We welcome Fr. Thomas W. Allen and family to Saint Athanasius Anglican

 

Fr. Allen is from Greenville, South Carolina, and a graduate of Montreat College in Religion with a concentration in history. 

He earned a Masters of Divinity from Trinity Episcopal Seminary Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Fr. Allen has served in the Anglican Province of America and the Episcopal Church. 

He particularly enjoys preaching from the prophets and being an extrovert.  Prior to his receiving Holy Orders, Fr. Allen served as a deputy sheriff and in construction. Fr. Allen was ordained by Bishop Walter Grundorf in the APA.

He enjoys long walks, hiking, the outdoors, and the beauty of Alaska. His two children occupy much of his time and he loves it! 

Fr. Allen has much experience in church development- a gift well suited for this growing community that is preparing to build a new sanctuary on its property off state route 33 and Winn's Church Road in Hanover.

 We look forward to his guidance and pastoring and know he will be an asset here as well as in the larger community of the Henrico and Hanover area.

A hearty welcome to Fr. Allen and family!

Why do we pray with saints?

In this post, we discuss the question of prayer in reference to the saints. Why do we pray to the saints?  As I travel, I come across several misconceptions that have nothing to do with our relationship to the saints.

These misconceptions rise in part from the loss of understanding of the phrase “communion of saints” which is very important article of the Apostles Creed. What we see in these objections of asking the prayers of saints is an uninformed view of what heaven is all about. Discussing the question of afterlife in his book "Theology and Sanity," Frank Sheed argues that sanity depends on an accurate appreciation of reality, and includes an accurate appreciation of what heaven is really like, and once known, the place of asking the prayers of saints follows.

It is important to discuss the biblical foundation of prayer to the saints before examining the historical understanding of the practice. We take up the misconception that the saints are only those who died and are now in heaven.

"... golden bowls full of incense,
which are the prayers of the saints.”

The Bible teaches us that the Saints in heaven continually offer prayers on our behalf.  Revelation 5: 8 indicates that “…when He [the Lamb] had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” This plainly means that the saints in heaven are aware of our prayers and they intercede for us. We, the saints on earth, are asking them to collect our supplications and prayers in “golden bowls” and offer them to the Lamb, our Lord and Savior.

Likewise, the saints on earth intercede for one another. In 1 Timothy 2: 5, Paul says this: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men”.

In his epistles to the saints, Paul asked them to pray for him: (Rom.15:30–32, Eph. 6:18–20, Col. 4:3, 1 Thess. 5:25, 2 Thess. 3:1) He also assured them of his continual prayers (2 Thess. 1:11).

Most importantly, Jesus asks us to pray for others, even for our enemies (Matthew 5: 44). Also, He does not ignore the prayers made by people on behalf of others. He uses the faithful prayer of one person to act on another person (Matt. 8:13, 15:28, 17:15–18, Mark 9:17–29, Luke 8:49–55).

There are many other passages in the Bible that suggest that saints should pray for one another. The bible does not limit us to the material but speaks to both the visible and invisible.

Let us now address the misconception that saints being dead and gone makes communication (not to be confused with Biblical edicts against necromancy for by very proximity to God saints in heaven logically must be holy) quite impossible and therefore believing them to hear invocations and petition is a vain thing fondly held.  This idea, that saints are unconscious and incapable of hearing petitions of those in flesh, is unbiblical and quite unknown to the Apostles and early Church.  It's an idea of the Enlightenment not a doctrine of the Bible.  Jesus admonished the Sadducees ( Matt. 22:29-32) that the description of God in the book of Exodus (3:6) as the God of those who had departed this life was a sign that they were alive and conscious. See also Isa. 14 9-10; Isa. 1 & Eze 2 (conscious disembodied souls); Eze. 31:16-17; Heb. 12;1; Luke 23:43; Luke 16:19-31.

Yet another misconception is that people believe our ability to address God through His Son negates any need for additional mediation.   Do you see the false dilemma?  The allegation here is that some people see asking the saints for their intercession as violation of the mediatorship of Christ and therefore must be off limits.  But God never says either or!  1 Tim 2: 5 is employed as a proof text where in Paul says “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus".  But used in this manner the verse does violence to the scriptures cited above by assuming it is the body (dies) and not the soul (eternal) that is operative in interseccion.  This is the same abuse of empiricism atheists use to question faith, and as stated earlier, a presupposition stemming from the Enlightenment.

