Welcome to Church of Our Saviour

The Rector's Message

Long Train Runnin’

Dear Friends,

Have you ever taken a train ride? The good thing about trains is you don’t have to worry about driving. You just buy your ticket to St. Louis, hop on and hang out in the passenger cars until you get there. Rarely do you bother yourself with the locomotive or engage in much conversation with the engineers. You assume they’ll do their job and take the train where it is supposed to go.

Most people who bought tickets and boarded the Episcopal train years ago assumed it was going where the ticket said it was. We assumed that landmarks such as the nature of God, the person of Christ, the truth of the Gospel, and the sacredness of marriage were all components of the trip we could count on. We also thought the plain meaning of the Prayer book and the Bible would be maintained throughout the duration of the trip.

The problem for many people on the Episcopal train right now is that we’ve woken up from a nice night in the sleeper car and realized that the desert sand and cacti out the window do not look like St. Louis. What was supposed to be a western route from Pittsburgh somehow turned south and is now heading for Tijuana.

Now the focus of this article is not to rain down criticism on Tijuana, although much could be said in that regard. The point in question here is the dishonesty of selling a ticket for one destination then changing tracks to head in a completely different direction. Whether or not Tijuana is a fun city, that is not the argument here; the point is that it’s just disingenuous to take people there who paid to go to St. Louis.

Of course, Tijuana represents the new direction of the Episcopal Church that we’ve talked about ad nauseum. Last month we noted the diocese of Northern Michigan violating the Nicene Creed by calling all people “begotten children of God.” This month the Presiding Bishop called the creation the “Body of God.” That’s one of the oldest heresies in the book, not distinguishing the creation from the Creator (See Rms. Ch. 1). And on, and on.

Anyway, no more criticism of the new direction, some people are obviously excited about the excursion. The important thing is to recognize that we’ve been duped and the train is not heading in the direction our ticket said it would, and figure out our next move. For us in Pittsburgh, there are three options: 1) Stay on the train and start developing a taste for Tequila, 2) Stay on the train and hope to influence the engineers to change their mind and direction, 3) Attach our car to another Anglican locomotive (realign) and resume our trip to St. Louis.

In October, the diocese will be voting on whether or not to proceed with option three. As a church, we have one clergy vote and two lay votes. Our lay delegates are Julia Headley, Barb Grundler, and Sarah Perry (alternate). Feel free to express your thoughts to any of us. In the end, our main concern is that we continue to ride with Christ and his gospel and treat others out of his love. Without which, as the song “Long Train Running” says, “Where would you be right now?” Pray for direction.

Blessings, Joseph

PIctures from an Ordination

At the request of numerous parshioners, a selection of photos from Kathy Walzer's ordination can be viewed by clicking here.

Ordination

Worship in the Church

Excerpts from the article in Modern Reformation Magazine:
Michael Horton talks with pastors from three denominations

HORTON: ……..First of all, what is worship? Some say that the era Michael Horton of the church is over. You can satisfy your own spiritual needs on the Internet, or in just getting together with other Christians informally. You don’t need to go to church. Why do we get dressed on Sunday and go to church?

BOMBARO: I think this first part, namely ‘the definition,’ is where we begin to go astray. There is the dictionary definition: “Worship is a reverence, adoration, homage paid to a divine being in a formal or perhaps informal setting.” Though that’s true, it’s only half the story; and if we only take that as “worship is what we do,” then yes, we could stay at home. But worship also entails service. Service is what God does when God comes to meet with us, imparting his grace and bolstering our faith through the means of grace. This requires the assembly of believers being in the environment in which God has attached his “for you” promises. That doesn’t happen when I’m in my car listening to Amy Grant at the red light; it does happen when I’m sitting under preaching and when I attend to the sacrament at the altar.

HYDE: When I utter the opening words of our liturgy-”In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”-something happens; we are set apart from the world at that moment, we are distinct, we have been called out of the world, and we’ve actually been ushered into heaven itself into the presence of God, into his holy assembly.

To read the rest of the article click here.

The Dog Days of Summer

No doubt you’ve heard of the “Dog Days of Summer,” but did you know that the phrase comes, in part, from the Book of Common Prayer? The phrase ‘Dog Days’ refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They usually fall between July and early September but the actual dates vary greatly from region to region, depending on latitude and climate. But the term itself was coined by the ancient Romans, who called these days ‘caniculares dies’ (days of the dogs) after Sirius (the “Dog Star”), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists them as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11, coinciding with the ancient heliacal (at sunrise) rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. But, according to The Book of Common Prayer (1552), the “Dog Daies” begin on July 6 and end on August 17.