SPRING A.D.

2018

VOL. 60 NO. 1

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana
www.stlukesbr.org
Member of the Parish Partner Plan
 Published quarterly by the Society for Promoting and Encouraging
Arts and Knowledge of the Church (SPEAK, Inc.).

BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CHAIRMAN
THE REV. CHARLESTON D. WILSON
VICE CHAIRMAN
THE REV. CHRISTOPHER COLBY

SECRETARY/TREASURER
DR. E. MITCHELL SINGLETON
THE RT. REV. JOHN C. BAUERSCHMIDT,
THE RT. REV. ANTHONY J. BURTON,
THE REV. DR. C. BRYAN OWEN,

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
THE RT. REV. ANTHONY F. M. CLAVIER,
CATHERINE S. SALMON

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2 anglicandigest.org
4 A Letter from the Chairman of the Board
Vintage TAD Articles:
5 First Issue, Summer A.D. 1958 Page One
6 The Affleck Story
11 Workshop
13 Slips That Pass in the Type
14 Do We Listen, No Substitutions, Please
16 In the Good Ol’ Summertime
17 Mission of the Church
20 The Eighth Commandment
21 Christian Unity
26 Old North, Treasured and Growing
30 Hillspeaking
36 Soul Maintenance
38 Catch of a Lifetime
40 Fear Not
42 Mother Teresa and Her Dark Nights
44 Throw Out the Net!
46 Blessed Dependency
47 Why, Why, Why?
50 Kairos
51 Be Wordly Wise: Silly
53 A Lesson in the Three “R’s”
55 Presence and Remembrance: Do We Really Have
to Choose?
61 Necrology

spring 2018 3
 A Letter from the
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
“With Divine permission, The Anglican Digest
will be published quarterly…”
(Fr. Howard Foland, Founder of Hillspeak, c. 1958)
Sixty years ago, our founder, Fr. Foland, used these words to intro-
duce our now time-tested and beloved Anglican Digest to our branch
of Christ’s one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. In that first
issue, Fr. Foland went on to claim that our sole mission was:
To serve the Church by providing, through carefully selected articles
and the clearest kind of reporting, a better understanding and greater
appreciation of the Church of our rich inheritance.
Today, sixty years later, our sole purpose remains unchanged: we exist
to serve the Church by reflecting the words and work of the faithful
throughout the Anglican Communion. And we wholeheartedly re-
commit ourselves once again – with renewed energy – to this minis-
try of service. By your prayers and support, we believe we have much,
much more to share in the coming decades.
Even though we look forward to the next sixty years of service to the
Church, we pause now in this issue to look back, giving thanks by
including articles from each decade of the Digest’s ministry. Amaz-
ingly, the articles in this issue are as fresh and spot-on as what any
talented and faithful writer can pen today. Of course, we shouldn’t be
surprised, because the Gospel never loses its power. And it can never
lose its power, because Christ Himself is alive, having conquered sin
and the grave, and is seated at right hand of God the Father! Within
these pages, I hope you discover that reality once again, in a new and
deeper way.
Yours in Christ,
The Reverend Charleston David Wilson
Chairman of the Board of Trustees

4 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

SUMMER A.D. 1958

THIS is the first issue of The Anglican Digest: it comes to you with the
compliments and best wishes of The Episcopal Book Club. We hope that
it and subsequent issues will be acceptable and welcome.
TAD was planned a long time ago (we called it “Operation Nutshell”),
and was born of need rather than example, competition, or commer-
cialism. Its sole purpose is to serve the Church by providing, through
carefully selected articles and the clearest kind of reporting, a better
understanding and greater appreciation of the Church of our rich in-
heritance. As with the Episcopal Book Club, TAD’s selections will be
“entirely interesting” and “positively sound” — in strict accordance with
the historic Faith as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer.
With Divine permission, TAD will be published quarterly, mid-
seasonally — between shipments of the EBC’s “Books-of-the-Seasons”;
time, talents, and funds permitting, TAD may be published bi-monthly.

spring 2018 5
connecting

For the time being, TAD will be financed by the EBC. Although
a subscription price is mentioned, we shall never send statements or
ask for money. We firmly believe that if TAD is any good, it will be
supported voluntarily.
We think that TAD is unique; we know that we have a great deal to
learn. For our lack of experience, we ask your indulgence. Let us all
hope and pray that our little TAD may grow “in wisdom and stature,
and in favour with God and man.”

QQQQQQQQQQQ

the affleck story

ON 17 MAY 1908, a young for the service that opened the
woman was set apart as dea- 1906 Diocesan Council. She
coness in St. Mark’s Church, found herself next to the late
San Antonio — a woman Deaconess Charlotte Massey.
who for the next 50 years [Deaconess Massey died 12
was to bring light and love to April 1958]
the dingy prison-like halls of
charity institutions. “The service was missionary
in tone” Deaconess Affleck
Last May at a Choral Eucha- remembers, and I was filled
rist, and again in San Anto- with enthusiasm. Then, as
nio, she observed her golden we walked from the church.
anniversary as a Deaconess in Deaconess Massey said to me.
the Church of God. “Would you like to be a mis-
sionary?”
Tiny-waisted, dark-eyed Fran-
cis Baylor Affleck was 26 years Still moved by the service,
old when she slipped into St. Frances Affleck was surprised
Mark’s Church, San Antonio, to hear herself saying, “Yes.”
6 anglicandigest.org
gathering
“I must have been half
drugged that summer,” the
Deaconess laughed. “I re-
member the Woman’s Aux-
iliary meeting — Deaconess
Massey led me by the hand
and told the women, “She
wants to be a missionary.” The
Auxiliary told me not to wor-
ry about the money but to go
on to school. They sent me to
St. Faith’s School for Deacon-
esses in New York.”
Her first job as a deacon-
ess was at Josephine Hooker
School for Girls in Mexico
City, where she remained un-
til 1914.
Sitting in her quiet apartment
50 years later, Deaconess Af-
fleck opened her scrapbook to
show herself holding a piece
of shrapnel that came through
the walls of her house during
a ten-day street fight in one
of Mexico’s revolutions. In
the erect, white-haired little
woman can still be seen the
beauty of the picture taken
telling
47 years ago, and her face still
holds the same look of pleased
expectancy.
From the unrest of Mexico,
she was called to the unrest of
Utah. The Bishop was killed
in an accident three weeks af-
ter her arrival, and four years
later the new Bishop, a deter-
mined pacifist, was forced by
the pressure of World War I
agitators to resign. Disillu-
sioned with Church work,
Deaconess Affleck went to
New York for a course in so-
cial work, and in 1918 re-
turned to San Antonio.
“I think my first 10 years were
a compete loss to the Church,”
she says, “but I learned a great
deal.”
Nine months after her return
to Texas, she was called to
Dallas to help with a city mis-
sionary program. She began a
semi-hospital for unmarried
mothers in the vacant rectory
next to the Church of the In-
carnation.
spring 2018 7
connecting
“I kept the girls up to the time
of their confinement and
went with them to the hospi-
tal. Later, we cared for them
until they were able to go to
work,” she explained.
In 1925, an urgent telegram
calling her to Des Moines,
Iowa, began the Deaconess’
reputation for rescuing run-
down institutions. She was
to be temporary head of St.
Monica’s home, for girls com-
mitted by the Juvenile Court.
“The home was way out in
the country,” Deaconess Af-
fleck remembers, “with a
high fence like those around
prisons with barbed wire at
the top. The gate was always
locked: you rang a bell and
someone came down and let
you in.
“The girls — there were 16 of
them and six staff members
— were complete prisoners,
and had no contact with the
outside world unless they got
8 anglicandigest.org
out over the top of the fence.
Their life was so unnatural.
They were constantly being
punished for blowing their
tops at the rigid discipline.”
Deaconess Affleck called the
girls together and told them
the lock on the gate would go.
“Hereafter, if anybody wants
to leave without permission,
use the gate, don’t go over the
fence.” Then she added, “No
one left.”
Leaving St. Monica’s Home
in 1929, she went to the Epis-
copal Orphans’ Home in St.
Louis, where she felt there
would be more hope in work-
ing with young children. “In
St. Louis we lived by bells — a
bell to get us up, another bell
to go to breakfast, and at an-
other bell the children lined
up in the playground, the big
ones first and then on down
to the little ones. Then they
marched off to the school, a
block away, two by two.
gathering
Deaconess Affleck tried to
supplant the discipline with
“normal living.” The bells and
the marching were stopped,
children were allowed to walk
to school with whomever they
chose, and the word “orphan”
was removed from the front
of the building.
Each child was given a small
allowance, and Deaconess
Affleck saw that the staff and
children were served the same
food. “I’ve never been in a
place yet,” she said, “where the
staff didn’t eat well and where
the children did. The staff had
bacon and eggs, and the chil-
dren ate oatmeal. And how
they hated oatmeal — they
had it every morning!”
Later, at another home, when
she inaugurated bacon for
breakfast, an eight-year old
boy told her, “Oh, it always
smelled so good!” He had not
tasted bacon before.
In 1938, Deaconess Affleck
was called to the House of the
telling
Good Shepherd in Utica, New
York. There she found the
same pattern repeated.
“It was straight out of Dick-
ens,” she said.
The handsome three-story
brick building stood on a full
city block on Utica’s main
street, shaded by tall trees and
surrounded by a well-clipped
lawn. “Of course the lawn
was beautiful,” the Deaconess
said, “the children weren’t al-
lowed to set foot on it!”
Boys played in a fenced area
on one side of the house, and
the girls played on the oth-
er. The children were nev-
er allowed to play together.
Boys lived on the third floor
and girls on the second, with
a separate stairway to each
floor.
Good Shepherd House had,
in addition to youngsters,
an infant ward. “As soon as
I stepped into the nursery, I
spring 2018 9
connecting
knew that something had to
be done,” Deaconess Affleck
said. “We closed the nursery
and placed the babies in fos-
ter homes.
“I would like to be a board
member,” the Deaconess said,
“just to see if it is possible to
know what goes on in the in-
stitution you govern. Board
members visit the home and
see that it is clean; but of
course it is — the children
aren’t allowed to play in it.
The food is good, but do the
children get the same quality?
“I made my children feel
loved,” she said, “and not like
outlaws. Children aren’t born
bad, you know. People don’t
realize what environment
can do to a child, especially
the children of broken homes
— poor little storm-tossed
things.”
Last year, the House of the
Good Shepherd was sold Deaconess Affleck has been
for over $1,000,000, but the retired since 1950 — official-
10 anglicandigest.org
board of trustees plans to
build a new home on the cot-
tage plan, where children live
in family groups of five or six.
This step was advised by Dea-
coness Affleck years before.
In 1945 Deaconess Affleck
was called to Washington,
D.C., and the House of Mer-
cy, for unmarried mothers.
The home had been run for
44 years by one woman who
refused to change with the
times. The great Spanish-style
house had two doors, always
locked and the keys were car-
ried on a ring by the head
assistant. To enter the home,
young women signed an
agreement that they would
stay for two years.
The home had been closed,
and the Deaconess’ job was to
reopen it on a different basis.
Her first act was to install fire
escapes.
gathering
ly, that is. She has made short
visits to Utica and other plac-
es, but her time is almost all
given over to St. Paul’s Parish
and to visiting the sick.
She is writing the story of her
life for her family and friends,
with the hope that it may in-
spire young women in the
Diocese of West Texas to offer
themselves for Church work.
She will call it The Harvest We
Reap — a phase taken from
the “Deaconess’ Prayer.”
Deaconess Affleck leafed
through her scrapbook, filled
with pictures of her “chil-
dren,” newspaper stories of
their achievements, letters,
pictures of new houses and
new babies, snapshots of
“family reunions.” Under one
picture is the caption, “Anoth-
er boy making good.”
“My harvest is from them,”
she said. (Conoly Cullum, in
Church News of West Texas.)
— Reprint from Summer 1958
telling
workshop
Our vocation is to bring our
lives into harmony with
Christ’s presence among us.
We need have no fear of sec-
ular ideas and modes of life if
they are not clearly un-Chris-
tian, for in most of them we
see truths which in principle
belong to the Gospel. Our
Lord invites us to work with
Him and in Him, in gathering
the fragments of His kingdom
into a visible whole. “Thy
kingdom come, Thy will be
done, on earth as it is in heav-
en.”
Daily life in the Christian
family is the workshop of that
kingdom, for it is in the fam-
ily that the Christian person
is nurtured and the forces of
world economics and politics
are accepted or rejected. Fam-
ily life is in chaos today — a
reflection of the difficulty of
trying to be a person and at
the same time fight off the
invasion of the world. It is
spring 2018 11
connecting

