the eternal Son and the latter which was anti-trinitarianism was the result o the ormer. Te bishop said,the Scripture plainly declared, I and the Father are one.

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Tis means, one essence or substance. Also, there are threepersons in the Godhead, the Father, the Word and the HolyGhost and these three are one. (1 John 5:7). Te ancientChristians living in the age ollowing the Apostles under-stood thus.

o counter these heresies, the bishop vigorously de endedthe Apostles, Nicene and the Athanasian Creeds. He criti-cized the dropping o the clause , he descended into hell, inthe Apostles Creed as rejecting our Saviors Per ect Human-ity. He wanted all three Creeds included in the Prayer Bookbut only two, the Apostles and the Nicene ound a place. Buthe made provision or the optional use o the AthanasiusCreed. In the Apostles Creed he made a proviso in the ru-brics that in place o , he descended into hell, it is permissibleto read, he went into the place o the departed spirits.

Baptism, Conrmation and Holy Eucharist: Te bishoptaught the clergy that children should be presented or bap-tism because it is not just an initiation or reception ceremony;it is a Rite whereby the child is regenerated and made a mem-ber o Christs mystical body and sealed with the Holy Spirit.He did not avor adults rom Christian amilies showing upor baptism as it is dangerous to grow up to maturity in anunregenerate state. Also, private administrations o baptismsought to be avoided. Further, in line with the ancient litur-gies, he re-introduced the sign o the cross in baptism.

Holy Conrmation is a separate and distinct Rite apartrom baptism. As such, it cannot be merged with baptism. Itis not an extension nor a completion o baptism or a reaffir-mation o baptismal vows. Te bishop insisted it is a separateRite where God the Holy Ghost and His gifs are transmit-ted and worthily received by the conrmands. Tey are advanced to the rank o adult Christians and are now eligibleto partake o the Holy Eucharist with their brethren com-memorating the death and sacrice o their dear Redeemer,and participating in all the blessings o His atonement.

Holy Communion is not merely a renewal o the Chris-tian Covenant nor an empty remembrance o Christs deathbut a Christian Sacrice as understood by the early church.Te bishop said, Te primitive Christians had very differentsentiments rom these, concerning the Holy Communion,and so I suppose our Church has also. Tey considered itnot as the renewal o the Christian Covenant, but a privilegeto which the Christian Covenant, into which we had beenadmitted by baptism, and which had been ratied in Conr-mation, entitled us. Nor as an arbitrary command o God, toshow his sovereign authority over us. Nor as a bare remem-brance o Christs death. But as the appointed means o keep-ing up that spiritual li e which we received in our New-birth;and o continuing that interest in the benets and blessings oChrists passion and death, which was made over to us whenwe became members o his mystical body. Tey called andesteemed it to be the Christian Sacrice, commemorative o

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the great sacrice o atonement which Christ has made orthe sins o the whole world; wherein under the symbols obread and the cup, the body and blood o Christ which heoffered up, and which were broken and shed upon the cross,are gured orth; and being presented to God our heavenlyFather, by his Priest here on earth, the merits o Christ orthe remission o sins are pleaded by him, and we trust, by our

great High Priest himsel in heaven: And being sanctied byprayer, thanksgiving, the words o institution and the invoca-tion o the Holy Spirit, are divided among the communicantsas a Feast upon the Sacrice. And they did believe, that allwho worthily partook o the consecrated Elements, did re-ally and truly, though mystically and spiritually, partake othe Body and Blood o Christ,We have there ore a right tobelieve and say, that in the Holy Communion, the aith ul re-ceiver does in a mystical and spiritual manner eat and drinkthe Body and Blood o Christ, represented by the consecratedbread and wine; and does thereby partaking the atonement

made by the passion and death o Christ, having remissionthrough him, o all past sins, and eternal li e assured to him.Here he strongly emphasized Christs declaration, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the esh o the Son oman, and drink his blood, ye have no li e in you. (John 6:53).No Holy Communion; no eternal salvation.

Te bishop, in view o the inestimable benets o Holy Eu-charist, urged his ock to requent communion. He praisedwomen who were showing up to Holy Communion in greaternumbers than men as they were the rst witnesses to ChristsResurrection.

Inclusion o Oblation and Invocation in the ConsecrationPrayer: Having said so o Holy Eucharist and in accordancewith the Agreement he made with the Scottish bishops at hisConsecration, the bishop included in the communion officeo the prayer book, during the prayer o consecration includ-ed the Oblation and Invocation on the model o the ScottishPrayer Book which in turn were taken rom the primitive lit-urgies o the ancient Oriental Church. Tis is Seaburys last-ing contribution to the American Prayer Book.

Tese prayers stress the essentially sacricial character othe Mass and at the same time repudiate the carnal presenceo Christ in the Elements and priest-craf otherwise termedas transubstantiation.

Seabury and the Continuing Anglican Church: Why isBishop Seabury important to us in the continuing AnglicanChurch and what is his impact. Sometimes, debates havebeen had even among clergy on what did we continue? Isit the English Re ormation, the Elizabethan Church or theEdwardian ordinal or what?

Seabury is our clue to an understanding o this question.

He contended at all times or the aith once or all deliveredto the saints. He believed in the primitive catholic Faith in alldoctrines and practices. Tese are revealed in the Holy Writand interpreted by the ancient bishops and doctors o thechurch and embedded in the primitive liturgies. Christiansought at all times apprehend the ruth and not any philo-sophical systems. Te Church and its Rites are essentiallysacramental in nature.

