Knots have been a subject of interest for thousands of years. Although reading illustrations help, the best way to learn to tie a knot is from example. Mostly all of us know how to tie a shoe lace knot. This skill was learned by all of us at a very early age.

Knots are used in many areas of life: surgeons use knots, fishermen use knots, scouts and service people use various knots. Climbers’ success depends on successful tying of knots. Some knots are decorative. Some of us might have done macramé’ in years past. The art involved tying knots. There is even an area of mathematics called knot theory.

The word ‘knot’ does not appear in the Bible. However, the word ‘cord’ does.

Cords bound Samson in Judges 15:13-14
Job had cords of affliction in Job 36:8
The wicked have cords in Psalm 129:4
There are cords of sins in Proverbs 5:22
There are cords of vanity in Isaiah 5:22

Cords were used when Yeshua Jesus scourged the Temple in John 2:15

In Joshua 2:18, life or death for Rehab and her family hung by a scarlet cord, mostly likely tied by a knot “unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather to yourself into the house your father and your mother and your brothers and all your father’s household.”

There is even a true love knot. Many knots have this name. These are interlocked overhand knots made with two parallel cords. It is said that if a couple wanted to know if their love would last, that they were to take a tree limb, tie a lover’s knot in it and if the knot held for approximately a year, then this was true love.

We are a blessed people as we do not need a true love knot to know God’s love. Did you realize that in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians that there are eight ‘knots’ of love?

Love is not jealous. There is no one-up-man ship, no jealousy, and no envy (vs. 4)
Love does not brag, it does not boast. Love is not puffed up or proud (vs. 4)
Love is not arrogant or uppity (vs. 4)
Love does not act unbecomingly. Love is note rude or discourteous (vs. 5)
Love does not seek its own; it is not resentful, selfish but cares for others (vs. 5)
Love does not provoke, is not easily irritated or bothered (vs. 5)
Love does not take into account a wrong suffered, love bears all, love endures (vs. 5)
Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness or evil, or iniquity (vs. 6)

God’s most beautiful symbol of love to us is the Cross. Even though the Cross appears to be painful and hurtful and at times, torture, it is God’s instrument of love. It is life. Only as we yield to Him, to God, do we sense His presence and enduring love.

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us.”(Romans 5:8)

If this was all that the LORD did for us, it would have been enough. But there is so much more. There will be so much more. The best is yet to come!

“ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son Yeshua, to be the propitiation for our sins. “(1 Jon 4:10)
“But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.” (Psalm 86:15)

For God so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son, that you who believe in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

Attributed to Barri Cae
www.barricae@comcast.net

Sunday’s Lectionary Readings:
Psalm 27 | I Kings 19:9-18
2 Peter 1:16-21 | Mark 9:2-9

Daily Office Readings: Last Week of Epiphany

Sunday:
AM Psalm 148,149,150; PM Psalm 114,115
Ecclus 48:1-11; 2 Cor 3:7-18; Luke 9:18-27

Monday:
AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9,15
Prov 27:1-12; Phil 2:1-13; John 18:15-18,25-27

Tuesday:
AM Psalm 26,28; PM Psalm 36,39
Prov 30:1-4,24-33; Phil 3:1-11; John 18:28-38

Ash Wednesday:
AM Psalm 95,32,143; PM Psalm 102,130
Amos 5:6-15; Heb 12:1-14; Luke 18:9-14

Thursday:
AM Psalm 37:1-18; PM Psalm 37:19-42
Hab 3; Phil 3:12-21; John 17:1-8

Friday:
AM Psalm 95,31; PM Psalm 35
Ezek 18:1-4, 25-32; Phil 4:1-9; John 17:9-19

Saturday:
AM Psalm 30,32; PM Psalm 42,43
Ezek 39:21-29; Phil 4:10-20; John 17:20-26

WEEKLY EVENTS

SUNDAY SCHOOL
Youth: 9am/Rm 408
Children 3-11: 10am/Cafeteria
Childcare birth-3 yrs: 10am/Cafeteria

STAFF & VOLUNTEER MEETING
Tuesday | 10 AM | Location TBD

WORSHIP TEAM
Thursday | 7PM | Paski Home

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ALPHA The Marriage Course:
DON’T FORGET – Sunday night at the Beaufeaux residence.

SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE DINNER – Tuesday, 6PM – 8PM, February 21, 2012 at the Anderson Residence.

