St. Alban's Episcopal Church

Dear Parishioners:

As we approach the feast day of Pentecost, we cannot help but remember the fire, the wind and the speaking in tongues that were witnessed on that day. But what does our Prayer Book say about the Holy Spirit? Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity, God at work in the world and in the Church even now. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the Old Covenant? The Holy Spirit is revealed in the Old Covenant as the giver of life, the One who spoke through the prophets. How is the Holy Spirit revealed in the New Covenant? The Holy Spirit is revealed as the Lord who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. How do we recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives? We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation. How do we recognize the truths taught by the Holy Spirit? We recognize truths to be taught by the Holy Spirit when they are in accord with the Scriptures. The Feast Day of Pentecost, itself brings back our thought of the Baptism of Jesus, the event that we always celebrate on the First Sunday of Epiphany. It was a drama of enormous significance that is so unique to His baptism that we can miss its meaning as it might have struck a Jew witnessing the event. A dove appears out of heaven, and in that form, the Holy Spirit once again broods over the waters.

The Holy Spirit came into the world in a new haunting. The older title Holy Ghost carries this meaning. Haunting is what ghosts do. To haunt means to inhabit and, perhaps, appear from time to time. Hauntings are disquieting. They make us uneasy. In His haunting, the Holy Spirit would not only inhabit men and women, His presence would disturb with transforming power, the kind of power that makes new creatures.

An example of the sort of thing I mean was dramatized in an old episode of that TV show called The Twilight Zone. An old, worn-out car was sold to a slick con man who resold such junk to unsuspecting victims at his used car dealership.

The old car bestowed on its owner the irresistible compulsion to tell the truth. However, much as he might not want to, its owner always had to tell the truth. Soon the once shady car dealer had no customers because he told the truth about all his clunkers, and his wife discovered that all those “late hours at the office” were really spent gambling.

Everyone who possessed this car found it disagreeable. To people not used to it, the unrelenting truth was cheerless misery. So they wanted to get rid of the car as fast as they could. Politicians, journalist, and advertisers were promising recipients of this haunting.

The drama was Rod Serling’s commentary on the human heart and its relation to the truth. Lies are more useful, more profitable, and definitely more comfortable.

The haunting of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian has something of the same effect. While the Holy Spirit does not force us to tell the truth—God does not compel conformity to His life–The Spirit dwelling in us makes the truth a top priority. That is what being a child of God is all about. As Jesus told Pilate, “…For this purpose I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth. All who are of the truth hear my voice: (John 18:37).

We are meant by God to think the truth, say the truth, do the truth, love the truth. We become, while the Spirit haunts us, more sensitive to the lies we use and serve. This is one of the reasons why the Sacrament of Reconciliation of a Penitent is so important. We are able by the Holy Spirit to see our sins and lies more and more clearly when held up to the truth.

Lies take other forms than bald faced deceit. They take shape as exaggeration, slander, insincerity, hypocrisy, self- deception and denial. They can even take the guise of “honesty,” that rude self- indulgence of how “I feel” at the expense of others. But whatever form they take, the power of our Baptism and the Holy Spirit is meant to overcome them, to drive the lies out of our heart and life.

This is why the vows of Baptism have so much to say about Satan, the Father of Lies. When we were baptized the great spiritual battle began in us: the Spirit of God contending with the spirit of evil in our hearts. Divine victory in that warfare is the instrument of our transformation, our re-creation. In taking possession of our heart, mind and soul, God makes a new creation for Himself in whom there is no room for evil.
Will God have His victory over lies, or will we find the truth too painful, and so choose the side of deceit and evil? Baptism does not coerce us to choose God. Rather, it guarantees that if we do choose Him, He will enable us, in the words of the old baptismal prayer to, “ fight under Christ’s banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his/her life’s end.”
Pentecost just like Baptism has all these elements. Fire–the power to destroy the old self and purify the new; wind—the Breath of God to give life to his creation; the speaking in tongues–the speaking of the truth to everyone–the Good News in Jesus Christ who is the way , the truth, and the life.