What he believed and practiced we continue.

Death and Burial: Bishop Seabury died on February25, 1796 at the age o 67 afer complaining o chest pains. He

was buried on Sunday, February 28, 1796 at ancient publiccemetery at New London, Connecticut. Te inscription onthe monument by his li elong riend, the Reverend Dr. JohnBowden reads as ollows:

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Here lieth the body o SAMUEL SEABURY, D. D.,

Bishop o Connecticut and Rhode Island,

Who departed rom this transitory scene,

February 25, 1796,

In the sixty-eighth (sixty seventh?) year o his age.

Ingenious without pride, learned without pedantry, Good without severity, he was duly qualied

to discharge the duties o the Christian and the Bishop.

In the pulpit, he en orced religion;

in his conduct, he exemplied it.

Te poor he assisted with his charity;

the ignorant he blessed with his instruction.

Te riend o man, he ever desired their good;

Te enemy o vice, he ever opposed it.

Christian! dost thou aspire to happiness?

Seabury has shown the way that leads to it.

In 1849, the remains o the bishop were moved to a cryptunder the division o the chancel o the newly built St Jamesthe Greater Church at New London.

Re erences.

E. Edwards Beardsley: Li e and Correspondence o the Right Reverend SamuelSeabury, D.D. First Bishop o Connecticut, and the Episcopal Church in the United

States o America.

George Tomas Linsley: Te Episcopate o Samuel Seabury

All Stained Glass images by Bishop Edmund Jayaray - the mural art picture by

Sarah Strickland.

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T H E Y D E V O T E D T H E M S E LV E S T O T H E P R AY E R S ( A C T S 2 : 4 2 )

by Br. Rodd Umlau OF Photo: Jody Partin

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We are a people o the book; TeBook o Common Prayer. OurAnglican Catholic heritage haspreserved or us a treasure which

dates back to the English Re or-mation and Tomas Cranmer,but has its roots in the Early Church and Jewish practice be-ore it. It was the custom o the Old estament Jewish Churchin which Morning and Evening Sacrice was offered and astandard ormal prayer liturgy was ollowed ( EX.29:38-43;EX:28:1-8; Mishnah, amid 7:4 ). Trough the Book o Com-mon Prayer, our Church provides a guide or us in Morn-ing and Evening Prayer with a lectionary o daily Psalms,Scripture lessons, and prayers or meditation. Morning andEvening Prayer is a retreat, o sorts, to set aside some qui-et time and space to pray, reect, and to think with Jesus.

Te Psalms as Foundational

At the oundation o Morning and Evening Prayer

are the Psalms. Te Psalms are the Prayerbook o the Bible,the Churchs original hymnbook. Te Psalms are the prayersthat Jesus and His disciples prayed, knew by heart, andprayed daily at regular set hours throughout the day. TePsalms are used by this church to train her sons and daugh-ters in prayer. It has been the daily li eblood o Christiansrom the earliest o times. As parto my own Scripture studies this past month I read N. .

Wrights Te Case For the Psalms: Why Tey Are Essential,and Dietrich Bonhoeffers Psalms: Te Prayer Book o theBible, plus an audio presentation titled, Te Jewish Rootso the Liturgy o the Hours, by Dr. Brant Pitre. Tis quote

by N. . Wright, among many which I will quote in this ar-ticle, caught my attention: I nd it impossible to imagine agrowing and maturing church or individual Christian doingwithout the Psalms.... o worship without the Psalms is torisk planting seeds that will never take root.And this statement by Bonhoeffer, Te Psalter impregnatedthe li e o the early Christianity. Yet more important than allo this is the act that Jesus died on the cross with the wordso the Psalter on His lips ( Psalm 22).

One gif o the Book o Common Prayer is that ithas provided the Anglican Churches an anchor and a root to

deep rich waters. Te Psalms represent the Bibles own spiritual root sys-tem or the great tree we call Christianity. You dont have tobe a horticultural genius to know what will happen to theruit on the tree i the roots are not in good condition, saysAnglican scholar N. . Wright. Yet many o our riends innon-denominational and Evangelical churches has dispensedwith the Psalms altogether in their worship services, to theirimpoverishment and thereby missing out on the sacramentalnature o the Psalms in shaping our worldview. Wright con-tinues, Te Psalms offer us a way o joining in a chorus opraise and prayer that has been going on or millennia and

PSA LMS & PRAYER



across all cultures. Not to try to inhabit them while continu-ing to invent non-psalmic worship based on our eelings atthe moment, risks being like a spoiled child who, taken to thesummit o able Mount with the city and the ocean spreadout be ore him, re uses to gaze at the view because he is play-ing with his Game Boy.

But not only during Sunday Eucharist should we bepraying with the Psalms. Only with regular daily use does aperson appropriate this divine prayerbook. Tis is one rea-son why we call Te Daily Office is also called Te DivineOffice. How is it that we call Morning and Evening Prayercan be called, Te Divine Office? Because in the SacredScriptures the Psalms o David have been distinguished romall other books o the Bible by the act that it contains onlyprayers. Tere is, in the Bible, a prayerbook ---Te Psalms.

