Seminarian’s Corner:
Should Anglicans go to the Priest for confession?

The simple answer, in our jurisdiction, is ALL MAY, NONE MUST, and SOME SHOULD. Meaning one needs to discern for themselves if God is urging them to practice this discipline. The traditional rule, for Anglicans, based on the precepts of the church is to confess at least once a year before Easter. Therefore, a practice I would like to recommend is to confess sins to a priest who is known as a confessor. This is the sacrament of Penance. To receive forgiveness, we need to have true repentance. First is contrition or sorrow for our sin. We need to be genuinely and sincerely apologetic for what we have done. Second is the confession. Before we confess, we need a time of self-examination in order to recall as many sins as possible. Self-examination is to help us to observe ourselves as God who is all seeing perceives us. Third is the satisfaction and the amendment of life. Our intention should be to change our ways to live a better life and we need to be devoted to our commitment before God. What the priest tells us to do is how we can repent of our sin as long as we follow through on the priest’s advice.
(St. Augustine’s Prayer Book)

Do you have a question you would like to ask the seminarian? If so, please submit to me in person, by email, or by phone.

Faithfully,
Greg

Pastor's Teaching

Principles of Prayer

(The Lord's Prayer as our blueprint)

The Basic Principles Of Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

“And he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.”

We begin by addressing God properly.

"Our Father." It is interesting that Jesus would teach us this phrase because Jesus Himself never used it himself. He referred to God as, "The Father", "My Father", or "Your Father" because He is the true Son of God. But you and I are to refer to Him "Our Father" because we are adopted into His royal family.

We should approach Him with tenderness.

"In heaven." Jesus reminds us here that we are not approaching an earthly father. We are approaching the very Father of all creation. He is our heavenly Father and because of that we are created in His image (Genesis 1:26).

We should approach Him with reverence.

"Hallowed be thy name." Jesus reminds us that our Father is free from all impurities. He is totally separated from all evil. He is sacred and deserves our reverence.

We should approach Him with respect.

"Thy kingdom come." It is a difficult thing to go to God in prayer knowing that you are at odds with the ministry of His kingdom. With these words we show our respect and knowledge that it is God’s kingdom that we desire.

We should approach Him with devotion.

"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In one sense the will of God is done whether we like it or not. Yet on the other hand, all believers do not always carry out the will of God. The interesting fact is that we cannot see His will done without first letting Him rule in our lives. He must be Lord our lives and we must seek to build His kingdom. It is an appeal for us to voluntarily give up our wills here on earth so that His heavenly will might be accomplished. Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

We should approach Him with humbleness.

"Give us this day our daily bread." This petition asks God to take care of our daily needs. God is not a God who wants His children to be in need, but our needs are only addressed after we have given our wills over to the Father. You and I will find that our desires decrease, as our Heavenly Father’s will is exercised. It is then that we can ask God to provide for our needs and be totally assured that He will do so.

We should approach Him with thankfulness.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Here we are encouraged to pray for those that have sinned against us. Luke 6:28 "pray for those who spitefully use you" It also implies that if we are unwilling to let go of our grudges and hatreds towards those that have wronged us, we shouldn’t expect God to do the same for us.

We should approach Him with forgiveness.

"Lead us not into temptation." Is there a sense here that God would actually lead us into temptation? To understand this you have to understand that this word carries a dual meaning. The first meaning is trial, sometimes we are given trials that are meant to test our faithfulness. The second meaning is actual incitement, inducement, seducement, and allurement in the direction of causing one to commit an actual sin. In the first case God does not tempt us He tries us. James 1:13 “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” The fact is - that God will never lead you into anything that He does not plan to lead you out of.

In the second case we are subjected directly to the source of temptation, usually the allurements of Satan and we must cling then to the truths of God’s word found in I Corinthians 10:13. “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

We should approach Him with an understanding of evil.

"Deliver us from the evil." Many of the things we consider to be evil - are not. It has been said that poverty is not evil, Suffering is not evil. The only real evil is sin. It is the evil one who pushes us toward sin. Until we recognize that God is our Father and we are His children we will never understand just how evil sin is.

We should approach Him with awe.

"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever." This is a matter of giving God the credit He deserves? It is all about God, the creator of the universe. It is His power that brings all good things to fruition in our lives. It is God and God alone that deserves the glory.

Look for Part 2 in the next edition of the Holy Spirit Anglican Church Newsletter!

Sunday Worship Service: 10 AM – Other Services as announced

We are a Traditional Conservative Christian Church.
Our Schedule of Worship Services embraces Anglicanism in its’ broadest liturgical forms.
Most Sundays we celebrate Holy Communion according to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
We also provide a Healing Service including prayers, the laying on of hands and/or anointing with oil. The Healing Service is at 11:15AM on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.

Biblical Teaching - Apostolic Faith
Liturgical Worship - Sacramental Theology

WE BELIEVE that the nature and will of God were revealed once and for all by His Divine Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and that this revelation recorded in Holy Scripture cannot and must not be altered or reinterpreted to meet the changing desires of man.

WE SUBSCRIBE to the Faith and Order of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as clearly expressed in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, and that the Holy Scriptures contain all things necessary for salvation.

WE ARE MEMBERS of the Body of Christ under the Spiritual Leadership of faithful Bishops in Apostolic Succession adhering to traditional Christian doctrine and principles.

WE WELCOME ALL who seek a firm and unchanging foundation for their Christian Faith in this confused and troubled world.