Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of
The Consecration of All Saints' Episcopal Church
Saturday, November 3 - 6:00 p.m.
Eve of All Saints Sunday
Bishop Louttit will be our special guest.
Slide show featuring memories from 25 years of All Saints’.
Beef tenderloin dinner
Pizza/movies for children.  Nursery provided.
RSVP by message:  228-9242.

All Saints Sunday
November 4
Bishop Louttit's Visitation
He will celebrate, preach and confirm.

THE PARABLE OF THE WEDDING GARMENT
My words fly up; my thoughts remain below.  Words without thought never to Heaven go.  King Claudius (Hamlet)

He words me, girls.  He words me. Cleopatra (Anthony and Cleopatra)

 The lines above occurred to me the other day while reading the Parable of the Wedding Garment from St. Matthew 22.  A king issues an invitation to a wedding, and when he comes in to see the guests, he notices a man who has failed to don a wedding garment.  We're not really told what a wedding garment is, but as punishment for this failure, the king tells his servants to "bind the man hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  For many are called, but few are chosen."

It's a rather drastic sentence for so slight a fault, at least on the surface.  While we don't notice it that much at All Saints, other clergy speak of how their congregations have begun to "dress down".  Children are harassed at school for wearing nice clothes.  Twenty years ago one hardly ever saw a man without a coat and tie at a fine restaurant or private club.  Such days are sadly over.

In elementary school, I remember my father saying (after my complaining about having to dress specially for a play) that "Clothes make the man".   What we wear influences how we behave, not to mention how we think.  It's the same principle as the adage:  "What we pray is what we believe", or "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be."  That is, our affections follow our actions.

On the other hand, how one decides to dress on any given morning can be a very telling indicator of how he feels, not just about ourselves, but about our jobs or life in general.  If a priest were to arrive at a vestry meeting wearing shorts and sandals, his vestry might rightly wonder where his mind is -- which is where we are with the parable of the wedding garment.

Our clothes really are an indication of where our minds, wills, and hearts might be, the same as how sincere we are with our prayers.  Not too long after Claudius utters that fateful line in Hamlet (above), we learn that rather than really attempting to pray, he has in fact been plotting Hamlet's death.  Further, no one ever phrased a keener line than Cleopatra to her ladies regarding Mark Anthony:  "He words me."

With Claudius as well as with Anthony, their "outer garment" in no way reflected the inner disposition of their soul.  "He words me."  One wonders what God must feel when we "word Him", something we probably do more often than we think, especially when we think we're praying effectively on the golf course, tennis court, Doak Campbell Stadium or wherever.

We begin each celebration of the Holy Eucharist with the words:  "Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts", and Evelyn Underhill reminds us that real prayer is "the soul's sincere desire, unuttered or expressed."  The operative word in both instances is "sincere", meaning without wavering.  The purity of heart for which the collect prays (if sincerely prayed for) ought to manifest itself in terms of how we appear outwardly in our words, thoughts, and actions -- and perhaps even our dress.

In the 1928 Lectionary, the collect to be read alongside the Parable of the Wedding Garment reads:  "...keep us we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest."  Never forget that body and soul affect each other profoundly.  There's little wonder that people appear markedly different after a good healthy vacation.

The Third Commandment reads, "Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain."  There is far more to this than the simple injunction not to swear.  We really do take the Lord's Name in vain when we haphazardly throw "words without thought" in His general direction. With such carelessness, not to mention vanity, we might as well wear a t-shirt to a wedding.  Our minds and hearts are elsewhere, and should they persist in such a manner, we place ourselves in the outer darkness, with the weeping and gnashing of teeth.

One final point.  The Lord's statement about how "many are called but few are chosen", sounds like a football coach talking to a huge group about to try out for the team -- and that only a handful will make it.  What the Greek renders is "Many are called, but few are the ones who choose to respond."  One of, if not our best way to respond, is to be sure that whenever we approach God in prayer, that we do our best to don the proper garment, and thereby avoid taking His Name in vain, much less "wording" Him."  FAB

                                                
ALL SAINTS DAY

The parish will observe All Saints Day with a service of Holy Communion at 12:15 PM in the church on Thursday,  November 1. 

THANKSGIVING DAY SERVICE

The annual Thanksgiving Day service will be held Tuesday, November 20 at St. Thomas at 7:00 p.m..   The Rev. Will McQueen will be the preacher.

ALTAR GUILD

Anyone interested in serving the Lord as a member of the Altar Guild, please contact Nicki Sanders at 229-225-1581 or email cnlcsand@bellsouth.net.  The Altar Guild is divided up into 4 teams. Each team is assigned one week a month to be responsible for preparing the Church and Chapel for all services during the assigned week, including weddings and funerals.  It is a great group of ladies dedicated to this integral part of our church.  With everyone's busy schedule, we really need more loving hands to learn the traditions of service in our church. 

