The Magdalene
1
From the Desk of Fr. Neil…
Sacrament Collecting
Our Prayer Book tells us this about the Sacraments of the Church. “Sacraments prescribed by Christ are badges and tokens of our profession as Christians, and, more particularly, they are trustworthy witnesses and effectual signs of God’s grace and good will to us. By them, God works invisibly in us, both arousing and also strengthening and confirming our faith in him.” Furthermore, it states, “Sacraments were not appointed by Christ to be a public spectacle or to be paraded for adoration, but to be used with due discipline. They have a beneficial effect and work only in those who receive them worthily; whereas those who receive them unworthily bring condemnation on themselves, as St. Paul teaches (1 Corinthian 11:27ff)” – Article 25.
I find it important to mention these aspects of the Sacraments at this time, quoting most of Article 25 in our Prayer Book, because I am increasingly meeting people enquiring about our Church, who desire the sacrament of Baptism and the other ones we categorize as “minor sacraments” such as Confirmation, and Matrimony, but have little or no desire to be a part of the Church. Article 25 clearly teaches that the effects that sacraments have is conditional on worthy reception. In other words, they don't do anything for you, or to you - or very little – if they are received and then subsequently ignored. We have to be worthy recipients.
I have entitled this letter Sacrament Collecting, because I think this is an appropriate description for this sort of approach to the Sacraments of the Church. The Church’s Sacraments are sometimes treated like a check-list or something to collect. First I need to get my child baptized, and then I need to get him confirmed. I need to get married in the Church, and so on. But in between receiving any one sacrament, there is very little or no Church attendance. There is no fellowship with other Christians. There is no Bible reading. There is no faith being developed, and there is no growth. It is admirable that the sacraments are sought after, but they must be sought after for the right reason. On the surface, they are not simply safety mechanisms so if one suddenly dies, he can have his Sacrament Check-list to show God and gain admission into the Kingdom of Heaven. I do not believe this is how most people reason. I do think they have good intentions for wanting a baptism or a confirmation, but I'm never sure what that reason is, because they don't attend Church! I believe this sort of approach comes from a misunderstanding of what the Sacraments are, what they do, and how they are to be used.
In the 13th century, a concept or an understanding of the Sacraments developed in the Church, which in Latin is described as, ex opere operatum. A rough translation might be, “out of (ex) the sheer operation or work of it (opus), it works (operatum). Ex opere operatum is the belief that the sacraments ‘contain’ grace, that is, grace resides in the elements of Holy Communion for example, or the waters of baptism, by virtue of consecration by the priest, so the administration of the Sacrament alone is sufficient to convey grace to the soul. If the priest simply consecrates the bread and wine and administers it to the recipient, even if the person receiving it has no faith, it conveys grace. Some sort of serious sin might hinder the effect of the Sacrament, but this is not the same as a person void of faith.
The result was the Sacraments were turned into magical ceremonies. Receive Holy Communion, check it off of the list, and then go about your daily routine until next Sunday. This helps us to see why the Church developed such things as the ‘solitary mass.’ This was a mass that the priest said alone. No one needed to be present in the Church with the priest, because the Sacraments being consumed by the priest would convey grace to those he prayed for or whoever the mass was intended for that day. Anglicanism, following the tradition of the early Church administers both the Body and the Blood to the people so the fullness of the Sacrament may be experienced as Christ intended.
More importantly the question of the proper condition of the recipient, and what I would also argue as the subsequent treatment of the Sacrament once it is received comes from St. Augustine. Augustine argued that what is necessary for a Sacrament to be effectual and for the recipient to have a fuller sacramental life is repentance and faith. Bernard of Clairvaux said that “the Sacrament without pious dispositions is death to the Sacraments...”
If there is no requirement of faith and no repentance on the part of the recipient, and again I would include an intentional lifestyle change and an involvement with the community within the body of the Church, is to say, in other words, ‘The promises of God do not have to be believed.’
So here is what I believe we must be aware of as we receive the Sacraments and what we should help others to understand if they seek to enter into fellowship within the Church. Faith believes the promises of God and the Sacraments seal or pledge the fulfillment thereof. But without faith the Sacrament alone has no spiritual effect, except, actually to condemnation. Regarding the Sacrament of Holy Communionwhich says, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”(see 1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
The Sacraments are ordained by Christ to be used. They are only effectual signs if they are received worthily and by faith. They are truly means of grace, so that as we use them, God works invisibly in us.