no exaggeration to say that ules, as of persons living

Christian family life is a mat- freely in Christ’s presence. A
ter of life and death. child cannot be expected to
know what “the presence of
People are constantly mov- Christ” means in words, but
ing from within themselves he certainly can know what
to without, reaching out for it means as love and courtesy
food, knowledge, relation- between mother and father; a
ships; they will either move teenager knows what it means
within the family in creative when the parents make an
exchange or they will move honest attempt (never a com-
out of the family. The mem- plete success) to combine
bers of a family need no spe- discipline and liberality; hus-
cial spiritual formula for that band and wife know what it
exchange; nature leads to means when they subordinate
grace in the simplest expres- their differences to a reverent
sions, but in such experienc- affection for each other, both
es we need to know that we still on the way to becoming
depend desperately on each whole persons.
other. I cannot eat alone and
be fully fed; I cannot under- We should not be surprised
stand truth unless I see it in that each member of the fam-
the face of a person; I cannot ily has his share of darkness,
love unless someone demon- too, and that family relation-
strates his love for me. I need ships are often in the shad-
my brother’s salvation, or ow of the Cross. Our dark-
mine is in jeopardy. Salvation ness and our death are in
is Christ’s redeeming love in Christ also; St. Paul says we
us, never in one person alone. are “baptized into His death”
So seen, family living is not and continues, “as Christ was
so much a matter of sched- raised up from the dead . . .

12 anglicandigest.org
gathering
even so we also should walk
in newness of life.” Family life
is working and living togeth-
er, suffering, rising again and
again to love — a growing up
into Christ.
Even so, living with Christ
in the family is only a prepa-
ration for working with Him
in the world, the Christian’s
larger workshop. The Chris-
tian and his family cannot re-
spond to every push and pull
of the world, but neither can
they treat secular affairs as
neutral. Every headline, pop-
ular song, new product and
item on the ballot has a theol-
ogy behind it. The home must
include aspects of a Christian
school where the natures of
God and of man are studied
(using the chief textbook, the
Bible). Unless theology is dis-
cussed in the home, the death
present in the world’s recre-
ation, economics, and politics
will surely mortally infect the
family.
A renewed family life will
telling
produce its own momentum
which seeks to add truth to
truth, goodness to goodness,
beauty to beauty. The abun-
dant life promised us by our
Lord is “naturally supernatu-
ral” and is lived with an easy
dependence on Him. His sac-
raments, His prayer, and His
mind, all gathered and offered
when the family joins in the
parish family’s Eucharist. Dai-
ly life in Christ is the good life
because it is His life in us.
— Taddled from Benedicite
— Reprint from Autumn 1968
QQQ
slips that pass
in the type
In return for the use of the par-
ish hall, the craft group would
pledge a regular amount for
each member to cover use of
heat and lights. The pledge
would be a regular donation,
similar to the weakly offering
now collected.
— A parish report
– Reprint from Autumn 1968
spring 2018 13
connecting
do we listen?
ONE SUNDAY, while serv-
ing at the altar, I realized how
little I actually listen to the
words of the Prayer Book and
how infrequently I am fully
aware of their meaning. We
had reached that point in the
Eucharist when we recite the
beautiful prayer that Christ
gave us. As I was repeating
the words, “Forgive us our
trespasses, As we forgive
those who trespass against
us,” I seemed to hear those
words anew and wondered if
I do forgive those who tres-
pass against me. I have known
the prayer all my life, have
said it countless times, and
the words slip easily from
my mouth. Careless repeti-
tion had allowed the prayer to
become mere words without
meaning; but now they are
rich and rewarding. Because
of my experience that Sun-
day morning, I am rediscov-
ering parts of the Creed, and
the Prayer of Consecration,
14 anglicandigest.org
and the Gloria. To slide over
the familiar and repeat it inat-
tentively is, I suspect, a com-
mon and human failing, and
we are into the habit before
we notice it. I am learning to
shake off my lethargy, to call it
that, to pay attention to what
I am saying, and to listen to
what the priest reads from the
Prayer Book each Sunday. I
am being restored, refreshed,
and renewed — and more
than ever, I look forward to
participating in our parish’s
life of worship.
— Taddled from a
parish bulletin (Texas)
— Reprint from
II Quarter A. D. 1978
QQ
no substitutions,
please
THAT notice is often found
printed on the bottom of a
menu, and means that you
may not substitute tomato for
potato. It might be an excel-
lent idea if the Sunday Order
gathering telling

of Service read at the bottom ing people about Christ,

of the page, NO SUBSTITU- sermons seem like a pitch
TION. for more pledging families;
priests are sometimes less
The commonest form of sub- aware of what a parishioner
stitution is to replace faith needs than of what the parish
with membership: belonging needs. (Help him by letting
to a parish becomes more im- him know your needs.) The
portant than trying to achieve time that vestries take to de-
a right relationship with God cide how not to spend mon-
through Jesus Christ. “How or ey is more than that given
where may I best take up the on how to spread the Good
Cross and follow Christ?” is News.
rarely a guide in belonging to
a particular parish. To break the habit of substi-
tution we must first recognize
Once a member, the next that we do it; then we must re-
common form of substitution turn to public worship in the
is to replace spiritual growth Church and private prayer at
with church work: running home; and then we must seek
guilds and organizations rath- to conform our lives to that
er than, say, Christians pray- of Christ, remembering all
ing together, meetings tend the while that the world judg-
to crowd out being present at es the Church and God by
the altar rail. Some individ- what it sees in us. Therefore,
uals get lost in parish-house in the Name of the Lord Jesus
religion, while in the Church Christ, please, NO SUBSTI-
Jesus Christ calls out, “I am TUTIONS.
the way, the truth and the life.” – A parish priest in New York
Priests and vestries find their — Reprint from
substitutions: instead of tell- II Quarter A. D. 1978

spring 2018 15
connecting

in the good ol’ If impossible to attend church

summer time on Sundays we can gather
the family together for some
SUMMER is a marvelous reading from Scripture, may-
time! It’s a time of vacations, be the singing of a hymn, but
a time when school is out, a certainly some proper prayers
time for all of us to refresh from the Prayer Book. Gath-
and renew ourselves physi- ering our family for the wor-
cally, mentally, and spiritual- ship of God, however infor-
ly. Summer is the time for the mal, can have a great influence
family to spend time together, on our children, as well as re-
to go to the beach, the lake- mind us that God never takes
side, or the country. Thank a vacation from us.
God for the good ol’ summer- — A parish priest in Texas
time! — Reprint from
II Quarter 1978
We must not forget, however,
that the devil also rejoices in
the summer, especially when
we neglect our worship, our
prayers, and our relationship
with God, and, by so doing,
fail to convince our children
that our corporate worship
of God is important. There-
fore, in planning our sum-
mer vacation or weekends, we
should always allow for the
fulfillment of our “Sunday ob-
ligation.”