As we know, the Psalms are the prayers that Jesus prayedand sang as a young Jewish child and into his manhood andeven Psalm 22 upon the cross. He also prayed to the Fatherrom the depths o his own heart as the Gospels record. Yetprayer does not mean to simply pour out our hearts and to

think that the human heart can pray by itsel . Te ollowingquotes by Dietrrich Bonhoeffer, the amous German Luther-an pastor really made me think:

Prayer means rather to nd the way to God and tospeak with him, whether the heart is ull or empty. No mancan do this by himsel . For that he needs Jesus Christ.....thatis precisely what Jesus Christ wants to do. He wants to praywith us and to have us pray with him, so that we may becondent and glad that God hears us. When our will whole-heartedly enters into the prayer o Christ, then we pray cor-rectly. Only in Jesus Christ are we able to pray, and with himwe know we shall be heard.....By means o the speech o the

Father in heaven his children learn to speak to him. Repeat-ing Gods own words afer him we begin to pray to him. Weought to speak to God and he wants to hear us, not in thealse and con used speech o our heart, but in the clear purespeech which God has spoken to us in Jesus Christ.

Gods speech in Jesus Christ meets us in the HolyScriptures. I we want to pray with condence and gladness,then the words o Holy Scripture will have to be the solidbasis o our prayer. For here we know that Jesus Christ, theWord o God, teaches us to pray. Te words which comerom God become, then, the steps on which we nd our wayto God....Te richness o the Word o God ought to deter-mine our prayer, not the poverty o our heart.

Bonhoeffers statement may seem extreme to us or itwould seem that a ather still takes delight in a childs speecheven i it is the ramblings and babblings o a oolish childsheart. Tere is nothing wrong in praying in ormal personalextemporaneous prays rom our own hearts, which we mustdo and God calls upon us to do so. Tere is even something very honest about praying rom the poverty o my ownheart. So yes there is a place, a critical place, or personalprayers that ow reely to our Father in heaven. People oprayer ofen spend great amounts o time on their knees

in their prayer spaces, speaking to Him as their Daddy andstrong condant. But I think Bonhoeffer is calling upon usto pray as mature Christians and not to remain in ants inprayer. Who do we want to train us in prayer, our own ofensel -interested and con used minds, or the Holy and inspiredWord o God ? Tis is why our 1928 Prayerbook is so won-der ul; it teaches us to pray well while teaching us in solidorthodox Christian doctrine and at the same time allows ortime or us to open our hearts to God and make our desiresand thanksgivings during the Prayer or all Conditions oMen and the General Tanksgiving.

Te Psalms as the orah of King David:

We all know what the ve books o the law are ( Te 5books o Moses) -- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,and Deuteronomy.

Te Psalter has been divided into ve books as well, andthus labled in our prayerbooks; Book 1 (Psalms 1-41), Book2 ( Psalm 42- 72), Book 3 ( Psalm 73-89), Book ( Psalm 90

106), and Book 5 ( Psalm 107-150). So in a sense, with thePsalms we have a Davidic Pentateuch. In the amous passage o 2 Samuel 7, where God makes a

Covenant with King David we read in verses 18-19, that Godhad shown David a law or all mankind. Te Hebrew phrasetorah ha adam literally means a law or all humanity. TeRSV translate this Hebrew phrase as uture generations butthat translation looses what a more literal translation seemsto be depicting. So whereas God gave Moses a law or the Na-tion o Israel on Mount Sinai, King David is given a law orthe Davidic Kingdom on Mount Zion. Te Psalms and theentire Wisdom Literature are a law or living or all peoples.

Te Jewish people had regular set hours or prayer andput the Psalms to memorization; (Psalm 55:16-17) But I callupon God; and the Lord will save me. Evening and morningand at noon I utter my complaint and moan,and he will hearmy voice. Te Psalms were sung daily with the perpetualsacrice by the Levites in the emple. Psalm 141:1-2) Lord,I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice,when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set orth be ore theeas incense; and the lifing up o my hands as the evening sac-rice.

During the Babylonian Exile, we nd Daniel still ob-serving the tradition o praying three times a day;

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed,he went to his house where he had windows in his upperchamber open toward Jerusalem; and he got down upon hisknees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks be orehis God, as he had done previously. ( also Daniel 9:20-21).

Te Liturgy of the Hours in the Early Church:

In the time o the Apostles we see that the disciples werestill observing set hours through the day or prayer. Te thirdhour is 9:00 am.



( Acts 2:1, 14-15) When the day o Pentecost had come,they were all together in one place.....14 But Peter, standingwith the eleven, lifed up his voice and addressed them, Meno Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be knownto you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are notdrunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour o theday ; 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel...

Peter was observing Midday Prayer at the sixth hourwhich is noon when he received the vision: ( Acts 10: 9-11)Te next day, as they were on their journey and comingnear the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, aboutthe sixth hour [ =12:00 pm] And he became hungry and de-sired something to eat; but while they were preparing it, heell into a trance and saw the heaven opened, and somethingdescending, like a great sheet, let down by our corners uponthe earth.

Peter and John observed Evening Prayer at the emple. (Acts 3:1-3) Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour o prayer , the ninth hour [3:00 pm]. And a manlame rom birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at

that gate o the temple which is called Beauti ul to ask alms othose who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about togo into the temple, he asked or alms.

Tere is evidence rom early Christian documentswhich shows that the Christians interrupted the day withprayer, especially in the morning and evening. Te didache (Te eaching o the welve Apostles) one o the earliest writ-ings outside the New estament Canon, calls upon the Chris-tians to pray the Lords prayer three times a day.