As we saw above, receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion improperly can have terrifying results. Receiving the Sacrament of Baptism alone, without faith or the faith of the Godparents standing in for the infant, and a life of growing in the faith renders the Sacrament useless in a direct way.
Now, someone might at this point offer a scenario. SupposeI baptize a child, but he never attends church, and he even falls away, but then thirty years later he is reminded that he was baptized, and he returns to the faith, then I'm incorrect in some of what I have said above. But I believe this scenario in fact, proves my point. Yes, the baptism at that time was true and had meaning and was a Christian baptism. The reason they are coming back later, however, is because the Holy Spirit has called them back to the faith that they once professed. People are called to the faith by the Holy Spirit, and then they are recipients of the Sacraments. But in the mean time, grace has at best laid dormant. Think of all of the time lost in-between where that person could have received so much more grace if he had parents or godparents who had followed through on their pledge to raise the child in the faith and seen to it that when he was ready, he was brought to the Bishop to be confirmed. How much grace was missed out on in the meantime?
16th century Anglican Theologian Richard Hooker says “Grace is a consequent of the Sacraments, a thing which accompanies them as their end, a benefit which they have received from God Himself, the Author of the Sacraments, and not from any natural or supernatural quality in them.
We should want people to come to Christ and to enjoy everlasting life. We should want people to partake of and enjoy the Sacraments of the Church for they are given to us to use, to grow in grace all through life, as they aid us in reaching that goal of eternal life. Let us not put off the important things that go on in the life of a Christian between the receiving of each Sacrament, for these too have great potential and are indispensible to our growth in the grace of God.
The Sacraments are truly “…trustworthywitnessesand effectual signs of God’s grace and good will to us, and by them, God works invisibly in us, but they only have a beneficial effect and work only in those who receive them worthily.”
CHURCH ARCHITECTURE
From the Anglican Teaching Leaflets
There is no immutable law specifying how churches should be built and what they should look like. The Scriptures don’t tell us. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion don’t tell us. Canon Law doesn’t tell us. Tradition and custom tell us some things, but by no means all. In other words, the field is rather open when we undertake to build a church.
However, common sense, tradition and forms of Anglican worship give us some guidance. First of all, we are told to worship God in the beauty of holiness. Christ said God’s house is a “house of prayer.” Therefore, so far as in us lies, we should make the Lord’s house one that encourages an atmosphere of prayer, reverence, holiness. It should be as beautiful as our means and our imagination allow.
Any of us who have seen a great Gothic cathedral or even a small gem of a Gothic church, know how such a structure helps create a sense of mystery, of majesty, of reverence, of holiness and of beauty. There was a time when that was the accepted style for churches. This is no longer true and there is no rule limiting the style of architecture. It may be Gothic or modern, a white-clapboard meetinghouse, a Georgian structure with a spire or without a spire. It need only be as beautiful and as suitable for the worship of God as we can make it.
On the interior, tradition and Anglican usage dictate some standards. The central focus should always be the altar, because we are an altar—centered people and our primary worship is that of Holy Communion, with its “continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ,” as the Offices of Instruction put it. The altar is also traditionally placed at the “east” wall of the church, if the geographic layout so permits; that way the worshiper may face towards the east where the Holy Land is. In order to heighten the focus on the altar, Anglican churches should have a center aisle so that from the moment of entry into the church, one is directly aware of the altar with a cross or crucifix upon or over it.
Preaching, as the proclamation and exposition of the Gospel, is vitally important, even indispensable, in Anglicanism. The pulpit, somewhat raised (and sometimes quite elevated” is most commonly placed on the left, or Gospel, side (as one faces the altar). This makes liturgical sense, because the sermon should expound, teach, and make clear the application of the Gospel of the Lord. A separate lectern is provided on the other side of the church for the reading of the Scriptures.
The baptismal font is variously placed, but most usually is near one of the entrances to the building, because Baptism signifies a person’s entry into the life of Christ’s Church.
Stained glass windows have long been customary in churches for a number of reasons. They provide beauty and color, can illustrate an event in the life of Christ or the Church, and also prevent the distraction of the eye and mind of the worshipper (which can occur if the you can take in the world outside through clear windows).
A bell is a happy and useful accompaniment to the whole architectural ensemble. It summons the worshippers to the services. It can peal out on occasions of extraordinary good news, both secular and spiritual. And it can respectfully mark the passing of members of the flock of the congregation.
