Don’t Worry, Be Holy

The season of Lent is a time when we are called to take stock of our lives, to become aware of the ways that sin has taken hold of us, and to root that sin out through the practice of special spiritual devotions. All of which sometimes leads people to ask, is this just another form of trying to earn our own salvation? The Scriptures tell us that we are justified by our faith alone and not by our works, but Lent seems to involve an awful lot of work on our part. Thus, the confusion is understandable.

Our salvation is the product of two distinct processes, both of which are worked out for us by Christ in His death and Resurrection. These two processes are called justification and sanctification.

Justification is the act of making us just, of making us right with God, of creating justice in the world. It is our judgment. When we come before God on our own, asking Him to judge us by the things we have done in our lives, the reality of our sinfulness far outweighs our merit and God has no choice but to condemn us. But when we come before Him in Christ, God judges us not by our merits but by His, and so our sins are paid for and we are declared righteous before the throne of God, even though we are still sinners. Justification is a kind of substitution. Jesus stands in our place, being judged for us, and so He bears the brunt of the punishment that should be ours.

But the problem remains that even after we are justified, we are still sinners. We are still corrupted. We may be just in the eyes of God at that point, but we are not fit for the Kingdom of God. If we were to come into the presence of God still lost in our sin, the reality of God’s goodness and holiness would overwhelm us and we would be shattered by it. We have to be purified first. We have to be made holy in order to be able to stand in the presence of God, and so Christ goes about making us holy throughout our lives, and this is called sanctification.

What goes into this process of sanctification? Many things. We are sanctified first and foremost through the Holy Eucharist, but also through the other sacramental acts of life in the Church. We are sanctified through prayer and through the reading of Holy Scripture. We are sanctified through special acts of devotion, like fasting and confession. Those of us who are married are sanctified through our marriages. And we are also sanctified through our good works, through the feeding of the poor and other acts of charity, mercy, and sacrifice. God uses all of these things to purify us, to pull us away from ourselves and re-orient us towards Him.

But then, doesn’t that contradict the teaching that our salvation is by God’s grace alone through faith alone? Absolutely not. Our devotions and our good works do not come from us but from Christ working in us, reclaiming our hearts from the tyranny of sin. They do not earn us salvation. There is no special number of devotions you have to do to be saved, nor any special number of works you have to perform before God will decide that you are worthy. Rather, when God inspires faith in us, we receive from Him all the grace that we need to be saved, both the grace that justifies us and the grace that sanctifies us. And so long as we continue to have faith in Christ, He will continue to sanctify us, until on the last day He is able to present us to Himself as pure and holy, without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5).

There are a number of opportunities during Lent for you to experience this work of Christ in your life, from the Wednesday night suppers and programs we will be holding at church, to the quiet day of prayer being sponsored by the Women’s Group, to the new men’s Bible study. I hope that you will all make use of as many of these opportunities as you can, not so that you can earn your salvation, but so that you can receive the free gift of salvation that Christ has already earned for you.

In His Mercy,

Fr. Jonathan

Men’s Bible Study

Men: Spend a few minutes with God on your way to work

Starting Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30 am, we will be holding a men's Bible Study in the Piano Room. The purpose is to learn about what the Bible has to say about what it means to be a man, a husband, a father, etc. Half an hour to forty minutes. No experience in church or reading the Bible is needed. In fact, men who have not been able to attend worship on Sunday mornings are especially welcome. Come on out!

Lenten Series: Our Favorite Hymns

Every year during Lent, Holy Comforter hosts a dinner on Wednesday nights. It is an opportunity to connect with people, to build relationships, and to pray together. As in the past few years, we will be joined again this year by our friends from Incarnation Holy Sacrament.

After dinner there will be a short program. This year's program focuses on hymns, the ones we know and love. We will talk about where some of these hymns come from, what they mean, and maybe we will even sing one or two. All are welcome. Bring friends and neighbors!

C.H.A.M.P.S. Saturday

Save the date: The Spring C.H.A.M.P.S. Saturday is coming. At 9 a.m. on April 28 the entire parish family is invited (read encouraged) to meet at the church. We will be cleaning up the outside and planting the grounds for Mothers’ Day. We need men to move mulch so the beds stay beautiful all summer. And we need women and youth to put the plants in the ground. We need young and old...young legs to run and experienced heads to plan. We expect to need a few engineering types. We even have a few jobs for inside. Coffee and donuts provided by the Property Team.

Zumba

Zumba is being held at 5:30-6:30 pm in the upper parish hall on Monday and Thursday evenings. For more information, contact instructor, Kristen Tirney, . First class $5, then $10 per class or $80 for 10 classes.

Children and Youth Ministry

Ethel F. Wesley

“In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.” Psalm 33:21

After five months of studying together on Wednesday evenings and attending Sunday School and youth meetings, ten students were presented to Bishop Lee for the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was a wonderful service with parents, sponsors, family, and friends gathered together to support our young people as they came before the bishop. Bishop Lee took time to be with our confirmands and to instruct them on what would be happening during the service. His gentle approach put everyone at ease. One thing the bishop asked of our young people was that they say their own name before the laying on of hands. It was indeed a special moment for each one in the class.

Many thanks to all who helped make this celebration possible. Thanks to members of the Women’s Group Patty Baldwin, Rosemary Davis, Faith Hemsher and Maria Thompson and Chris Baldwin and Jim Gardner for their help with the reception.

