Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Little is known of the life of Clement, who was the fourth bishop of Rome. Irenaeus reports that he “had seen and consorted with the blessed apostles.” He is famous for a letter he sent as head of the Roman Church to the Church of Corinth when some there had went into revolt against their leadership. The letter was a model of pastoral concern, was well received by both parties to the Corinthian dispute, and was read in their assemblies for many years. He died as a martyr around the year 100 AD, being cast into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck.

COLLECT
Almighty God, you chose your servant Clement of Rome to recall the Church in Corinth to obedience and stability. Grant that your Church may be grounded and settled in your truth by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; reveal to it what is not yet known; fill up what is lacking; confirm what has already been revealed; and keep it blameless in your service. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence Valerian was converted, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword, she lived for three days, and asked the bishop to convert her home into a church.

COLLECT
Almighty God, your servant Cecilia bore witness to you to her intended, and, with him and his brother, you gave her grace to stand firm in her faith even unto death. Grant us, like her, the courage to remain true to you in spite of every assault of the enemy. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Philemon was a prominent first-century Christian who owned a slave named Onesimus. Although the name “Onesimus” means “useful,” Onesimus proved himself “useless” when he ran away from his master and stole from him. Somehow Onesimus came into contact with the apostle Paul while the latter was in prison, and through Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel he became a Christian. After confessing that he was a runaway slave, he was directed to return to his master and become “useful” again. In order to help pave the way for Onesimus’ peaceful return home, Paul sent him on his way with a letter in which he urged Philemon to forgive his slave for having run away and “to receive him as you would receive me”.

COLLECT
Gracious heavenly Father, you sent Onesimus back to Philemon as a brother, freeing him from his slavery to sin through the Gospel of the Lord. Cleanse the depths of sin within our souls, cause all resentments to cease within us, and reconcile us with our brothers and sisters in fellowship and peace. We ask this through Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.. Amen.

READINGS
Genesis 50: 15-21
Psalm 103
Philemon 1-25
Matthew 16: 24-28

Today a group of prominent Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders took the microphone at the National Press Club to discuss the unveiling of “The Manhattan Declaration”, a document outlining the commitment of many Christian believers in America to the notions of the sanctify of life, family, and faith which are under attack from various circles.

With the United States Senate set to take up debate on the hotly contested topic of health care reform, the Manhattan Declaration comes at an opportune time to remind legislators and citizens alike that many Christian believers cannot conscience what the United States is becoming.

The Declaration itself, which is available online, is a relatively succinct and eminently cogent manifest of conservative Christian beliefs; one that is sure to draw instant criticism from the leaders of the political and cultural institutions of the country and, sadly, from other Christian leaders as well.

In its two-thousand year history, Christianity has been its most faithful when faced with secular opposition, and the contemporary era gives no less of an opportunity for believers to stand up for the teachings of the Scripture with confidence and joy. Unfortunately, much of the Church in North America has sold itself out to “social justice”, so-called, at the expense of what is supposed to be her first love, the truth as revealed in Jesus Christ.

When the Church turns its back from the defense of life, endorses unbiblical concepts as ‘enlightened’ progress, and conforms herself more to society at large than to Christ, she, in effect, abandons the faith once delivered and surrenders herself into the ready embrace of the Antichrist. All too often, such ecclesiastical bodies become almost indistinguishable from the society surrounding them, and, in the process, subverts the Gospel, reducing it to a ‘lowest common denominator’ belief system or, more accurately, a form of humanism with an object of affection.

Christianity, while always seeking for reconciliation, compassion, and love among all peoples, is also a religion that teaches (and has taught for two-thousand years) in accordance with a high moral and ethical code, one that is rooted in recognizing that human beings are fallen, sinful creatures whose very reason has been corrupted as a result of our own perverse selfishness. Freedom thus means, for the believer, a deliverance from that corruption in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christ’s redemptive act and His transforming power alone are the only true basis upon which humane society can even be envisioned, let alone implemented.

While civil government has its place, the civil governments of North America (as well as other parts of the world) have taken steps to marginalize those who hold to the central moral and ethical teachings of the Scriptures; steps which then trample on the rights and freedoms of individual believers and upon religious assemblies.

