The Liturgical Stream

By Fr. Jeffrey Welch
June 9, 2019

Our Liturgical/Sacramental Stream Comes from Jesus

    Our Liturgical/Sacramental “stream” comes from Jesus.  “Christianity is Christ” John R. W. Stott wrote. Who Jesus Christ is (the Eternal Son of God who became human without losing any of His divinity, in one Person); And what He has done for our salvation and the redemption of the world makes Him our Lord.  He is head of the body, the Church and Lord of all time. (*1)

    So our faith in Jesus calls us to turn our time over to the Lord and follow all the events of His life each year.   We prepare for His prophetic birth (Advent), celebrate His birth (Christmas), His revelation to the world through His signs and wonders (Epiphany), His temptation and fasting for us in the desert (Lent), His death and resurrection from the dead (Palm Sunday, Passion week, Easter), His Ascension to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father (Ascension-tide ) and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit ‘birthing’ the new covenant Church (Pentecost), which is His body, the Church.
 In the same way we in the ICCEC follow Jesus as His disciples have from the very beginning, Acts 2:42 (ESV) And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  “The prayers” were the traditional set prayers of the Jews, now focused on God through Christ our Lord.  Thus the Liturgy we use each Sunday is literally “the work of the people” in service to God; And the “breaking of bread” is the Holy Communion Jesus instituted in the Upper room just before His passion. Likewise we follow Jesus through the whole ‘arc’ of our living, receiving His outward and visible signs and seals of His inward and invisible work of grace in our hearts and lives.  These holy events are called the seven sacraments.
We enter the Church washed by Holy Baptism (*2). We’re strengthened with the spiritual food of His body and blood (*3), for our daily and weekly life (The Eucharist or Holy Communion).  When we stumble into sin and need a cleansing by Jesus through Confession of our sins He gives us that grace(*4). When we grow into adulthood we declare faith in Jesus Christ from our hearts by the laying on of hands in Confirmation and receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (*5).   When we are sick or need healing we ask the elders (priests and bishops) to anoint us with holy oil and Jesus heals us by His will (*6) and to help prepare us for the transition to heaven at the end of our lives (termed extreme unction). When we are called to marry, husband and wife come together in Holy Matrimony and receive grace to live being “fruitful and multiply”(*7).  If we are called to serve Christ in Holy ministry we receive special grace through Ordination to represent Christ to the Church, administer His sacraments and protect “the flock.” (*8).

Our Liturgical and Sacramental “stream” of worship is simply our Church stepping along side the earliest Christians and walking by faith onward with them, as we all follow our Lord Jesus.

 

 

*1 (Ephesians 1:19-23)

*2 (Matthew 28:18-19 and John 3:5-8)

*3 (John 6:51-58)

*4 (John 13:3-10 and James 5:16)

*5(Acts 8:14-17)

*6 (I Peter 2:24-25 and James 5:14-15)

*7 (Genesis 1:28 and Ephesians 5:21-33)

*8(Ephesians 4:11-12 and 2 Timothy 1:6 and Acts 6:5-6)

A Year of Evangelism

by
The Year of Evangelism

The North American House of Bishop met in Bel Air, Maryland just prior to the consecration of Bishop Rob Northwood. A great deal of the meeting centered around our morning time of prayer. Following this time of prayer, the Bishops decided to call for a year of evangelism.

Every year should be a year of evangelism. The call for a year of evangelism is not suggesting that at the end of the year we stop evangelizing. Rather, that together we are taking a year with every parish, mission, and ministry in the North American Church to pray, listen, reflect, and evaluate the churches evangelist works. Bishops have committed themselves to; teach evangelism at our clergy gatherings, to engage in conversation with every Rector/Vicar and his councils, to develop a diocesan plan of evangelism, and to engage is spirit directed evangelistic efforts. It also is calling for every pastor to engage his congregation in the work of evangelism.

They recognized that every region of North America is different and will call for different types of activity. They recognized that every parish is different with a different demographic. They recognized that every person is unique and yet, they believe that every one of us, every parish, and every region is called to evangelism. 1 Timothy 2.4 informs us that the will of God is that every person is saved and comes to know the truth.

There are many definitions of evangelism, but I think Archbishop William Temple gave the best definition. He said, “Evangelism is to so present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their savior and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of the Church.”

Evangelism is fulfilling what our Lord Jesus commanded in Matthew 28.16-20. This is the Church’s mission statement.

I am excited about what God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is going to do within our communion and among us as a people. I am excited because when people set their heart towards the presence of Jesus and His Kingdom, the Holy Spirit moves in miraculous and supernatural ways to fulfill the purposes of God.

Let us pray every day, a simple prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hardwood of the cross that everyone might come within reach of your saving embrace. So, cloth us (me) in your Spirit, that we (I), reaching forth our (my) arms in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of you name.”

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch, Primate

Seminary Class Graduates At Cathedral

Ascension Day 2019 marked the Commencement of studies for the Saint Michael’s Diploma program that has been faithfully administered by Bishop Rob Northwood and Fr. Martin Eppard of The Church of the Good Shepherd, for the past two years. Graduating with the Diploma as well as a developed skill set in leadership, pastoral care, preaching, teaching, scriptural study, and church administration, are: Bob Brown, Rob Schott, Eli Northwood, Dcn. Mark Carico, Avery Northwood, Samuel Huff, Levi Pekarek, and Caleb Northwood. The Cathedral and the Diocese in general wish to thank and celebrate these dedicated men and their teachers for their hard work and intent to build God’s kingdom on earth. Please continue to pray for vocations and for those seminarians that continue to study and press toward ordained and lay ministry leadership in Christ’s one, holy, and apostolic church All for the Glory of God!

 

The Cathedral Church of Reconciliation
June 3, 2019

Easter Blessings!

Easter Blessings!

As is said way to often, is it Easter again already? It comes so quickly as we know. Reflecting on the resurrection should make us all joyous and incredibly overwhelmed by the love and grace of our heavenly Father. His love and the work in giving us the Lord Jesus transforms us. We are not made just a better version of ourselves, we are rather, as Saint Paul says, we are a new creation! We are a completely new work of his great workmanship; a new birth, a new start, a new creature. As we enter into this season of Easter let’s reflect on our new life in the One who made us and then made us new.

May you have a blessed Easter!

Bishop Rob
The Cathedral of Reconciliation
4/16/2019

A Diocese Reforged

March 15, 2019 marks the official re-instatement of the ICCEC’s Diocese of the Mid Atlantic. God is blessing His church in a new season. Out of a season of struggle, perseverance, and prayer, He is bringing new life, new growth, and He is establishing His kingdom here in the Mid Atlantic in a mighty way! With the consecration of Bishop Robert Northwood (Bel Air, MD), we are celebrating the establishment of not a new diocese, but rather the renewing of a call placed on this region. For such a time as this, God is calling the men and women, young and old, of the CEC, the greater church, and of the world towards Himself and onto His mission. Having already witnessed the mighty hand of God in the CEC, the Diocese of the Mid Atlantic moves forward in great anticipation of the Almighty’s power in the coming months. Join us in our mission at one of our congregations listed on the Locations Page!

In His Service,
The Diocese of the Mid Atlantic, CEC