September 26, 2024

All Saints Gazette: And All Angels!

What humans and more-than-humans are we in this with? How can we invest in our communities?

Greetings from All Saints! This week:

Thursday: 18:00 Bible study at Vrijburg, food welcome

NO SERVICE THIS SUNDAY! 1st/3rd Sundays only for now

St. Michael and All Angels, Commemorated September 29 (30th this year for Episcopalians)

Who are we in this with?

Worship twice a month is right for us at this time (i.e. no worship this Sunday), but I’m still a little sad to leave out some occasions in the sacred calendar of the Episcopal Church, including the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels on September 29 (observed in TEC on Monday).

Protestants tend to downplay angels because they are not really essential to any central teaching about salvation. Avoid speculation about inessentials, because the essential matters are trouble enough! This minimalism is quite pronounced in the Dutch Reformed tradition. Catholics and especially Orthodox Christians tend to welcome be maximalists, sometimes even naming and classifying the choirs of angels. If the Bible says that the “morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7), they might try to pick out voices in the choir. Anglicans can have it both ways, but the contrast isn’t always that stark.

The Reformer John Calvin cautioned that angels don’t do anything that God couldn’t do without them. But he also insisted that angels not be dismissed or understood as mere metaphors. It helps us to know that we are not alone with God, but are in the company of many of God’s other creatures, human and non-human. All depend directly on God, but we also help and receive help from one another.

Anglicans are rarely so bold as to hold to any particular classification of angelic choirs (outside of a classic hymn), but a certain openness to non-human persons is called for. In the Season of Creation, we have been asking about listening to the more-than-human world and developing relationships of gratitude and generosity rather than domination (many of you have heard me quote Robin Wall Kimmerer). Many communities, Christian and otherwise, have ways of relating and listening to ancestors, ecosystems, and spirits of places or of the whole world. We may approach the ministry of angels in the same spirit. We can at least ask what more-than-human realities have a relationship with God in their own right and help us in our life with God by taking our needs to God and conveying God’s care to us. And also, whether we might return the favor.

So I leave you with a question: Who—human and more-than-human—are you are in this with? Who is helping you, taking your needs to God and bringing God’s care to you? Who—human and more than human—are you doing this for, or might you do this for?

Bible Study on Thursday

Mpho leads us in an African method of studying the Bible that makes an expert out of everyone! We’ll do this at Vribjurg on Thursday at 18:00. Bring some food to share if you can. (From Kyle: you can follow our internationally sought-after South African priest and spiritual leader around the world where people pay good money for her to do this, or you can come to All Saints on Thursday where there’s no admission fee—just a donation QR-code. 😊)

How can you show up for your communities?

We have many ways of investing in the communities we want, and they are all valued. Could one of your ways be through a regular offering to All Saints? Any amount is welcome, but consider giving a bit more than what first occurs to you. If you find you miss it after a few months, you can always stop or change the amount. One-time offerings are of course also welcome.

Housekeeping in the Works

We are working on a way for those who consider All Saints their spiritual home to formally register as members. You’re always welcome to participate in everything whether you formally join or not, but this will help us with logistical things. There will also be a formal annual meeting, and a proposed budget will be published.

Beloved Community Corner

You know that Mpho is the Canon for Beloved Community and Anti-Racism for the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, right? Her department is offering an online seminar on Saturday about what “welcome” means. Sign up and attend if you can!

That’s all for Today! Want to talk to a priest? We want to talk to you too!

Website: https://allsaintsamsterdam.church/
Mpho: mpho@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Kyle: kyle@allsaintsamsterdam.church
General: info@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allsaintsamsterdam.church/?img_index=1

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