Church of the Messiah

Tag: Lent

  • An Invitation from Our New Primate

    An Invitation from Our New Primate

    Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite services and Lent is one of my favorite seasons of the Church year. I pray that each of you experience a Holy Lent filled with life-changing encounters and breakthroughs in Christ. You will be in my prayers constantly.

    We are a three streams Church! Not just because we like the three streams, but firstly because we believe in them. We believe in them because we know that when they flow together they create a mighty river of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Living in that river was the original vision; and it still is the vision of the CEC. In light of this, I want to invite you to join me during this season of Lent in a fast. I know that many of you will be doing your own form of spiritual discipline during this time. I certainly don’t want to distract you from that. However for about five months, the house of bishops in America fasted together two days a week as we prayed about who the next Primate of the church in North America would be. We fasted from after dinner on Tuesday night until dinner on Wednesday and again after dinner on Thursday night until dinner on Friday.

    I will be fasting the same way during Lent this year and I invite you to join me as we pray for the CEC (especially in North America) to flow in the river of the fullness of the Holy Spirit! If you can’t do two days then maybe you can do one. If you’re not able to do either for various reasons then maybe you could give up lunch or something else extra those two days besides your normal Lenten discipline. If nothing else, then simply on those two days spend a little extra time praying for the CEC to be a Church of fresh oil.

    My heart sings with expectation when I think of the clergy all over North America praying for this movement called the CEC; to fulfill her destiny as a church with “Ancient Altars and Pentecostal Fire.“

    If you feel lead to, then please share this with your congregations so that we may also have our laity participating in our common longing to fully be a church in revival. Because if God’s vision for us is going to be realized, it will impact every one of us from the the House of Bishops to each person in our congregations.

    Please keep me in your prayers so that in this time of Lent (which as you know means “lengthen”) my growth in Christ with lengthen so that I, in a Christlike way will fulfill my assignment as your Primate.

    Bless you all,

    Bishop Chuck

  • New Lenten Bible Study

    New Lenten Bible Study

    Fr. Scott Looker will be leading a special Bible Study beginning Tuesday, March 11th.  As we move through the holy season of Lent, we will be studying Adam Hamilton’s book Luke: Jesus and the Outsiders, Outcasts, and Outlaws.  We will be meeting at the home of Harold and Debbie Lawrence every Tuesday night in Lent starting at 6:30.  If you would like to purchase the book (although having the book is not necessary to attend the Bible study), you can purchase the book on Amazon.com or by clicking the LINK to see other buying options.  As we move through this holy season of Lent and draw closer to the Lord, we invite you to join us learning more about how Jesus reached out in love to the least, the lost, and the lonely.  Contact Fr. Scott Looker for more information.

  • Lots of Exciting Events in February at Church of the Messiah

    Lots of Exciting Events in February at Church of the Messiah

    There will be lots going on in February at Church of the Messiah!  As the year is rolling on, be sure to read below because you will not want to miss any of these powerful events.

    First, on Saturday, February 4th, starting at 8:30 am, Church of the Messiah’s Men’s Ministry will come together over breakfast to share the vision for the ministry in 2023.  We will prepare all the standards of a good southern breakfast and outline plans for discipleship, fellowship, and outreach in the upcoming months.  This is open to men of all ages, so, men, be sure to bring your sons.  To sign up to attend, click this LINK or sign up in the lobby in church on Sunday mornings.

     

     

    So many people were blessed beyond measure by the small groups which met during the Fall of ’22.  We are so excited to announce that we are launching another season of Church of the Messiah’s small groups.  Small groups meet at individuals’ homes for about an hour once a week.  These groups will meet for six weeks starting the week of February 19th.  This will allow the groups to meet throughout the season of Lent and finish before Easter.  If you are interested in participating in one of the small groups this February, click this LINK or sign up in the lobby in church on Sunday mornings.

     

    On February 22nd, starting at 7 o’clock in the evening, the church will come together observe Ash Wednesday.  This is the service that begins the holy season of Lent with a period of 40 days of prayer, fasting, and alms-giving prior to the celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday.  The service includes a time of praise and worship, reflective readings from Holy Scripture, Holy Communion, and the once a year Impositions of Ashes from which the day takes its name.  This is a very powerful, once a year service, which everyone should plan on attending.

     

    There are so many incredible events going on at Church of Messiah throughout the month of February.  Be sure to make plans to attend them all to continue to grow in the knowledge and love of The Lord throughout February and all of 2023.