The early and undivided Church (guidance by the Holy Ghost John 14:16;18;26) strongly encouraged the practice of asking the saints to pray for us. It would be useful to mention a couple of them.

Cyprian of Carthage

"Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides [of death] always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy" (Letters 56[60]:5 [A.D. 253]).

Gregory of Nyssa

"[Ephraim], you who are standing at the divine altar [in heaven] . . . bear us all in remembrance, petitioning for us the remission of sins, and the fruition of an everlasting kingdom" (Sermon on Ephraim the Syrian [A.D. 380]).

Jerome

"You say in your book that while we live we are able to pray for each other, but afterwards when we have died, the prayer of no person for another can be heard. . . . But if the apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, at a time when they ought to still be solicitous about themselves, how much more will they do so after their crowns, victories, and triumphs?" (Against Vigilantius 6 [A.D. 406]).

These examples show the importance of prayer within the body of Christ. We are in communion with each other, both here and in heaven. Our liturgy uses the term, “whole state of Christ Church” to signify that the prayer is not only made for those who are within the Anglican Church but also everywhere, always, and for all.

Peace and blessings!

Contributing:
Fr. Thierry
John Dixon

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).

Who Are The Saints?

Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle,
by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.

I have been asked many times what Anglicans believe concerning the Saints. My answer has always been that there are two types of Saints.

First of all, the Saints are the People of God, those who serve the Lord with all their hearts, with all their soul, and with all their mind: the total man serving the total God through vows and Church membership. Therefore, we are all saints as long as we endeavor to be faithful to our baptismal vows. It must be said that the word "saint" comes from the Greek word hagios, which means "consecrated" to God, holy, sacred, and pious.

In the New Testament, it is often used in the plural, "saints". In Acts 9: 13, we read, "…Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem". In Acts 9: 32, we read, "Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda". And there are many other references in the Bible concerning the saints. We are all saints because we are a group of people set apart for the service of God and His kingdom.

To make it short, all Christians are saints because we are the body of Christ, the Church. St. Paul was clear about this when he wrote to the Corinthians: "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…" (1 Corinthians 1:2).

The word "saint" also refers to those people who lived a godly life with goodness, steadfastness, and courage. They enriched the Christian Church by providing examples of service, devotion, and tenacity for all of us to admire and follow.

In times past, these men and women have been recognized officially by the Church by a process we call canonization. Going through Anglican formularies, I don’t see anywhere this process is explicitly exposed or even stated. But Anglican practice has always appeared to recognize and accept as Saints those great Christians so proclaimed by the Roman Church prior to the Reformation.

The Book of Common Prayer sets aside in its Calendar no less than Seventeen Days on which special services are held in commemoration of nineteen Saints.

When I first joined the Anglican Church, I learned that Anglicanism has not "officially" claimed any Saints since the Reformation. However, names such as Cranmer, Laud, Charles I, Wilberforce, Keble, Latimer and Ridley (burned by Queen Mary - see graphic) and John & Charles Wesley are certainly in the minds of many Anglicans. Likewise in America, Anglican Churches have permitted honor and recognition of such great Christians as Seabury, White, Kemper, and Brooks.

Many Anglican Churches have Icons or Statues of the Saints. These images serve only to remind us of the exemplary life these lovely souls led. We do not bow down or venerate these objects as many mistakenly believe. In my next post, I will talk more about "Christians-Saints-Prayer".

Peace and blessings!

Fr. Thierry

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay" (Habakkuk 2:3).

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The Doctrine of Purgatory: The Anglican Position

The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory has been troubling to many Christians for centuries. According to Jacques Le Goff, it was formulated between 1170 and 1200 (Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory, University of Chicago Press, 1984). Peter the Lombard, after studying the works and teachings of St. Anselm, St. Augustine and Gregory the Great, had contributed significantly to its birth. The idea behind this doctrine is that there is a physical place (not a state) where the souls of those who died, without properly atoned for certain sins, will go to be purified first. This doctrine is covered in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in three paragraph on two pages (para. 1030-32; pp. 268-69).

Discussing this with a friend the other day I found that she believed that Anglicans accept the Roman doctrine of purgatory. I replied, "what makes you say that?" The answer was that "because you pray for the dead." It is true that we pray for the dead and the dead pray for us and with us. But that does not support the doctrine of purgatory!

The Anglican Tradition teaches that there is a state (not a place) in which the souls of all of the faithful departed exist before the Resurrection of the dead. This is called an Intermediate State (See Bishop N.T. Wright’s For All the Saints), which is also held by the Eastern Church.

