May, 2007

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

It is one of God's minor blessings (if any of His blessings are minor!) that we live in a part of the world where spring coincides with Paschaltide. It is wonderful to see the earth bringing forth its new life and beauty at the same time we are celebrating in the Church the new life which is ours by Christ's resurrection. The outward reality serves to remind us of the inward. And it is the inward which makes all the difference in our lives. Our Lord and Savior is alive. Christian life is a life spent with Him: new every day, a life to be lived. It is not, as we sometimes think, a matter of achieving a certain degree of virtue so we can pass the exam and be done with it. It is rather a matter of being in love, of living a life in love. The world's adversities notwithstanding, we can face each day with anticipation, with the joy of knowing that we can spend the day with the Beloved. Nothing can separate us from His love – not pain, not sorrow, not death, not even sin (He is a forgiving Lord with those who are penitent). Our Paschaltide joy is the joy of being loved by the One who died for us and is alive – and wants to fill us with His love.

We were blessed with fine Easter celebrations. At the Vigil, our own server corps was supplemented by young men from Christ Academy (from parishes which did not have Vigil services). On Easter Day we were privileged to have some glorious music from the Cheek family. From Palm Sunday on we have had the use of the new organ, courtesy of Hal Denton's generosity. This instrument is a vast improvement over the previous keyboard. I should also thank our regular musicians, Janice Gunther and James Altena for their extra efforts during Holy Week, and also Bill Lewis who helped with the Passion on Palm Sunday, and Nancy Winterrowd, who played for Good Friday. Thanks is also due to Fr Rix and our friends at All Saints, for allowing us to have the Easter Vigil at All Saints. We were all relieved that we managed to do it without setting off the fire alarm this year – even with a decent “new fire” and ample incense. Back at West Laurel Hill, it is great to have kneeling cushions for everyone in the “pews.”

It was also a treat to have Bishop Campese with us on Low Sunday to confirm four young people and one adult. It was particularly appreciated by the young people who had been ready for confirmation a couple of years ago – only to be put off by fallout from the litigation. We're glad that they could finally receive the sacrament to strengthen them as they enter upon their responsibilities as adult Christians. Thanks is due to Bishop Campese for traveling from Orlando to be with us, and for his generous attention to the confirmands, meeting with them before the service, and joining them for lunch after. I also want to thank all of you who have gave cards or small gifts to the confirmands: this not only encourages them in their Christian lives, but lets them know that they are cherished members of the parish family. This is particularly important when their families are not part of St Michael's, as is the case for several of them.

Our Lord's Ascension

Forty days after Easter, Jesus returned bodily to heaven. During that time, He did not “belong” on earth in His risen body. He could appear behind locked doors, yet His body was physical, with flesh and bones and the scars of the crucifixion. He also ate regular food. He could talk with people without their recognizing Him – until He allowed it. He appeared not to everyone, but to those who would believe in Him. Since His body doesn't really fit on earth, it is only to be expected that He would return to heaven after a period. The forty days were an exceptional time, when He appeared to His chosen witnesses to prepare them for their coming work. They were strengthened in their faith by seeing Him. In a sense the empty tomb should have been enough, but Jesus reinforces the empty tomb by His appearances. In particular, He allows Thomas to doubt the testimony of the Ten, in order that his coming to faith a week later might serve to confirm the reality of Jesus' resurrected body for all of us who come after.

In addition, He uses the appearances to teach His disciples to understand Scripture (which is what we know as the Old Testament – the New had not yet been written). Jesus (the Word Incarnate) is the key to the Scriptures (the word written). See Luke 24:27 & 45.

During His appearances, He also commissions the Twelve for the apostolic ministry of evangelism. This includes the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19): “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” It also includes the power to forgive sins, which Jesus first conferred on the Ten Apostles on Easter night: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.” (John 20:22) The Great Commission remains the foundation of the Church's ministry of evangelism and teaching. Likewise, His words to the original apostles on Easter form the basis of the Church's ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

During the forty days, He also takes care of some individual matters which need attention. We are told particularly about Peter. Peter (as you well know) three times denied knowing Jesus on Good Friday, in spite of his earlier avowal to die rather than deny Him. After the resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times to confess his love, and three times tells him to feed His sheep (John 21, at the second great catch of fish). Jesus thus brings forgiveness and restoration to Peter, so that with the knowledge of his weakness – and of Jesus' love for sinners – he can go on to fulfill his apostolic calling.

Jesus accomplished a lot in those forty days. At the beginning, the disciples met behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. At the end, they were ready to proclaim boldly that Jesus was alive – as the Messiah and Savior. They were transformed by the Risen Lord. Such is His power.

Ascension Day is always a Thursday (being forty days after Easter Sunday): this year it falls on May 17th. It is a holy day of obligation – meaning it has the same importance for us as a Sunday, when all Christians will wish to be at Mass. Mass will be offered at St Michael's twice: at 10 a.m. in the rectory Oratory, and at 6:30 p.m. at West Laurel Hill. I hope that one or the other will be possible to everyone in the parish.

Whitsunday, also known as Pentecost, follows ten days later, May 27th. This falls on Memorial Day weekend this year. I hope that you will not all be at the shore (and that all who are not will be in church)!

St Anna's

The regular Tuesday evening Mass (6 o'clock) will be moving back to St Anna's Home, 115 North Van Pelt Street, on May 15th. It has been celebrated at the rectory for the past few months to accommodate the inquirers' class. Sr Elaine will be providing a light supper (soup, sandwich, dessert) for any who wish to stay afterward. The center city location seems more convenient for some, and now there is this added attraction as well. As always, we're grateful for her hospitality.

Web Site Sermons

By the time you receive this (or shortly after), we expect to be posting audio files of the Sunday sermons on the parish website (www.orthodoxanglican.org/archangel). We have been working through the technical issues, and the end seems near – though with computers one never knows. (Computers seem to have given a whole new meaning to Murphy's Law.) In any case, a link on the main page will take you to the sermon page, which you can choose from recent sermons. When you click on one, the audio file should start playing on your computer. This should be more convenient for those of you with computers and Internet access than our past circulation of tapes. The quality of the recordings is also improved. For the present, we will continue to make the tapes of the sermons available for those who do not have such access. My thanks to Chris Jordan and Hal Denton for helping to make this possible.

Sunday School

The Sunday school children have embarked on a new adventure Sunday Mornings: hand-bell ringing. While not explicitly theological, hand-bell ringing teaches discipline and cooperation, as well as providing an exposure to some good music. Since each one ringing has only one or two bells, he has to be ready whenever his turn comes, which requires attention and a sense of rhythm. The first session was last Sunday, and before the end of the class, they were doing some hymn tunes quite credibly. We hope to give them an opportunity to perform for us before the end of the term. We are grateful to Bethany Lutheran Church in Manayunk for loaning us the hand-bells, and to Dr Rasmindarya (known to the children as “Dr Ras”), for leading the classes. Dr Rasmindarya has done hand-bells at Christ Academy, where a number of our children go to school.

Kudos

In addition to those already mentioned, thanks goes this month to:

-- Angela Johnson (with help from Janice Wilson and Beth) for making the communion rail kneelers in the oratory.

-- the hardy souls who came to help with the cleanup morning for our side of the Allen Lane train station next to the rectory.

Faithfully,

Fr David Ousley