Te New David-- Jesus Christ:

Te New estament writers identi y the Psalms as speak-ing o Christ Jesus; the Pslams were about Jesus. Te Psalmsare the most quoted in the Bible showing that Jesus is theChrist. Like Jesus Sermon on the Mount rom which he givesthe New Law or the New Covenant, which begins with theBeatitudes, Psalm 1 opens with a beatitude: Blessed is theman that walketh not in the counsel o the ungodly, nor stan-deth in the way o sinners, nor sitteth in the seat o the scorn-ul. But his delight is in the law o the Lord; and in his lawdoth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a treeplanted by the rivers o water, that bringeth orth his ruit inhis season; his lea also shall not wither; and whatsoever hedoeth shall prosper.

Te man o Psalm 1:1-3 is King David; that man isChrist, the royal representative o all mankind. Again, aquote rom Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

Te same words which David spoke, there ore, the u-ture Messiah spoke through him. Te prayers o David wereprayed also by Christ. Or better, Christ himsel prayed themthrough his orerunner David. When we read the Psalms wesee Jesus, typologically leaping off the pages.

Tink o Psalm 23 or example, Te Lord i my shep-herd....He shall eed me in a green pasture. Tis Psalm brings

to mind the prophecy o Ezekiel 37:24-25 concerning a royalDavidic King:

And David my servant shall be king over them; andthey all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And theyshall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your athers have dwelt; and they shall dwelltherein, even they, and their children, and their childrenschildren or ever: and my servant David shall be their princeor ever.

In the Gospels, Jesus says I AM the Good Shepherd.

In Te Office o the Passion o Francis o Assisi,Francis relies on and arranges the Psalms to compose a nar-rative o the account o Jesus Passion. He does so in accordwith the traditional belie that in the Psalms is ound a pro-phetical oretelling o our Saviors experience surroundinghis trail torture, death, burial, and glorious resurrection.

As we pray the Psalms each day, can we see Jesus in

them i we look or him ? And can we unite our prayers tohim ? Can we unite ourselves to his body, the Church, whenwe practice the Daily Office ? Some Psalms are difficult torelate to on any given day as part o my personal experience.But i I realize that I am praying as the Body o Christ I amunited to other believers around the world and I know thatsomeone is experiencing rst hand what that Psalm is de-scribing.

It is the Word made esh in the Son o God, who hasborne all o our human weakness in his own esh, who in thePsalms pours out the heart o all humanity be ore God andwho stands in our place and prays or us. I am learning to see

the Savior more and more.But there are some struggles that we have to wrestlethrough. For example, i the Psalms were Jesus prayers, howcan those Psalms which speak o guilt and sin ulness be at-tributed to his words ? How can the sinless Christ ask or or-giveness ? Bonhoeffer explains, In no other way other thanhe can, as the sinless one, bear the sins o the world and bemade sin or us ( 2 Corinthians 5:21). Not or the sake o hissins, but or our sins, which he has taken upon himsel andor which he suffers , does Jesus pray or the orgiveness osins. He positions himsel entirely or us.

In conclusion, i these prayers and songs o King Da- vid and our Blessed Lord Jesus do their work in us, pour-ing grace into our hearts, with our minds and voices attunedwhen praying them, they should equip us to live better join-ing ourselves to Christ. Tey should equip us to serve better,and promote in us a Kingdom o God worldview to the Gloryo God. Cherish your Prayerbook and the Psalter.



LORD o all power and might, who art theauthor and giver o all good things; Graf inour hearts the love o thy Name, increase inus true religion, nourish us with all good-ness, and o thy great mercy keep us in thesame; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What is our aith? What is the true religion? Tis morn-ing I would like to take a ew moments to review what ouraith is, what the true religion o Christ is. We renew andproclaim our aith every Sunday when we recite the NiceneCreed. Te Nicene Creed is a testimony and proclamation othe true essence o what the aith is. It is a testimony givento us by the Church o the true aith. It is a statement o theOne Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. It was given to usin 325 a.d. in response to and in de ense against certain her-esies that were creeping up within the Church. It is a catholiccreed because it was approved by and accepted by the entirechurch o the time. It is a creed that we in the Anglican tradi-tion continue to affirm and preserve. It is the Gospel in a nutshell and a proclamation o the aith once delivered in themost simplest terms. What does the creed teach us and whatdo we affirm each Sunday when we renew our aith in ourcorporate worship when we recite the Creed?

First, the opening lines say,I BELIEVE in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven

and earth, And of all things visible and invisible:I BELIEVE IN One God. Tis is not just a mental ascent.

It is not just agreeing. It is believing. It is believing with theheart. Its a belie that moves us to action. Te religion o Je-sus Christ is more than just giving verbal or mental ascent. Itis a belie that leads us to act. St. James reminds us by sayingBut wilt thou know, O vain man, that aith without works is

dead? and that, For as the body without the spirit is dead,so aith without works is dead also. Our aith is a living aith.It is a aith o action.

We believe in One God. Tere is only one God. Tere isonly One great creator o the universe. Duet. 6:4 says, Hear,O Israel: Te Lord our God is one Lord. In Eph. 4:6 we pro-claim that there is one God and Father o all, who is aboveall, and through all, and in you all. It is through Jesus Christthat we can call God our Father.

