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

The Epiphany or the visit of the Magi, recognizing him as the New Born King of the Nations, Lord of the whole world … leads us into ever unfolding epiphanies of Christ, where we continue to receive glimpses of his glory. Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1:7-11 describes the Baptism of Jesus, submitting to the Baptism of John, a baptism of repentance. What on earth is Jesus doing? John wonders the same thing. Other accounts contain John’s reluctance as saying, I have need to be baptized by you! Jesus tells John to plunge him under the water in order to fulfill all righteousness. Today we contemplate the Theophany of God the Holy Trinity. The heavens are open to dance with God through union with Jesus Christ. We are his beloved children, loved and nurtured in Christ. Collect for the First Sunday after the Epiphany: Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep th

The Prologue of St. John's Gospel provides an overture, cluing his readers into the rich, thematic tapestry to be unwrapped: Life, light and darkness, grace, truth and glory, for example. Verses 1 and 18 provide bookends to which he drops thematic hints to be discovered throughout his unique story of Jesus. John is the one who laid his head on the breast of Jesus, a similar image taken from the pre-incarnate origins of the divine Logos ... in the bosom or womb of the Father. The Word was made flesh in order to draw us all back to our origins in the Father's heart, the womb of the Father. In this intimate place, we find rest for our souls, we find our destiny in Christ, in communion with God and all the company of heaven!

Today is both the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. We, thus, contemplate the woman, the dragon and the male child of chapter 12 of John's Apocalypse. The Collect for Christmas: Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Third Sunday of Advent calls us to rejoice in our longing for completion. The Prayers of the People have been included following the sermon. The Nicene Creed, said in the service, was edited out so as to include the prayers. Apologies for the audio quality of the sermon itself. Wouldn't be church without sound issues every now and then! Third Sunday of Advent Collect: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Who is my neighbor? Liz Flowers explores this universal question in the parable of the Good Samaritan and pairs the protagonist with the generous life of St. Nicholas. Sadie Elliott introduces the CarePortal, Global Orphan Project, sharing how the technology works for local churches throughout the USA. For more info on the CarePortal: https://goproject.org/the-care-portal-comes-to-kansas-city/ Second Sunday of Advent Collect: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The First Sunday of Advent Collect: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The very first words of the Liturgical Year, the first Sunday of Advent, set the tone for the whole season, if not the whole year! The Prophet Isaiah sends up a guttural cry of intercession ... Tear open the heavens and come down. This captures the spirit of prayer between the first and final Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the final word as the New Testament closes in Revelation 22 ... Come, Lord Jesus! ISAIAH 64:1-9 1 Oh, that You would rend (tear open) the heavens and come down, That the mountains might quake at Your presence— 2

The Feast of Christ the King is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, 2017. Today's Gospel reading is taken from Matthew 25:31-46. The Collect of the Day: Proper 29 Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Why do we celebrate annual feasts and fasts on a liturgical calendar? We consider the theology behind our calendar as a means of worship and mission, of spiritual formation and of redeeming and sanctifying time. In Jesus Christ, time is no longer headed towards death. Christ has risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, bestowing life eternal. The Redeemed of the Lord, therefore, redeem and sanctify time, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5).

Matthew 25:1-13 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you

In Everything, Prayer explores the various ways of our life in Prayer at St. Aidan's.

Trevor Tychon of Connect Africa shares a reflection on the Parable of the Sower. To Contact Trevor: trevortychone@gmail.com; Website: connectafricaministries.org; connectafrida.us

In part II we explore the the sacrifice and real presence of the sacred meal, the Holy Eucharist.

“These holy mysteries”, The Eucharist, is the first of two parts on how we understand the Eucharist as handed down from the Old to the New Covenant. Three headings are considered: Meal, Sacrifice and Real Presence. Apologies for the recording quality. The mic channel was not set for direct recording.

The Greek word symbol - σύμβολον, symbolon - is derived from two Greek words syn (together with) and balo (a casting, throwing)which means to bring two realities together and place them side by side. Hence, "outward sign" of something. All secular / cultural liturgies employ important symbols. Symbols convey deep meanings which reach the heart, the deep consciousness. Thus, the worship of Israel was full of symbols signifying two realities, the visible and the invisible. The Church's liturgical worship incorporates ancient signs and symbols which illuminate the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The cross, the altar and the Gospel Book speak of Christ and his work of redemption. Thus, we bow before these symbols, giving honor and worship to the one signified, Jesus Christ. We examine common ways we use our bodies as symbolic language. We clap our hands, give high-fives, thumbs up and the ok sign to communicate without words. These signs reach deep into hearts. We then ask why we find it odd to make the sign of the

Liturgy means work (worship) of the people … it implies participation over merely spectating. Worship is not a passive activity … like watching tv, for example. Liturgy calls us to employ our bodies in standing, kneeling, making the sign of the cross, bowing and the like … all pointing to something transcendent. Catechesis? Another word for discipleship, spiritual formation Catechesis is the way the faith is taught and caught. Outside a classroom setting, our liturgy in all it’s forms, from morning and evening prayer, compline, baptism, ordination, eucharist … call us to participate in the mystery of Christ. The annual liturgical cycle, centered around the life of Christ, is a powerful form of embodied catechesis … for we learn to center our lives in Christ. Embodied? Our personhood is a unity of body, soul and spirit … the unity of exterior and interior. Thus, what we do with our bodies matters, because matter matters. Today’s NT reading in Romans 12 exhorts us to offer our bodies as living sacrif

We continue our theme of Why Liturgy? Today's talk deals with countering rival liturgies, disordered desires, habits, attitudes, dispositions, impulses and actions, which come from below (the world, the flesh and the devil, the old order, the old Adam, the old creation) with the new liturgies of the Kingdom of God (virtuous habits of Christlike dispositions). According to Colossians 3, Christlike virtues are formed within the Kingdom community at worship. It's a matter of re-habituating one's baptismal life, taking off the old and dressing in the new, Christ in all his radiant splendor. We are drawing from the work of James K. A. Smith: Imagining the Kingdom and You Are What You Love. May the Church of God remain in the only Story of reality, Christ. May Christ be formed within us. Amen.

Why do Anglicans use written prayers, creeds and other forms of liturgy in worship? We seek to answer a few common objections about liturgy, namely the claim that scripted prayer and ritual repetition leads to heartless worship. We are working with ideas found in the writings of James K.A. Smith: You Are What You Love and Imagining the Kingdom.

Our new fall series will consider why, as Anglicans, we are given to historic, catholic Christianity in light of common notions proposing "spiritual but not religious." This first message asks the question, why Church? The very nature of God is love ... God is love, an eternal love shared within the communion of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This love has been poured into our hearts by the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through Christ, we are gathered into the very communion of the Holy Trinity, a communion of love. Why? To become, progressively, Christlike. The Eastern Church calls this Theosis, the process of divinization, becoming Godlike, Godly. God became like us (the incarnation of Christ) so that we may become like God (through the mediation of Christ). Christianity, thus, is a participation in the divine nature (2 Peter 1) ... God at work within us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure (Philippians 1). Thus, if God is love, and the law and the prophets are summe

Reflecting on Matthew 16 and Psalm 2, Bill talks about the counter-intuitive way of the Cross. True greatness and joy is found in the path of Jesus' suffering - defined not as bodily illness but denying oneself primacy, laying down one's life for others, faithfully bearing whatever comes due to being an active follower of Jesus.

Fr. Les Barker explores Psalms of hymns and doxology in Psalms 8; 33; 100.