1 The Messenger July 2013 OF TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH God’s Work in Our Lives “...as you have always obeyed, so now…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Phil 2:13 “...and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…to be con- formed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30 Sometimes it absolutely astonishes me that God is so committed to us. He is committed to working out His, “good pleasure,” in us. And what is that? He is conforming us to the image of his glorious Son, Jesus. This is what God seeks to accomplish in our lives. As C.S. Lewis once noted, we often believe that God is seeking to spruce up the quaint cottage of our lives, when what He is actually intending to do is make us into a mansion! God has high goals and intentions for your life! He is making you like Jesus as He prepares you for His eternal presence. But what does that mean? We certainly don’t become like Jesus in His deity. We become like Him in His abso- lute dependence upon and obedience to the Father. Jesus said, “...the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19) Je- sus was perfectly obedient to the Father’s will as He depended upon the Spirit’s power. The beauty of Jesus’ life is simply the shining forth of His dependent obedience. In His life, we see the life of the Father. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”(John 14:9) That is how we are called to live. This is the life which is fully hu- man. We are to live in absolute obedience to the Father in dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit. On the one hand, it is that simple. On the other hand, it is that hard. Why? Because we are wired, as it were, to depend upon and obey ourselves. Living with this kind of surrender and trust is very difficult for us. So what can we do? For one thing, we can keep our eyes on the goal. We are being made like Jesus in preparation for our eternal home in God’s presence. We are being prepared for glory! In that day we will finally be set free from sin, and having been set free from sin we will be set free from death. We will become everything God intended us to be. We will be fully human. But setting our eyes on the goal isn’t enough. We must also learn to live in the power of the Holy Spirit as we cooperate with God’s incredible work of renovation! That’s what Paul was getting at when he said that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. For years, that verse troubled me. If we are saved by grace through faith, not by anything we do, how could Paul call us to work out our salvation? Wasn’t it already accomplished? The key is to understand that salvation is past, present, and future. We were saved (past) by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross; we are being saved (present) by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the image of Christ; we will be saved (future) when Jesus comes again in glory and fully usher in the Kingdom of God. So when Paul says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, he is speaking in the present. We are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit who is working out in us God’s good pleasure of making us like Jesus as he prepares us for glory. God is committed to this work in us, and He won’t stop until He finishes. That means that no matter what is go- ing on in our lives, whether good or bad, easy or difficult, God is always at work in the hallowed ground of our hearts, seeking to use all circumstances to make us like Jesus. We are not passive in that work, we must learn to cooperate with the work of the Spirit; but that’s a topic for another time. Continued on Page 2
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1
The Messenger July 2013
OF TRINITY ANGLICAN CHURCH
God’s Work in Our Lives “...as you have always obeyed, so now…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Phil 2:13
“...and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…to be con-
formed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and
those whom he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30
Sometimes it absolutely astonishes me that God is so committed to us. He is committed to working out His,
“good pleasure,” in us. And what is that? He is conforming us to the image of his glorious Son, Jesus. This is
what God seeks to accomplish in our lives. As C.S. Lewis once noted, we often believe that God is seeking to
spruce up the quaint cottage of our lives, when what He is actually intending to do is make us into a mansion!
God has high goals and intentions for your life! He is making you like Jesus as He prepares you for His eternal
presence.
But what does that mean? We certainly don’t become like Jesus in His deity. We become like Him in His abso-
lute dependence upon and obedience to the Father. Jesus said, “...the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but
only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.” (John 5:19) Je-
sus was perfectly obedient to the Father’s will as He depended upon the Spirit’s power. The beauty of Jesus’ life
is simply the shining forth of His dependent obedience. In His life, we see the life of the Father. “Whoever has
seen me has seen the Father.”(John 14:9) That is how we are called to live. This is the life which is fully hu-
man. We are to live in absolute obedience to the Father in dependence upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
On the one hand, it is that simple. On the other hand, it is that hard. Why? Because we are wired, as it were, to
depend upon and obey ourselves. Living with this kind of surrender and trust is very difficult for us. So what
can we do?