Te Creed goes on by saying we believe, in one Lord JesusChrist, the only-begotten Son o God; Begotten o his Fatherbe ore all worlds, God o God, Light o Light, Very God o

very God; Begotten, not made; Being o one substance withthe Father; By whom all things were made:

Jesus Christ, the second person o the divine trinity. Godo God, the Son o God. Very God o very God. We see thisdivine unity in the Godhead rom the very beginning o cre-ation. In genesis Chapter One it says, In the beginning Godcreated the heaven and the earth. Further we read in verse26, And God said, Let us make man in our image, afer ourlikeness. He speaks o himsel in the plural....Let us makeman in our image. In John Chapter One we get a more com-plete picture o this Divine rinity when John records, In

WHA IS OUR FAI H? by Dn. Jason Rice, Corpus Chrisiti Anglican Church, Rogers AR



the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God. Te same was in the beginning withGod. All things were made by him; and without him was notany thing made that was made.. urther he says, And theWord was made esh, and dwelt among us, Jesus Christ, theeternal begotten Son o God, Very God o very God beingo one substance with the Father, became esh and dweltamong us. He was with the Father in creation as the Creedsays, By whom all things were made. We owe much to theChurch Fathers. Tey have taken such a complex and verydifficult doctrine and explained in such a way that childrencan understand it. Te Doctrine o the rinity can be diffi-cult to explain. But it is so clearly dened in the three majorcreeds o the Church and in the scriptures that it is impos-sible to deny it. It is something we believe and accept by aithbecause it is clearly taught in scriptures and taught by anddened by the Apostolic Church Fathers and has been theaith o the Church rom its very beginning.

AS we proceed the Creed tells us that, Who or us menand or our salvation came down rom heaven, And was in-

carnate by the Holy Ghost o the Virgin Mary, And was mademan:Here you will notice that we genuect and bow to show

respect or His incarnation when we recite the creed to honorthe act that Jesus Christ came down rom heaven to becomeone o us. He took on esh and blood and humbled himselto become as one o those that He created. Just imagine! Godhimsel , taking on every bit o our humanity minus one ex-ception, he was sinless. Te per ect un-spotted Lamb o Godcame down rom heaven, took on esh. He was miraculouslyborn o a virgin. Born under the law yet without the stain osin.

Let me mention at this point the act that Mary, theblessed Mother o our Lord is now mentioned in the Creed. Ibelieve this is signicant. Our Lord chose Mary as His vesselto bring salvation to the world. She submitted to God in ex-traordinary circumstances. Can you imagine? Imagine yourengaged to be married. One night an Angel comes to you andgreets you. Ten he says your going to have a child. Not justany child, but God himsel in the orm and likeness o man!Your going to give birth to the Son o the most High! Howwould you react? Mary, who was ull o grace, was picked outrom among all the women o the world. Look at her humil-ity and aith. When the Angel Gabriel greeted her and toldher she would carry the Son o God in her womb she simplyreplied by saying Behold the handmaid o the Lord, be itdone unto me according to thy word. Without the vessel oMary there would be no salvation as we have come to know itin human history. She holds a very special place in the salva-tion o the world. No other person in all o history was greet-ed as Mary was by any Angel be ore or since with such honor.Gabriel said to her, Hail, thou that are highly avored (or ullo grace), the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among wom-en. How tting or us to always remember Marys role in thesalvation o the world and that this was preserved in all three

Creeds. I believe Mary was being prophetic when she said byproclaiming behold, rom hence orth all generations shallcall me blessed. Do we not still say to this day, Hail Maryull o grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongwoman, and blessed is the ruit o thy womb, Jesus.? Marysrole has been orever memorialized by the Church. Her roleand the importance o her role in the salvation o men hasbeen preserved in all the three major Creeds o the Church.

Now moving on, the creed goes on to say, And He wascrucied also or us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered andwas buried: And the third day He rose again according tothe Scriptures: And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on theright hand o the Father: And he shall come again, with glory,to judge both the quick and the dead; Whose kingdom, shallhave no end.

Here lies the crux o the whole work o salvation. JesusChrist suffered or us. He suffered or our Sins. Where we de-served death and just punishment he stood in our place. Hetook what He did not deserve. I there was ever an injusticein the world this was it! Te innocent punished or the guilty!

Te Creator murdered by His own creation! Tose whom Hecame to save rejected him, beat Him, and crucied him. othis day crucixion is still considered one o the worst ways todie. It is agonizing. Crucixion does not kill a person quickly.It is a slow process. Because o the outstretched hands andlegs nailed into position on the cross one slowly cramps, andsuffocates. Imagine our Lord outstretched on the Cross. Godalmighty in human esh took on the pain and suffering thatall o us deserve or the punishment o our offenses and sinstoward God. He could have called down all the angels romheaven and miraculously come down rom the cross to smitedown his enemies. Yet he did not. He endured or our sakes.

When our human nature would cry out or justice againstsuch a tragedy Jesus cried out instead, orgive them atheror they know not what they do. Te greatest example o loveand compassion was demonstrated and accomplished by ourLord on the cross. Tus we have preserved in its most sim-plest orm in the Nicene Creed the great work o salvationthat our Lord endured or us. Let us pause here a momentand gaze upon this image o the crucixion o our Lord andtake a moment to ponder this in our hearts.......