As committed Christian believers who recognize the calling of the Scripture as witnessed through countless generations of the faithful, the Reformed Evangelical Synod of America must speak out against the continued erosion of the fundamental right to life, which has been so seriously eroded away by the blight of Abortion… and which stands to be further minimized by the continued policies of the civil government which allow for and even encourage (fiscally) the destruction of human life. We cannot remain silent about God’s plan for the family, which forms our opposition to any and all personal relationships which are not in keeping with the Word of God, nor can we remain silent about the very real threats to men and women of conscience to speak their minds freely based on their faith without being accused of promoting hatred and facing civil, revenue, or criminal penalties for exercising not simply their right to free speech, but their God given responsibility to speak out on behalf of the truth.

It is with great confidence and solemnity that the ministers and members of the Reformed Evangelical Synod of America join those who endorse “The Manhattan Declaration”, and affirms her commitment to preach the truth about God’s plan for his people, regardless of the cost.

This headline has been in the making for years, like a movie star’s obituary awaiting the breaking news of an expected, but suddenly swift demise: New Lutheran body to form after gay pastor vote

Faithful Lutherans within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who had remained in hopes of a turn around have encountered the proverbial straw that promises to break the “camel’s back”. They can no longer let their patience accommodate this new perversity. Yet leaving is not as easy as outsiders think it might be as others within the mainline have found. Lutherans in the ELCA have an irenic bent not always shared by American Lutheranism’s “Fighting Fundamentalists”, the LCMS and WELS. They are desperately seeking a home for their commitment to their irenic evangelical Lutheranism.

Their conciliatory nature in the past means that they have been able to forge agreements like “A Formula of Agreement Between the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, and the United Church of Christ” that dared to say that Lutherans and Reformed might actually coexist and minister together as reformational Christians. This is a habit of  tolerance is not unprecedented but it has earned them their share of derision over the years as the modern day Melancthons and “Crypto Calvinists” when they only spoke for peace (Ps. 120:7).

Happy reunions with those who’ve spent their days in criticism for one alleged confessional betrayal or another are envisioned by some at this juncture. As a practical reality, those will not be likely for many. Women’s ordination is a barrier for those committed to that practice that will only be accommodated by the formation of a new Lutheran jurisdiction.

Another path may be possible for some, and it is not unprecedented. In the mid-1800’s  Lutherans who felt their similarities with other brethren of like precious Reformational faith outweighed their differences formed the Evangelical Synod of North America. While we are a small body, we welcome those irenic Lutheran brethren who wish to pursue that path. Our commitment to the diaconal ministry of men and women while retaining a male pastorate, our irenic and broadly reformational “Articles”, and our commitment to historic faith and contemporary mission may be the new irenic home some need to find a new place of ministry and service within the evangelical, reformed, and catholic tradition.

Hugh of Lincoln was the son of William, Lord of Avalon. He was raised and educated at a convent at Villard-Benoit after his mother died when he was eight. He was professed at fifteen, ordained a deacon at nineteen, and was made prior of a monastery at Saint Maxim. While visiting the Grande Chartreuse with his prior in 1160, he decided to become a Carthusian there and was ordained. After ten years, he was named procurator and in 1175 became Abbot of the first Carthusian monastery in England.

His reputation for holiness and sanctity spread all over England and attracted many to the monastery. He admonished the civil government for abusing ecclesiastical matters for financial gain, and soon found himself named as bishop for the See of Lincoln – a post he accepted only when ordered to do so by the prior of the Grande Chartreuse. Hugh quickly restored clerical discipline, labored to restore religion to the diocese, and became known for his wisdom and justice.

He was one of the leaders in denouncing the persecution of the Jews that swept England in the late twelfth century, repeatedly facing down armed mobs and making them release their victims. He went on a diplomatic mission to France for King John in 1199, visiting the Grande Chartreuse, Cluny, and Citeaux, and returned from the trip in poor health. A few months later, while attending a national council in London, he was stricken and died two months later at the Old Temple in London on November 16.