The Roman doctrine of purgatory does not fit in the Anglican liturgy in which we proclaim, based on the scripture, that Christ is the "propitiation for our sin" (the comfortable words*). This view of purgation (satisfaction of pain is required) does not stand before the Anglican Eucharist’s canon that clearly states that Christ is the "full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world". In For All the Saint N.T Wright states:

"I cannot stress sufficiently that if we raise the question of punishment for sin, this is something that has already been dealt with on the cross of Jesus. Of course, there have been crude and unbiblical versions of the doctrine of atonement, and many have rightly reacted against the idea of a vengeful God determined to punish someone and being satisfied by taking it out on his own son. But do not mistake the caricature for the biblical doctrine. Paul says, in his most central and careful statement, not that God punished Jesus, but that God ‘condemned sin in the flesh’ of Jesus (Romans 8.3). Here the instincts of the Reformers, if not always their exact expressions, were spot on. The idea that Christians need to suffer punishment for their sins in a post-mortem purgatory, or anywhere else, reveals a straightforward failure to grasp the very heart of what was achieved on the cross."

(See http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Rethinking_Tradition.htm).

The doctrine of purgatory denies the cross of Jesus because it teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus is not enough, it’s not "full", it’s not "perfect", it’s not "sufficient". Believers, after death, must pay for their sins before getting to heaven. That’s what the Roman magisterium teaches. The 1549 English and 1928 American Prayer Books use the term growth to talk about the Intermediate State which is the a state of "continual growth" in God’s "love and service". During this period, the focus is not on penance, nor on pain, nor paying for sins (Christ did all that on the cross already). The main theme here is growth "in the knowledge and the love of God" of the faithful departed who "died in thy faith and fear". It has nothing to do with pain, penance, or satisfaction for sins.

As Christians, we pray for the faithful departed so that they may grow in the love and service of God and together with them, we pray in thanksgiving (in the Eucharist) for the mystery of the dead and resurrection of Jesus Christ in which we are all saved.

Peace and blessings!
Fr. Thierry

*Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.

COME unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. St. Matt. xi. 28.

So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John iii. 16.

Hear also what Saint Paul saith.

This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15.

Hear also what Saint John saith.

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins. 1 St. John ii. 1, 2.

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Discerning Truth Without Personal Interpretation

We spoke to Randy Alcorn's novel ideas on interpretation and I promised a follow up on a better way to understand the Scriptures without being at odds with 2 Peter 1:20. Here is a brief outline.

Many find the rule of discernment written centuries ago by a monk named Vincent who lived on an island of Lerins off the coast of France the most cogent and rational way to guard against error. We think the rule is a sturdy ship in a sea of contradicting theologies among thousands of denominations and independent churches. Such scandalizes the atheist, agnostic and pagan as well as many Christians with competing doctrines that turn God's word into an exercise in subjectivetivity akin to arguments between wine tasting snobs on bouquet and overtones of leather and cherry, etc. We think there should be an objective standard for us all to work from and Vincent, in our view, supplies the most logical and practical method

Understanding the Holy Trinity

The word Trinity is not in the Bible. But we use lots of words that are not in the Bible to explain the truths the Bible reveals to us. The words “transcendent” and “Incarnation” are not in the Bible either, but both describe biblical truths about God. The Bible is the record of how God has revealed himself to man. Theological statements such as “God is Trinity” are the result of the church’s inspired reflection on that revelation.

In part, the Creed of St Athanasius states: “that we worship One God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons: nor dividing the Substance. For there is One Person of the Father, another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all One: the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal”.

The Trinity must first be known as an experience before it can be understood as a doctrine.

This is precisely what Jesus tells us in the gospel (John 3:1-15). “Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The word “see” in this verse does no mean merely to look at. It means to know, to understand. Without the gift of the Spirit, by which we are born again, we cannot know God or understand the nature of his kingdom.

The same point is made in Revelation 4. St. John saw an open door in heaven and a voice invited him to “Come up hither.” “Immediately” he was “in the Spirit” in the presence of God. Only through the Spirit was John able to ascend into the presence of God and see heavenly things.

We must first know the Father through the Son in the Spirit before we can understand that God is three persons who are united in one substance of being. We must be worshipers of God before we can be Bible scholars or theologians.

Peace and blessings!

Fr. Thierry 

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay”(Habakkuk 2:3).

Why We Worship This Way

It seems every time I turn around I see another church advertising for a musician for a praise band. Now, I'm an electric blues musician and I love to play in bands, but it always brings to mind comments I've heard for years from people who say worship should be "relevant," that it should "meet their needs."