Next, as the creed proceeds it says, And the third day Herose again according to the Scriptures: And ascended intoheaven, And sitteth on the right hand o the Father: And heshall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and thedead; Whose kingdom, shall have no end.

Praise God! Our Lord is alive. He conquered death and sinon the Cross. Where once there was no hope or the humanrace now there is salvation! Jesus ascended back into heavenand sits on His throne at the right hand o the Father. He willcome again one day and bring victory or the Church. Hewill one day put into subjection or all time sin and the devil.By His death and resurrection He has secured our salvationand promise o a resurrection o not just us here present, buto all mankind who has died in the aith. Te resurrection


19/32

I recently helped out at St. James in order to ulll someservice hours I needed or Boy couts. In Boy Scouts, we aresupposed to move up through certain ranks by completingrequirements. I needed about 6 hours o service be ore Icould advance to the Star rank. I had the work approved bya leader be orehand.Afer an hour or two o work at St. James, I realized I wasactually helping out in a big way. St. James is a smaller churchand I could see that my work was appreciated. My ocusslowly began to switch. I was no longer there just to get mynext rank, but to help out a community that needed an extrahand and it was enjoyable! I was cleaning because I wantedto, not just or some arbitrary Boy Scout rank. I will be happyto help out again i the need arises! Harrison Frawley

Koinonia Page 19

is essential. St. Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:4, and i Christ be notrisen, then is our preaching vain, and your aith is also vain.

I Christ returns in the next 5 minutes we will rise withhim. I we live out our lives and die o age we die with theknowledge and hope o living with Christ our King in heavenor eternity, that one day our corrupted bodies will be res-urrected just like our Lord was unto a per ect body, with-out stain and without corruption. We can say with the samecondence as St. Paul when he said in Romans 14:8, Forwhether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die,we die unto the Lord: whether we live there ore, or die, weare the Lords! What great hope we have as Christians.

And nally the Creed nishes with this, And I believe inthe Holy Ghost, Te Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; Who with the Father and the Sontogether is worshipped and gloried; Who spake by the Proph-ets: And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church: I acknowl-edge one Baptism for the remission of sins: And I look for theResurrection of the dead: And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

And I believe in the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit). Te thirdperson o the divine rinity. Sent rom the Father and theSon, the great helper and strengthener o our Souls. Jesuspromised that when he lef this world that He would sendthe Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 14:26, But the Com ort-er, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send inmy name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all thingsto your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.Trough the Holy Spirit the Church is preserved. Troughthe Holy Spirit we are drawn to God. Trough the Holy Spiritwe are able to be witnesses to the world o our salvation ando the hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that we may be

able to share with others this saving knowledge and continuethe work and spread o the Church. Acts 1:8 says, But yeshall receive power, afer that the Holy Ghost is come uponyou: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,and in all Juda, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parto the earth.

It is through the Holy Spirit that we are bound together,that we are here today in the one Catholic and ApostolicChurch preaching Christ and preserving His great doctrineso restoration. We are one Church preaching one Lord, oneaith, one baptism, one God and Father o all, who is aboveall, and through all, and in you all. Eph. 4:5.

Tis is our aith. Tis is the aith o our athers. Tis is theaith o the Church. Let us hold ast to such a precious gifand let us aith ully uphold the aith that we recite each Sun-day in the Nicene Creed.

In the Nicene creed and the other great creeds o theChurch we can say in condence with St. Irenaeus that wehold to the aith once delivered when he said in 180 A.D., Inthis order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical traditionrom the Apostles, and the preaching o the truth, have comedown to us. And this is most abundant proo that there is oneand the same li e-giving aith, which has been preserved in

the Church rom the Apostles until now, and handed downin truth.

Trough the Creeds we can say with St. Cyprian who in250 A.D said, Know that we do not depart rom the tradi-tions o the Gospel and o the Apostles. Rather, with con-sistency and rmness, we maintain the discipline o theChurch.

Tis we do by preserving and holding to the Nicene Creedand the other great Creeds o the Church.

Let us make the collect or this day our heart elt prayerthat we will be increased in the true religion o Christ that weproclaim each Sunday in the Nicene Creed.



Shining a Light into the Darkness: Angels in Young Adult Literature

By Barbara Hartzlerodays world is lled with gray areas, con- voluted morals, and relative truth. In theace o societys lack o absolutes, moreand more people are interested in theexistence o angels. Increasing numberso young people are turning to ction to

help them sort out the truth rom the lies. One Goodreadssearch or young adult novels produced a list o 288 bookson angels. Expand that search to look or novels includingangels and demonsand the list jumps to

437 books.

Its obvious thatthe world outside thechurch is ascinatedby angels. So why dothey turn to ctionand not the Bible?For one simple rea-sonction is a sa eplace to explore the

controversial subjecto angels. Te grow-ing trend o readershungry or light ver-sus dark stories hasspurred authors tomeet that demand.Clamoring or readerattention, ction au-thors use the Bible as a re erence book or a source o inspira-tion to create their own angel mythology.

Instead o looking at this issue as an overwhelming prob-lem that is beyond control, let me propose another option.Tis increasing curiosity with angels can be utilized as an op-portunity. Te door is open to introduce biblical truth intohearts and minds that are searching or light, but ndingdarkness instead. By understanding angel themes in secularyoung adult ction, and then illuminating verses rom theBible that speak to those issues, we can be that light.