Nicki Sanders

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY DINNER

Eddie and I will be out of town during the Christmas Holiday Dinner preparation.  In the past, many families have given time for both the preparation and delivery of this meal to the residents of Providence Plaza.  We now serve Halcyon Home as well.  The residents truly appreciate this effort.  We are now seeking someone to oversee this project.  Please contact Nikki in the office to volunteer.  It has been for us and other families an incredibly rewarding experience.  Also if you know of another charity where we should deliver meals, let us know.
 
Elaine Kavouklis
Rozzie and Eddie Davis

BISHOP LOUTTIT TO CONFIRM OUR LARGEST "CLASS" EVER ON NOVEMBER 4

When our Bishop comes for his annual visitation this Sunday he will confirm the largest class (twenty-three at this stage) of confirmands in the history of the parish, a rather gratifying situation as we commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the consecration of our church.

VESTRY

The Vestry will hold its regular monthly meeting November 18 at 8:00 a.m. in the Parish Hall Library.


EPISCOPAL YOUTH AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES

The Episcopal Youth and Children's Services is a committee of the Diocese of Georgia that benefits the youth in our Diocese.  It assists young people who have financial needs with college or vocational school tuition grants, medical problems or emergencies as well as scholarships to the Diocesan camp at Honey Creek.  For the year 2007, EYCS granted $79,000.00 to the youth of the Diocese.  Hopefully, each of you has received an envelope in the mail.  We encourage you to bring that to church on Sunday, November 25th and place the envelope in the offering plate.  EYCS has, over the years, helped many of our own children.  I urge your generosity.  FAB

EYC NEWS

Below is a tentative calendar for this group from November 4 through December 31.  This year we plan to meet every Sunday beginning with the 6:00 PM service followed by supper and a program.  Anyone else who would like to help as an advisor for this 7th-12th grade group is urged to speak to Fr. Buechner or Mr. McQueen.

November 4  (All Saints Sunday)  "Saints’ Days" -- Mr. McQueen
November 7 ECW Auction -- Waitstaff
November 11 Lunch or Supper at Grandaddy’s, followed by Balloon      Volleyball -- Chip and Andrea Hancock
November 18 "Predestination" -- Fr. Buechner
November 25 Ram Singletary on the Role of Being a Verger

December 2 Advent Sunday New Years Party -- Kathleen Kelley and
   Rachel Grooms
December 9 "The Church Calendar" -- Mr. McQueen
December 16 Christmas Party -- Braggs
December 23 Caroling -- Mr. McQueen
December 24 Help Ram decorate the church -- with important help
   from all of the Sunday School

We will also be adopting a family at Thanksgiving and Christmas

We have volunteers for the Sunday night dinners for October and November.  Please let us know if you can help.

WISH LIST ITEM FOR EYC:  ONE POWERPOINT PROJECTOR


VESTRY NOMINATIONS AND ANNUAL MEETING

Please make your nominations in writing to any member of the Nominating Committee:  Clay Sewell, David Grooms, Brad Jackson, Lee Mitchell, Ram Singletary, Amos McMullian, or Fr. Buechner.  We will elect three at the Annual Meeting on November 18.

EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN AUCTION NEWS

The auction is on November 7.  So please remember:
a) Make your reservations and give Nikki any names of invitees we may  not have.
b) Put together an auction item or join our band of Angel  Underwriters who insure the success of the evening.  An Angel is an  Angel -- give whatever you can.  These  dollars defray the cost of our  bar, dinner and purchased auction items.  Give your auction items to  Nikki.
c) Sign up for one of our committees.  Men are more than welcome.

Auction Co-chairs:     
Jenny Ladson
Liz Parvey

Live Auction Decorating Chairs:   
Sandra Hall
Carey Sewell

Dinner Chairs:      
Bill Ladson
Richard Parvey

Silent Auction Chairs:     
Margret Brinson
Elizabeth Young

Table Decorations Chair:    
Nan Myers
Nancy McCollum

Accounting Chair:     
Ashley Jackson

The bazaar and auction enable the ECW to support 20 charities within our community and our vestry, as it betters the life of our parish.

Jenny Ladson and Liz Parvey
 

ST. CECILIA AND ST. DAVID CHOIR NEWS

Both choirs will sing Sunday, November 18.  There will be no rehearsals the following Wednesday, November 21. Welcome to a new St. Cecilia Chorister, Olivia Enright.

The weather is cooler; however, the choir loft can be warm – so please no turtlenecks or sweaters. When wearing your choir vestment, please also remember:

All choristers - Wear dark, closed-toe shoes
Young ladies - no jangling-dangling jewelry or big hair bows

Kathy Buechner

FROM FAMILIARITY TO FEAR -- LOOKING AT THE MODERN WORSHIP-SERVICE

A caricature to make a point!

Perhaps the word which summarizes the general attitude and ethos of the modern congregation at worship--be it in the modern Roman folk mass or the popular evangelical service--is familiarity; that is, familiarity with each other and with Deity.