16 anglicandigest.org
gathering
Mission of
the Church
By the Bishop of Bloemfontein
RECENTLY, we held a Cler-
gy Conference in Southern
Africa. In a spirit of openness
and of fellowship (something
I always believe to be unique
to this diocese), we listened
to Dr. Nolan van Rensburg, a
virologist, on the grim subject
of AIDS. We looked at the or-
dination of women and then
discussed the future mission
of the Church, not only as a
preparation for “taking the di-
ocese to Lambeth” but also to
look positively at the Church
in this diocese as hopefully
the worst and last vestiges of
apartheid are finally disman-
tled.
In a series of nine addresses
on Mission and Evangelism
one thing kept coming back,
again and again. Clearly there
is a deepening crisis within
the Church about its mission.
Were we to confine this crisis
telling
of ministry to the geograph-
ical area of Southern Africa
we could always blame it all
on the confusion and tension
created by racism. But it is a
cosmic problem and the real
cause of this crisis can only
be the way the Church has
chosen new models for the
Sacred Ministry. Throughout
the world many courageous
Churchmen have seen the
ministry as “moving things
politically.” In a highly moti-
vated and sometimes relent-
less drive against injustice and
oppression they have earned a
rightful place in the company
of the world’s liberators, but
perhaps not such a comfort-
able place amongst the world’s
peacemakers.
Other Churchmen have em-
braced a passion for the orga-
nizational life of the Church
and have led us through pat-
terns of sensitivity courses,
thrusts towards contextual-
ization, analysis and an insis-
tence that we take our cues
spring 2018 17
connecting
from the business world with
all its techniques. Bishops are
given “job descriptions” and
there comes a point at which
a priest can so easily become
identified with a political par-
ty or an ideology, or a cause,
that we see him bearing re-
sponsibility for a constituency
rather than a Pastoral Charge.
In the meanwhile the faithful
become confused and unhap-
py. The Church’s ministry to-
day, they declare, would sure-
ly have been unthinkable in
the New Testament Church.
It is to be said that running
closely alongside these new
models is an other model
with the mushrooming of
perverse neo-Christian sects
everywhere. Members of the
Church wearied by the world-
ly and monotonous agendas
of the highest ecclesiastical
courts, are all too easily drawn
into the warmth and the
deeply personal interest of the
group, regardless of its stand-
ing with the historic Faith.
18 anglicandigest.org
The Roman Catholic Church
produces a great man like
Hans Kung and then chastis-
es him. Why? Because after a
voluminous study of ministry
he virtually quits with a com-
ment that ministry is “lead-
ership.” Is that really all it is?
Or has he like so many others
lost sight of the real identity of
priesthood?
We really have entered a dark
age of tumult and turmoil
and the very fact that one of
the most important ecumen-
ical organizations in our own
country has opted for violent
means to crush apartheid is
extremely unnerving. The
Church faces a huge crisis of
identity and it is trending to
wade into a dead sea of syn-
thetic ministry. In a film pro-
duced as an introduction to
Lambeth 1988 we were, as
bishops and clergy, present-
ed with a series of themes
that will constitute the main
business of the Conference.
It was a good video and well
gathering
produced, but what few peo-
ple seemed to realize was
the fact that the Lord of the
Church, Jesus of Nazareth,
was hardly mentioned. What
a contrast the Church of St.
Paul, St. John, St. Clement or
St. Ignatius! Are we in danger
of seeing our ministry by men
rather than by God the Father
through the Risen Christ?
I received a visit from a bright
young man recently. He was
as confused as he was both-
ered by the “secularization”
of the Church as he called it.
Carefully selected to play a
“church” part in areas of so-
cial concern and justice, he
anguished over the virtual
disappearance of the dai-
ly Services, the absence of a
healing ministry, the haphaz-
ard approach to confession
and absolution, the use of
the pulpit for a trite Sunday
School lesson type sermons
or a political harangue, the
continuous absence of his rec-
tor on socio-political errands,
telling
and the fact that he had nev-
er once had the opportunity
of welcoming the rector into
his home. Indeed his only
contact with him had been a
telephone call to invite him to
attend an interesting discus-
sion on the ‘End Conscrip-
tion Campaign’! Another vis-
itor spent time justifying his
attendance at Roman Cath-
olic services whilst asserting
his loyalty and love the for
Anglican Church. As Robert
Terwilliger would have per-
haps put it as far back as 1974;
people want one thing from
their priest — the ministry
of prayer and blessing. They
don’t want the priest as such,
they want Christ. To be a pas-
tor is, of course, from time
to time to admonish, soothe,
comfort and chastise, but his
primary task is to present Je-
sus. One bishop of the prov-
ince removed his episcopal
coat of arms from his letter-
heads and replaced it with a
tiny drawing of Jesus washing
the disciples’ feet. Sometimes
spring 2018 19
connecting

we need to see this picture as The Eighth

a model for our own minis- Commandment
try. But, please God, we shall
first see Jesus washing the feet
Thou shalt not steal.
and understanding the signif-
icance of the great God of the
Universe, the Transcendent A YOUNG MAN pulls a ski
God, the Creator stooping to mask over his head, pulls a
become completely one with gun out of his pocket, pulls up
the crown of His creation in to a liquor store, and pulls a
Jesus. We can wash people’s heist. The sun rises on a beau-
feet in a hundred different tiful day, the working hus-
ways in our longing to serve band rolls out of bed having
and to be sensitive to the no fewer than four dreams
needs of God’s people, but about playing golf and calls
unless it is undertaken in the in “sick” to the office in order
Gospel Spirit of Jesus’ wash- to spend a day on the course.
ing, it avails nothing. While mom is driving the
carpool in the afternoon, the
God’s presence with the children are snacking and
Church surely manifests it- throwing their trash out the
self in the Apostolic Ministry. back of the station wagon.
Only when we forget this or
busily overlook it do we find These three incidents, with-
crisis and idolatry. out obvious correlation, are
indeed related. The Eighth
— The Rt. Rev. Thomas Commandment is the basic
Bloemfontein, The Diocesan commandment of which the
Link, Bloemfontein, idea of private property rests.
Southern Africa It is the protection which the
— Reprint from Summer 1988 diligent and prudent have

20 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

against the idle and careless. could have prevented that

The underlying conviction is theft. And think about how
“I have toiled to collect these respect will enter into your
possessions and you, who decision to steal the next time
have been idle, must not rob the occasion presents itself.
me of the fruits of my indus- And, after your examination,
try.” say a prayer for God’s forgive-
ness.
The basic idea of the Eighth — Reprint from Summer 1988
Commandment is simple,
and it, like all others, rests on QQQ
the First. God is God, and ev-
erything we have is a gift from A sermon preached by
Him. In His wisdom, God the Rev. Gary Fertig
has granted to all men and in St. Thomas Church,
women various things, and to New York City . . .
take something that belongs
to someone else is to violate Christian Unity
God’s plan, thus placing the THE BEST VACATION I
thief in the position of God. ever had was exactly one
But stealing is more involved year ago. I was in Venice and
than just taking things that on this particular Christian
don’t belong to you. Unity Sunday last year did
what any sensible tourist
Take some time today to ex- would do: I went to the High
amine your actions. Stop right Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica.
now and think of some sub- The priest who celebrated the
tle ways that you have stolen mass and preached the ser-
something in the last twen- mon (both in Italian), if his
ty-four hours. Think of how vestments and remarks were
respect for God or for others any indication, seemed bliss-

spring 2018 21
connecting

fully unaware that Vatican II “seriously to lay to heart the

had ever happened. However, great dangers we are in by our
his sermon pleased me at the unhappy divisions.”
outset. Although I could not
understand every word, I un- On the official level, the work
derstood three specific words of reuniting the Anglican and
and I was glad to hear them: Roman Catholic Churches,
Catholic, Protestant, and An- those that have most in com-
glican. He went on to say how mon with each other, has
the pope had referred to the slowed down considerably
Anglican Church as a sister and in some places has even
church and that pleased me, stopped completely.
too. But all of a sudden, he
concluded his sermon blunt- If we try to draw an analogy
ly by saying that there would between the work of reunit-
be no need for this Christian ing the churches and the work
Unity Sunday if Protestants of reconciling a friendship, I
and Anglicans would just real- think we can see what is hap-
ize that the pope is the centerpening. We can all speak of
of unity and place themselves the hard work, pain, frustra-
obediently under his jurisdic- tion, and setbacks involved in
tion. That is most certainly reconciling a friendship. Jesus
one way to look at Christian knows better than any of us
unity, but it is not the way this
about this and His Cross be-
preacher, loyal Anglican that fore you on the Altar in all its
he is, chooses to look at it. horror and glory bears witness
to what He endured to recon-
I have a mighty task before me cile us with our heavenly Fa-
this morning for I feel com- ther. There has been a serious
pelled to plead with you, in breach of charity on the part
the words of the Prayer Book, of both churches and just as it

22 anglicandigest.org
gathering
is in a troubled friendship, no
one is blameless. The healing
of the rift will take time and
much hard work. Even though
what we have in common is
greater than what separates
us, there are still issues that
“hinder us from godly union
and concord” that cannot be
dismissed lightly. People have
fought and died for them and
in some places continue to
fight and to die. People are
refused the Sacrament of the
Altar because of them. People
have been refused Holy Mat-
rimony in their name. Sadly,
there is still between us some
hatred and prejudice that God
needs to take away.
To those on the official lev-
el in this important work of
reconciliation, our prayers
for support must be said and
our words of thanks should
go. God willing, an avenue
of communication will al-
ways remain open; for that is
a strong sign of hope for two
estranged sisters.
telling
But there is something else,
and we need to muster the
courage to confront it on
this Christian Unity Sunday,
something far more person-
al, something closer to home
that Anglican—Roman Cath-
olic relations, nothing less
than the unity of our beloved
Episcopal Church, a unity
that is being threatened by
some highly controversial and
emotionally charged issues on
which the Church has acted.
These potentially divisive is-
sues, about which each one
of us is most certainly enti-
tled to have opinions, are very
important because each one
of them reflects a changing
world and a changing Church
striving to be faithful to Je-
sus Christ, the Lord of the
Church, who “is the same
yesterday, today, and forev-
er” as scripture tells us. But I
am afraid that we may have
gone too far and by allowing
the Church to become such
an issue-oriented Church that
spring 2018 23
connecting

we are dangerously close to Universal, is by nature bigger

forgetting that there is some- than the controversial issues
thing more important which confronting the Church and
must never be forgotten. bigger than any and all the
emotionally charged opinions
Now let me take you into my about them which we rightly
confidence as I ask you to en- hold.
gage in a little thinking exer-
cise with me. To think, to ap- Christ tells us plainly what
ply reason to a situation, you that something bigger is in
know, is a very Anglican thing this morning’s Gospel where
to do. When you stop to think we meet Christ praying ear-
about it, and ironic though it nestly to the Father for the
may be, the Roman Catho- unity of the Church He was
lic Church and the Anglican sent to build.
Church do share one thing in Why? Why does Christ pray
common. Sad as I am to say it, for unity? What is at stake?
it is a breach against the Ca- Nothing less than Christ’s en-
tholicism they rightly claim tire mission in the world, a
as theirs. We all know from mission that is now ours as the
Sunday School, Confirmation Church. Christ tells His Fa-
Class, and the Catechism, ther this plainly and St. John
that the word Catholic means records it for us to remem-
Universal. Now think. Some- ber. Christ starts by praying
thing Catholic, something for his little band of disciples
Universal, is by nature bigger and then goes on to pray for
than I am. Something Cath- us when He says to the Father,
olic, something Universal, is “I do not pray for these only
bigger than you are. And so but also for those who believe
it stands to reason that Some- in me through their word that
thing Catholic, something they may all be one . . . [Why?]