For one thing, we can keep our eyes on the goal. We are being made like Jesus in preparation for our eternal
home in God’s presence. We are being prepared for glory! In that day we will finally be set free from sin, and
having been set free from sin we will be set free from death. We will become everything God intended us to be.
We will be fully human. But setting our eyes on the goal isn’t enough. We must also learn to live in the power
of the Holy Spirit as we cooperate with God’s incredible work of renovation!
That’s what Paul was getting at when he said that we need to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
For years, that verse troubled me. If we are saved by grace through faith, not by anything we do, how could Paul
call us to work out our salvation? Wasn’t it already accomplished? The key is to understand that salvation is
past, present, and future. We were saved (past) by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross; we are being saved
(present) by the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit conforming us to the image of Christ; we will be saved (future)
when Jesus comes again in glory and fully usher in the Kingdom of God. So when Paul says to work out our
salvation with fear and trembling, he is speaking in the present. We are to cooperate with the Holy Spirit who is
working out in us God’s good pleasure of making us like Jesus as he prepares us for glory.
God is committed to this work in us, and He won’t stop until He finishes. That means that no matter what is go-
ing on in our lives, whether good or bad, easy or difficult, God is always at work in the hallowed ground of our
hearts, seeking to use all circumstances to make us like Jesus. We are not passive in that work, we must learn to
cooperate with the work of the Spirit; but that’s a topic for another time.
Continued on Page 2
2
Sunday School (11a.m.)
PreK-5th Grades meet in Bldg. 3
for the Summer.
Youth Group (Wed. 4:00-5:30 p.m.)
Contact Fr. Mark with ?’s at [email protected]
Youth group swim Party
Wed. July 31st
5:30-8:00 p.m.
Dinner & Games
Contact Fr. Mark
for info
Journey with Jesus Summer Sunday Children’s Activity
Follow Jesus during His earthly ministry through Bible teaching, games, and crafts.
PreK-5th Grade
In Trinity’s Office Building at ODC
Camp San Joaquin Youth Summer Camps
High School Camp July 14-20
Elementary Camp (4-6 Grade) July 21-24
Splash Jr. High Camp July 28-Aug 1
More info at campsanjoaquin.visaliaanglicans.com
Please pray for our
Mission trip to Mexico
With Amor Ministries
July 21-26
Knowing Christ, Knowing Our Self
Last month we reflected on the various aspects of faith dur-
ing our Sunday worship. We looked at how a humble confi-
dence in Jesus involves both really knowing ourselves and
knowing Jesus’ character. It is essential that we grasp both
or trouble will follow.
If I know myself accurately but do not know Christ’s char-
acter, I will be riddled with uncertainty and wavering in and
out of unbelief. Has Christ done enough? Have I done
enough? I’ll know the weight and gravity of my condition
as human being, but I’ll lack the assurance that the Gospel –
what God has done for us through Christ’s stepping into our
place and pouring out His life so that we may live – is the
sufficient solution to my dilemma. Furthermore, I will be
continually tempted to look for peace, love, and joy apart
from Christ through various god substitutes. So a failure to
know Christ’s character will lead to a lack of confidence.
On the other hand, if I have a pretty good understanding of
Christ’s character, but I fail to know myself accurately I’ll
minimize my need for a savior. I will think to myself I am
not that bad, especially in comparison to so and so. What I
really want then is a good teacher who can provide me with
principles for living and an example I can seek to follow; an
inspirational life coach, so to speak. Not only does this lead
to ignoring the reality that we need to be rescued from our-
selves and the evil rampant in the world, it also dismisses
the reality that Christ is Lord.
All authority in heaven and earth are His. What He says
goes. He is in charge, and we are to live under His loving
authority. A good teacher or life coach is not a Lord be-
cause they only have has as much authority as we are will-
ing to grant them. So a failure to have an accurate under-
standing or ourselves leads to a lack of humility, because we
deny our need for the Gospel.
As a church family, we have placed all our chips down on
Jesus and the truth of the Gospel. His loving compassion in
action that we witness at the cross, is also what is guiding us
today in the midst of our transition. Let us continue to hum-
bly and confidently cling and respond to Him alone.