     

  • The Patriarch’s Lenten Message

    The Patriarch’s Lenten Message

    I grew up in a liturgical church, and every year we dealt with Lent.  We didn’t do the distribution of Ashes on Ash Wednesday until I was older, and then it was optional.  Some people in the Church saw the distribution of Ashes as “Roman Catholic” and hence suspect, so my Pastor had to introduce it slowly.  But we did do fasting, or what I knew as a youngster as “giving something up for Lent.”  We also refrained from eating meat on Fridays, which we did every Friday during the year.

    abpbates_lent

    Friday was Pizza Day – we had it for lunch at school and then again when we came home for dinner.  (Meatless pizza).  I didn’t understand it as fasting to help us recall the crucifixion of Jesus and his love for us.  It was just Pizza night and not very sacrificial because I loved pizza, especially the thin-crust style of pizza made in the Philadelphia area.  During Lent, Wednesday became another “meatless day,” and my mother served “Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks.”  This is a meal that turned an entire generation against eating fish.  On top of Pizza Day and Fish Stick Wednesday, I was taught that “you had to give something up for Lent.” The rules were it had to be something “you liked,” and then you had to give it up for 40 days (not including Sunday, which was a “break”).  The reason we did it?  It is because we were Christians, and Christians fast during Lent.

    Some other things happened during Lent.  The big one was covering all the crosses (we didn’t have statues – again “catholic”) with what looked like the same material out of which wedding veils were made.  For most of Lent, the processional cross and the cross on the altar were covered with a purple veil through which you could see the cross.  I am not sure how it served the intent of “covering.”  Then on Palm Sunday, the veil was red and remained during Holy Week.  After that, the veil was black on Good Friday.  Finally, on Easter, the veil was removed.  All of it was great symbolism.  I am not sure what the symbolism was, but it pointed out that Lent was a special season.

    What was missing in all of it was any understanding of what Lent was all about, so I lacked an explanation of why we would want to do it in the world.  To be fair, I am sure the Pastor told us the reason.  I am sure I was not listening.  But when I finally understood the reasons for Lent and the invitation “in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s Holy Word,” the season of 40 days became one of the highlights of my journey into Christ.  Lent increased in so many ways the depth of my relationship with Christ Jesus and the reality of His death and resurrection not only then but now in my life and the world.   It awakened in me that to be a follower of Christ was to participate in His life so that I would arrive at the point of being crucified with Him to share in His resurrection.

    The recommendations for a Lenten discipline are disciplines that every Christian should practice every day of every year.  Yet, it remains a good thing that we take a season to intensify these disciplines that we may grow spiritually and in our awareness of the forgiveness, mercy, and love of God that we find at the cross.

    This season is not about “works” or “spiritual manipulation.”  It is about responding to the desire of God to be in a relationship with us.  I believe it is the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Church, that is calling us to His love because it is only when we know the height and depth of His love for us that we will be able to walk in what it means to be human and hence to love one another.  It is only when we know how much we have been forgiven and the incredible grace of God that we will be able to forgive and do the ministry of reconciliation.  We live in a very dark world of confusion, fear, anger, frustration, depression, chaos, hatred, and violence.  Lent is a time to open ourselves to the light of Christ so that we can be that light.  And, when we become light in the darkness, the darkness can no longer be dark.  Healing will come.  Reconciliation will come.  Healing will come.  Salvation will come.  All in the Name of Jesus.

    It all begins and ends in Christ Jesus and that He is in us, and we are in Him.

    I call the ICCEC to a holy Lent.  There is no promise of revival at the end of Lent.  There is no guarantee of answered prayer.  What is guaranteed is that we will have spent 40 days with the Holy Spirit leading us into the truth of Him, who is the One we can trust.  That alone is worth everything.

    God bless you on your Lenten Journey.

    Under His mercy,

    +Craig, Patriarch

     

    This message was originally published in Sursum Corda, #1, 2022.

  • Join Us for Ash Wednesday at Church of the Messiah

    Join Us for Ash Wednesday at Church of the Messiah

    On Wednesday, March 2nd, Church of the Messiah will start off the season of Lent with our observance of Ash Wednesday.  Lent is forty days prior to Easter and commemorates the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying before beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13).  To prepare our own hearts to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, the Church also observes this time as a time of prayer, fasting, and charity (Matthew 6:1-18).  The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, the special, once-a-year service where we prepare ourselves to begin this time together.  The central element of the service is the unique Imposition of Ashes where worshippers are marked on their foreheads with ashes and called to “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”  Ash Wednesday is an incredibly powerful service that begins a moving season of the Church year.  Be sure to join with Church of the Messiah on Wednesday night, March 2nd, starting at 7 o’clock.  For those unable to worship with us in person, our service will be live streamed on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page.

  • Join Church of the Messiah for a Lenten Bible Study

    Join Church of the Messiah for a Lenten Bible Study

    Every Wednesday night throughout the season of Lent, Fr. Scott Looker will be leading an on-line Bible Study on the topic of discipleship.  Almost as exciting as the opportunity to develop a stronger relationship with The Lord is the new format we will be using for the study.  We will still be live streaming to Facebook Live to our Facebook page, be we will also be opening the study up to participation via Zoom.