Fr. John Matusiak of the Orthodox Church in America has a great response for those statements. He calls such worship "man-centered" worship. Fr. John suggests the focus here is on how God affects "my life" and what "I get out of worship." I believe he's right, because I've heard these comments too many times to discount their relationship to where the person puts the real focus of worship. Here their focus is on "ME”… what "I" want...fitting "MY" expectations…”ME, ME, ME”. The script here is that, "I'm so important that worshipping God has to fit in with the way 'I' want to do it." As with many facets of our society today, the person becomes the most important factor here and God has to take a back seat. This is self-focused, not God-focused.

In the Anglican tradition, we take a view very similar to that expressed by Fr. John in describing Orthodox worship. Anglican worship is not a matter of personal taste. When Archbishop Cranmer was compiling the first Book of Common Prayer in the 16th century, he wasn't really concerned with making the worship relevant for the people of the 16th century. He was concerned that the worship was scriptural and God-centered. Fr. John says that God is the only one we should be concerned with pleasing in our worship and I think he's spot on. "Entertainment" worship might be amusing, but it only lets us experience worship from our own limited, narrow view. It comes from the "ME" and not from God. Let's face it: our view is not always correct. In fact, as Jesus often points out, our views can be quite flawed.

Popular Facebook Meme- What can we say?

Entertainment worship does not necessarily force us to confront our sin, our fallenness, and those things which make us uncomfortable. Instead of centering on God, it substitutes "Top 40" music and a motivational speech....it gives us something that isn't too difficult to swallow.

The fact is that worship is not designed for us, but for God. It is our Lord whom we worship and not ourselves. We should care less about what pleases us and more about what pleases Him. Fr. Matusiak put it well when he says, "...we are called to worship 'in Spirit and Truth,' as we read in Scripture; that we are called to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ 'as often as you come together' lest, as we read in the words of Our Lord Himself in the Gospel of Saint John, we have no life in us; that we are to 'lay aside all earthly cares'....that we are called to transform our fallen human existence and unworthiness by bringing it into the very presence of God Himself--in His Kingdom, not ours--and meeting God 'where He is,' rather than where we are or where we would like Him to be." 

Our worship is God-focused. Just read the Eucharistic rite in the 1928 Book of CommonPrayer. Everything we do is grounded in scripture. Everything we say has a focus on God. When the focus is on us, it speaks to our fallen nature and need for God's love and forgiveness, as well as our need for salvation-- forgiveness and salvation He provides through the sacrifice of His Son. Rather than a weekly shuffling of "off the-cuff" service pieces and parts, our Eucharist is the same every Sunday, completely grounded in scripture and focused on the creator, not His creation. Paul tells us that Christ is the same "...yesterday, today, and tomorrow." The Trinity is unchanging and the key is to understand that our liturgy must reflect that truth.

There are a variety of liturgies today in the church. The Roman Catholics have their rites; the

Orthodox have the Liturgies of St. Basil and St. John Chrysostom; and we traditional American Anglicans have the 1928 Book of CommonPrayer, the Anglican Missal, and the Anglican Service Book. What do these liturgies share? They are God-focused, they reflect the unchanging nature of the Trinity, aligning with the ageless faith of two millennia. They don't move and shift as contemporary tastes change and it's “If you want a religion to make you feel comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity” ~ C.S.Lewis a good thing because we can see that contemporary tastes aren't always God-centered. Contemporary tastes don't reflect God, but they do reflect selfish humans. Anglicans have witnessed this trend most recently with changes to liturgy that ignore and diminish the nature of the Trinity.

Liturgy is an external event that focuses on internal faith. The Eucharist is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. We learned that in our catechism. It is the experience of Christ's sacrifice and promise of His resurrection and our salvation. Maybe that's where the differences lie.

In some other churches there is no continuity with respect to what is preached when and how. There is no continuity to "liturgy" so it can change a little every week. Some of the current vernacular among the folks who are involved with this type of worship includes calling worship "doing church." They'll say, "there are several ways to do church..." I find that phrase odd. It suggests that worship is something we "do" as though it's a flexible experience that needs to bend to the interests and desires of humans. We traditional Anglicans, don't "do" church. We aren't flexible with our Sunday worship. We follow a liturgical calendar to teach doctrine and glorify God through the scripture and sacraments. Each season of the church calendar is important because it teaches us something about our faith. It's the same every year. If you pray Morning and Evening prayer and attend Mass on Sunday, you will have read the entire Bible in one year and will have gone through a focused "lesson plan" on the Christian faith, a lesson plan that is God-focused.