Romance is one o the most popular themes in youngadult ction. Angels alling in love with humans, or vice versa, is a common thread running through most celestial

novels. Te popular movie City o Angels portrays an angel/human romance, as do many books. YA novels in this vein areHush,Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick, and Halo, Halo, AlexandraAdornetto. Tese books revolve around an angel alling in lovewith a human, though the Bible proves otherwise.

According to Moody Bible scholar C. Fred Dickason inhis book, Angels, Elect and Evil, Angels are not a race; thearent related as men are, they do not procreate. (Mt. 22:28-30)Tey were individually created by God. He utilizes the chie

scripture verse thare utes the idea

o any kind o an-gel romance, Mt22:30: At the reurrection peoplewill neither marrynor be given imarriage; they wilbe like the angels iheaven. Te ideao an angel stemrom the tempta-tion to give angelhuman attributesHumans beasome similaritieto angels; we arboth created beings (Col. 1:16-17Rev. 4:11), limiteby time and spac

(Dan. 9:21-23, Gen. 28:12). Tinking o angels as almost-human makes it easier or people to relate to them, becausethe truth is harder to understand. In the case o YA novels,the truth about the impossibility o angel and human romancealso eliminates a main plot element.

A decidedly more con using theme in secular YA ction isthe story o allen angels. Popular books in this vein includeFallen, by Lauren Kate, Angel all by Susan Ee. Tese booksgive voice to different theories about allen angels. First, thathere are two kinds o allen angels, good and bad, and there-ore allen angels can be redeemed. Nowhere is this conceptound in the Bible. In act, the Bible calls some angels holyand elect (Mk. 8:38, 1 im 5:21), while condemning those

Painting by Botticcini Francesco



who ell rom heaven to the lake o re (Mt. 25:41). Tere isno mention o God redeeming these angels who ell. On thecontrary, Hebrews 2:16 says, For surely it is not angels hehelps, but Abrahams descendants. Te latter hal o Hebrewschapter 2 conrms that Christ died on the cross to redeemmankind, not angels. 2 Peter 2:4 agrees.

Te second theory is that angels all to bring about the

apocalypse, or the end o the world. While angels may in actbe messengers o Gods judgement on earth (2 Sam. 24:16-17), they do not act on their own without instructions romGod. Revelations 12:7-8 outlines a war in heaven, Ten warbroke out in heaven. Michael and his angels ought againstthe dragon, and the dragon and his angels ought back. Buthe was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heav-en. Tis does not mean that the war is between angels andhumanity. Conversely, throughout the Bible are many re er-ences to angels battling demons in a spiritual war on our be-hal .

Te nal theme presented on angels in YA ction comesrom the ofen-debated verse in Gen. 6:4; Te Nephilimwere on the earth in those daysand also aferwardwhenthe sons o God went to the daughters o humans and hadchildren by them. Many Bible scholars debate what thephrase sons o God re ers to the godly line o Seth, whileothers contend that it means allen angels. Tough this topicis interesting, a denitive conclusion on this issue is not thepurpose o this article. (For a more in-depth look at this de-bate see Te Difficulties in Angelology rom DickasonsAngels, Elect and Evil.)

Genesis chapter 6 does give us one denitive solution tothis problem, the ood. God sent the ood to wipe out every-one and everything on earth, except or Noah, his amily, andthe pairs o animals spared on the ark. Even i the Nephilimwere part-angel beings, their existence was terminated in theood. Yet YA novels like Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, TeHalings by Heather Burch, Te Mortal Instruments seriesby Cassandra Clare, and others contend that there could becontemporary hal -angel, or some other ratio o part-angel-part-human, beings running around on earth today.

Much o young adult literature on angels is complete an-

tasy, with authors making up their own mythology on angels.So how can a Christian author write a novel that includes an-gels without contradicting the Bible? Tis was the dilemma Iaced. In my quest to highlight the biblical nature o angels, Istrived to keep a ew things in mind.

First, angels are power ul and much stronger than humans(2 Pe 2:11) and ght evil on our behal (Ep. 6:12). Althoughtheyre power ul, their power is not unlimited because om-nipotence belongs to God alone. Second, humans cant con-trol angels and shouldnt worship them. John tried to dothis in Rev. 22:19, but was rebuked. Tird, angels arent like

us. Tey dont all in love, they dont have their own agendaapart rom God, and they even look different, as evidencedin Dan. 10:5-6. Finally, they are Gods servants and messengers. Psalm 103:20 illustrates how angels do his biddingand obey his word.

While the topic o angels is a hard subject to tackle, in re-ality there is a lot that the Bible has to say about angels. Teworld has a lot to say about angels, too. Does that mean weshould shy away rom talking about angels? Absolutely not.

People are searching or a glimpse o the supernaturalworld. What most dont realize is that the Bible offers answerto the questions they have about angels. Not all o those an-swers are easy to understand. In act, some o them are be-yond comprehension. But as Gods children, we are calledto shine our light into the darkness. Dont be a raid to dig alittle deeper so you can be ready when the door opens to talkabout angels. In the end, communicating his truth gloriesGodwhich is the real purpose o angels anyway.

Re erences: opical Guide to the Bible (NIV), Baker Books, 1991, Dickason

C. Fred, Angels, Elect and Evil, Moody Press 1975 Other Sources:Graham, Bill

Angels, W Publishing Group 1995

Barbara Hartzler is the debut author o Te Nexis Secret, a paranormal novel about a girl with the supernatural gif to seethe unseen world o angels. Barbara always wanted to writenot necessarily about angels, but the idea was too good to paup.

