Fr. Matt writes a meditation on Psalm 67 Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Weekly Compass † August 14, 2020

Canticle - Tim Timmerman, 18"x24", oil on wood, 2020. Used with permission.

O let the nations rejoice and be glad, For you shall judge the peoples righteously, and govern The nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise you, O God; Let all the peoples praise you. Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, And God, even our own God, shall give us his blessing. God shall bless us, And all the ends of the world shall fear him.

This portion of Psalm 67, our appointed Psalm for this Sunday, encapsulates the themes of all of Sunday’s readings. God’s purposes for the redemption of humanity have always had a universal focus, redemption is for all the nations; meaning that God’s love and God’s blessings can never be bound by ethnic or national distinctions. As easy as it may be for many of us to affirm this intellectually, both because of our own experiences with other believers from around the world and because we hear this theme so often in Scripture, for many outside of the church the idea that Christian faith is not just for “western people” or even “white people” is foreign. That this is so was abundantly clear to me in recent weeks as a result of the strange public call to remove a statue of Father Damien, a Belgian Priest who died caring for victims of leprosy in Hawaii, because of his supposed connections to “white supremacy.” Part of the blame for this state of affairs must fall at the feet of the Church. Christian symbols and themes have been too easily manipulated to support warfare, colonialism, and many other practices that mar the image of God in us, often with the Church’s blessing. However, that should in no way keep us from affirming clearly and unequivocally the truth that God’s grace and mercy are for all the nations.

The cross of Jesus Christ obliterates all human distinctions and divisions. Many have opined that death is the great equalizer, but more truly the death of God on the cross, the perfect God- Man, is the great equalizer of humanity. Christ was murdered by Jew and Gentile alike in a historical sense (it was a Roman Governor and a Jewish High-Priest who sent him to death), but it is true also in a theological sense. We are all in sin. How much are we in sin? So much so that God needed to die in order to remedy our sin. Yet, we thank God that His mercy is just as universal as our sin. Jew and Gentile turned to Christ as Saviour following His death and resurrection, and many more still turn to Him. Not only do God’s “blessings flow far as the curse is found,” as the great Christmas puts it, but they flow with greater power and force than sin ever could; propelled by grace, love, and mercy that have already defeated death.

Through God’s Holy Spirit, the good news that God has redeemed humanity regardless of ethnic and racial distinction in the one Jewish man Jesus Christ has reached much of the earth; no thanks to human interference. This Gospel for all people now returns with a fresh vigor from our African and Asian brothers and sisters to the very Western Church that first brought the Gospel of Jesus to them many centuries ago. Let all the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

“O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your Kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Christ,

Fr. Matt

Scripture readings for the week

 This Sunday - Isaiah 56:1-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:13-24; Matthew 15:21-28  Next Sunday - Isaiah 51:1-6; ; Romans 11:25-36; Matthew 16:13-20

Prayer requests for the week

 Members: Marci & family, Glenda, Mark, Patty, Ed, Jeff, Nate.  Anglican Communion Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the Diocese of the Northeast and MidAtlantic (REC), Bishop R. Charles Gillin, his wife, Jan.  Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Grace Anglican Church, Sheridan, WY and its Rector, The Reverend Kevin Jones

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parish Retreat Survey In order to make appropriate decisions about our annual Parish Retreat, scheduled for October 9-11, we need to hear from interested parishioners. Pinerock Camp has adjusted its meal service to minimize contact and is separating groups so that we would not be dining closely with other groups. Mask wearing is not required, however, people are asked to bring a mask and respect the wishes of those around regarding wearing masks. Families or singles would be in their own rooms and not sharing with others. We will try to have our meetings outdoors as much as possible. If you are planning to attend or thinking about attending, please email Cheryl Timmerman at [email protected] by Monday, August 17.

Reading While Black Discussion Groups Several groups are forming within our parish to read and discuss a new book by the Rev. Canon Esau McCaulley, PhD--a New Testament scholar and priest in the ACNA.

Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope looks at the tradition of African American biblical interpretation and argues that the Bible rightly understood and read from a decidedly black perspective can speak a word of hope to African Americans in the United States.

Dr. McCaulley currently serves as assistant professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and completed his doctoral studies at the University of St. Andrews under the direction of N.T. Wright, who says of this new book, “Esau McCaulley’s voice is one we urgently need to hear. This book is prophetic, biblical, measured, wise, friendly, and well-reasoned—and thus all the more hard-hitting. A powerful word for our times.”

We look forward to learning together how our black Christian brothers and sisters interpret and are shaped by Scripture. Anyone interested in reading, learning, and discussing together is invited to email Martha Wenzel to sign up: [email protected]. Indicate your interest by Sun., Sept. 6. The groups will have varying schedules so as best to accommodate everyone who'd like to participate.

Instructions and Changes to Worship Services Please note: Given the increase in cases of Covid-19 in the City of Phoenix, local governments are requiring those in public spaces to wear masks or face coverings. We ask that congregants at Christ Church abide by the city ordinances as they are able.

On Sunday mornings, we will continue to have two identical services, with music, one at 8:00 and a second at 10:00 a.m. Each service is limited to 50 people or less. Additionally, we will have a service on Saturday evenings at 6:00 p.m., which will be limited to 50. This service will not have music, and we will change the flavor a bit by using the Traditional Language version from our new Anglican Prayer Book.

 Please remember that you must sign up for a slot each week in order to attend any of the services to ensure we do not exceed the maximum number of people allowed! https://bit.ly/CCA-Services The link is also available on the website under the Worship tab, in “Time and Location”. Every other pew will remain roped off, but we ask that you also be mindful of how much space you are allowing between yourself and others in any of the pews to your left and to your right.  For the time being, we are suspending congregational singing. Only Matt Flora and Jessica will sing their selected service music.  We still need volunteers for the various ministries that lead us in worship on Sunday mornings, so please be sure to volunteer in the needed areas for the service you are attending.  All clergy and assistants will be required to wear masks when they must come within six feet of others for sacramental purposes.  For those who remain homebound and unable to attend physically, we will record one of our Sunday services, meaning the service recording will come to you by about 4 pm on Sunday.  If you or someone in your household is not feeling well or has not been feeling well recently, please do not come to church, even if you have signed up for a time slot.  Please exit the sanctuary promptly after each service so that we can begin sanitizing the space.  Follow this link to the Governor’s Guidance for Places of Worship, in order to find further information, including the use of face masks: https://azgovernor.gov/sites/default/files/guidance_for_places_of_worship .pdf

DONATION OPTIONS

Zelle Donations through Your Bank Christ Church Anglican is now able to accept online donations made via Zelle. If your bank uses Zelle (other bank versions of this type of payment are not yet available to us) as an online bill payment option you may send a donation to Christ Church Anglican by entering the following email [email protected] and the donation will be made directly to CCA’s account with no extra fees. This is our new favorite method of accepting donations.

Online Giving through our Website Credit Cards and PayPal donations are accepted through our website. Go to www.christchurchphoenix.org, select the “Giving” option at the top or click here, and click on the Donate Online box.

US Mail If you prefer to send a check via US Mail, please use the following address:

Christ Church Anglican PO Box 10219 Phoenix, AZ 85064-0219

We are a community around Jesus bringing God's love to a hurting world.

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