Christmas Eve Mass, Easter, and other thoughts…

In 1992, the Charismatic Episcopal Church (http://www.iccec.org) was founded, led by retired Patriarch A. Randolph Adler. Their mission: To make visible the void. Since, many other groups, such as the CEEC (http://www.theceec.org) have formed, as well as splinter groups, such as the Communion of Christ the Redeemer (http://www.coctr.org). Again, the premise, to make visible the void. What is this void? The discovery of the ancient Church, i.e., the liturgy and Sacraments, the teachings of the Church Fathers, and so on, and then blending them with the already established Charismatic and Evangelical foundation. This became known as the Convergence Movement, the blending of the “three streams” of Christianity.

Saying this, one would think that the full incorporation, of all three streams, would be “enforced,” especially in the services of “importance,” or obligation, such as Christmas (Eve or Day) and Easter, however, this is not always the case.

Before I go further, I want to state that I am not attacking anyone or any church, just expressing an opinion held deep within my own belief structure. Now, with that, I believe a Christmas Eve service, expecially in one of the Convergence style groups, should be just that, a “proper” Christmas Eve service, i.e. Christmas Eve Mass… not just a Communion and prayer service, but a service that trumps every other service, maybe even the Easter Mass, and is full of the pagentry that makes one, not only Charismatic and Evangelical, but also Liturgical and Sacramental. The reason for this is not so we can feel good about ourselves, nor is it a dog and pony shoy to show off fancy vestments and proove some sort of “superiority,” but to be a sign and symbol to the entire community, especially if that church is a cathedral church.

The most attented services thoughout the year are both Easter and Christmas Eve. This attendance goes beyond the normal membership and patronship of the church. Family members arrive, as well as members of the community who are either curious, or who, for the sake of escaping the commecial aspect of what Christmas has become, decide to go and worship God and celebrate the coming of His Son. The Cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels (ICCEC) in Thomaston, GA, the church founded by my father, Bishop John Holloway, celebrated its first service in the buildings that the church occupies now on Christmas Eve in 1999. This service was probably the grandest service, besides the consecration of Bishop Holloway in 1997, that Thomaston, Upson County, Georgia had ever seen. The church was packed, even with the lack of pews, and the meaning went far beyond Christmas Eve. St. Michael’s had literally been fighting for, praying for, and standing in faith for these buildings for seven years. There were many prophetic words given about those buildings, and the church stood since its inception to occupy those buildings. The service began with the ringing of the bell, one time for each year that the church had not been occupied by a Christian organization, and the Christmas Eve service was filled with not only angelic dancers, but incence, praise and worship, liturgical prayer and structure, and evangelical sermon/homily, and then most inportantly, with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. For eight years, until Christmas Eve of 2007, this was always the case. For eight years, the Christmas Eve Mass at the cathedral stood as a sign an symbol of the majesty of God, and the grand importance – or as the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta said in his Christmas Eve homily, the “big deal” of the Incarnation – not only to the members of the cathedral and diocese, but to the whole city and country, including the surrounding area.

Now, I believe talent shows are wonderful, likewise, I believe prayer services are a very important part of the Christian worship experience, however, I do not believe they should take the place of Mass on Christmas Eve. A Communion service is a great thing, but if it should be the mark of what the Christmas Eve service should be, I do not believe the “guides” of the liturgical expressions – i.e. the Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and the Anglicans – would have specific services and rubrics for the occasion. I do not believe the Anglicans, whose prayer book many convergence groups use, including the ICCEC, whould have specified a service in their Book of Occasional Services, which is a book madated for Cathedrals to use in the Episcopal Church, etc, to use for Christmas Eve Mass.

I do not know why churches make the decision to scale down the Christmas Eve experience. maybe its because the service traditionally starts so late… even though ever since I was a young boy, I hardly slept anyways on Christmas Eve. Maybe its because there is a belief the parishoners are really tired after a long and stressful pre-Christmas season, but then again, if Christmas stresses you out too much, maybe you should re-evaluate what Christmas really means to you. Msybe its to make it easier on the clergy, again though, The Incarnation is not about making it easier for us, but to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Again, I do not know the reason why some desire to scale it down, but at least I was able to enjoy the taped Midnight Mass from St. Peter’s Basillica in Vatican City.

Final though, Mass, which makes up the second part of the word Christmas, does not just mean Communion, but the entire liturgical and sacramental experience. To me, one can not pick and choose what parts we like and do not like once the precendent has been set, otherwise, it does not constitute the Mass, just a part and parcel of the whole.

Seven Deadly Sins – Part 6, Accidie (Sloth) – Rev. Canon Robert Wills, Th.D.

This is the sixth of a multi-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins written by Father Robert Wills, Canon Theologian of the Mid-South Diocese, ICCEC. A new part will be posted on a regular basis. As a note, Canon Wills notes these are the Seven Deadly Sins recognized by a group of monks in the 5th Century.

JZ Holloway.