24 anglicandigest.org
gathering
so that the world may believe
that thou hast sent me.” (St.
John 17:20-21)
There is Christ’s mission.
There is the Church’s mission
in every age: to invite all men
and women and children ev-
erywhere to believe in Jesus
as the one sent by the Father,
who has His origin in the Fa-
ther, who speaks the words
of the Father and does the
will of the Father. What will
hinder and hamper that mis-
sion? What may in fact even
prevent it from ever getting
going? If we take Christ at His
word, a divided Church will.
St. Paul would be the first to
tell us that this mission entails
the work of evangelism. You
are evangelists. You know, cer-
tainly better than I could ever
hope to, those whose lives are
without purpose, those who
suffer from an intense lone-
liness, those who just cannot
seem to make sense out of the
things that happen to them,
and crave the friendship you
telling
have with Jesus which comes
from believing in Him, al-
though they be unable to
name Him. And I am not
speaking only of lapsed Prot-
estants and annoyed Angli-
cans and disgruntled Roman
Catholics, who have been
turned off by something the
officials of the Church have
said or done and as a result,
have ceased to worship, may-
be even cease to believe in, the
Lord of the Church and the
very life of the Church, which
I dare say is bigger than the
officialdom is. I am speaking
too of the countless number
of people who walk by this
place every day and have nev-
er heard of Jesus Christ; they
need to know Him. And I am
speaking too of those who
could not care less about what
happens here, along with
those who are openly hostile
to what does; they need to be
won over to Jesus by the love,
care, and compassion you can
give them, along with the in-
vitation to join you, as you
spring 2018 25
connecting
walk along the way of friend-
ship with Jesus, a way of living
by believing, that brings the
peace that only God can give.
Christ tells us plainly. St. Paul
bears witness to the truth that
this is our mission and that it
is in God’s eyes what He ex-
pects of the Church He sent
His Son to establish. Christ
prays earnestly for the unity
of the church which must be
maintained and restored if we
are going to live up to a divine
expectation.
— Reprint from Summer 1988
a note
to lectors
I normally read the Scrip-
ture with a calm voice,
trying to read it, as one
old Scotsman put it, “as
though I were listening to
it and not as though I had
written it.”
– International Christian Digest
– Reprint from Summer 1988
26 anglicandigest.org
old north,
treasured
and growing
“. . . And low! as he looks, on the
belfry’s height
A glimmer and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle
he turns,
But lingers and gazes, til full on his
sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns ...”
“The Midnight Ride of
Paul Revere,”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1861
MOST EVERYONE KNOWS
of Old North Church, im-
mortalized in Longfellow’s
poem as the site from which
the lights of two lanterns set
in motion an early scene in
America’s Revolutionary War
drama.
What many don’t know, how-
ever, is that this historic land-
mark in Boston’s North End
is actually Christ Church in
the City of Boston, home to
a burgeoning Episcopal con-
gregation.
gathering
Sited on Salem Street, down
the hill from the Copp’s
Hill burying ground, Christ
Church was built in 1723 as
the colony’s second Anglican
church; it functions today as
one of 196 active congrega-
tions in the Episcopal Diocese
of Massachusetts.
As such it must try to balance
a patriotic role with a pastoral
calling.
More than half a million peo-
ple visit Old North each year,
and handling peak traffic,
especially during the fall foli-
age season, is a challenge. On
the busiest of days, the line of
people waiting to enter Old
North Church can stretch the
length of the Paul Revere Mall
to Hanover Street. Some vis-
itors arrive individually and
unannounced, others in bus
loads from cruise ships and
conventions.
First a house of worship
Old North fully embraces its
role in American history, as it
telling
has for more than 200 years,
welcoming these visitors with
open doors and guided tours
and souvenirs to buy in the
museum gift shop. As de-
mand has increased, the gift
shop, with a full-time staff,
now carries hundreds of items
available by catalogue. Reve-
nues help pay for the upkeep
of the church property, this
year to include new restrooms
and exterior steeple lighting.
“Sometimes it’s hard to think
of this as a church when you
deal with history all week . . .
[but] this is a living church,
first and foremost a house of
worship,” Mr. Mark Chessor
said.
Christ Church itself, a land-
mark on the National Regis-
ter of Historic Places, looks
much as it did in the 18th
century, with high box pews,
center and side aisles, balcony
with organ built in 1759 and a
working clock built by parish-
ioners in 1726.
spring 2018 27
connecting
Tall windows of clear glass
flood the sanctuary with light
and admit views of nearby
trees and buildings, while the
creak of pews and floors takes
visitors back in time. The
main aisle is graced by two
large, brass chandeliers, each
crowned with a dove of peace.
Their candles were first light-
ed on Christmas Day, 1724,
and are in use today for after-
noon and evening services.
The Old North bell tower
holds the first “peal of bells”
rung in North America. These
eight-change ringing bells
were cast in England in 1744
and installed in the bell tow-
er in 1745. The guild of bell
ringers were founded in 1750,
with Paul Revere, age 15, as
one of its members.
In the 1970s, Old North leapt
to national prominence with
its role in our nation’s bicen-
tennial celebration. Through
the efforts of its previous vicar,
the Rev. Dr. Robert Golledge,
28 anglicandigest.org
Old North was the first stop
that Queen Elizabeth and
Prince Philip made on their
historic visit to America in
1976.
More recently, demograph-
ic changes in Boston have
brought single professionals,
young married couples, emp-
ty-nesters and families to ur-
ban neighborhoods, includ-
ing the North End.
Building up parish life
Church membership at Old
North is growing, and the
church is responding by en-
hancing the role of the laity,
providing programs for chil-
dren and advertising them to
the community, creating op-
portunities for fellowship and
increasing outreach in the
North End — in short, estab-
lishing traditional elements of
parish life.
“We are putting in the basics
of a congregational structure.
People are not just window
gathering
dressing,” the Vicar, the Rev.
Steven Ayres said.
Through outreach efforts Old
North is trying to identify
and attend to the needs of its
neighbors in the North End,
particularly young mothers
and the elderly.
Marcia Casey, who has at-
tended Old North for 20 years
and is head of the Old North
Gardeners, said, “We’re very
much an amalgam of a city
community. People come
from a variety of education-
al backgrounds, and we are
much more diverse. The ac-
tive committee structure we
have now is a great joy.
— Carolyn S. Ellis,
a parishioner at St. Peter’s
Church in Weston, in
Episcopal Times
Diocese of Massachusetts
— Reprint from
Michaelmas 1998
telling
Guest Quarters at
HILLSPEAK
Whether you are seeking the se-
renity of an Ozark Mountain re-
treat such as the view from the
front porch of the farmhouse
or one of our other three units,
searching the shelves in Oper-
ation Pass Along, or doing re-
search in the Foland Library, our
guest quarters are ideal for indi-
viduals and small groups. Sce-
nic vistas from atop Grindstone
Mountain and our proximity to
Eureka Springs draw visitors from
around the world year-round.
Each accommodation can sleep
up to four people, eight in the
farmhouse, and comes with a
fully equipped kitchen. Should
you wish to make a booking,
please call 479-253-9701, e-mail
us at accommodation@angli-
candigest.org, or use our online
contact form at anglicandigest.
org. Our office is open Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Central Time. We are closed on
weekends and holidays.
spring 2018 29
connecting

HILLSPEAKING
There is nothing permanent except change. — Heraclitus, ca
513 B.C.
Or if you prefer a more modern take on this truism, Marcus
Aurelius (A.D. 121-180), put it even more succinctly: The uni-
verse changes.
What brought the matter to mind is that when Patient Wife and
I came home from a vacation, we saw that one of the magnifi-
cent old oaks that run in a line to the west of the Farm House
had been cut down. It had been dead for a year or so and need-
ed to be cut. Nobody here at Hillspeak knows how old that line
of oaks is. A photograph of the Farm House and the Old Resi-
dence, taken in 1914, shows the trees fully grown. Patient Wife
and I have lived at Hillspeak for more than a quarter centu-
ry and can testify that change does occur. Over the years, we
have mourned the loss of many of the fine old trees that crown
Grindstone Mountain and we have seen young trees come to
full growth to replace them.
When County Road 102, then informally known as the “Hill-
speak Road” was a dirt road, we planted forsythia, Rose of Sha-
ron, butterfly bush, Russian olive and snowball seedlings across
the front of the two houses to protect us from the noise and dust
of the road. Now these have come to maturity and a hedge that
averages ten to twelve feet inheight perfectly screens us from
the traffic that has developed over the ensuing years.
There have been cosmetic and more substantial changes to the
buildings and what, I suppose, might be called the “infrastruc-
ture” of Hillspeak. No longer do we depend upon a spring miles
30 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

away for our domestic water, and the first well and pump that
replaced the spring have been relegated to supplying irrigation
water while yet another well and pump provide Morningside
and others potable water.
The Farm House and Old Residence, both built from native yel-
low oak, are now sheathed in vinyl siding. A second bathroom
has been added to the Old Residence and the interior of the
Farm House remodeled — changes that enhance the livability
of both. Where there was only one restroom in the basement of
the Big Red Barn, there are now four — one on each floor. The
privy which stood behind the barn is gone — a victim of age
and neglect. With the addition of a second floor to the old Re-
cords Room, the profile of the barn has changed to that of Twin
Barns. The change was so cleverly done that nowadays visitors
suppose it has always been that way.
The appearance of Hillspeak has changed, but what remains
constant is its commitment to serve as a base, and symbol so
to speak, for a ministry of the written word that seeks to serve
the Church. — The Trustees’ Warden
Reprint from Lent 2004

In Remembrance of
Capt. Walter Roberts Swindells
for his Love of and
Life of Devotion to
God, Country, Family
and the Ministries of Hillspeak.
1919 - 2012

spring 2018 31
connecting

The Anglican Bookstore

PARTICIPATING IN GOD’S MISSION:
A Theological Missiology for the Church in America
By Craig Van Gelder and Dwight J. Zscheile
Forward by John R. Franke
After analyzing contemporary challenges and
developing a missiological approach for the US
church, Craig Van Gelder and Dwight Zschei-
le reflect on the long, complex, and contested
history of Christian mission in America. Five
distinct historical periods from the beginning
of the colonial era to the dawn of the third mil-
lennium are reviewed and critiqued.
Item E1270 (paperback, 384 pages, $35.00)

