My Spiritual Home

My Spiritual Home
Deacon Larry Rieger

I came to the CEC in middle age, forced to leave my prior denomination when they abandoned scriptural authority in pursuit of social relevance.  My journey was one of searching the marketplace for a liturgical church using a traditional Eucharist of the Lord’s presence, with a desire also to find a church where I could enjoy worship music.  I was a lifelong liturgical Christian, and very comfortable with the liturgical framework of the Catholic/Anglican traditions. I was comfortable with the Lutheran service I looked at, but desired weekly Eucharist.  The CEC provided the liturgy and weekly Eucharist, but I was very unfamiliar with, and a little discomforted, by the Charismatic part of worship, which I had experienced in lesser degrees in times I had worshipped with more evangelical friends.  My friends who welcomed me to the CEC assured me I would be more comfortable over time, and I also took a small group teaching in the Charismatic part of worship, and was soon at home.

What I found most appealing about the CEC was that not only did I feel very much at home in a theological orthodox faith well expressed within a familiar and comfortable liturgy, but I found the continued reliance and teaching of Holy Scripture, together with spiritually uplifting praise music filled a spiritual void within me.  Yet even as all my traditional spiritual desires were being met, I was both challenged and intrigued by those around me who were enlivened by the various expressions of the Holy Spirit. I could see others being fulfilled and comforted by the Holy Spirit, but I was not feeling it myself, and I knew that I wanted it and needed it.

I had just been in the CEC for two years when troubled times came to the denomination, and my own small parish, which had more than tripled in size in two years, dissolved.  Again I looked for a new home, but every place I went, there was a sense of something missing. After several years of drifting from denomination to denomination, I was able to meet with some other former members and reconnecting with a CEC bishop, started a new CEC parish, which has now doubled in size in the last two years, and is looking ahead.

Although I am still in a relatively small parish, and have been asked why I don’t move to a larger church with all the facilities and activities, that I would like to see, I would not want to journey away from the CEC again.  There is a rightness to my being part of this group, and a spiritual fullness in our worship and fellowship. In travel to where there is not a local CEC church to worship in, I always find a significant aspect of my worship missing regardless of which other church I visit.  The full three streams of worship which the CEC provides has returned me to the complete authentic worship that characterized the undivided Christian church, and I have found my spiritual home.

Deacon Larry Rieger
Saint Michael and All Angels CEC
Williamsburg, VA

New Wine & The Charismatic Stream

-Sarah Northwood
6/5/2019

“The old wine is good enough” but is it? This is the question that the Lord asked me after I had been walking with Him in what I thought was a strong committed relationship for several years. I want to explain how I related with God, what I realized was missing, and how it has changed the way I live as a Christian now.  

Sarah Northwood

I turned over management of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ 33 years ago. I learned many things about the Lord and the Christian life in a sound Bible believing Evangelical church.  I had come out of a lifestyle of worldly behaviors and foolishness. I was convinced to the point of being willing to be taught and led, however, some of those things I was taught were contrary to the truth. One of those beliefs was the teaching concerning the Holy Spirit.

My church at the time loved the Lord, we sought to “carry our cross daily” we learned to serve our brothers and sisters and reach the lost as we were eager and compelled by Love to “Go therefore and make disciples…” For all those teachings and especially the godly examples of those pastors who were servant-leaders to us, I am grateful. However, much of what we lived out in our Christian lives could be done without the need for the supernatural empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit. 

We applied Biblical principles, we disciplined ourselves to follow those principles rather than our own feelings, and we even shared the gospel with others based on carefully laid out spiritual laws and gospel presentations. We learned to praise God thorough all afflictions, but we were relatively unaware of Spiritual warfare. We didn’t believe that God would do supernatural healing or give prophetic direction. We didn’t learn to “hear God” except through the abundance of counsel (prayers of those around us) or the Scriptures. Believing that God was supernaturally empowering us or leading us or even working a miraculous sign through us was not one of our experiential beliefs. 

A dear friend asked me to join her at a Charismatic healing service. I went with her to make sure that, when He didn’t do what she was seeking, I would encourage her to remain faithful to the Lord.  Trouble is, she got healed that night! This was a little crack in my theological armor, but because it wasn’t in my own experience, I wasn’t persuaded that it really happened. However, God began to reveal many things to me as I became increasingly willing to believe that He was showing me things that I hadn’t been taught. He wanted to show me that He does still use people to heal others- sometimes miraculously! He wanted to show me that He is still giving people prophetic words and revealing words of knowledge to them and speaking through them in a heavenly language. I have been able to follow Him into conversations that, before would have led nowhere only to find that, as He leads it, they are open to words of truth that He provides. I have been led by Him to pray for strangers and see them healed of physical as well as emotional hurts.