People dress as if they were going to a ball-game or a cook-out or for a stroll, and they regard the worship-space as ordinary rather than holy ground. They greet each other as if they were meeting a returning friend at the airport. Deity is addressed in song and in spoken word in much the same style as human beings address each other when they are being civil and respectful, except that Deity is asked for more than is usually asked of a fellow human being. In fact, Deity seems to be assumed as present in spirit and somewhere nearby in terms of availability. That is, Deity is near enough to be able to see what is going on, to hear what is said and sung, to know the motives of participants, and possibly to take action "in the spirit" if so disposed.

And the purpose of the whole exercise of being together, engaging in symbolic and ritual acts, speaking and singing seems to be to make everyone feel good about Deity, each other and himself/herself. It is a kind of escape from the bustle and pressures of life in order to have one's batteries charged and one’s vision renewed and one's self-worth affirmed.

Perhaps the above account is exaggerated. If so, then it may at least claim to capture what is generally true of much modern "worship" and that is (to speak theologically) it assumes the immanence of Deity but not (or only minimally) the transcendence of Deity. Further, it assumes the friendliness of God but hardly, if at all, is aware of the powerfully pure holiness and wonderfully glorious splendor of God. Or, in relation to Jesus of Nazareth, it presents Jesus as the Resurrected Savior, "who walks with me and talks with me along the narrow way," but not as the Exalted Savior, who rules the cosmos as Lord of lords, and is its Judge.

Practically speaking, there is present in this kind of worship-service little or no reverence, awe, dread and fear of  the LORD God, who in his holy and glorious Being is totally apart from all created reality. There is also minimal sense of human sinfulness and of the absolute need of the saving, redeeming, cleansing blood and work of Jesus. After all, it is only when we see God for who he is and ourselves for what we are that we truly appreciate Jesus for who He is. True enough, the truth that Jesus is Savior and Lord are accepted, but they seem to make no impact on the ethos, style, attitude, dress and deportment of those present. It would appear that the truths concerning Who is God, Who is Jesus, What is man, and how is man saved from sin, are not engraved on the heart to make it fully self-aware; they are merely present in the mind.

Not a few books and essays have used the expression, "dumbing down," to describe the way that biblical and theological truths along with forms of devotion and moral duty have been minimized, reduced, explained away or made into forms of self-affirmation in modern forms of "worship."  But while many see this, few seem to think that it is a problem to be solved, a failure to be made into a success, and a deficit to be made into a credit!

But, before any of this can change those involved in it have to see that it is wrong, very wrong. Why? Because it is the "fear of the Lord" that is the beginning of both true wisdom and true knowledge of divine things. Perhaps prolonged and careful reading of the Old Testament will help show this, for there "the fear of the Lord" is absolutely fundamental to true service of YHWH, the Lord God of the covenant of grace; and the New Testament, though it says less about the fear of the Lord than does the Old, it actually assumes this inner condition of the soul as a given!

The advantage of using a classic Liturgy, and for Anglicans this means an edition of the real Book of Common Prayer (e.g., USA 1928), is that it provides the possibility of worshipping the transcendent LORD in the beauty of holiness and in the Name of Jesus; and experiencing both fear and joy, a profound sense of creatureliness and sinfulness together with a powerful sense of being a child of God, to whose spirit the Holy Spirit speaks. Yet, even here, if the heart is not prepared then the ancient words can be--as too often they have been--merely a vehicle for a religious kind of social conservatism.

So it all begins within ourselves--as repentant, humble sinners who, being justified by faith through grace, bow before the LORD God of glory in the Name of his incarnate Son, Jesus, the Savior. We do not feel good about ourselves; rather we feel good about God the Father, the Holy One; Jesus, the Savior and Lord; and the Holy Spirit, who brings us to the Father through the Son. And this holy relation of reverence, dread, awe and fear provides the setting for freedom in the Spirit, the peace that passes understanding and the joy unspeakable.

October 23, 2007                     
The Revd Dr Peter Toon
President of the Prayer Book Society 2007
www.pbsusa.org
www.anglicanmarketplace.com
www.anglicansatprayer.org
 

USHERS:

November 4    
Mike Shea    
Tom Simmons

November 11
Charlie Whitney
Geoffrey Young

November 18    
Robert Balfour   
Don Bruhn

November 25
Charles Deal
Jim Funk

TRANSITIONS:

Happy birthday in November to:

Chip Sanders   11-2-89
David C. Chubb  11-5-93
Harrison Jackson  11-7-04
Preston Chubb   11-8-92
Reid Myers   11-9-00
Christopher Bragg  11-11-91
Wilson Young   11-14-05
Ethan Myers   11-20-02
Robert Taylor Bragg  11-20-93
Lolo Mason   11-26-83
Addison Faith Kelley  11-29-02
Kinsey Grace Kelley  11-29-02
Carsyn Trace Kelley  11-29-02

Happy birthday in December to:

Jonathan Wood   12-15-89
Anna Price Olson  12-28-91
Elizabeth Olson   12-28-91
Maria Olson   12-28-91
Cynthia Funk   12-29-93
Veronica Cassidy Rountree 12-31-01

Deo Gratias

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gregory Hudson announce the safe delivery of a daughter, Hailey Addison on October 11, 2007.