Paul: An Apostle’s Journey

By Douglas A. Campbell
Enter with Campbell into Paul’s world, relive the story of Paul’s
action-packed ministry, and follow the devel-
opment of Paul’s thought as he travels both
physically and spiritually from his conversion
on the road to Damascus to his arrest and
eventual execution by agents of the Roman
Empire.
Ideal for students, study groups, and indi-
vidual readers, Paul: An Apostle’s Journey
dramatically recounts the life of one of early
Christianity’s most fascinating figures.
Item E1271 (paperback, 219 pages, $22.00)

32 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

THE CRUCIFIXION
Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ
By Fleming Rutledge
Countering our contemporary tendency to by-
pass Jesus’ crucifixion, Rutledge in these pages
examines in depth all the various themes and
motifs used by the New Testament evangelists
and apostolic writers to explain the meaning
of the cross of Christ. She mines the classical
writings of the Church Fathers, the medieval
scholastics, and the Reformers as well as more
recent scholarship, while bringing them all into contemporary
context.
Item E1272 (paperback, 695 pages, $30.00)

THE PREACHER’S PORTRAIT

Five New Testament Word Studies
By John Stott
Convinced that knowing the Word of God
is fundamental to preaching, John Stott here
presents brief studies of five New Testament
metaphors that characterize preachers: stew-
ard, herald, witness, father, and servant. In the
course of these five studies, Stott discusses
the message and authority of preachers, the
character of their proclamation, the vital
necessity of their own experience of the gospel, and their motives
and moral qualities, particularly humility, gentleness, and love.
Item E1273 (paperback, 120 pages, $10.00)

spring 2018 33
connecting

FOR YOUNG READERS

JESUS’S STORY
By Virginie Noe
In simple language and with sweet illus-
trations that young children will love, this
book retells the stories of Jesus. Share in
the excitement of the night that Jesus was
born, his baptism by his cousin John and
the calling of his friends, the fishermen
who were to become his disciples.
In a padded board format, this book is perfect for little fingers.
Item L0166 (Board book, 20 pages, $15.00)

THE SUITCASE: A Story About Giving

By Jane G. Meyer, Illustrated by Chiara Pasqualotto
Zeal and excitement are a part of every child.
This book celebrates a young child’s enthusi-
asm to put into practice the words of Christ:
to feed and clothe the poor; help the needy;
and love one’s neighbor.
As Thomas shows his family the items that
he has packed into his suitcase after hearing
a stirring homily at church, they marvel at
his inventiveness and loving heart. Thomas is traveling to the
Kingdom of Heaven, and he knows what it takes to get there!
Thomas and his family figure out a way to accomplish the al-
most impossible goal that Thomas is so excited about.
Item L0167 (paperback, 32 pages, $17.00)
Please use the order form on page 36
34 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

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spring 2018 35
connecting
Soul Maintenance
The Rev. Carolyn S. Petersen,
The Cathedral Church of
Saint Luke, Orlando, Florida
One thing we need is reliable
transportation that will get us
where we need to be without
worry. Recently my car ex-
hibited what appeared to be a
major leak. My husband was
leaving town for ten days, and,
fearing that I might become
victim to an unscrupulous
mechanic while he was gone,
his instructions were: “Don’t
do anything about the car un-
til I return!” This meant that I
had to carry containers of oil
and coolant in the trunk of
the car, stopping to replenish
the liquids when the warn-
ing lights indicated that fluids
were dangerously low! A car
needs proper maintenance to
run smoothly and efficient-
ly — neglecting this leads to
problems along the way.
Did you realize that we are
also in need of proper spiritu-
al maintenance for our souls?
36 anglicandigest.org
Neglect of “tending our souls”
results in spiritual dryness,
which leads to discourage-
ment, despair, and yes, prob-
lems along the way. Max Luca-
do writes, “Deprive your soul
of spiritual water, and your
soul will tell you. Dehydrated
hearts send desperate messag-
es. Snarling tempers. Waves of
worry. Growling mastodons of
guilt and fear. You think God
wants you to live with these?
Hopelessness. Sleeplessness.
Loneliness. Resentment. Ir-
ritability. Insecurity. These
are warnings. Symptoms of a
dryness deep within.” Come
Thirsty, pp. 11-12
What is the panacea for dehy-
drated hearts and souls? Jesus
gives us the answer in John
7:37-38 (NRSV) “... he cried
out, Let anyone who is thirsty
come to me, and let the one
who believes in me drink. As
the scripture has said, ‘Out of
the believer’s heart shall flow
rivers of living water.’” The fact
that Jesus cried out indicates
gathering
that he was adamant about
our need to be connected to
him in order to receive his liv-
ing water. “I am the vine, you
are the branches. Those who
abide in me and I in them
bear much fruit, because apart
from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5 (NRSV) He desires
that we remain “connected”
to him throughout the day,
communicating with him, no-
ticing his constant presence,
and continually seeking him.
He never intended for us to
struggle and “go it alone.” He
desires that we come to him,
surrendering our hearts and
our lives. He desires that we
spend time with him in sol-
itude and silence. “Be still,
and know that I am God!” . . .
Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)
He desires that we spend time
reading and meditating upon
his Word. As we study and
delve into scripture, we are
strengthened and refreshed. “I
will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.
telling
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.”
Psalm 119:15-16 (NRSV)
Solitude, Silence, Prayer, Med-
itating upon his Word, no-
ticing his presence: these are
ways to strengthen your spirit
and refresh your soul. “Come
to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy bur-
dens, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11 :28 (NRSV)
Are you thirsty for that abun-
dant life promised to you by
our Lord Jesus Christ? Then
come to him and drink deeply.
Rest in him and be refreshed
in your soul!
Reprint from Lent 2008
THE ORDER OF ST. ANDREW
A Religious Order of men and
women, both married and single,
not living in community.
For information contact:
The Father or Mother General
The Order of Saint Andrew
2 Creighton Lane
Scarborough, NY 10510
(914) 941-1265; 762-0398
http://www.osa-anglican.org
Advertisement
spring 2018 37
connecting
Catch of a
Lifetime
The Rev. Guido F. Verveck, III,
St. Paul’s, Shreveport Louisiana
He was eleven years old and
went fishing every chance he
got from the dock at his fam-
ily’s cabin on an island in the
middle of a New Hampshire
lake. On the day before bass
season opened, he and his
father were fishing early in
the evening, catching sunfish
and perch with worms. Then
he tied a small silver lure and
practiced casting. The lure
struck the water and caused
colored ripples in the sun-
set, then silver ripples as the
moon rose over the lake.
When his pole doubled over,
he knew something huge was
on the other end. His father
watched with admiration as
the boy skillfully worked the
fish alongside the dock. Final-
ly, he very gingerly lifted the
exhausted fish from the water.
38 anglicandigest.org
It was the largest one he had
ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked
at the handsome fish, gills
playing back and forth in
the moonlight. The father
lit a match and looked at
his watch. It was 10 P.M. -
two hours before the season
opened. He looked at the fish,
then at the boy. “You’ll have to
put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy. “There
will be other fish,” said his fa-
ther. “Not as big as this one,”
cried the boy. He looked
around the lake. No other
fishermen or boats were any-
where around in the moon-
light He looked again at his
father. Even though no one
had seen them, nor could
anyone ever know what time
he caught the fish, the boy
could tell by the clarity of his
father’s voice that the decision
was not negotiable. He slowly
worked the hook out of the lip
of the huge bass and lowered
gathering
it into the black water. The
creature swished its powerful
body and disappeared. The
boy suspected that he would
never again see such a great
fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today,
the boy is a successful archi-
tect in New York City. His
father’s cabin is still there on
the island in the middle of the
lake. He takes his own son and
daughters fishing from the
same dock. And he was right.
He has never again caught
such a magnificent fish as the
one he landed that night long
ago. But he does see that same
fish — again and again — ev-
ery time he comes up against
a question of ethics.
For, as his father taught him,
ethics are simple matters of
right and wrong. It is only the
practice of ethics that is dif-
ficult. Do we do right when
no one is looking? Do we re-
fuse to cut corners to get the
design in on time? Or refuse
telling
to trade stocks based on in-
formation that we know we
aren’t supposed to have? We
would if we were taught to put
the fish back when we were
young. For we would have
learned the truth.
The decision to do right
lives fresh and fragrant in
our memory. It is a story we
will proudly tell our friends
and grandchildren. Not
about how we had a chance
to beat the system and took
it, but about how we did the
right thing and were forever
strengthened.
Reprint from Lent 2008
QQQ
For ye are dead
and your life
is hid with
God in Christ
QQQ
spring 2018 39
connecting

Fear Not timate lifetime enemies, over-

take our better hopes. It hap-
The Rev. Jeffrey H. Walker, pens when our fears wear us
Christ Church, down and occupy the best of
Greenwich, Connecticut our time. They make us lose
heart and they keep us from
Jesus told this parable to his living more fully. We fear that
disciples about their need to our past will actually catch
pray always and not lose heart. up with us. Fear also has us
— Luke 18: 1 crossing bridges we may nev-
er get to. It is a lifelong game
The story that Jesus told to il- of “what if ” that wastes our
lustrate his point was, as usu- time and erodes our present.
al, one that made his listeners If perfect love casts out fear.
scratch their heads and squint than it is also possible for per-
their eyes. After all, it was a fect fear to cast out love.
comic story about the poorest
of women, the most powerless But, scared living never
of people, ultimately winning makes us more than we could
her case against a crooked but have imagined before. Fright-
powerful judge. And why did ened living never strives for
she prevail? Because he would something beyond our reach;
just as soon settle up with her never imagines a better, larger
rather than listen to her nag- future. A frightened life never
ging forever. Not exactly how dreams. We lose heart.
we usually like to think of not The answer to fear is cour-
losing heart. age. But that sounds so un-
realistic. When we think of
But, we do lose heart. It hap- courage, we usually think of
pens to us so often. It happens heroes who talk and act bold-
most when our fears, our in- ly, without any trace of fear.