All this change wasn’t an easy transition for me, however. I had to be willing to let go of the teaching that didn’t line up.  Instead of believing that the Holy Spirit is not currently doing miracles or healing people, I needed to reevaluate that in light of what God was trying to show me.  This caused a lot of growing pains.

What did I learn? That the old wine isn’t good enough.  There is a joy and an excitement as we are “filled with new wine”. There is an empowerment which comes when a person is yielded to the Spirit and allowing God to supply them with His words, His knowledge, His inspiration, His love and counsel. 

 We can follow the teaching of Jesus Christ as indicated in the Bible, we can mature in our character as we apply those principles to our lives.  We can even lead others to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ without necessarily being “filled with the Spirit”, but we will only be teaching them what we have “learned”- i.e. The lessons and teachings we have given mental ascent to. As for experiential knowledge of God and His presence, and the supernatural gifting that He wants to give His children to equip them for ministry and growth, these are only available as the Holy Spirit fills us and works through us.  This is the Charismatic Stream that creates a distinction between those who “know Him” and those who are in Him. Is it WWJD (What Would Jesus DO?) or WIJD? (What is Jesus Doing) What is He doing through you, not what has he taught you to do. This is the difference between the new wine and the old wine. So, you can ask yourself, “Is the old wine good enough?” New Wine into Old Wineskins is a parable of Jesus. It is found at Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22 and Luke 5:33-39.

2019 Mid-Atlantic Clergy Retreat

 

“Hear the word roaring as thunder
With a new future to tell
For the dry season is over
There is a cloud beginning to swell”

This message, which is from the song called, “There is A Cloud”, was the underlying theme of the Clergy and Clergy Wives Retreat for the Mid-Atlantic Diocese led by the newly consecrated Bishop Rob Northwood this past weekend in Solomon’s Island, Maryland. Attended by a large number of priests and their wives representing the following CEC churches: The Cathedral Church of Reconciliation in Bel Air, MD, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Catonsville, MD, Saint Andrews in Petersburg, VA, Christ the Redeemer in Baltimore, MD, Holy Apostles Church in Westminster, MD, and Saint Michaels and All Angels in Williamsburg, VA.

“Every seed buried in sorrow
You will call forth in its time”

We were excited to have Dn. Mark Bradley and his wife Ann, who had been part of the CEC many years ago, we also had Fr. Joseph and Regina Trollinger back with us again! 

We missed Fr. Jeffrey Welch and his wife Debbie as Fr.Jeffrey has suffered some setbacks in his health and we were also sorry that Barbara Ball and Gwen Eppard as well as Fr. John Jackson and his wife Margie and Fr. John McNally and his wife Cindy could not be with us.

The first night we enjoyed some really sweet fellowship as we dined together in an upper room of a restaurant called The Pier.  Surrounded by water on Solomon’s Island, the location was the perfect physical backdrop for the spiritual picture God was trying to impart to us as a Diocese.  

There were prophetic words about the nets that God has been mending, and the importance of being ready for the flood which is going to come. Boats that are only suitable for the harbor are not seaworthy, but God is telling us that we, as a diocese, are going to need to be ready to go on a journey- a cruise.  It won’t be a pleasure cruise, however. The headlines in the local paper were about the “Anti-Abortion Wave” that has been making its way through the United States. The next headline told of the transgender issues that are upon us and, finally, the remake of the movie “Chuckie” is about to be released. What is that a story about? It’s about perversity and horror that is being unleashed through a child. 

It was not coincidental that the date that we were away on retreat was June 21st– the longest day of the year, the beginning of a new season, marking the day when light is longer than darkness. There were many prophetic words which were shared through the clergy and for the clergy. We remembered fondly the words of Bishop Mike Davidson,”Teleios” we need to be fully mature, ready to go forth boldly, leaving a wide path of destruction in the enemy’s camp. 

Bishop Rob reminded us that this is the year for Prophetic Evangelism

To the skies heavy with blessing
Lift your eyes offer your heart
Jesus Christ opened the heavens
Now we receive the “Spirit of Go!”