In Christ’s Love & Service, Mark +
What we need to recognize, right now, is that God is
using our circumstances to make us more like Jesus.
That doesn’t mean that He caused the circumstances, but
simply that He knows how to use them. We have an
incredible opportunity, as individuals, as friends, as
spouses, as parents and grandparents, and as brothers
and sisters in Christ, to grow. Let us work out our salva-
tion with fear and trembling, for God is at work in us!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Karl+
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Matthew Dietze
Peter Leigh-Pink
Kathleen Schoen
Ali Hall
Meg Pryor
Regina Pryor
Ken Knight
Liz Kinney
Jim Burrow
Mary Jones
Dcn John LaMar
Vicki Moore
Harley Pinson
Amanda Douglas
Dennis Mullins
Dave Schieber
Larry Ray
Alex Knight
Charlie Knight
Racine Weringer
Louis Fork
Dreda Pitchford
Donny Steward
Gay Monroe
Mitchell Elliott
Tara Michaels
July Birthdays In The Parish Family
Congratulations to…
… Madison Holmes on her graduation from
High School.
Sympathy to…
… to Karen & Al Cartmell on the death of
her mother.
Thank You to...
… all those who brought boxes for us to use for
our move.
… everyone who helped with packing, loading,
and moving the items for our church.
… to Debbie Gibson and the ACW for a lovely
reception at the Olive Drive Campus.
… to all those who volunteered for FLOOD
this month.
Barbara Nelson
Mike Stephanovich
Perrin Swanlund
Paul Pruett
Sharon Leigh-Pink
Alexandra Poon
Janet Poteete
Mary Carpenter
Mort Brown
Eliza Gauthier-Parker
Nikolas Ray
Daveena Honey
Nile Kinney
Pete Nommensen
Ray Watson
Don Clark
Olga See
Jean Thompson
Susan DeNatale
McKenna Holmes
Paul Steward
Ava Steward
Patty Bass
Jennifer Faulk
FOOD BASKET
Please do not bring any
more food for our Food
Basket. Since we are mov-
ing, and our person who
delivers the food to the
Homeless Shelter is un-
available at this time, we
have decided to suspend
the program until further
notice.
NEW CHANGES
Trinity Anglican Church
5500 Olive Drive Bldg. 3
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Website: www.trinitybakersfield.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone number is the same = 861-6020
We will inform you of our Fax number at a later date.
4
SUMMER HOURS
REMINDER: Our Church Office will be following
summer hours. We will be closing at noon each
Friday through the Labor Day Weekend.
Do you need a ride to our new location on
Olive Drive? If so, or if you know of someone
who may need transportation, please call the
church office at 861-6020.
Share your Life, Open your Home,
Share your Hope in Christ
KEEP PRAYING!
Contact Fr. Mark for more information.
HOME FOR THE QUILTING GUILD
The Quilting Guild is in need
of a new home to continue
their ministry. If you have or
know of any space where they
can set up their ministry,
please contact the Church Of-
fice.
Thursday Chapel Services will break beginning in July
and resume in the Fall.
ACW NEWS Our ACW Group will NOT be meeting until August
15th.
BUNCO
On Thursday, August 15th, our ACW will be host-
ing a Bunco Night. All ladies are invited. The cost
is $10 per person and a snack or dessert is most wel-
come.
5
Our Clergy The Rev. Karl E. Dietze, Rector
The Rev. Mark Hall, Assistant
The Rev. John M. Wilcox, Retired
The Rev. John LaMar, Deacon
Our Staff Sue Wagner, Director of Music
Tara Michaels, Office Manager
Kendi Miller, Bookkeeper
5500 Olive Drive, Bld. 3
Bakersfield CA 93308
661-861-6020 Office
661-861-6026 Fax
WORSHIP
SERVICES
Sunday
Rite I - 8 a.m.
Rite II - 11 a.m.
Sunday School at 11 a.m.
Thursday
Healing Eucharist 10 a.m.
July 2013
Trinity Anglican Church
5500 Olive drive, Bld. 3
Bakersfield CA 93308
The Messenger
Trinity Anglican Church
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