    Every Wednesday night in Lent, starting on February 24th and ending March 24th, you can join the Bible Study by visiting zoom.us and using the Meeting ID and Password in the picture to the left.  Alternatively, you can still participate as we stream the Zoom meeting to Facebook.  The Zoom meeting will open at 6:45 and we will stream to Facebook beginning at 7:00.

    We hope that, as we journey together through the Season of Lent, you will join us in this Lenten Bible Study and grow deeper in your walk with The Lord.

  • Join Church of the Messiah for Ash Wednesday

    Join Church of the Messiah for Ash Wednesday

    Church of the Messiah invites you to join us on February 17th, starting at 7 pm, for our annual Ash Wednesday Service.  Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Holy Season of Lent which recalls Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness following His baptism in the River Jordan.  The season of Lent is time of prayer, fasting, and charitable giving as well as deliberately focusing on strengthening our walk with The Lord.  The Ash Wednesday Service is wonderful way to begin the season of Lent.  The service includes a time of praise & worship, readings and a homily from Holy Scriptures, the special once-a-year Imposition of Ashes and Litany of Penitence, as well as the Holy Eucharist.

    That evening we will hold our service in the sanctuary of Ft. Caroline Presbyterian Church to allow us to be seated with social distancing.  We ask that, while up and moving around the sanctuary, people wear masks for the sake of charity and in accordance with local ordinances.  For those who are unable to attend our service that evening, we will live stream the Ash Wednesday service on our Facebook page.  For more information on our COVID precautions, click HERE.

    We invite everyone to join us Wednesday, February 17th, whether in person or on-line, beginning at 7 o’clock, as we observe Ash Wednesday and begin a Holy Lent.

  • You’re Invited to Ash Wednesday Service

    On Wednesday evening, March 26th, starting at 7 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will hold its annual Ash Wednesday Service.  Ash Wednesday is the traditional beginning of the Holy Season of Lent which commemorates Our Lord’s forty days in the wilderness following His baptism in the River Jordan.  Lent is time of prayer, fasting, and charitable giving as well as deliberately focusing on strengthening our walk with The Lord.  The Ash Wednesday Service is wonderful way to begin the season of Lent.  The service includes a time of praise & worship, readings and a homily from Holy Scriptures, the special once a year Imposition of Ashes and Litany of Penitence as well as the Holy Eucharist.   Our Youth Group will be included in the special service and childcare is provided for those between the ages of one year old to fifth grade.  We invite everyone to join us this Wednesday night, beginning at 7 o’clock, as observe Ash Wednesday and begin a Holy Lent.

  • Confession Available Every Sunday Morning Through Lent

    Starting this Sunday morning, March 10th, and running throughout the season of Lent, there were will be a priest available to administer the Sacrament of Reconciliation every Sunday morning.  If you would like to have a priest hear your confession, someone will be available from 9 o’clock until 9:45 prior to our Sunday morning services.  A special place has been prepared in the first classroom during this time, or you may always reach out to one of Church of the Messiah’s clergy and schedule and appointment for confession on your own.

  • Lenten Bible Study Begins This Wednesday Night

    During the announcements of the Ash Wednesday Service, Fr. Looker revealed the topic of the Wednesday night Bible study throughout the season of Lent.  Because of the Patriarch’s Conference on Church Growth last week, the first night of this Bible Study will be this Wednesday night, March 15th.  During the Lenten services we will be discussing the Jewish root of the Eucharist using the book Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre. Fr. Looker has mentioned how excited he is to be able to address this topic saying,

    “I’ve always wanted to preach on Maundy Thursday about the connection between the Passover and the Eucharist, but I never felt that there was sufficient time in one sermon to cover it fully.  With this study, I believe we will be really able to dig into the topic and look at the Last Supper and the Eucharist like the Apostles might have in the first century.”

    This is sure to be a fascinating study that will change the way we look at the Last Supper and our own worship services.

    As part of our regular Wednesday night worship services, we will begin each evening with our regular Soup Supper from 6:00 to 6:45.  The service itself begins at 7 o’clock and is a Eucharistic worship service.  Church of the Messiah’s Youth Group meets during the Bible Study for their own teaching and fellowship.  Childcare is provided during the service and we are mindful to end by 8:30 so that those with work and school the next day are able to get home and prepare for the next day.

    Please join us this Wednesday night, beginning at 6 o’clock for our soup supper and 7 o’clock for our service and Bible Study.  It will be an amazing time of opening up the Scriptures and seeing the Last Supper in a new way, just in time for Holy Week!