This last line is supposed to say “Spirit of God”, but the typo seemed to be another way that the Lord was emphasizing His special message to the Mid-Atlantic Diocese.  I have given you the Spirit of GO!! It is time! We are a special group that God has called together to do this work that is in His heart for this region. It is time to GO!

“You are Lord, Lord of the harvest
Calling our hope now to arise”

The next morning we met for Eucharist and a message from Bishop Rob Northwood.  The message was one of hope and unity. We are a group that God is going to be using mightily.  That evening we met for dinner again and were blessed to have Bishop Elmer and his wife Cita join us. They had been attending the Patriarch’s Council in Malverne, New York and they took the train to join us for the remainder of the retreat and then on to Bel Air where the cathedral would be having their annual Corpus Christi March through the town of Bel Air.

 

2019 Mid Atlantic Diocese clergy and wives Retreat was a real joy! Solomon’s Island was an awesome place and the hotel was great. More then that was a great group of Godly men and women who have weathered many storms to come together in this newly reformed diocese to renew their commitment to forging ahead. Like a switch has gone off a sense of direction and bidding form the Lord has bound us together for a future that has great promise from heaven. We are a happy few looking for those that are to join us as we call to the various parts of the geographical diocese! I am proud to be the Bishop of such a hearty group of Spirit filled people.

Bishop Rob

The Liturgical Stream

By Fr. Jeffrey Welch
June 9, 2019

Our Liturgical/Sacramental Stream Comes from Jesus

    Our Liturgical/Sacramental “stream” comes from Jesus.  “Christianity is Christ” John R. W. Stott wrote. Who Jesus Christ is (the Eternal Son of God who became human without losing any of His divinity, in one Person); And what He has done for our salvation and the redemption of the world makes Him our Lord.  He is head of the body, the Church and Lord of all time. (*1)

    So our faith in Jesus calls us to turn our time over to the Lord and follow all the events of His life each year.   We prepare for His prophetic birth (Advent), celebrate His birth (Christmas), His revelation to the world through His signs and wonders (Epiphany), His temptation and fasting for us in the desert (Lent), His death and resurrection from the dead (Palm Sunday, Passion week, Easter), His Ascension to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father (Ascension-tide ) and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit ‘birthing’ the new covenant Church (Pentecost), which is His body, the Church.
 In the same way we in the ICCEC follow Jesus as His disciples have from the very beginning, Acts 2:42 (ESV) And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  “The prayers” were the traditional set prayers of the Jews, now focused on God through Christ our Lord.  Thus the Liturgy we use each Sunday is literally “the work of the people” in service to God; And the “breaking of bread” is the Holy Communion Jesus instituted in the Upper room just before His passion. Likewise we follow Jesus through the whole ‘arc’ of our living, receiving His outward and visible signs and seals of His inward and invisible work of grace in our hearts and lives.  These holy events are called the seven sacraments.
We enter the Church washed by Holy Baptism (*2). We’re strengthened with the spiritual food of His body and blood (*3), for our daily and weekly life (The Eucharist or Holy Communion).  When we stumble into sin and need a cleansing by Jesus through Confession of our sins He gives us that grace(*4). When we grow into adulthood we declare faith in Jesus Christ from our hearts by the laying on of hands in Confirmation and receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (*5).   When we are sick or need healing we ask the elders (priests and bishops) to anoint us with holy oil and Jesus heals us by His will (*6) and to help prepare us for the transition to heaven at the end of our lives (termed extreme unction). When we are called to marry, husband and wife come together in Holy Matrimony and receive grace to live being “fruitful and multiply”(*7).  If we are called to serve Christ in Holy ministry we receive special grace through Ordination to represent Christ to the Church, administer His sacraments and protect “the flock.” (*8).

Our Liturgical and Sacramental “stream” of worship is simply our Church stepping along side the earliest Christians and walking by faith onward with them, as we all follow our Lord Jesus.

 

 

*1 (Ephesians 1:19-23)

*2 (Matthew 28:18-19 and John 3:5-8)

*3 (John 6:51-58)

*4 (John 13:3-10 and James 5:16)

*5(Acts 8:14-17)

*6 (I Peter 2:24-25 and James 5:14-15)

*7 (Genesis 1:28 and Ephesians 5:21-33)

*8(Ephesians 4:11-12 and 2 Timothy 1:6 and Acts 6:5-6)