COME unto me, all ye that travail
and are heavy laden, and I will
refresh you.  St. Matt. xi. 28.

Despite what society might think today, enjoyment is not the sole purpose of worship. Knowing and understanding God brings joy, not our personal likes and dislikes about worship. As Fr. John says, "Ultimately, those...who define 'good worship' by their personal tastes or interests are not in a position to fully understand the Liturgy, even though they may 'enjoy' the experience." To understand the liturgy is to move away from yourself and focus on God. Understand what He wants from you and how He wants you to worship Him. To ensure the act of worship reflects the inward and spiritual... and God.

We have the constancy of the Prayer Book which not only guides our worship, but ensures its continuity and orthodoxy. It focuses on what is truly important: God, versus how WE want things and our selfish enjoyment. Linking us to catholic Christians of the ages, it is beautiful, reverential, dignified-- ensuring we are on the right path in our faith. It doesn't let us get distracted by worldly desires and thoughts, but brings us to God and the salvation His Son has given us through His passion and death on the cross. In fact, in the experience of the Holy Communion we might just find ourselves asking whether we're on earth or in heaven and that is the most relevant thing of all.


Adapted from a circular - unknown author. 

Prayer-Work-Religion

When we read both the Epistle of James (James 1: 22-27) and the gospel (John 16: 23-33), we see a combination of prayer and work. On one hand, Jesus says “Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.” On the other hand, James says, “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” Now, where is the connection?

The answer to this question is in another question: “what should we pray for"?  For money, for food, for clothes, for fame, or for prosperity? Our prayers should not be to ask for any of these things, “for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.” (Matthew 6: 32).

What then should we pray for? We should pray for the grace (favor), wisdom and guidance to do the will of God. When we operate under the favor or the grace of God, we will not miss the point of doing the will of God; our joy is full, and we are blessed in our work. And that’s the foundation of our religion.

Our life goes according to a certain cycle. So also goes our liturgy, our celebration of who God is. Remember, we worship as we believe, and we believe as we live and work.

The cycle or the pattern goes as follow: we come to the altar to offer “ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto the Father through the Son.”

We offer our confession, our supplications, our doubts, and what we have. We offer to God the best, but also the confusing image of us. What do we receive back? God gives us back his blessings, his grace, “that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as he had prepared for us to walk in”.

You see, we bring to God our distractions, our disorder and chaos; God takes this and brings forth the order and beauty of his new life in us.

And that’s what true religion is all about. That’s what Rogation Sunday is all about.

Let’s be reminded that a good harvest is still the product of dependence on God “from whom all good things do come”.

Peace and blessings!


Fr. Thierry




"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).

A great list of Brithonic Saints

Brief sketches of various Saints of Britain

"St. Acca

Bishop of Hexham

Died: 20th October AD 740 

During his youth, Acca joined the household of Bishop Bosa of York, where he fell in with the Romanist party and became a faithful friend of St. Wilfred, Abbot of Ripon. They were constant companions for thirteen, often turbulent, years and Acca accompanied the great man on many of his Continental visits. 

Upon, Wilfred's deathbed (AD 709), he nominated Acca to succeed him as Abbot of Hexham and, in the event, he was able to take up the Bishopric as well. He completed the building work started by his friend and decorated the principal church at Hexham with altars, sacred vessels and holy relics.  

Acca was an accomplished singer and a noted scholar of the age. Bede praised the high quality and wide-ranging diversity of his theological library; and dedicated several of his biblical works to the Bishop. The two seem to have known each other well, for when Acca found St. Ambrose's commentary on St. Luke too long, he encouraged the father of English History to write a reduced version. He later supplied Bede with information for the Ecclesiastical History. 

In AD 731, political intrigues led to King Ceolwulf of Northumbria being seized by unknown opponents and forced to enter a monastery. His supporters subsequently restored him to the throne, but vengeance was swift and Bishop Acca expulsion from his see soon afterward almost certainly indicates his involvement in the coup. Some records imply that he fled west where he was appointed Bishop of Whithorn.  

Acca died on 20th October AD 740. He was buried beside the east wall of Hexham Cathedral, between two huge stone crosses decorated with Mediterranean-style vines and tendrils. These survive largely intact and can be seen today inside the Abbey Church.

http://www.britannia.com/bios/saints/