In Christ,
Fr. K+

Dear Parishioners:

Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! We are in the fifty days of Easter. It is a time of celebration and thanksgiving for everything our God has done for us through his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. He has broken the bonds of sin and death. We too can die to sin and be raised to life in Jesus Christ and in Him only.

The Good News of the Gospel is that there is an alternative to the same old things in our worldly lives. Jesus’ resurrection is the source of an immense gift, the gift of eternal life. And Jesus didn’t mean something is going to happen after we die, He meant something is available here and now.

Eternal life doesn’t happen in a magic way, by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior or by believing in Him. We need to remember that even Satan believed in Jesus. Eternal life is participating in the very life of God himself. We participate in the life of God by allowing Him to transform our lives. This is what happens, if we allow it, in the Eucharist.

In the Eucharist, we do not just believe more firmly or be more convinced. The Eucharist at the deepest level means we are consumed by God’s love. It is not a matter of believing or what we know in our minds, conscious mind–it is the whole person in the deepest level: conscious, subconscious, mind, intuition, emotions and will. Put all those together and we have what Scripture and the Church Fathers meant by the heart.

This is where the Divine Liturgy, the Eucharist reaches. It is also where music helps. This is why the hymns of our Church and more particularly those chosen week by week are to fit the Scripture or season of the Church Year. They take us beyond the songs of our childhood, songs of the campfire, or of the pep rally with its slogans. Our hymns take us to a deeper spiritual level where, if we are open, we may find God himself dwelling within us.

In the same way Scripture reaches into the depth of the whole person, not as a magic book or a law book with its “thou shalt” and its “thou shalt not’s”. Scripture communicates on the level of the heart. Scripture reveals Jesus to us not in the literal surface meaning of the words but in a kind of dialogue in which the Lord is made known to us as we respond to the Church’s understanding of Scripture and to the Holy Spirit’s whispering in our heart that intimate personal message of who Jesus is and what he has done for us.

Easter, Salvation, Eternal Life is the penetration of God into the heart of the individual who is supported by our Lord’s community, the Church, nourished with the bread of heaven and who is in constant dialogue with the Word of God which points us always to Jesus. It is Jesus himself, in whom we are transformed from a life of sin and death to a life eternal, here and now–not just later.

Have a Blessed Easter Season for the Lord is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

In Christ,
Fr. K+

Dear Parishioners:

It is now mid-Lent. How are you doing “playing”, taking seriously, your mortality? Have we accepted and claimed our identity as a Christian or fallen to the snares of the devil to make us doubt? Lent does not cure the ills of humanity but it opens the doors of our frailty for us to know and see the reality and truth that God has given us in his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot do it alone but only with the help of God.

We continue to have opportunities to help you begin, begin again or continue your journey in Lent. On Sunday’s at 6:30 pm Deacon Nancy is continuing her class on Personality and Prayer types. A great way to explore what type of prayer matches your personality type. We continue on Fridays with our speakers and Lenten Concerts. On March 1st we begin with Stations of the Cross at 6:00 pm followed by a meatless dinner in the Parish Hall. Following the dinner, we will have our first speaker, Summer Twyman. Summer has recently married Guy Benton who will be with us also. Summer will share with us her experience as a missionary in Cambodia. Summer and Guy are looking forward to continue their ministry in Cambodia and call upon our love, prayers and support.

On March 15th we will again begin with Stations of the Cross. Following will be a Fish Fry dinner sponsored by our Brotherhood of St. Andrew. Please let BOSA know if you will be joining us for this great meal. There will also be an alternative dish for children who do not appreciate fish at their age. This evening will be capped off with Dr. Glenn Petta. Dr. Petta is the director of Sharing of Ministry Abroad –SOMA. SOMA sends teams of Laity, Priests and Bishops to share ministry. Most of the teams I am aware of have been going to various Dioceses in Africa where Christianity is growing by leaps. It promises to be another very impressive evening as we learn what the Holy Spirit is doing in the lives of those around the world.

