Christ Mass

Christ Mass Eve Dec. 24 @ 7 p.m.

Christ Mass Day Dec. 25 @ 10 a.m.

If Jesus Christ is the reason for the season, why are we busier buying and selling gifts, cards, trees, etc. more than celebrating the Christ Mass? We at St. John’s Chapel will be meeting for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. All are welcome to join in the worship of our King, on the eve and day marked to celebrate his birth.

While many people will be ending their Christmas celebration on the 24th, we at St. John’s Chapel, along with millions of Christians, will just be beginning our celebration of the 12 days of Christmas. This celebration will culminate with Epiphany on 6th of January.

In the last four weeks before Christmas, we have been observing the season of Advent, in which we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The expectation is twofold – one of Chrsitmas to observe the historic first coming of Jesus Christ into the world as God incarnate, and the other of his second coming when Christ will come to take his bride the Church and judge the world. As Christians, we expect the Lord Christ to come again at any time and thus are prepared to meet him by being surrendered to him by the guidance of his Holy Spirit.

Holy Week At St. John’s Chapel

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday                     April 05, 10 a.m.

Stations of the Cross        Wed., April 08, 7 p.m.

Maundy Thursday            April 09, 7 p.m.

Good Friday                       April 10, 7 p.m.

Easter Vigil                        Sat., April 11, 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday                  April 12, 10 a.m.

 

 

 

The Holy Name

Jesus, the Holy Name of our Lord Christ was given to him by his earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, in adherence to divine direction. The angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her that she would bear a son and should call his name Jesus (Luke 1:31). The angel also appeared to Joseph and told him that his wife Mary would bear a son and that he should call him Jesus, because this son would save his people from their sin.On the eighth day from Christmas Day (Dec. 25) is the first day of the new year in the Gregorian Calendar that is followed widely in the world. According to Luke 2:21, on the eighth day after the birth of the baby, which would be the day for his circumcision, the baby was named Jesus. This day, which is in the twelve days of Christmas (ending on Jan. 6) is celebrated in the church as the Holy Name.

The Holy Name, Jesus, is a transliteration of the Hebrew name “Joshua” or “Yehoshua“, meaning “Jehovah is salvation.” God sent his son, born of the Virgin Mary, in order to save people from their sin. The Son of God (who is the Word of God) took upon himself human flesh in order to carry the load of sin and pay the wages / price of sin, which is death. God, the Father, anointed this Son, which is why Jesus is known as the Christ (the Anointed One).

Salvation, the disciples of Jesus Christ claim, is not available through any other except the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:13), but it is available to as many as will call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12-13; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; Titus 2:11)

 

 

 

 

Feast of St. John

St. John’s Feast

You are invited to celebrate with us the

Feast of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist

At St. John’s Chapel

of the Charismatic Episcopal Church

www.CEChome.com  www.midsouthdiocese.org 

Saturday, December 27, 2008

2877 Cheek-Pulliam Road, Royston, GA

Father Stanley Samuel 706-498-3072

fatherstanley@bellsouth.net

Program:

Morning Prayer at 10 a.m. 

Cook out for lunch (about noon). Bring your favorite side dish, dessert, or chips, and whatever drink you like. We¡¦ll provide the main course (RSVP). 

Holy Eucharist at 5:00 p.m. Note: Bishop Epps will consecrate the Chapel

Celebrant: The Most Rev. W. David Epps, Bishop, seving the Mid-South Diocece

Light supper

You are welcome to attend any part of this feast day. Your presence means so much to us, but we understand if you cannot come; thus we ask for your prayers.

www.stjohnscec.org 

A ministry of St. Andrew’s Charismatic Episcopal Church

The Rev. Canon Randall E. Allen, Rector

www.standrewsjournal.org

Ascension Day

Ascension Day is Thursday, May 01, 2008. We will celebrate it at our regular service at 7 p.m.

Happy Easter

A Happy Easter to you!