COLLECT
Holy God, you endowed your servant Hugh of Lincoln with wise and cheerful boldness, and taught him to commend the discipline of holy life to kings and princes. Grant that we also, rejoicing in the Good News of your mercy, and fearing nothing but the loss of you, may be bold to speak the truth in love, in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

As Paul carried his preaching out of Asia and into Europe during his second missionary journey, he began at the city of Philippi in Macedonia. His first European convert was a woman named Lydia, a merchant who dealt in purple-dyed goods. She and her household were baptized, and she invited Paul, with Luke and his other companions, to make her house their headquarters in Philippi.

Dorcas (or Tabitha in Aramaic) was a member of the early Christian community in Joppa, a seacoast town of Israel. She was noted for her acts of charity, in particular for making garments and giving them to needy widows. When she fell ill and died, Peter came to see her, and raised her to life.

Phoebe was a deaconess of the Church at Chenchreae, the eastern seaport of the city of Corinth. When Paul mentions her, she has left the vicinity of Corinth and is in Rome, so that Paul commends her to the Church there.

COLLECT
Almighty God, you inspired your servants Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe to uphold and sustain your Church by their loving and generous deeds. Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

READINGS
Proverbs 31: 10-31
Psalm 33
Acts 9: 36-42 or Acts 16: 11-15, 40 or Romans 16: 1-2
Matthew 25: 1-13

Dear Friends in Christ,

Yesterday the Vatican announced a new program to receive Anglican parishes en masse into the Roman fold.

This all seems so odd.

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer offered himself to the fires of martyrdom rather than recant the Reformational faith. The papal representatives of his day were glad to oblige.

How can those who today call themselves “Anglicans” receive such a warm reception from Rome, sans flames of course? Do they sense any loss in the process? If not, why did they call themselves Anglicans to begin with?

Of course, many things have changed since those days. Rome has toyed with the idea of justification by faith enough to mollify liberal Protestants without actually saying it was ever wrong. The Papacy has, in Vatican II, conceded many points to the Reformation Faith which Roman traditionalists rue to this day. And while many priests themselves have run up huge legal settlements for their frolics, the Church itself still nominally hails virtue as a virtue – that’s more than can be said for degenerate Protestantism. But Rome’s penchant for elevating it’s own selective reading of church tradition as the voice of God equal to scripture, it’s estimation of itself as THE Church Catholic to the exclusion of all others, and it’s demand for unquestioned loyalty still undermine the foundation of historic Anglicanism – Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone, and the Glory of God alone.

If these have not changed, then the answer must lie in the fact that today’s Anglicans have changed.

Anglicanism began as the church of the whole people of Great Britain. It was a public faith intended to disciple a nation and leave no soul without a spiritual shepherd. Over time, it became the church mainly of the elite and not the people. Especially in the United States, the Episcopal Church was known as the “Republican Party at Prayer”. In the practical working lexicon of American Religion, the word “Anglican” almost became the synonym of “Anglophile”. It is only in the Global South where Anglicanism is perhaps disassociated from the implications of privilege, pecksniffery, and the love of all things British with Christianity included somewhere at the bottom of a long list of cultural peculiarities  if absolutely necessary, that is.

The fact that individuals either in the Anglican Communion or on it’s fringes in the “continuing churches” would gladly make this move shows how far Anglicanism has come and signals the need for a drastic reforging of the Anglican Identity in the West. Anglicans who understand the biblical, theological, and cultural significance of their brand of Reformed, Evangelical and Protestant Catholicism, and who wish to see it prosper in the coming days must make a break with image of Anglicans as elitist snobs. Anglicans must reassert their fundamental theological contributions to the Christian faith and must be known for their love for all souls, rich and poor alike. It may even signal the need to eschew the names “Anglican” and “Episcopal” if people are to focus on their contemporary mission. It definitely means tomorrow’s Anglican (by whatever name) is known for their work with the poor, the addicted, and the lost as the Baptist, Methodist, and Gospel Mission is known for that vocation today.

