Saturday 7/21/07 Musings, meanderings, prayer

Shirley is at work; I go in a bit later. Athalia and I have done Morning Prayer together and are sitting together in the office at the computer. JMT Songs of Worship 1 & 2 is in the player. We're enjoying a quiet day at our hermitage.

We have been in prayer and are beginning to look for rent houses so Clare can move near us, as to begin community (ala JMT's Brothers and Sisters of Charity Little Portion Hermitage and the L'Abri Switzerland communities' "model"). If you know of a rent house near us, email me and we'll have a look--br.francis@yahoo.com.

While some in the Church are pursuing faithful priests and congregations with threats and litigation, others are continuing to be faithful--affiliating with bishops in other provinces of the Church, some keeping their property, some forced to leave it. Yet we know that the Church is the redeemed PEOPLE that our God has called out, not buildings. Buildings are good, especially those which have worship space that draws our hearts heaven- and God-ward. But again, unfortunately, many will be forced to leave them as they seek another bishop to pastor them. It is a sad day in the Church when faithful believers in the past have given funds to build, and apostates legally take it away from them. But such is the present reality. Let us be in prayer for these who continue to be faithful, no matter the consequences.

We should be encouraged, however, as our God is again sifting, renewing, and reforming a part of His Church. New bishops are being consecrated to shepherd the faithful. As in days of old, false teaching is being withstood, and in accord with the canons of Nicene, God's people are seeking other bishops who are faithful to Christ and His Word to shepherd them. Reorganizings of the Church are happening, and these groups or provinces look good to me.

It is not the practice of the Order of St. John the Beloved or The Communion of the Holy Trinity to make public negative statements about a part of the Church by name. It is is our position that because we are a faithful part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, that we are to be that--to welcome those who are searching for a place to be, to encourage those who are in the midst of trial, to stand with those who are faithful in prayer and words, and to pray concerning our place in the Church. Our belief and practice regarding this is that our God is good and faithful--and, as I was taught repeatedly in our studies in Bible college (back in the dark ages)--God has and will always have His remnant until Christ returns. He is building a Church, a people for Himself, and Matthew wrote that "the gates of hell cannot stand against it." We know this, and chose to not be negative concerning another part of the Church insofar as our emphasis (i.e. you won't see us slam goups by name in our blogs--God has called others to do so, we believe). This does not mean that we won't state when something is wrong (see above)--it's just that our emphasis is to offer Christ and for people to be a part of His family, the Church, and the life that He and His Church bring.

We are always in prayer concerning another province or group He may be leading us to affiliate with in some way, whether full communion or a concordat. We welcome fellowship, prayer, and dialogue with other groups. Our leading from the Lord is not only to conduct worship services of our own, but to worship and serve with Christians of all denominations and groups, as we are all part of one Church the Lord Jesus is the Head of--it is His desire that we be in unity as much as is possible.

We stand in fellowship with you who are faithful to Him and His Word, and pray for you in every part of the Church, for God's blessing and strength to stand and to serve. Amen.


br. francis