Both on March 1st and 15th we have hired our babysitting team for babies and toddlers. We also have volunteers to provide activities for older youth. We have tried to make these evenings available to everyone in the Parish. God has given us a mission and purpose to spread his Word throughout our community and the world. I hope you join us and invite your friends and neighbors.

On March 8th and 22nd we will continue our Lenten Concert Series. On March 8th we will have Voices Chamber Choir comprised of some of the finest professional singers in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. On March 22nd we will have Logan/Walters Harp Duo who offer a unique blend of eloquent lyricism, technical mastery and witty, insightful commentary, along with a few surprises. Please note the concerts begin at 7:30 pm and we will have a reception following in the entrance. It is a great way to have fellowship and meet the musicians. Thomas Rinn has again provided us with some exceptional musicians. I hope you will join us and invite your friends and families. They provide a time for us to meditate on God’s wonderful gifts he has given us as well as give thanks for the beauty and richness He has given.

Holy Week begins with The Sunday of the Passion, Palm Sunday, March 24th. Holy Week is so important to our Christian identity. Holy Week is the pinnacle of the Christian year and not to be missed but fully immersed in. Beginning with the Liturgy of the Palms and then moving into the Passion of our Lord, we can grow and appreciate the sacrificial love our God has for us. On Monday through Wednesday we will have the Eucharist at 6 pm.

On Tuesday, our Diocese celebrates the Chrism Eucharist at 10 am at St. Vincent’s Cathedral. In this service, the Holy Oils for Baptism, Unction and Confirmation are Blessed by the Bishop. The Clergy throughout the Diocese also gather to Renew their Ordination Vows. Everyone is invited to join us at the Cathedral at 10 am.

On Maundy Thursday our Ultreya will be offering and sponsoring our Seder Dinner. Reservations can be made on Sunday’s or by calling the Parish Office or by calling Bob Yarger. The Seder Dinner takes us back to the meal our Lord shared with his Apostles before his arrest and passion. Following the Seder Dinner we will celebrate the Maundy Thursday Eucharist. Once the Eucharist has ended, we will process the Sacrament to the Altar of Repose. The Altar of Repose represents our Lord’s time in the Garden of Gethsemane, where our Lord asks us as he asked his disciples, “Can you not watch with me for one hour?” It is a time of prayer and spending time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Don’t forget to sign up to take an hour to be in prayer.

Good Friday is March 29th. We will pray the Stations of the Cross at noon. The principle service, however, is the Good Friday Liturgy at 7 pm. We do not celebrate the Eucharist this day but focus on the Passion and Death of our Lord and Savior. We pray for the Church and the world and receive the Sacrament from what we have reserved on Maundy Thursday.

The Great Vigil of Easter is the first Eucharist of the Resurrection of our Lord. If you have not attended one before, please consider it. The Great Vigil is not only a deeply meaningful service, it is beautiful. We begin in darkness and the new fire is lit. As the Paschal Candle comes down the center aisle, the Light of Christ is proclaimed and spread throughout the congregation. The Deacon sings the Exsultet, an ancient hymn of praise. We then hear the mighty acts of salvation from Scripture and then proclaim with joy that “Christ is Risen.” We move into the Liturgy of the Word and Baptisms or Renewal of our Baptismal Vows followed by the Holy Communion.
The Sunday of the Resurrection, Easter Day we will keep our regular schedule of 8 am and 10:30 am Eucharists. The 10:30 will have incense, the Chamber Choir, Brass and our Youth Choir, the St. Alban’s Singers. Following the 10:30 Eucharist, we will have an Easter Egg Hunt in the park on the north side of the Church for our youth. It is truly a celebration that all members should be present for. There will be no 5:30 Eucharist on Easter Day.