The Book of Common Prayer in tomorrow’s Anglicanism must not be the worship guide reserved for the service which only the aged attend. Vernacular versions of the BCP in contemporary (though not insipid) language with their lectionaries and catechisms must become the engine of corporate discipleship for coming generations once again. The goal of this revived Anglicanism is not to reintroduce Afternoon Tea in the New World but instead – as Cranmer aimed – to disciple whole families and nations into Christ, to live in His abundant grace. Because the demise of Anglicanism began with the renunciation of it’s Articles of Religion, a revived Anglicanism must likewise revive its confessional commitments along evangelical lines and enforce subscription to them and catechize in light of them.

But not all Anglicans have changed.

There are some Anglicans for  whom the words “evangelical catholic” are neither a conundrum or a paradox when used to describe their confessional, Prayer Book Protestantism. And today, they feel even more disenfranchised by yesterday’s developments. Increasingly their new found home, whether  in the ACNA or a ‘continuing church,’ strikes them as less “reformed” and “evangelical” than they might have wished.

If this describes you, you are welcome to join us here. By the grace of God, we remain committed to the Biblical Faith witnessed to by the Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, and Reformers.

In these  trying times, may God give you clear direction.

In these challenging days, may the collapsing foundations all around us cause us to rebuild on He who alone is eternity’s sure foundation,  Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-27).

Please contact us if we may be of service!

In Christ,

+Chuck Huckaby
Reformed Evangelical Synod of America

St. George's Dragon "Tamed" Embroidered Dragon with Cross

The story of St. George alternatively slaying or taming a dragon dates back centuries. While it is considered a legend in many ways, there is a strong historical foundation that explains the “dragon” in it’s original context and also explains well the nature of St. George’s conquering love. The historical St. George was a Roman soldier and a martyr for the cause of Christ.

Either version of the story relates to the Church’s classic struggle of spiritual combat against the powers of darkness. In Eastern Orthodoxy icons of St. George in battle with the dragon have been used to inspire the faithful in their own private war with sin and lawlessness for generations. At the present day, St. George’s Day celebrations in the UK recall the legend and allow participants to “act it out”

As Americans devoted to newness at any cost, we often fail to recognize the power of Classical Christian Symbols and understandings of history to inspire people in the present however. Many relics of the past, to be sure, must be reinterpreted in light of scripture because as Reformed and Evangelical Christians we do not consider St. George our patron in terms of things eternal. Like St. George, we have the Risen Christ alone as our heavenly patron and intercessor! But as the embedded You Tube video shows, modern people can be engaged through the historic symbolism of the Church when we are engaged by it ourselves.

Here you can see the band “Toto” singing their song “St. George and the Dragon”. It would indeed be cheesy to create a “Got Dragons Lately?” bumper sticker, though Christian attempts at relevance have not failed to stoop to that depth. This should be a reminder that if we live our lives in light of the Christian view of life and history, such living faith can’t help but grasp the imaginations of people who have their own dragons to slay yet today.

Enjoy the music. But look beyond it to our Lord whose own Conquering Love inspired “St. George the Martyr” in his original battle with the “Dragon”!

The Apostles commissioned seven men in the congregation at Jerusalem to supervise the church’s ministry to the needs of its widows and other poor; among them was Philip.

Philip preached the Gospel to the Samaritans, a group who had split off from the Jewish people about six centuries earlier, had intermarried with other peoples, and were considered outsiders by most Jews. They received the Christian message with eagerness, and soon Peter and John came to Samaria to bless the new converts.

After this, Philip was sent by God to walk along the road from Jerusalem southwest to Gaza, where he met a eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia, returning home after worshipping in Jerusalem. The man was reading from Isaiah 53, and Philip told him about Jesus, and persuaded him that the words were a prophecy of the saving work of Jesus. The man was baptized, and went on his way rejoicing, while Philip went north to Caesarea, the major seaport of Israel, and its secular capital.

When Paul was going up to Jerusalem for the last time, he paused at Caesarea and spent several days with Philip. After this, tradition describes him as settling at Tralles in Asia Minor, where he became the bishop of that church. Nevertheless, he remains most widely known as ‘Philip the Deacon’.

COLLECT
Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your servant Philip, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the peoples of Samaria and Ethiopia. Raise up in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may make known the immeasurable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

READINGS
Isaiah 53: 1-6
Psalm 67
Acts 8: 1-25 or Acts 8: 26-40 or Acts 21: 1-14
Mark 10: 42-45