40 anglicandigest.org
gathering
Fearless leaders, people who
don’t know the meaning of
the word, fear. I don’t think
that is very real at all.
Courage isn’t the absence of
fear. It is staring fear right in
the face and not being crip-
pled by it. It is going ahead
even when you are scared to
death. It is a willingness to
risk something of ourselves,
Do what needs to be done
anyway. Risk looking foolish
or failing. Risk looking stupid.
Courage isn’t the movies. It is
someone walking into an AA
meeting for the first time. It
is knowing the pain of che-
motherapy and knowing the
slim chance of surviving, and
going anyway. Enduring it
anyway. Courage is the will-
ingness to say “I love you”
instead of fearing that love
won’t be returned. Courage is
getting up in the morning and
facing the day, when yester-
day offered only sorrow and
death’s memory. Courage is a
telling
willingness of everyday peo-
ple to stand up even when
they stand alone, even a pow-
erless woman who Luke tells
us would just never give in,
never give up. This nameless
woman is our real hero.
Where does that courage
come from? I believe that the
same God who walked with
any hero the world has ever
called by that name is the
same God who walks through
your life and mine. The God
who tells us that, no matter
what happens to us, we are
never alone. His love, pres-
ence, mercy, all give us the
courage to be present to our
own lives, to face this day and
the next one. The same God
who is with us when we stare
into the darkness, and who
holds out his hand from the
other side of darkness itself
and says to each of us: “Do
not lose heart. Fear not, for I
am with you always, even to
the end of the ages.”
Reprint from Lent 2008
spring 2018 41
connecting
Mother Teresa
and
Her Dark Nights
The Rev. Frederick A. Buechner,
All Saints,
Thomasville, Georgia
I have trodden the winepress
alone. (Isaiah 63)
Thy way is in the sea, and thy
paths in the great waters, and
thy footsteps are not known.
(Psalm 77)
  With the publication
against her will of any number
of her letters, one could have
predicted the outpouring of
scorn from certain corners
toward Mother Teresa regard-
ing her “long dark night of
the soul.” Witness this pearl
of wisdom from the seeming-
ly omnipresent Christopher
Hitchens paraphrasing Karl
Marx’s barb about religion
being the opiate of the peo-
ple: “She was no more exempt
from the realization that re-
ligion is a human fabrication
than any other person.” What
42 anglicandigest.org
these avowed atheists share
with so many of the religious-
ly challenged, is the false as-
sumption that human beings
initiate their relationship with
God. In fact, God calls us to
enter into fellowship with
him — wherever, however,
and especially whenever he
wills.
No man need make light of
Mother Teresa’s loneliness,
but one wonders what help
she had through these years
and decades of what she calls
spiritual dryness. After all, the
greatest of all human saints
was told that her child was set
for the rise and fall of nations,
and that a sword would pierce
her own soul. Indeed, anyone
who sets his mind, heart, and
will to follow our Lord’s way
cannot help but be buffeted by
the world, the flesh, and the
devil. It seems that Mother Te-
resa’s greatest battle was with
the devil himself, who did his
best to convince her that she
truly was totally alone. The
gathering
prophet and psalmist quoted
above experienced that same
terrible sense of darkness and
blindness. Thank God for all
three. Each in his own way
helps us appreciate our own
dark nights — and yet, at
least with those lines quot-
ed above, one cannot help
but feel a certain nearness to
God, the same way one might
know Him in the midst of
a terrible thunderstorm. “I
have trodden the winepress
alone.” “Thy wall is in the sea
... and thy footsteps are not
known.” And yet, somehow
they are known. Christians
interpret the former as com-
ing from none other than our
dear Lord, seeing we read this
passage (as well as the psalm)
during Holy Week. Should we
feel alone, we are in the best of
company.
Further, even though God’s
footsteps are not always
known, in some wonderful
and mystical way, we don’t feel
alone. Indeed, Mother Teresa
telling
eventually learned that her
sense of abandonment mir-
rored the experience of Christ
himself, who on the Cross felt
the Father had forsaken him.
She would eventually write: “I
came to love the darkness.”
In the wake of her now pub-
lished letters, perhaps three
observations are in order for
us “mortals.” First, — not to
imply that Mother Teresa
necessarily expected them;
nevertheless, we don’t love
God and attempt his will in
order to be recompensed by
His comforting us with warm
fuzzies. Indeed we love God,
simply because he is God. He
does in fact allow us to expe-
rience him in quite wonder-
ful ways at the beginnings of
our journeys with him and to
him. But as any parent must
eventually remove the train-
ing wheels from a child’s bi-
cycle so that he’ll be able to
spread his wings to a great-
er degree, God purposefully
backs away from us so that we
spring 2018 43
connecting

might learn to love him not   Again, not to ignore her

for what he does for us, but to
very real pain, but everyone
love him simply because he is.has dry spells when we don’t
  Second, one must never feel the way we think we
measure the validity or effec-ought. And yet, who among
tiveness of his or her relation-
us is able truly to venture
ship with God by how he feels.what or how we ought to feel.
The heart is defective and The heart is deceitful above all
deceitful forever all inaccu- things, yet God is greater than
rate barometer of one’s faith.our hearts. Most important,
Better to take refuge with St.the fact that we may not feel
John: “Beloved, God is greaterhim doesn’t by any means in-
than our hearts.” dicate He is not there. We are
never alone.
Third, Mother Teresa’s long Reprint from Lent 2008
dark night in no way inhib- QQQ
ited the incredible work she
did on behalf of hundreds Throw Out the
of thousands. Her initial en- Net!
counters with God had to be
of an unspeakably profound The Rev. Greg Brewer
Good Samaritan,
quality, such that something Paoli, Pennsylvania
caused her to persevere
through those dark seas. Her “Once again, the Kingdom
actions, if not her feelings, heaven is like a net that was let
indicated the overwhelming down into the lake and caught
presence of hope: the virtue all kinds of fish” Matthew
which helps us continue our 13:47
pilgrimage and our vocation,
even when we are not sure   Over fifty years ago, the
precisely where we’re going· German pastor and theolo-
44 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

gian Dietrich Bonhoeffer fa- most and if I pursue that dis-

mously described Jesus Christ covery with all of my energy, I
as a man “for others.” In many will find true fulfillment and
ways, that phrase — “for oth- happiness.
ers” aptly conveys the orien-
tation of all people who truly However, the orientation of
desire to follow Jesus Christ. the life of Jesus and his ar-
As Paul puts it “though I am dent followers is not person-
free and belong to no man, I al fulfillment. It is service
make myself a slave to every- — throwing out the net.
one, to win as many as pos- Whether they find fulfillment
sible” (1 Corinthians 9:19). in that or not is quite beside
In other words, the focus of the point. Service is their job
the follower of Jesus is to live,description and their desire
even serve, in such a way that is to fulfill that job descrip-
many are won. To be “won” is tion; not fulfill themselves.
to be won to Christ — to have The wonder is that many find
one’s heart captured by his this self-sacrifice so fulfilling.
love and in submission to call But as they might tell you; it
him “Lord.” is only a side benefit, not the
point. The point is follow-
It’s an entirely different ori- ing Jesus and Jesus said, “I
entation for our lives than we come among you as one who
might have expected. We are serves,” and later demonstrat-
imbued with the idea, often ed that vividly by washing the
taught in church and always feet of his disciples.
taught outside the church,
that the goal in life is to find It must be kept in mind, how-
personal fulfillment. I am ever, that the point of this
taught that my job in life is to service is that others might
discover what fulfills me the be “won.” The metaphor that

spring 2018 45
connecting
describes one who serves that
others might be won, is that of
a willing channel. This servant
reaches out in love to care for
another, praying all the way
that God would use this hum-
ble act of service in a way that
would allow others to turn to
Christ. Again, personal fulfill-
ment is not the goal, nor is it
self congratulatory. The goal
is that others might be won.
Where does this life of service
begin? It begins in our hearts.
It begins by asking God to
work in us the heart of a ser-
vant, asking God to pry us
away from our own self-cen-
teredness. We ask God to give
us his heart of compassion for
those in need. We ask God to
help us to be willing to give.
We will know that God is
answering our prayers when
we notice doors of opportu-
nity for service that we had
not noticed before. Consider
them open doors. Throw out
the net!
Reprint from Lent 2008
46 anglicandigest.org
Blessed
Dependency
from John Donne’s last sermon
THERE NOW HANGS that
sacred Body upon the Cross
rebaptized in his own tears
and sweat, and embalmed in
His own blood alive. There
are those bowels of compas-
sion, which are so conspic-
uous, so manifested, as that
you may see them through his
wounds. There those glorious
eyes grew faint in their light:
so as the sun, ashamed to sur-
vive them, departed with his
light too. And then that Son
of God, who was never from
us, and yet had now come a
new way unto us in assuming
our nature, delivers that soul
(which was never out of his
Father’s hands) by a new way,
a voluntary emission of it into
his Father’s hands. For though
to this God our Lord, be-
longed these issues of death,
so that considered in his own
contract, he must necessarily
gathering telling

die, yet at no breach or bat- kingdom, which he hath pur-

tery, which they had made chased for you with the inesti-
upon his sacred Body, issued mable price of his incorrupt-
his soul, but emisit [dashing ible blood. Amen.
forth], he gave up the Ghost, Reprint from Easter 2008
and as God breathed a soul QQQ
into the first Adam, so the
second Adam breathed his Why, Why, Why?
soul into God, into the hands
of God. There we leave you The Rev. Robert C.
Wisnewski, Jr., St. John’s,
in that blessed dependen- Montgomery, Alabama
cy, to hang upon him that
hangs upon the Cross, there It is not that this man sinned,
bathe in his tears, there suck or his parents, but that the
at his wounds, and lie down works of God might be made
in peace in his grave, till he manifest in him. In the 9th
vouchsafe you a resurrection, chapter of John’s gospel Jesus,
and an ascension into that as he passes by a group of
QQQQQQQQQQQ
The Franciscan Order of the Divine Compassion
An Anglo-Catholic religious order of Third Order brothers and
sisters striving to proclaim the Good News of Christ through
penance and prayer. Our brothers and sisters minister in the
communities in which they live. For further information please
contact:
Br. Glen Weeks, OSF,
228 Old Glenwood Rd., West Falls, NY 14170.
e-mail minister-general@fodc.net
or call 716-652-6616
Advertisement

spring 2018 47
connecting

people, notices a man who is young people die years before

blind. His disciples began to what we consider a more ap-
tell the story they have heard propriate time? Why do nat-
about the man, that he was ural disasters like hurricanes,
born blind and they begin tornadoes, earthquakes, and
to speculate on just why the floods take so many innocent
man was put into the world in lives? Why is it that someone
such a state. Either he or his we love is alive and well one
parents must be particular- day and the next day brings
ly sinful to deserve this form death? Why is it that those
of punishment, they decide. who are ready to die must
Jesus stops them and says linger sometimes for years?
that their explanation doesn’t Why? Why? Why?
quite fit. Perhaps he went on
with them to explain that all
of us are sinful and all deserve
Perhaps you’ve been through
blindness. Perhaps he even a tragic circumstance or
talked about how blind most death of a loved one and had
of the world was to the mar- people offer explanations to
vels he brought as the Son of you about what you’ve gone
God. But what he says is pretty
through. At those times we
simple: It is not that this man
might hear that this was
sinned, or his parents, but God’s will for us or our loved
that the works of God might one. God needed that person
be made manifest in him. in heaven we might hear, or
God’s purpose for him on
earth was fulfilled. None of
Why do people suffer and die? those explanations quite do
Why do babies come into the the trick though, do they?
world with debilitating dis- The question lingers: “why do
eases or disabilities? Why do things like this happen and