At St. John’s we have been reminiscing the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. We walked through the Stations of the Cross, Wednesday; yesterday we observed Maundy Thursday with feet-washing and stipped the altar; tonight, Good Friday, we will hold a solemn Eucharist (from reserve); with Easter Vigil Saturday night we will Celebrate the First Eucharist of Easter with the resurrection of our Lord. These are, of course, age tested traditions of the church that I am just beginning to learn from and cherish. As our diocesan bishop told us, these can just be dead traditions, if we don’t teach our children what these “stones” mean.

Good Friday and Easter, as you well know, are the highest days of the Christian calendar; however, in the US, many churches will have their doors closed so people can be on a “holiday”. What sort of a Holy-day is that when the church wants to take a break? I thought we were supposed to call a solemn assembly. I guess because we have moved away from the basics, we must try out “fresh” ideas and programs that usually cause more trouble than anything else (I speak from a short experience). We try somehow to cater to the congregation in order to keep the pews warm, and most of us are “afraid” of offending anyone because those people will find another “church” so they can be “fed”. After so many tricks though, even a magician would get “fed” up. Hence, on any day possible we may feel the need to take a holiday as in the commercial sense, not a holy-day as in the Christian or biblical sense.

My prayer this Easter is that we as Christians will have the grace of God to look beyond our man-made barriers to the reconciling love of God in our Lord Jesus Christ that is being shed abroad by His Holy Spirit. May we rise above our comfort zones and give up our complacency in order to partake of Christ’s suffering and thus attain to the resurrection of the dead in living an abundant life now on earth.

Ash Wednesday at St. John’s

Charismatic Episcopal Churches to Observe Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, February 6, begins the Season of Lent with the observation of Ash Wednesday. Celebrated throughout the world by the majority of Christians, many treat Ash Wednesday as a day for remembering one’s mortality. Mass or celebration of Holy Communion is traditionally held on this day at which attendees are blessed with ashes. The priest marks the forehead of each attendee with black ashes, traditionally in the shape of a cross, leaving a mark that the worshipper traditionally leaves on his or her forehead until sundown, before washing it off. This symbolism recalls the ancient Near Eastern tradition of throwing ash over one’s head signifying repentance before God (as related numerous times in the Bible). The minister says, “Remember, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.” Often these ashes are made by burning palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations and mixing them with olive oil as a fixative. The penitential psalms are read, and in many churches the cross is shrouded in cloth.

 

Father Stanley Samuel of St. John’s Eucharistic Fellowship, 2877 Cheek Pulliam Road, Royston, GA, has announced that the Ash Wednesday service will be held at 7 p.m. on February 6. All are welcome to take part in this service marking the beginning of Lent 2008. You may contact Fr. Samuel at 706-498-3072 for more details.

Christmas

This Christmas season must be hectic for most people like any other. But let’s not forget that the season is not over. The twelve days of Christmas continue till the coming Sunday, which is January 6, Epiphany. Maybe now, after all the shopping frenzy is over, it is time to reflect on what God did in sending His Son Jesus Christ to be His Word Incarnate (in flesh).

January 1 is marked in the Christian calendar as The Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The name given to the Christ (anointed one) child is JESUS, which is a combination of the root words “Jah” (Yah) and “shua”. The first is where we get the name in English for the personal name of the God of the Bible, Jehovah, and the second part means “to save”.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should be saved. The wonder of Christmas is the salvific work of God Almighty.

Hello world!

Welcome to St. John’s blog site. Remember, we are fast approaching Christmas. Everyone seems to be talking about the “real meaning of Christmas” but not many seem to consider the meaning of the two root words that make the compound word Christmass. It has to do with the Mass of Christ; that is the Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, or the Lord’s Table, or the Eucharist.

December the 25th has been set aside for a special mass of Christ as in commemoration of his birth. But many will not be celebrating Christ Mass although they will be arguing over whether one should use “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” or not.

At St. John’s Chapel, 2877 Cheek Pulliam Rd., Royston, GA,  we will be holding services Christ Mass Eve @ 5 p.m.; Christ Mass Day @ 11 a.m. After all that adheres to the real meaning of Christmas.