ASH WEDNESDAY – Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 6:30pm in the chapel at North Phoenix Baptist; DMAC, St. George & CRASH

MEMBERSHIP & BAPTISM CLASSES –if you are interested in attending a membership and/or baptism course please sign up at the back table – class date & time TBD.

VBS – Mark your calendars VBS is this Summer June 4-8; Travel to Babylon & meet Daniel!

PRAYER CIRCLE
Pray for these AMiA Parishes this week:

Church of the Apostles – Raleigh, NC
Church of the Good Shepherd – Davidson, NC
Church of the Redeemer – Greensboro, NC
Church of the Resurrection – Fuquay Varina, NC

Link to Sermon

-For the freedom to worship God.
-For our family and friends who share their lives and love.
-For the provision of food and shelter that comes from Almighty God.
-For the men and women of the armed forces.
-For the police and firefighters.
-For our teachers.
-For those who volunteer their services to help those in need.

Show those you love and care for that you are thankful for them by:

-Spending time with them this season letting them know how thankful you are to them for being a part of your life. Tell them how much you love them and how much their love means to you.

-Start a family tradition. If you haven’t started a tradition, start one now. We live in a disconnected society and traditions can be anchors for us that build stability in our families.

-Reach out to someone who may be alone and may need a kind word or gesture to let them know that someone cares.

-Invite someone to share in your family meal on Thanksgiving. Breaking bread together is a way to show hospitality.

These are ways we can acknowledge that all that we have and all that we are comes from the Hand of God and we give thanks to Him for His love and care.

A Prayer of General Thanksgiving

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

St. Ignatius was the second Bishop of Antioch, Syria, a disciple of St. John the Beloved. He was consecrated by the Apostle Peter, about 69 AD. A man of great faith, deeply loved by Christians everywhere, he was fiercely devoted to the defense of “orthodoxy” (right teaching) and “orthopraxy” (right practice) among the early Church.

During the brutal reign of Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was sentenced to death for   his refusal to renounce his faith. He was arrested and taken to Rome, by way of Asia Minor and Greece. As he journeyed, he became acquainted with Christians in those lands.  He wrote seven letters of encouragement and instruction to those he met. We still have these inspirational letters as a great treasure of the Church today.

Ignatius’ letters addressed the hierarchy and structure of the Church, but most importantly, he outlined the content of the orthodox Christian faith. It was Ignatius who first used the term “catholic” to describe the Christ’s one, holy, universal Church. These letters bind us to the early Church and the unbroken, clear teaching of the Apostles, given to them directly by Christ. They also reveal the holiness of a man of God who became himself a living letter of Christ. His death in the arena, devoured by two lions, was the culmination of a life lived in conformity and witness to Christ. Ignatius offered himself as a sacrifice for the sake of the Church, which he loved. His holy martyrdom occurred in the year 107 AD.  His feast is celebrated on October 17.

In his letters, he continually thanked his fellow Christians for their concern for his life, but was prepared, almost joyfully, to carry out his final witness of fidelity:

“I know what is to my advantage. At last I am becoming his disciple. May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of limbs – let them come to me, provided only I make my way to Jesus Christ. I would rather die and come to Jesus Christ than be king over the entire earth. Him I seek who died for us; him I love who rose again because of us.”

St. Ignatius was not afraid of death. He knew that Christ had overcome it.  He embraced a suffering like Christ’s Passion, knowing that he would rise with Christ in the Resurrection. He wrote to the disciples in Rome: “Permit me to imitate my suffering God… I am God’s wheat and I shall be ground by the teeth of beasts, that I may become the pure bread of Christ.” The beauty of Eucharistic symbolism in these words reflects his deep theology. He dedicated his life to defending the orthodox faith handed down by the Apostles, so that Christians would never be led astray by false teaching.  Anticipating his cruel death, he wrote these inspired words:

A letter to the Romans by St. Ignatius of Antioch

I am no longer willing to live a merely human life, and you can bring about my wish if you will. Please, then, do me this favour, so that you in turn may meet with equal kindness. Put briefly, this is my request: believe what I am saying to you. Jesus Christ himself will make it clear to you that I am saying the truth. Only truth can come from that mouth by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray for me that I may obtain my desire. I have not written to you as a mere man would, but as one who knows the mind of God. If I am condemned to suffer, I will take it that you wish me well. If my case is postponed, I can only think that you wish me harm.”