48 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

what does that mean for us? pass through things temporal
If we’re going to suffer and and get a glimpse of things
die, what’s the point anyway?” eternal. There we can see a
little of God’s immeasurable
That’s the age-old question power. Nothing can defeat
the disciples put to Jesus: “So God from bringing good. The
what’s the point Jesus?” In ef- things we know will stop our
fect Jesus says to the disciples world completely are some-
that they are to watch and see how healed. We are sustained
what happens. Here he will in our sufferings. And then
heal the man born blind but our suffering becomes part of
Jesus surely is asking them our experience of healing.
to watch more than just this
one particular moment. Pay How often have those things
attention to each moment, that you wished with all your
Jesus may be saying. Watch heart would not happen be-
how suffering and tragedy do come the experiences where
not defeat the grace of God. your faith in God has been
Watch how the very worst formed? “Why do these things
things in life get turned into happen, Jesus?” we might ask
the very best things. like the disciples do. “Don’t
That’s the remarkable thing get stuck in that question,” Je-
about the life that Christ re- sus may be saying, “but watch
veals. It’s not that good things and see what God does next!”
always come to those who are That’s the transforming power
faithful. Rather, as we are faith- of the incarnation and resur-
ful we see the things that are rection of our Lord.
so bad get transformed into Watch and see what God does
goodness. When we stumble with those things you can’t
through difficulty and find explain.
our very lives transformed, we Reprint from Easter 2008

spring 2018 49
connecting

Kairos pets experience time, because

I am always aware of it. I can
The Rev. Gretchen Rehberg,
Church of the Nativity, never escape this perception
Lewiston, Idaho that time is passing.

My dog Lena definitely lives In one sense, our pets may be

in the moment. When she is thought to dwell perfectly in
hungry, she eats, when thirsty, God’s time. That is, they live
she drinks. When she is tired outside the parameters of or-
she sleeps. Oh, does she ever dinary, clock time — the time
sleep! She has no concept of that we call chronos. Chronos
time, or marking of time. She gives us our term chronolog-
doesn’t know how long I have ical; it means the marking of
been gone. I could step out- time in a linear order. Kai-
side for a few moments and ros is another term for time,
when I walk in she greets me which we often call God’s
as though I have been gone time, or perhaps our pets’
for days. Everything she does time. This has no beginning
is a new event for her. or end; it is the infinite where
God dwells. In worship, we
Those of us with pets realize are meant to enter into kairos,
that they have no sense of the linear time as we understand
passage of time. We don’t it is suspended. The church
expect them to plan or antic- calendar is structured to help
ipate. I have to admit, there us enter into this timelessness
are moments when I find of God. We celebrate, perpet-
myself envying my dogs and ually, the birth, life, death, and
cats. I imagine there is a free- resurrection of Jesus Christ.
dom to be found in not being
pressed by time. Not that I How can we enter into God’s
can truly conceive of how our time in the midst of chronos,
50 anglicandigest.org
gathering
in the midst of the business of
all of life’s franticness? Wor-
ship is one important way, es-
pecially if we allow ourselves
to lose track of clock time.
Private prayer and meditation
can be other valuable ways
that we can incorporate into
our daily lives.
January marks a new calen-
dar year; chronos marches on.
But we are invited to enter
into God’s time every day, to
“waste” time in worship and
prayer — something which
offers no productive value as
the world sees it, but which
allows us great value as we
spend time with God.
Reprint from Easter 2008
QQQ
Be Wordly Wise:
Silly
— The Rev. Richard R. Losch,
St. James’ , Livingston, Alabama
One of the reasons for using
modern English translations
of the Bible is that the English
telling
of the King James Version, as
magnificent as it is, is also a
very different English from
that of today. Many words
have subtly but very signifi-
cantly changed their mean-
ings over the past four cen-
turies, through a process that
linguists call “semantic drift,”
the slow drifting of meaning
over time.
It is easy to handle obvious
changes, but the subtle ones
can be very misleading. For
example, “to suffer” origi-
nally meant “to undergo”; by
the 16th century it changed
to mean “allow” (“Suffer lit-
tle children ... to come unto
me” [Mt. 19:4]), and today it
means “to endure pain” - this
change is clear and easy to un-
derstand. There are hundreds
of words, however, whose
subtle changes are not so
clear, and blur the teal mean-
ing of the passage. A classic
example of this is “silly.”
Paul is often unfairly con-
demned as a misogynist, and
spring 2018 51
connecting

whenever the charge is made blessed, however, implies in-

there is always a reference to nocence, and as early as 1470,
“silly women laden with sins” in a work proclaiming Scot-
(2 Tim. 3:6, KJV).1 In 1591 land’s innocence under the
Shakespeare also says, in Two oppression of England, we
Gentlemen of Verona, “Do no find “Sely Scotland, that of
outrages on silly women” (iv, helpe hath gret neide” (Sil-
i, 72). The word first appeared ly Scotland, that of help has
as saelig in Old English in great need). The claim was
about the 11th century, com- that Scotland, although inno-
ing from the Saxon selig, cent of any offense, was being
“good” or “happy.” By the end punished by England.
of the 14th century it had
come to mean “blessed.” The
modern German selig means Innocence often implies help-
“blessed.”2 lessness that merits com-
passion and mercy, and by
In 1400 in a prayer book we 1633 we have “Thou onely
find Cely art thou, hooli vir- art The mightie God, but I a
gyne marie (Silly art thou, sillie worm.” The word had
holy virgin Mary). Here it the same meaning of inno-
clearly meant “blessed.” Being cent helplessness in its use
by Shakespeare in 1591 and
in the King James Version in
1 This is particularly unfair because there is 1611. As the years went on the
great doubt among scholars as to whether
Paul even wrote II Timothy. concept of innocent weakness
drifted more toward that of
2 Happiness and blessedness are very similar
concepts. In the Beatitudes (the “Blesseds,” foolishness, and by the mid-
Mt. 5:3-11), many translators prefer to ren- dle of the 19th century, “silly”
der the Greek makarios as “Happy” rather
than “Blessed” - thus “Happy are those who took on its modern meaning
hunger and thirst after righteousness.” of “foolish” or “inane.”

52 anglicandigest.org
gathering
It is impossible to predict
where a word might drift in
the future, but it is conceiv-
able that in a century or so,
fools being irritating, one
might describe a pest as silly.
Another possible direction
the word could take, since
foolishness implies lack of
intellect, is “stupid” (anoth-
er drifted word, originally
meaning “unconscious”).
Reprint from Easter 2008
QQQ
A Lesson in
the Three “R’s”
The Rev. Robert F. Browning, Jr.,
St. Andrew’s,
Poughkeepsie, New York
Is it that time of year again:
time to test your knowledge
in these three areas! The three
“R’s” I’m referring to are: re-
pentance, resurrection and
remembrance.
Repentance has been the
subject of most of the Old
telling
and New Testament readings
during Lent. We have heard
how others have found ways
to be reconciled to God by re-
penting. Through the stories
of how certain behaviors have
turned us away from God, we
have also been made aware of
how God forgives us. When
we least expect or deserve it,
God offers us an opportuni-
ty to meet him face to face in
prayer. Repentance is not only
beneficial but also necessary
for us to achieve the next two
“R’ s”.
Resurrection brings us infinite
salvation. Without the sacri-
fice Jesus made for all of us on
the cross, we would never be
able to attain the promise of
eternal life. It doesn’t matter
how much we have ignored
the Word of God, we will still
be able to find a way to return
to God through Christ’s death
and resurrection. We have to
turn back toward God to see
the pathway to heaven, but it
spring 2018 53
connecting

is much easier to find it when nizing our knowledge of God

Jesus Christ is your guide. in every part of our lives can
Lastly, we have to continue only bring us closer to under-
to remember. Our hope for standing how much we are
receiving God’s promise is re- loved. We have experienced
newed as our faith is strength- life at its fullest when we are
ened during the celebration to return that love.
of the Eucharist. Each time
the bread and wine enter our Can you see how each of the
lives, we are filled with the “R’s” is reflected in the joy of
presence of Christ through Easter? If you ever are tested,
the Holy Spirit. Remembering you already know you have
the gift of unconditional love hope and the answers will be
can only serve to keep us fo- easy.
cused on the promise. Recog- Reprint from Easter 2008
QQQQQQQQQQQ
Colossians 3:3
My word and thoughts do both expresse this notion,
That Life hath with the sun a double motion,
The first Is straight, and our diurnall friend,
The other Hid and doth obliquely bend.
One life is wrapt In flesh, and tends to earth.
The other winds toward Him, whose happie birth
Taught me to live here so, That still one eye
Should aim and shoot at that which Is on high:
Quitting with daily labour all My pleasre,
To gain at harvest and eternal Treasure.
— George Herbert
(1593-1637)
— via All Saints’, Worcester, Massachusetts
54 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

PRESENCE AND REMEMBRANCE:

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO CHOOSE?

The Rev. Dr. Canon For some Christians, the

Christopher Brown,
The Albany Episcopalian, bread and wine of the Eucha-
Albany, New York rist convey a direct and tangi-
ble encounter with the Risen
Week by week we break bread Christ-the Eucharist for them
in the name of Jesus. We do so conveys the “real presence” of
not because it “feeds us” spir- Jesus.
itually - which it does. Nor
because there is more to wor-
ship than three hymns and a
sermon - which there is. We
do it as an act of obedience.
“Do this,” Jesus said. And we
do.