All these are, in a sense, details, but not unimportant ones, to bear in mind in planning a new building for the worship and praise of almighty God. The most essential point to remember, however, is that we are bound, as we love God and His Son, to make every effort and sacrifice to insure a “House of Prayer” that is beautiful, suitable to the Anglican liturgy, reverent and holy in feeling. Our church is our initial and permanent offering of love and praise to God. It must be the best we can make it.
Guilds, Groups & Events
BUY TICKETS NOW FORCENTER STAGE!
On Sunday, October 12th, a single performance of “CENTER STAGE – SONGS FROM STAGE AND SCREEN” will be performed to raise funds for humanitarian relief from Typhoon Yolanda and the earthquake centered in the Philippines.
This outreach event will include a fabulous Lunch and Silent Auction atthe Los Coyotes Country Club from Noon to 3:00pm. We are just 15 tickets shy of meeting our goal. 100 percent of the funds will go directly to the Philippines so please come and bring your family and friends. Tickets are pre-sale onlyat$40 per person. Last day to purchase is Sunday, October 5th.
St. James tells us,“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
Let us all stand up and be counted as “doers of the word”.
Please contact Sharon or Mary Jo for tickets.
Reservations can also be made by calling the information line, 714-381-4484 or
Remember Oct. 12thCENTER STAGE!
MARY’S KITCHEN WORK DAY
Thanks to everyone, we had a great turnout! With all of the help, we were able to make 175 lunches, and even had about 25 extra sandwiches and plenty of water and bananas to donate as well. The lunches were carefully packed, boxed and driven over to Mary’s Kitchen in west Orange. Also, thanks to all of those who donate not just time, but food and water to this hands-on outreach event. There is already discussion about doing this and similar hands-on events in the future!
4th SUNDAY brunch
Our Parish Brunch in September was a great success. We had this 4th Sunday Brunch, in-house. We haddelicious burgers and side dishes….and of course, a great time fellowshipping together. Mark your calendars for our next brunch on October26thata local restaurant. It will be a wonderful afternoon of food and fellowshipwith the Church. Watch for flyers in the narthex for more information regarding time and location.
DUTCH TREAT SUPPER CLUB
So what is the “Supper Club”? First, it is not actually a “Club.” There is no formal membership or set group of people that come together each month. Simply put, it is just a date for dinner. Each month, a parishioner volunteers to plan a “night out on the town” on the 2nd Tuesday. The parishionerpicks a restaurant or activity, makes a sign-up sheet, directions, etc., sets outthe info in the narthex and makesthe reservations, if needed. There is no restriction on city or type of food. Everyone pays for themselves.
Thank you to the Carlson’s for hosting last month’s event at Who Song & Larry’s Restaurant in Orange.
Watch the website and/or upcoming bulletins for information on the next destination. If you are not a SMM church member and want to join us, please contact the church office for more details…or just meet us at the restaurant.714-532-2420. Otherwise, please SIGN UP in the Narthex.
WOMEN’S JEWELRY SALE
Preparations for the Guild’s Annual Jewelry Sale are already underway. Fabulous costume pieces ranging from $1.00 and up will be displayed in the Breezeway for purchase.
Yes, we are accepting donations. Please contact, Elizabeth or call the church office.
Mark your calendar November 1st
WOMEN’S DEVOTIONAL
Ladies, join us in the Women’s Devotional led by Karen Carlson. The purpose of the Women’s Devotional is to provide a safe place to share needs, experience prayer and learn more about living our Christian lives together. Let us explain what goes on and invite you to join us, even occasionally.
We start with a brief time of sharing prayer needs and answers to prayer, then a short teaching on spiritual and life issues is discussed from a biblical standpoint. We close with prayer for each of the needs shared during our time together.
Women’s Devotional meets on the 1st Sundays from 9:15am to 9:50am in the “Nursery Room”. Please come and join us.
October 5th, Women’s Devotional
The Wife as a Minister to Her Husband
MEN’S CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Join the men of St. Mary Magdalene Parish for a time of conversation in the Parish Hall.
Coffee, donuts, Bible study and devotional will become part of the St Mary Magdalene's Men's Fellowship on the First Sunday of each month. At 9:00am, immediately following the 8:00 am service the men will meet in the Parish Hall for 30 minutes of Bible study, devotional, prayer, coffee and donuts. At 9:30 we will break for Morning Prayer.