She earned her Bachelors degree in Church Communicatio

Arts rom Central Bible College with an emphasis on dramand media. In college she won a National Religious Broadcasers/Focus on the Family scholarship with her essay CinematTeology and Te Matrix. She also wrote and directed a suc-cess ul one act play. Her rst novel was inspired by her colleexperiences and peppered with anecdotes rom a New Yor

City missions trip.Shes a born-and-raised Missou

native living in Kansas City with hehusband and dog, Herbie. As a ormebarista and graphic designer, she love

all things sparkly and purple and is always jonesing or a good cup o joe.

A Genesis Semi Finalist in the You Adult category, shes an active membo her local American Christian Fiction Writers chapter and a new SCBW

member. You can nd her on Facebook, witter, Pinterest, andGoodreads, and she blogs at barbarahartzler.com.


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REMEMBERING... FR. ARTHUR J. WERNER

Art was born October 15, 1924 in Detroit, Michigan to Arthur w. and Marie (Yanka) Werner. He grew in Milwaukee andTree Rivers, Michigan, graduating rom High School in Milwaukee. In High School he became a pro essional musician/drummer. He joined the Army in 1943 and served 3~ years in the In antry.He was in the D-Day invasion, 29th In antry Di- vision on Omaha Beach. He received the Purple Heart (beingwounded at St.dLo in France), 2 Bronze Stars, Good ConductMedal, French Croix de Guerre, President Unit Citation andCombat In antry Badge; being discharged in 1946.

Art became an Industrial Engineer or his ather who wasin the Corrugated Container Industry and worked in New Jer-sey and Cali ornia. Art came to Lander in 1959 and worked atthe KOVE Radio Station which launched his local broadcast-ing career.

He married Geneva ownsend in 1966 and she precededhim in death. He married Caroline Phagan on September 4,2000 in Lander, Wyoming at St. John,s Anglican Church. Artretired in 1992 but was still involved with the community.

He was a member o St. John,s Anglican Church; Past Presi-dent o the Lander Chamber o Commerce; Past Commander

o District #3 o the American Legion;Past Commander oD.A.V. Chapter #3(being a li e member o all three militaryorganizations) and member o the Veteran,s o Foreign Wars.Dopo Agie Post 954;Member o the Masonic organizations ,Scottish Rite and the Shrine; Past President o the One ShotClub and Past Shooters Club; Past rustee or the Water ForWildli e Federation; Past President o the Wyoming Association o Broadcasters AND MEMBER OF HE Fremont CountyPioneer Association.

Art nished his studies at Holyrood Seminary in 1999 at Liberty, New York:being ordained as a Priest in the AnglicanCatholic Church and serving St. John,s Anglican Catholic Church in Lander and Church o the Morning Star at Ethete, Wyo-ming. Fr, Art passed away at the age o 81 in June o 2006. ~ Caroline Werner


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Dale Eugene (GeneRexroat, 88, o Sheridan, passed away onFriday, September 52014 at his home.

Gene was bornon January 5, 1926 toDale and Alta (Shores)Rexroat in Ogden, U .Te amily moved toSheridan, WY whenGene was 12 years oldGene went to schoolin Sheridan. In 1944he was drafed into theArmy and served inItaly in WWII. He wasdischarged rom theservice in 1946. Aferreturning to Sheridanrom the war, he was

married to Patricia Ruth Bertie in 1950. Following Patricias death in 2002,Gene married Sondra Badget in 2005. In 1953 he went to work at the AshCreek Oil Field where he worked until his retirement. Gene served theyouth o the Sheridan community as a Boy Scout Master and as an instruc-tor at the Big Horn Mountain Jr. Gun Club. Gene enjoyed hunting, shing,woodworking and traveling.Gene was a member o the Holy rinity Catho-lic Anglican Church and was a li etime member o the NRA. He was also amember o the Elks, Masonic Lodge Big Horn Mtn. Lodge 43, Sheridan YorkRite Body, and the Kali Shrine.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, his rst wi e, Patricia, andtwo sisters. He is survived by his wi e, Sondra Rexroat o Sheridan, his sons;Mark Rexroat o Sheridan, WY, Bruce (Dori) Rexroat o Wyarno, WY, Scott(Linda) Rexroat o Gillette, WY, Kirk (Holly) Rexroat o Banner, WY, andhis brother Richard (Effie) Rexroat o Sheridan, WY. Also by his grandchil-dren; Samantha (Nick) Knesebeck o Sheridan, WY, oni Rexroat o Chey-enne, WY, Josie (Scott) Jordan o Gillette, WY, Kalob Rexroat o Sheridan,WY and our great grandchildren; Miranda, Nadine, Hallie and Ramiee.

Our heart elt condolences to the bereaving amily: May Jesus comortyou. Tank you or the wonder ul person o Gene - a aith ul member otHoly rinity Anglican Church in Sheridan WY. Our thoughts and prayersare with the congregation o Holy rinity.


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HOLY TRINITY ANGLICAN

SEMINARYGOOD FORMATION ENSURES GOOD MINISTRY!

The Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite is working on its seminary program whichwill encompass online as well as on campus studies. Let us implore the Lords blessingon this initiative that we may raise up shepherds after Gods own heart (Jeremiah 3:15),

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