September, 18, 2010 – The House of Bishops of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda has elected the Rt. Rev. Onesphore Rwaje as Archbishop to succeed the Most Rev. Emmanuel Kolini. He currently serves as Bishop of Byumba Diocese and Dean of the Province. The Province distributed this official statement:

The Anglican Church of Rwanda is pleased to announce to all Rwanda Christians, especially Anglican Christians, that during their House of Bishops meeting, which took place on 17 September in the Year of our Lord 2010, Bishop RWAJE Onesphore was elected as the Archbishop-elect of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and Bishop of the new Gasabo Diocese for the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.

Kigali, Rwanda on 17 September the Year of our Lord 2010
The Most Rev. Emmanuel Musaba Kolini
Archbishop of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and Bishop of Kigali Diocese

Bishop Chuck Murphy, who attended the House of Bishops meeting, commented on the election:

I want to thank all the individuals, congregations and intercessors across North America who prayed for this important election. The presence of the Holy Spirit was clear and evident throughout the meeting, and we were blessed to have an election on the first ballot with overwhelming support for the Dean of the Province of Rwanda, Bishop Onesphore Rwaje. We left the meeting excited and united. I have scheduled a meeting on Saturday, September 18, with the Archbishop and Archbishop-elect to discuss plans for this next season in the life of the Province and the Anglican Mission and will be sending a video message with a more detailed report when I return to the US.

The Rt. Rev. Charles H. Murphy, III
Chairman of the Anglican Mission in the Americas
September 17, 2010

Throughout Holy Scripture and church history the people of God have come together to pray as one, in times of great decisions, in times of change, and in times of challenge to the people of God.  We find ourselves in such a time as this.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is threatened on many levels in the world and  tragically even in the church.  We now call Anglican Mission in the Americas, as a body of followers of Jesus Christ, to a focused time of devoted prayer and fasting during the weeks before, as well as on the day of this election.

We ask that the prayers for this election be offered up each Sunday during the Prayers of the People.   We also ask that individuals and groups add this to their regular prayer times and fasting is encouraged.  The following is a prayer point suggestion that may be used during individual prayer times.   We ask that the Holy Spirit would guide each church in responding to this call.

Prayer Points:

1.  Praise and Thanksgiving:  for all that the Lord has done in the past through Archbishop Kolini and Freda and for what the Lord will do through the new Archbishop and his wife.

2.  Confession of Sin:  for personal sin and for the times when the church has fallen short of the will of God; things done and things left undone.

3.  The Wonder of God:  for His calling Anglican Mission into existence and His faithfulness in leading and directing us for over 10 years.

4.  Faith:  for our trusting the Lord to direct our future together.

5.  Petition:  for the man of God’s choosing to be raised up, elected, and anointed by God for the office of Archbishop of Rwanda.

6.  Thanksgiving:  that the Lord hears the cries of His people and moves on their behalf for his purposes.

At the request of a congregant, here is an explanation of the difference between the Daily Office Readings & the Lectionary Readings – The Lectionary is a schedule of scripture readings for the Sunday Eucharistic service, set to a three-year cycle (Years A, B, C).  Often, the sermon is based upon or takes inspiration from the appointed lectionary readings.

The Daily Office or “Divine Hours”, arose from the Jewish practice of reciting daily prayers at specified times (Ps. 119:164) and is believed to have been handed down from the Apostles (Acts 3:1).  In the 5^th century, St. Sabbas began to record the various observed liturgical practices and later, St. Benedict of Nursia wrote the first manual for praying the Hours. In the 9^th century, these canonical offices consisted of eight daily prayer times and three to four nightly “nocturnes”, “vigils”, or “watches”.  Currently, it is most common for laypeople to observe the offices of Morning Prayer (Lauds, or “praise”) and Evening Prayer (Vespers, which is a time of thanksgiving).  The scriptures listed in our bulletin come from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) and are set to a two-year cycle (Years 1 and 2), which encompasses the entire Bible.

Ash Wednesday (the seventh Wednesday before Easter Sunday),  marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. Its name comes from the ancient practice of placing ashes on worshippers’ heads or foreheads as a sign of humility before God.  It is also a symbol of sorrow for the death that came into the world through sin.  It not only foreshadows the mourning of the death of Jesus, but also puts us in a position to realize the consequences of our own sin.  In the early church, ashes were only used to mark the foreheads of those who had made public confession of sin, had repented and sought to be restored to the fellowship of the community at the Easter celebration.  As time went on, other believers chose to show their humility and identification with the penitents by asking that they, too, be marked as sinners.  Finally, the imposition of ashes was extended to the whole congregation in services like those now observed in many Christian churches on Ash Wednesday.

