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Written by The Rev. Charlie Vensel+
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Dear Saints,
 March 28th is Palm Sunday, which is the last Sunday in Lent, also known as the Sunday of the Passion, and the beginning of Holy Week. The day commemorates Jesus’ triumphal procession into Jerusalem and is marked by a blessing of palms and a procession of the whole congregation into the church. If the weather is good, we will process into the service together, from the courtyard of the Chapman Center. Please plan to gather at 9:40 to receive your palms and for processional instructions.
While outside, we’re also hoping to get a good photo of the congregation to send to our sister Church in Rwanda, Nanga sub-parish, in the Diocese of Kivu. For the photo, we plan on holding up a large sign that reads, "Amahoro y'Imana abane namwe iteka," which is Kinyarwanda for, “The Peace of the Lord be always with you!”
What is Holy Week? Holy week is the most significant week of the church year, starting on Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Day. The earliest Holy Week services seem to have taken place in Jerusalem in the sanctuaries of the holy places, as recorded by the fourth-century pilgrim Egeria. The Book of Common Prayer provides special services for most of these days and special readings for all of them. All Saints Church, Spartanburg will offer two Holy Week services that week. Maundy Thursday 4/1, and Good Friday, 4/2, both at the Church Office at 7:00pm.
 What is Maundy Thursday? It is the Thursday of Holy Week, on which the church remembers Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist and the washing of the disciples’ feet. “Maundy” is a medieval English form of the Latin word mandatum, meaning “commandment,” and it refers to Jesus’ “new commandment” in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (ESV)
In ancient times, the task of washing feet was usually assigned to servants. However, because Jesus washed the disciples’ feet at the last Supper, the early Christian church continued that custom, and it later became associated with the Maundy Thursday liturgy. Although earlier version of the prayer book did not contain it, the ritual was restored as an option in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. The Maundy Thursday Eucharist is also the only one celebrated between Wednesday in Holy Week and the Great Vigil of Easter.
In this service, we will do a foot washing; participation in that part of the service is optional for those of you are not comfortable in so doing. We will also strip the altar bare at the conclusion of the service, in preparation for the Good Friday service.
 What is Good Friday? The Friday of Holy Week and the day when Christians have traditionally remembered and meditated upon the crucifixion of Jesus through fasting, penance, and special devotion. The earliest Good Friday rites took place in Jerusalem, beginning in the fourth century. Today, the liturgy customarily takes place in a bare church where the altar has been stripped and the crosses veiled.
The service consists of the Liturgy of the Word (often the passion narrative from John’s gospel), Veneration of the Cross, and the Solemn Collects (an ancient form of the prayers of the people), and does not include communion.
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February 12, 2010 |
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Written by The Rev. Charlie Vensel+
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Dear All Saints,
Greetings to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are fast approaching Lent; a 40-day time of preparation for Easter that kicks off on Ash Wednesday, 2/17/10.
I thought I would use this blog post to talk a little about this upcoming season and answer some questions, like: What is Ash Wednesday? What is Lent? Why do we follow such a schedule? How do I participate? What should I expect in this season?
Well, let’s start with Ash Wednesday…Ash Wednesday is a day of atonement, fasting, and penitence that marks the beginning of Lent. The name Ash Wednesday derives from the traditional rite in which the celebrant makes the sign of the cross in ashes on the foreheads of worshippers; the practice has its roots in the Old Testament, where sackcloth and ashes are a sign of mourning and repentance.
In the early church, public sinners who had been excommunicated from the church (I’m amazed at how well they practiced church discipline) began a forty-day period of penitential discipline on this day so that they could be readmitted to communion on Easter Day; this custom is at the root of congregational Lenten observance today.
The modern service is a simple one; there is no music, but there is opportunity for Communion. Much of the service has a penitential and reflective tone. While the service was originally for the excommunicated, it has evolved into a time for congregants to prepare for Easter, reflecting on life, repenting, and coming back to the Lord. In other words, it is for all Christians, and we are grateful for the liturgical calendar for calling us into such seasons as a corporate body.
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January 30, 2010 |
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Written by The Rev. Charlie Vensel+
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Dear All Saints Family,
Greetings in the name of the Lord! Nowell, Laurie, Rusty, and I had a wonderful time at the Winter Conference this week in Greensboro. Thank you so very much for sending us!
In spite of us having to come home a day early because of the weather, all of us come back encouraged by an experience of God, have some fresh ideas, a sense of renewal, and some clarity in direction for the future. I had planned to give you an update in Sunday’s service before we had to cancel it and do hope you will all come to TNT this Thursday (where we will offer the Eucharist), but I wanted to share some of what I came away with before then while it is still fresh in my spirit.
First, many people from around the Mission, and in our local network, came to me to share how excited they were for us, especially how far we’ve come in such a short period of time. I was amazed to learn how many other churches and individuals were praying for us, and further, how they believe their prayers for us are being answered.
I’ve always been a churchman, keenly aware that the Church is much bigger than our local congregation, but was exceedingly humbled to learn how much others care for us. I found myself grateful, in a new way, to be part of something so much bigger. Let us remember we are not alone in our journey.
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January 20, 2010 |
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Written by The Rev. Charlie Vensel+
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Dear All Saints Family,
Epiphany greetings to you this month! Epiphany is the time we celebrate the revealing of the Christ Child to the magi; it is the beginning of the New Testament witness to the Gentiles or, as the Angel said of Christ's birth, "[it is the time of] good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 2:10 ESV)
It is, of course, no accident we've embarked on a six-week study of evangelism. It is my hope that we are coming to know who Christ is more fully each week, and in so doing, our joyous marveling will begin to spill over into the world around us; provoking questions, creating desire, and in turn, making Christ known more fully.
As I continue to preach through this series, I'd like to make sure we keep a few things ever before us:
First, evangelism is not a task. It is not something we go and do that is a separate enterprise individually or corporately. Yes, we have a name for it so that we can talk about it, but it is meant to be part of everything we do. It is a natural out-flowing of what's happening inside of us. It should come naturally. It should come without us even having to think about it. The Lord spoke the Great Commission, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20 ESV) Yes, it is a command, and yes it is a task, but linguistically speaking, we would do better to reflect the original language so that it reads, "As you go…" As you go about living your life; going to work, school, or the grocery story…as you go on doing the routine, even the monotonous, seemingly insignificant stuff we do day in and day out. So, evangelism is not about adding another thing to do in the long list of things that compete for your time and attention. It is, however, coming to see the Lord for who he is and bringing all of our life under his submission. It is reprioritizing Christ in our lives, moment by moment. The peace that comes from that stands in sharp contrast to a chaotic world. It will provoke people!
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