I hope you are having a most Blessed Lent. May Christ fill you with His love, mercy and truth. May our lives become more Christ-like and be the center of all we think, do and say. And to be bold and say it ahead of time, Alleluia! Christ is Risen. The Lord is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!

In Christ,
Fr. K+

Dear Parishioners:

I hope everyone is having a blessed Epiphany. I pray that each one of us has seen the manifestation of God in our lives, but have also been manifesting the glory of God to others. Epiphany is a time when we take seriously the evangelizing message of God to others. We end the Epiphany season soon with Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive. What does shrive mean? It means to confess and receive absolution. Yes it is talking about confession. The church sets aside a day before Lent to allow for confessions that one may enter the Lenten Season to grow further in God’s grace and love.

Our Boy Scout Troop 82 will host our Pancake Supper on Shrove Tuesday, February 12th. The Pancake Supper is a fundraiser for our Scout Troop to help some of the Scouts attend Scout Camp that would not be able to otherwise. At the Pancake Supper, our own Jon Stutler and Razzmajazz Band will provide fantastic music. Our Fat Tuesday Feast begins at 6 pm in the Parish Hall and will conclude at 7:30 pm. Invite your family, friends and neighbors to join in this fun filled evening. We even have eggs and sausage for those who do not like pancakes.

Lent begins on Wednesday, February 13th. We will have the Imposition of Ashes and Eucharist celebrated at noon and at 6:30 pm. Confessions are available from 11 am until 11:30 am and 5:30 pm until 6:00 pm. I encourage everyone to make a right beginning to Lent by examination of their conscious and presence. Lent is about direction. We begin with looking internally, not as a belly button gazing exercise, but what have we done and not done to live the life Christ has called us to. As we realize that we are nothing without God, we are asked to look at what God has done for us. He gave us his Son and his Son has given himself to suffering and death for our sins and the sins of the whole world. He has given us the promise of being his children and eternal life with him in his Resurrection. Lent is a time for us to set aside ourselves and learn to live for God.

To aid in our disciplines during Lent, we will have our Lenten programs on Fridays. Thomas Rinn our Music Director has lined up an exciting program. Our Lenten Concert series are open to everyone so please invite your friends and neighbors and spread the word. In this newsletter there is a list of our Lenten programs and watch the weekly bulletin for more details. The Concerts will be on February 22nd, March 8th, and March 22nd. A reception will follow each concert allowing time to visit with each other and the musicians.

On Friday, March 1st we will begin with Stations of the Cross in the Church at 6:00 pm. We will then move to the Parish Hall for a meatless dinner. Following dinner, we will have a special speaker. Summer Twyman and her new husband, Guy Benton will share with us their wonderful missionary ministry in Cambodia. It will be not only informative but a way to share in this exciting ministry abroad.

On Friday, March 15th we again begin with Stations of the Cross followed by a fish fry dinner sponsored by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew. There will be macaroni for the young ones as well as shrimp, fish and side dishes. The Brotherhood asks that you let them know you are going to be present to help us know how much food to prepare. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Glen Petta, National Director of Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA). Dr. Petta and ministry teams share our Lord and Savior to leaders, clergy and Bishops in countries abroad.

On both nights we have speakers, March 1st and 15th, we will have nursery attendants and activities for the youth. I hope all families will take advantage and join us for these fantastic speakers.

In addition during Lent, our own Deacon Nancy will be exploring Prayer and Personality Types on Sundays during Lent, beginning on February 17th at 6:30 pm in Room 10. This will be a practical class on prayer and what type of prayer best suits your personality type. Plan to join in this very interesting and helpful class on prayer.
I hope everyone will take advantage to have direction and growth in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ during Lent. There are forty days of Lent, but there is an urgency for us each and every day to look beyond the surface and live and grow in the mystery and transcendence of God. Commit yourselves for a time, a season and an hour to deliberately allow God to enter and transform your life. As Christians, Lent is an opportune time to further our growth in the knowledge and love of our Lord.