The colors most commonly used in the sanctuary during Lent are purple, red violet, or dark violet, which symbolize both the passion of Christ leading up to the crucifixion and the pain and suffering of humanity as a result of sin.  Purple is also the color of royalty, so we look with anticipation toward the hope of eternal life that will be celebrated in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Some churches use gray for Ash Wednesday or for the entire season of Lent, or for special days of fasting and prayer.   Some Anglican churches use unbleached muslin, which can range from white to beige, with accents in red or black for Lent to emphasize a spirit of penitence.

Lent is a penitential season, a time when we take an intentional journey through the desert, just as Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness – a time of trial, contemplation and preparation for the work He was called to do – so we are called to look inward and examine ourselves and prepare our hearts to receive the risen Saviour on Easter.  It is a time to make purposeful sacrifices of our time and talent with the expectation of receiving a greater spiritual reward.  One of the ancient customs of the Church is to “retire” the use of the “Alleluia” during Lent, symbolizing our voluntary restraint of praise during this solemn season.  By retiring something familiar for a period of time, emphasis is given to what precedes and follows it.  Taking a rest from something gives shape and rhythm to life, to worship, to relationships.  For this same reason the cross, a Christian’s symbol of victory, is also veiled – to remind us that we were dead in our sin, wrapped in a shroud – but through the victory of the cross and God’s amazing grace, we are risen with Christ and celebrate His triumph on Easter morning with the revelation of the cross and the joyful shouts of “Alleluia”!

We invite you to join us on this penitential journey through the wilderness of our souls.  To take time to look deeply and honestly at ourselves.  To put off the distractions that draw our focus away from Christ and take on periods of contemplation and meditation on the miraculous work of grace and forgiveness freely offered to us through His suffering, death and resurrection.  Prepare your spiritual house with a “spring cleaning” and ask the Holy Spirit to abide within.

His message was an exhortation concerning the stones that need to be removed to carry out our mission.  The first stone, the stone of the resurrection, has already been removed.  This is the most important stone because without it being removed our reason for being Christian would be rendered irrelevant and powerless.   Through many witnesses who encountered Jesus in the Scriptures, we know that the stone has been removed and Jesus is alive and empowering his Church.

The second stone to be removed is the stone of a hard heart.  God promises His people a new land, calling them from among the many countries where they have gone.  Speaking through the prophet Ezekiel he says, ” . . . and when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.  And I will give them one heart and a new spirit I will put within them.  I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them.  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”

The third stone to be removed is the stone of silence. When Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the religious leaders wanted Jesus to quiet the crowd that were worshiping him.  Jesus said, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

The fourth stone to be removed is the stone of maintaining the status quo. Jesus didn’t preach his greatest messages in the synagogue.  Rather, he encountered people on the road, at the marketplace, by the lake.  Zacchaeus was in a tree, not a church, when he met Jesus.

The fifth stone to be removed is the stone of hypocrisy. What is hypocrisy?  A form of godliness without the power.  This is one of the main reasons why non-churchgoers stay away from church and church people.  The good news doesn’t necessarily result in good behavior or good actions.

The sixth stone to be removed is the stone of isolation. There are no solitary Christians.  Christianity is community and those who isolate themselves are not growing in the common unity that is the Church.  It is impossible to be connected to Jesus and disconnected from his body.

The seventh stone to be removed is the stone of perplexity and confusion. Many people are perplexed and confused because they have a limited understanding of God’s desire to have a relationship with them.  They do not have a clear understanding of God’s grace toward them.  Philip Yancey states it like this:  You can do nothing to make God love you any more; you can do nothing to make Him love you any less.  God’s grace and mercy goes beyond what we can comprehend.  Bishop Jones said, “We are worse off than we can ever dare to hope; we are better off than we can ever dare to imagine.”

The eighth stone to be removed is the stone of small thinking. God wants us to see beyond what we can think or imagine.  Isaiah writes (49:6b), “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”  (49:7b) “Kings shall see and arise; princes, and they shall prostrate themselves; because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

The ninth stone to be removed is the stone of condescension and condemnation. This stone must be removed if we are to reach those who are different from us.  James says (2:8), “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”  We are not to be ‘casting stones’ at those who fail but rather removing stones that separate us.

The tenth stone to be removed is the stone of complacency. When we ‘go through the motions’ we have become complacent.  We remove complacency when we ‘rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.’  This requires a radical commitment to each other and the call Jesus has put on our lives.

More to come…