6. Accidie or Sloth—A Form of Despair Keeping God’s Purposes In One’s Life from Being Fulfilled.

Envy often produces another deadly sin—that of sloth, which comes from the ancient term accidie. This term, translated “sloth” in the Bible is the biblical term for despair and depression, which keeps people from being fulfilled and from fulfilling God’s purposes in their lives. It is a spiritual listlessness that causes us to fail to respond to God. They withdraw from Christian fellowship, make little effort to worship, and use all manner of excuse to keep from actively participating in the work of God’s Kingdom.

Slothful describes a loose, undisciplined person. The Hebrew term can refer to a bow not strung or equipped with an arrow for action (Ps. 78:57; Hos. 7:16). A same or related Hebrew root describes a loose tongue or mind as deceitful (Job 13:7; 27:4; Pss. 32:2; 52:4; Mic. 6:12).

Look at what Proverbs 6 says about an envious and slothful person.

Prov 6:6  Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,

Prov 6:7  Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

Prov 6:8  Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

Prov 6:9  How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?

Prov 6:10  A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;

Prov 6:11  So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

Prov 6:12  A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;

Prov 6:13  He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers;

Prov 6:14  Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.

Prov 6:15  Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

Prov 6:16  These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

Prov 6:17  A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

Prov 6:18  A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,

Prov 6:19  A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

A second Hebrew term refers to that which is difficult, heavy, hindered and indicates foolish laziness or sluggishness. The tribe of Dan was encouraged to take the new territory and not be slothful or reluctant (Judg. 18:9). The wise, hardworking ant illustrates the opposite of sloth (Prov. 6:6), while the slothful wants only to sleep (Prov. 6:9; compare 10:26; 13:4; 15:19; 19:24; 20:4; 21:25; 22:13; 24:30; 26:16). The virtuous woman is the opposite of slothful, not having to live with the results of idle sloth (Prov. 31:27). Ecclesiastes apparently coined a word for slothfulness twice over and the resulting decay of present gain (10:18). Jesus condemned a wicked, slothful servant (Matt. 25:26) but praised and rewarded the “good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).

The slothful person cannot lead but becomes subjected to another’s rule.

Prov 18:9  He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

Prov 10:4  He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Prov 10:5  He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

God’s work must not be done in such a spirit.

Jer 48:10 Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

Eccl 10:18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Church concerning accidie, referring to those infected by slothfulness, as being “disorderly” and unwilling to work.

2 Th 3:7  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;

2 Th 3:8-9  nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

2 Th 3:10-11  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

2 Th 3:12-13  Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

When not confessed as sins, sloth (accidie) and envy lead to despair. That sense of utter hopelessness that characterizes those whose spirits have been so crushed by tragic events or by their own guilt that they do not see any meaning to their lives. In the Scriptures despair is described in such rich but bitter terms and images as  “languish,” “wailing,” “anguish,” “terror,” “desolation,” “gloom,” “dwelling in darkness,” “cowering in ashes,” “torn to pieces,” “wormwood and gall,” “teeth grinding on gravel,” “depths of the pit,” “soul in tumult,” “gnashing of teeth,” or “heavy chains” Jeremiah’s sense of despair is recorded in Lamentations 3:5-20.

Events can strike with such devastating force that both Job and Jeremiah curse the day of their birth and wish they had died in delivery (Job 3:3ff.; Jer. 20:14-18). As the saying went, Rachel in Ramah laments and weeps bitterly for her children and refuses to be comforted (Jer. 31:15). Koheleth despairs of the seeming vanity and injustice of human striving (Eccles. 2:20).

Paul describes his own life as reaching the border of despair in his helplessness before the law and the desertion, persecution, and perplexity that the life of faith brings. Yet he proclaims confidence in the power of Christ to deliver from sin, and he affirms that the Christian’s precarious walk of faith does not ultimately lead to despair and destruction but rather brings life and joy (Rom. 7:7-25; 2 Cor. 4:8-12; see also Rom. 8:35-39).

That the Christian often lives near the edges of despair was noted by Augustine and theologically developed by Martin Luther. Luther maintained that despair is a redeeming force in the salvation of the sinner. The believer shudders before the crucified Christ as he or she experiences with Christ the painful withdrawal of God in the face of human sin. Luther asserted, “All honest and pious Christians are like Jonah; they are thrown into the sea, yes, into the depths of hell…All saints must also descend with their Lord into the inferno.” Nevertheless, at the cross the Christian also recognizes the overwhelming love of God expressed in Christ’s sacrificial death. Thus,  in the very midst of that despair caused by God’s turning away from the Son who bears the world’s sins, God’s love is most fully comprehended and experienced.

Illustration

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.

She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minuets she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. “What’s the point, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. the ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. ” When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot , an egg, or a coffee bean?” Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death , a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

It is not unusual for Christians to be driven to the edges of darkness because of unforeseen tragic events or heinous sins they or others have committed. However, the children of God never lose hope by dwelling on the question “Why?” Rather, they humbly accept God’s sovereignty and God’s justifying acts with fortitude and with the expectation that they are instruments of God’s redemptive change in a fragmented and misery filled world.