Presence or Remembrance?
Jesus said two things about
what we call the “Eucharist.”
He said, “This is my body,” To others, the bread and wine
and he said “Do this in re- simply function to jog the
membrance of me.” memory. They are a sort of
visual aid to assist the Chris-
Some Christians stress the tian believer in reflecting on
words, “this is my body.” Oth- the sacrificial death of Christ.
ers focus on “remembrance.” They certainly do not convey
spring 2018 55
connecting

the immediate presence of rist, and quite another to ex-

Christ, except in so far as he is press with clarity and convic-
spiritually present whenever tion what we actually think
his Word is preached and his we are up to when we break
people are gathered. bread in the name of Jesus.
Yet scripture calls us to give “a
This distinction breaks down reason for the hope that is in
along Catholic-Protestant us” (1 Peter 3: 15). If we wish
lines. There is not, however, a to articulate a faithful and co-
clean break between the two. herent understanding of the
Varying views on the Eucha- Eucharist, we must remember
rist lie at different points along that Jesus said two things and
a continuum, with the Roman not just one. Christians have
Catholic emphasis on pres- spent a lot of energy setting
ence on one side, and a purely “this is my body” over against
memorial notion of the Lord’s “do this in remembrance,”
Supper on the other. The Bap- emphasizing one, and func-
tists strongly advocate a strict tionally negating the other.
memorial emphasis; Presby- Our understanding of the
terians and Methodists lean Eucharist needs to embrace
toward the middle. Lutheran both.
and Anglican views are clos-
er to Roman Catholicism,
though with some important “In Remembrance of me”
distinctions. Confusion often arises be-
cause the usual understanding
It is one thing to catalogue of “remembrance” is too thin.
various views on the Eucha- Normally we “remember”

56 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

what lies in the past - what by membrance. We learned it

definition no longer present. from the Jews.
The German critic, Gotthold
Lessing (1729-1781), spoke
of history as an “ugly broad The Power of Remembrance
ditch” that separates us from in the Passover
the events of the New Testa- Each year the Jews celebrate
ment and renders them out the Jewish Passover Seder,
of reach. In the same way, a ritual meal that uses vari-
the typical notion of remem- ous symbols to tell the story
brance presupposes a gulf be- of God’s deliverance of His
tween the immediacy of the people during the Exodus.
present and our memories of Toward the end of the meal,
the past. the person who is presiding at
the table makes the following
By contrast, from ancient statement:
times, the Christians have
embraced a “thick” under- “In every generation one
standing of remembrance must look upon himself as if
in the Eucharist as an act he personally had come out
that does far more than just from Egypt, as the Bible says,
call to mind something that ‘And you shall tell your son on
took place many years ago. that day, saying, it is because
In a very significant sense, itof that which the Eternal did
brings it into the present. to me when I went forth from
Egypt.’ For it was not alone
Christians did not invent this our forefathers whom the
“thick” understanding of re- Holy One, blessed be He, Re-

spring 2018 57
connecting

deemed; He redeemed us too, redeems - in the present. Such

with them, as it is said: ‘He is the power and immediacy
brought us out from there that of “remembrance,” in which
He might lead us to and give the saving events of the past
us the land which He pledged are made present once again.
to our forefathers.”’ This is what Jesus had in mind
when he said, “do this in re-
For a Jew during the Seder, membrance of me.”
the Exodus is not just back
then; it is now! God has not
just redeemed our ancestors; “This is My Body”
he has redeemed us! It is not   There are Christians, of-
just they who are freed from ten with a vibrant faith, who
slavery; God is present in seem to believe that when
power now, redeeming us Jesus said, “this is my body,”
from slavery! he didn’t really mean it. Or at
least, he meant it in a pure-
Three thousand years ago, ly metaphorical sense. They
the world was populated by quote his words, “My food
Amalakites, and Jebusites, and is to do the will of him who
Assyrians, and Hittites, and sent me and to accomplish his
Moabites, to name just a few. work” (John 4:34).
Where are they now? They   Others, however, point to
are gone. But the Jews are still Jesus’ declaration, “my flesh
with us. Why? Because each is true food, and my blood is
year they gather at the Pass- true drink” (John 6:55) as the
over meal to renew their iden- key to interpreting his words
tity as the people whom God at the Last Supper.

58 anglicandigest.org
gathering
The Colloquy of Marburg
In October of 1530, a gather-
ing of Protestant leaders led by
Martin Luther and the Swiss
reformer, Ulrich Zwingli met
at Marburg in order to resolve
their theological differenc-
es and create a united front
within the Reformation. They
agreed on fourteen points, in-
cluding the authority of scrip-
ture, and justification by faith,
but their efforts reached an
impasse on the nature of the
Eucharist. Zwingli and the
Swiss reformers were strict
memorialists; they believed
the bread and wine were
purely symbolic. For them,
the Jesus’ human body had
ascended to heaven, and only
his divine nature could be
omnipresent. Luther believed
deeply that Jesus humanity
and divinity were insepara-
ble and “ubiquitous” (univer-
sally present) and hence that
Christ was really present “in,
telling
with, and under” the forms of
bread and wine.
As the discussion continued
Luther grew agitated; he wrote
hoc est corpus meum (“This
is my body”) in chalk on a
wooden table and pounded it
with his fist — giving dramat-
ic expression to his conviction
that the presence of Christ in
the Eucharist was real and
tangible. “You and I are of a
different Spirit.” he sputtered
in frustration.
The Anglican View on
Real Presence?
Where do we Anglicans
stand? The fact of the matter
is that Anglican teaching on
the Eucharist has been a mov-
ing target over the years.
At Zwingli’s side at Marburg
was the Strassburg reformer,
Martin Bucer. Decades later,
spring 2018 59
connecting
Martin Bucer visited Eng-
land and significantly influ-
enced Archbishop Cranmer’s
second edition of the Book
of Common Prayer in 1552.
Cranmer and the English re-
formers were far closer to
Bucer and Zwingli than to Lu-
ther. “For Christ,” said Cran-
mer, “when he bids us eat his
body it is figurative, we can-
not eat his body indeed.”
A generation later, the An-
glican theologian, Richard
Hooker, rejected Luther’s
teaching and located the
presence of Christ not in the
bread and wine, but in us as
we receive the Eucharistic ele-
ments. The bread and wine are
simply “means instrumental”
by which we receive the body
and blood of Christ, but the
body and blood are not con-
tained in the bread and wine.
This view, known as “dynamic
receptionism,” goes beyond
60 anglicandigest.org
memorialism. There is a gen-
uine encounter with the Risen
Christ. Yet the emphasis is on
the subjective act of receiving,
not on a presence inherent in
the bread and wine.
The fact is: the traditional Lu-
theran understanding of the
Eucharist is far more “Catho-
lic” than the views of the An-
glican reformers. Today, how-
ever, most Anglicans embrace
a notion of the “Real Presence”
that is closer to Luther than
Cranmer. Contemporary An-
glicanism, though admittedly
diverse, has rightly made ad-
justments in its theology of
the Eucharist, with the result
that we now affirm both pres-
ence and remembrance. After
all, Jesus speaks of both. Why
should we have to choose be-
tween one or the other?
Reprint from Michaelmas 2008
gathering telling

NECROLOGY
The Rev. Russell L. Dera- WWII he worked for IBM un-
gon, 90, in Merritt Island, til he entered Nashotah House
Florida. A graduate of West- Seminary. Upon his ordina-
ern Maryland College and tion as an Episcopal Priest,
Berkeley Divinity School, he served parishes in Deland,
now a part of Yale Divini- Longwood, Plantation, Oca-
ty school. He served several la, Satellite Beach and Winter
parishes in Rhode Island and Haven, Florida.
Connecticut.
The Rev. Betty Bone
The Rev. Gordon R. Allen, Schiess, 94, in North Syra-
87, in South Berwick, Maine. cuse, New York. She graduat-
He was born in Liverpool, ed from the University of Cin-
England and graduated from cinnati, Syracuse University
St. John’s College of Durham and Colgate-Rochester Di-
University, Durham, England. vinity School. She was active
He served in the British Army in the civil rights movement,
from 1948 to 1949. He served the National Organization
as a missionary teacher and for Women and was induct-
Chaplain in Uganda before ed into the Women’s Hall of
emigrating to the U.S. where Fame in 1994.
he served schools and parish-
es in Virginia, New Hamp- The Rev. Robin Court-
shire and Maine. ney, Jr., 55, in Madison, Ten-
The Rev. Warren Thomp- nessee. He graduated cum
son, 95, in Winter Hav- laude from Vanderbilt Uni-
en, Florida. After serving in versity and with a Masters in
spring 2018 61
connecting

Divinity from Virginia Theo- Music from Union Theolog-

logical Seminary. He served ical Seminary and was the
parishes in Manchester, general editor of The Hymnal
Spring Hill, Nashville and 1982.
Madison, Tennessee and
worked in Hospice. The Rev. Harvey H. Guth-
rie, Jr., 93, in Oxnard, Cal-
The Rev. Mart Gayland ifornia. He was Dean of the
Pool, 80, in Fort Worth, Tex- Episcopal Divinity School,
as. A graduate of Texas Tech, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Union Seminary and General retired Rector of St. Andrew’s,
Seminary. He was ordained in Ann Arbor, Michigan and
1962 and served parishes in was appointed an honorary
Dallas, Fort Worth, Rockwall canon by the Diocese of Los
in Texas as well as in Cuer- Angeles.
navaca, Mexico.
The Rev. Charles K. Cobb,
The Rev. Ervin A. Brown, 100, in Lexington, Kentucky.
79, in Lochearn, Maryland. He earned degrees from Har-
He graduated from University vard College, Virginia Theo-
of Alabama, Indiana Univer- logical Seminary and Union
sity and Virginia Theological Theological Seminary. He
Seminary. He served parishes
in Lynchburg, Virginia, De- served churches in the east un-
troit, Michican, Bolton Hill, til 1958 when he became Pro-
Baltimore and Talbot County, fessor of Theology at the Epis-
Maryland. copal Theological Seminary in
Kentucky.
Raymond Glover, 89, in
Alexandria, Virginia. He May they rest in peace,
earned a Masters of Sacred and rise in glory.

62 anglicandigest.org
gathering telling

The Vestry from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
a member of the Parish Partner Plan — standing L to R: David Trusty,
David Palmer, Lacy Howe, Chuck Duggar, Rob Hinkle, and Owen
Cope. Seated: Lynda Stockinger, Mary Tharp, Cade Nichols, Vee Mor-
row, Mary Singletary, and Laura Thomas.

“Manners are more important than laws. Upon them in

a great measure, the laws depend; the law touches us but
here and there, and now and then. Manners are what vex
or sooth, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or
refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible op-
eration, like that of the air we breathe in, they give their
whole form and color to our lives. According to their
quality, they aid morals, they supply them, or they totally
destroy them.” — Edmund Burke

spring 2018 63
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Baton Rouge, Louisiana