Absalom Jones Celebration - On Saturday, February 11, the diocese gathered at The Philadelphia Cathedral to remember the work and the struggle of The Rev. Absalom Jones and his contribution to the Diocese of Pennsylvania. It was a morning of song, dance, preaching, and listening for all in attendance. Several youth choirs along with African drummers made the day come alive. The evening before this event, several youth and their leaders attended a special Nightwatch Retreat in honor of Rev. Jones to learn about social justice issues around fair trade for farmers, the need for clean water around the world, and the plight of women in Third World Countries. Using game and small group format, those attending had an opportunity to learn more about what the Episcopal Church is doing around the Anglican Community. The young people spent some time writing the Prayers of the People which were used at the Saturday service. They also had a chance to usher and to be lectors the next day. It was wonderful to witness their concerns about current issues in our world today.

Getting Ready For Lent - As we move into the season of Lent, seasonal posters, candles, and other visuals will enhance each class area. In the Children’s Chapel, the “Burial Box” will once again hold those things we put away and don’t use during this season. Decorative flowers, Alleluia’s, the Gloria, and fancy candles will be put away and a plain altar with a purple covering and small blue candles will be part of each week’s worship. The children will be encouraged to “Follow Jesus” as this theme is presented week-by-week.

The youth will also be engaged in different activities this Lenten season. Two pretzel sales will be held to help with the funding of this summer’s mission outreach. Senior youth will have a chance to gather is West Virginia for the spring Province Three event. The theme is: Live Purposefully; Love Recklessly; Act Fearlessly. A team of youth and their adult leaders have met throughout the winter to put this weekend event together. With small group time, Bible study, art, music, and worship this retreat will empower the senior high student to go forth and have a better understanding about their faith.

I hope all of our children and youth group members will remember to “keep a holy Lent”.

“For the Lord takes delight in his people, he crowns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4

March Youth Calendar

Sunday, March 4 – Junior Youth meeting at noon

Sunday, March 11 – Junior/Senior - Cooking soup for Lenten dinner at noon

Wednesday, March 14 – Serving Lenten dinner/Come after school

Sunday, March 18 – Pretzel Sale after 10 am service

Friday pm – Sunday, March 23-25 – Senior High Event in West Virginia

Lenten Memorial Concert and Fundraiser

Performance of the Mozart Requiem at Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr on Friday, March 16 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available online or at the door. Childcare is available by advance online request. Tickets and childcare request at: www.TheRedeemer.org/special_music. Located at 230 Pennswood Road at New Gulph Road in Bryn Mawr. Parking is available.

Discipleship Hour: Jesus in the Old Testament

Discipleship Hour at 11:30 am on Sunday, March 4, 18 and 25.

Vestry Meeting February 21, 2012

Susan Gelsomini

Seating of new Vestry members

A formal vote was taken to accept their election and to seat them with voice and vote. Dean Gray was elected Accounting Warden. Jack Davis was appointed Treasurer. Mimi Lyon appointed as Rector’s Warden. The Vestry Covenant was read and signed by Vestry members.

Rector’s Report

1. New carpets are to be installed this week in the Upper Parish Hallway and Stairs. The Upper Parish Hall flooring will be mended where needed.

2. The Lenten series will be on hymns. Lenten Preaching and Teaching Series on Jesus in the Old Testament.

3. Men’s Bible Study will begin March 21 at 7:30 am. They will study what the Bible says about being Men.

4. The Mission Meeting is scheduled for March 5 at 7:30 pm

Financial Report

Jack informed us of the use of the endowment for each quarter. There was discussion if we should take the money out in a lump sum or quarterly. The Financial Team will investigate what is best for Holy Comforter and there will be a decision made in March. Dean informed us the month of January has helped the endowment grow by $43,893.

Property Report

Jim informed us of the advantages of installing a metal roof. The cost of a metal roof is less expensive than slate and our heating bill will decrease.

Comforter Submissions

If you would like to submit information to be included in the April Comforter, please submit to Barbara Wilson by Thursday, March 15. If possible, submit your information via Microsoft Word via email to . If this is not convenient for you, please just send the information via an email message or send a note to the church office to Barbara’s attention. We welcome your submissions.

Women of Holy Comforter

Barbara Wilson, President

Thank you to everyone who supported our Until Death Do Us Part – Murder Mystery Dinner with Dancing on Saturday, February 25 at Tip O’Leary’s. With everyone’s support we raised nearly $900 to support our selected missions. These missions include: St. Mark’s Food Cupboard, Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for the Blind, Seaman’s Church Institute, Christ Lutheran Church, Mother’s Home, St. Agnes Catholic Church and City Team Ministry – Chester.

A special thank you to Rosemary Davis for suggesting the idea and venue and for handling all aspects of the Murder Mystery that unfolded during the evening under the hotel security officer’s watchful eyes. Another special thank you to the talented cast including: Mike and Melanie Armstrong, Mike and Joanne Christopher, Rosemary Davis, Ray and Faith Hemsher, Ken and Joanne Hawkins, Carole and Bill Kunigonis, Father Jonathan (our best performer prize winner) and Gina Mitchican, Tom and Anita O’Brien, Eric and Peggy Pender, Sara Risi (our bride and best-dressed prize winner) and to Mike Christopher for providing our music. I also want to thank those who joined me in donating time, talent and materials for the decorations and door prize: Patty Baldwin, Rick Cassel, Rosemary Davis and Faith Hemsher and in providing desserts: Patty Baldwin, Rosemary Davis, Joan Gardner, Sue Gelsomini, Mary Sue Hidalgo, Barbara Irving and Anita O’Brien. And, congratulations to Joe Newby for unraveling the mystery.

Our second fund raiser for this year will be our annual Spring Plant Sale. Order forms will be available in the Upper Parish Hall beginning March 11. Orders and payment will be due April 15. Plants will be delivered May 5 just in time for Mother’s Day and Spring planting.