In Christ,
Fr. K+

Happy New Year! With just a few days of the season of Christmas left, we are thinking about the job of taking down all the decorations that have made our home so festive. The house looks so bare once all these decorations have been taken down. But everything is back into its place and put in order. Perhaps there is a message we can glean from this experience. A question that comes to mind is: “Have we cleaned up and put in order our life’s preparations?”

Our Prayer Book directs the Minister of the Congregation to instruct the people from time to time, about the duty of Christian parents to make prudent provision for the well-being of their families, and of all persons to make wills, while they are in health, arranging for the disposal of their temporal good, not neglecting, if they are able to leave bequests for religious and charitable uses. (Page 445) In today’s culture that raises many questions. Have you a “do not resuscitate document,” if that is your wish? Do you have someone who can legally make medical decisions for you if you are not able to communicate your treatment? Do you have a will? Have you appointed a legal executor? Have you remembered the Church in your will if you are able? Have you provided instruction as to your wishes for your burial? Have you designated who is to raise your children in the case of both parents’ demise?

This may seem a strange way to begin a New Year’s article, but it is of vital importance as good stewards of God’s gifts. It is also a way to put our house back in order. Yes it may seem bare, but it is the responsibility of every Christian to be prepared and witness to our Lord and Savior both in their life and in their death. Is our house not only cleaned up spiritually but have we considered those who are left behind when we go home to our Lord and Savior?

January brings us a feast of days to celebrate and give thanks. We can thank God for the many blessings he has given us. We can give thanks for the hopes and betterment of the year facing us. We can thank God for the various ways he has manifested himself in this world and in our lives. We can give thanks for calling us to be his children through the Sacrament of Baptism. We can thank God for all the love and mercy that he offers us so generously.

The first Sunday of the year, January 6th, is the Feast of the Epiphany. The Feast of the Epiphany falls on a Sunday once every so many year. It is of great joy to hear the Gospel of our Lord being manifested to the world. The sages followed the star and found the child in a house. They presented Jesus with gold, incense and myrrh—symbols of kingship, priesthood and death. We will be having a feast following the 10:30 Eucharist. Monica is preparing a feast of nations with the help of a number of parishioners who bring their heritage and culinary skills. It is a feast you won’t want to miss.

On the Second Sunday of Epiphany we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. It is through His Baptism that we are made children of God and if children then heirs. We will renew our own Baptismal Covenant on this Feast Day. We are to remember this year as we go forward that God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit and through that gift, we belong to God and his family, the Church.

On January 20th we will have our Annual Parish Meeting. There will be one Eucharist on this Sunday at 9:00 am. We will then meet in the Parish Hall where snacks will be served followed by our meeting. The candidates for Vestry have been published in the Legate in December and in this Legate. Please pray for the Parish and our people who are asked and have agreed to take part in the life of the Parish as Vestry members. Pray that God will help those who are chosen to be instruments of his grace. Again please mark your calendars to gather as St. Alban’s family at the Eucharist at 9:00 am.
January 28th through January 31st Fr. Scalisi and I will be at the Diocesan Clergy Retreat at Montserrat Retreat House on Lake Dallas. It is part of our discipline as priests and I encourage everyone in the parish to make a retreat at least once a year. It is not only a refreshing spiritual time but a time of reflection, prayer and community. If there is a pastoral emergency, please call the Church Office during Office hours. If it is after hours, please call Sharon, our Parish Secretary and she will contact a priest to help as soon as possible.

I cannot end this newsletter article without expressing my gratitude and appreciation for all those who have made Advent and Christmas seasons so special. Our children; our choirs; instrumentalists; music directors and organist; our altar and flower guild; our ushers; lectors; servers; chalice bearers; oblationers; our parents and helpers; bell-ringers; and the St. Alban’s staff have all done a fantastic ministry. I know I have been blessed by them and by you. May God Bless and Keep you this New Year.

In Christ,
Fr.K+