St. Aidan's Anglican Church, Kansas City - Weekly Talks

The vision of tongues of fires empowering the apostolic band to proclaim the Gospel to all nations. Questions emerged, such as, what does this mean? What must we do be saved? Peter releases the keys of the Kingdom, opening the door to the sheepfold. Jesus is the door and Peter proclaimed how to enter. Repent, be baptized for the remission of sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. This is all one step. Water Baptism is a Pentecostal Sacrament, the first Christian baptism commences on this day, the Promise of the Father is given through repentance and baptism. We respond and God does the rest. Grace upon grace upon grace.

Next week, the Feast of Pentecost, will complete the core of the liturgical year, from Advent to Pentecost, celebrating the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate the Ascension (40 days after the Resurrection, last Thursday). 1. We might ask the question, why did Christ come to earth only to beam up again, transitioning from the visible to the invisible. 2. Why did he leave us here seemingly without a visible sign of his finished work on the cross and resurrection? Or did he? 3. Why wouldn’t, after rising from the dead, the risen Lord begin the restoration of all things, on earth as it is in heaven? He, in himself, had conquered death, sin and Satan. 4. Why Ascend into the heavenly realm, the invisible realm of the Spirit, with a promise of his final return … to judge the living and the dead, and inaugurate an everlasting Kingdom?

Fr. Gene Flanery, rector of the Mission of St. Luke in Kansas City, Kansas.

Jesus establishes the identifying mark of his New Community, the Church, his Body, as Costly love, the same kind of love wherein he loves us. This mark is the witness to the world that we are his disciples. All of our vast theological output will never provide this witness; only cruciform love, worked into the lives of his Church, will convince the world that we are his disciples. Disciples not only hear and believe his Words, but they also assimilate and embody them, they do them by habitual practices, the culture of the Kingdom. This love is demonstrated on the cross, the laying down of his life, for the life of the world. In like manner, 1 John 3:16 continues that we should lay down our lives for one another. This is how we know what love is, and this is how the world sees Christ in his body. Father, make us one ... that the world may know that the Father has sent the Son into the world, that the world might be saved through him, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Easter O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. We consider our response to the Voice of the Good Shepherd: 1. Listening 2. Knowing 3. Following John 10:22-30 At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me i

John 21 - The risen Christ appears a third time to the disciples. Third Sunday of Easter O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Apostle's Creed mentions that Christ, upon his death, descended to the dead, and the first letter of Peter reveals upon Christ's descent, he preached to the rebellious spirits in prison (Hades, Sheol), the very first Easter homily! We consider the impact of the three days laid in the tomb and what was happening in the realm of the Spirit and the realm of the dead. Christus Victor! (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) Eph. 4:9-10 For Christ also suffered[b] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which[c] he went and proclaimed[d] to the spirits in prison, because[e] they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were broug

The Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom (4th C. AD) read by Bill Baldwin at the Great Vigil of Easter, 2019.

Two short reflections on the cross from St. John Chrysostom (4th C.) and Theodore of Studite (759-826 A.D.)

Jesus washes his disciple's feet. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444) reflects, What could be stranger than this? What more awesome? He who is clothed with light as with a garment, is now girded with a towel. He who binds up the waters in His clouds who sealed the abyss by His fearful Name, is now bound with a girdle. He who gathers together the waters of the sea as in a vessel now pours water into a basin. He who covers the tops of the heavens with water washes in water the feet of His disciples. He who has weighed the heavens with His palm and the earth with three fingers now wipes with undefiled palms the soles of His servants’ feet. He before whom every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth and under the earth now kneels before His servants. Cyril of Alexandria (375-444) What he does outwardly, in washing dirty feet, in stooping down to be the lowest servant to his disciples, symbolizes the effectual grace we receive in baptism and Eucharist … through baptism, we are cleanse

We explore what it means, as a community, to be in union with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit, working out to covenant relationships within Christ's Body, the Church.

This third in the series considers the Missio Dei, the mission of God, in the community of St. Aidan's. Scott Laumann, iconographer (Fr. Collins, CO).

Evan Howard leads a half-day workshop on Spiritual Formation in Community. Too often, spiritual formation is relegated to individualism and solely a one-to-one relationship with God. These talks explore how formation is forged in the context of intentional relationships. Evan B. Howard, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is affiliate associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches at other institutions. He is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality and leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality worldwide.

Evan Howard leads a half-day workshop on Spiritual Formation in Community. Too often, spiritual formation is relegated to individualism and merely one's one-to-one relationship with God. These talks explore how formation is forged in the context of intentional relationships. Evan B. Howard, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is affiliate associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches at other institutions. He is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality and leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality worldwide.

Evan Howard leads a half-day workshop on Spiritual Formation in Community. Too often, spiritual formation is relegated to individualism and merely one's one-to-one relationship with God. These talks explore how formation is forged in the context of intentional relationships. Evan B. Howard, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is affiliate associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches at other institutions. He is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality and leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality worldwide.

Evan B. Howard, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Spirituality Shoppe, a Center for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He is affiliate associate professor of Christian Spirituality at Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches at other institutions. He is the author of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality and leads workshops and seminars on Christian Spirituality worldwide.

This is the second talk for newcomers exploring local membership at St. Aidan's, KC. We discuss our vision of worship as rooted in the Great Tradition, first millennial Christianity, contexualized(liturgical & free-form, sacramental, symbols, daily office, charismatic, liturgical calendar as the sanctification of time, and so forth). Scott Laumann, iconographer (Fr. Collins, CO).

Fourth Sunday in Lent Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Bill Baldwin, a member of St. Aidan's, unpacks the story of the prodigal son and calls us to the Father's Feast.

Third Sunday in Lent Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Apologies for the technical difficulties on this recording.

Fellow travelers on the way to the heavenly Jerusalem are given a command to "strive to enter by the narrow gate." Luke 13:22-35 lays out a Lenten call to press in, to fight the good fight, with redeemed effort. With the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, let us content to enter in ... into the Kingdom of God. Ivanka Demchuk: Iconographer, Lviv, Ukraine