Holy Communion Anglican Church
East Greenwich, RI – Standing Firm on Biblical Truth and Christian Tradition
It is important for the Church to continually look forward in prayer to understand as best we can the cultural trends coming our way, that we may faithfully prepare the next generation, and each other, to do the work of ministry. One such trend for thinking Christians to consider is not specifically cultural but instead technological, though the two are closely intertwined. This is the trend of artificial intelligence (AI), a field progressing far more rapidly than many realize.
The Eucharistic Celebration is the greatest and highest act of prayer. In fact, this "knowing" and "being known" in Christ and, through him, in the Holy Trinity, is none other than the most true and deep reality of prayer. The disciple who prays much, and who prays well, is progressively drawn out of him or herself and is evermore united to Jesus the Good Shepherd, he who is the selfless servant of the brethren.
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth, we lose one of the final links in the chain of history which binds us to the storied history and tradition, and indeed the greatness of Western Civilization, blessed by God and founded on Judeo-Christian principles, to which we owe nearly every comfort and luxury which we enjoy today.
Now is the time for us with a new vigor to marshal our gifts and talents for the glory of God. We must stand up for “Biblical Truth and Church Tradition.” For if souls are not worth saving, then nothing is. That is WHAT WE ARE FOR.
Not only do we, as followers of Christ, raise up Scripture as a standard, but we raise up Christ himself. We must be like Peter with his confession (Matthew 16:14-16). We must proclaim who Jesus is, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
From the Holy Eucharist, the Ascended Christ is truly present among his adopted children and working in and through them in the power of the Holy Spirit. And in all her generations through twenty centuries, the Church Catholic -- despite the limitations and sinful errors of her clergy and laity alike -- she remains THE divine institution created and guided by the Almighty himself to spread the Good News of salvation in Christ throughout the world.
Our innermost desire is to be fully known and yet fully loved, and that can only be satisfied by the eternal love of God. No one can know you more fully, and love you more perfectly, than God can. You are not a creature of your own self-definition; rather, you are a being made in the perfect image of God, and therefore deserving of dignity from conception to final breath.
The most important vocation for the Church Universal today is to have a laser focus on forming a new generation of faithful disciples of Jesus – “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).
Few hurts are more personal than that of betrayal. Yet, Jesus loved his betrayer radically and sacrificially, with full knowledge of the evil that would befall him.
The season of Lent is a spiritual retreat - a time where we can take a step back and listen to God’s voice, who points us to the areas of our life which prevent us from living rightly before Him. In other words, the Lord reminds us of our continual need for repentance, to draw near to His Son Jesus Christ and so live according to the Truth (with a capital “T”). Beloved, it is my prayer that we would recognize the importance and urgency of sober self-assessment and repentance this Lenten season.