March 2026
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
March 2026 from Father Tim
Spring is on the horizon now that March has arrived. This month contains three Lenten Sundays (1st, 8th, & 15th) as well as Passion Sunday (22nd) and Palm Sunday (29th) to wrap up our 2026 Lenten Season. Other March days to note are the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (25th) and the Compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary (27th). And of course everyone likes the feast day of Saint Patrick (17th) although most of the world likes it for the wrong reasons. Does your Lenten struggle seem long this year? The six Psalms appointed the previous month for Ash Wednesday during Morning Prayer (Matins) and Evening Prayer (Evensong), with that recited or sung in the Penitential Office form the “Seven Penitential Psalms” (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, & 143). These Psalms were frequently recited during the Lenten Season from very early times. A Commination Service for Ash Wednesday was drawn up for the first English Prayer Book of 1549 to replace the blessing of ashes. It was designed as a “threat of punishment.” It included an exhortation on God’s judgment, the solemn cursing of those who have committed various sins, Psalm 51, suffrages, and a collect. It has remained in the English Prayer Book. The American Prayer Book never included it. Psalm 51 is the only feature that remains in our Prayer Book service for Ash Wednesday. The Commination Service was a kind of memorial of the ancient ceremony of the expulsion by the bishop of notorious sinners from the Church, into which they were not readmitted till Maundy Thursday. The old English and some other Service books divided Lent into three stages, by the use of a fresh set of hymns at the third as well as the fifth Sunday, in order to show the progression in holiness that should attend our penitential exercises: “They will go from strength to strength” (Psalm 84:5-7). The three divisions of Lent also typified the three night watches of a beleaguered city, Lent representing the time of sorrow and penance, and so of the earthly exile of the Church “going through the vale of misery.” For those of you in the midst of the Lenten vale . . . keep going, don’t stop, you are on the right and holy path. The first day of Spring arrives on the 20th of March, and Easter Day arrives (gloriously) on the 5th day of April. ~ Father Tim
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Do you know any “notorious sinners” wandering heedlessly in the vale? Someone looking for direction? If yes, please invite them to church this March, where they can begin progressing toward holiness, going from strength to strength. ~ Father Tim
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I cannot pray, except I sin. I cannot preach, but I sin. I cannot administer, nor receive the holy sacrament, but I sin. My very repentance needs to be repented of and the tears I shed need washing in the blood of Christ. ~ William Beveridge, 1637-1708, Anglican Bishop of St. Asaph
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Did you know?
Did you know St. John’s is currently participating in the Care Net Baby Bottle Campaign? Did you know St. John’s has begun the process of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Did you know that St. John’s made a charitable donation to the Emergency Shelter of Northern KY in February? Did you know the restoration of the stained glass above the altar is underway? Did you know our March Book Club will be discussing parts of The Silmarillion?
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Saint John March Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 1st of March, at 10:30 AM, Lent II Mass
Wednesday, the 4th of March, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Friday, the 6th of March, at 11:30 AM, Morning Prayer
Friday, the 6th of March, at 12:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
Sunday, the 8th of March, at 10:30 AM, Lent III Mass
Wednesday, the 11th of March, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Friday, the 13th of March, at 11:30 AM, Morning Prayer
Friday, the 13th of March, at 12:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
Sat., the 14th of Mar., from 2:00 to 6:00 PM, S. Patrick’s Party, Augusta, KY
Sun., the 15th of Mar., at 9:45 AM, Psalm-Children Sun. School Class
Sun., the 15th of Mar., at 10:30 AM, Lent IV Mass, Mothering Sunday
Wednesday, the 18th of March., at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Friday, the 20th of March, at 11:30 AM, Morning Prayer
Friday, the 20th of March, at 12:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
Saturday, the 21st of March, at 9:00 AM, Morning Prayer
Saturday, the 21st of March, at 9:45 AM, Bible Study
Sat., the 21st of March, at 11:00 AM, Book of Life Club, The Silmarillion
Sun., the 22nd of Mar., at 10:30 AM, Passion Sunday Mass, Vestry Mtg.
Wednesday, the 25th of March, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Friday, the 27th of March, at 11:30 AM, Morning Prayer
Friday, the 27th of March, at 12:00 PM, Stations of the Cross
Sun., the 29th of Mar., at 9:45 AM, Psalm-Children Sun. School Class
Sunday, the 29th of March, at 10:30 AM, Palm Sunday Mass
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The saints are sinners still. Our best tears need to be wept over, the strongest faith is mixed with unbelief, our most flaming love is cold compared with what Jesus deserves, and our intensest zeal still lacks the full fervor which the bleeding wounds and pierced heart of the crucified might claim at our hands. Our best things need a sin offering, or they would condemn us. ~ C.H. Spurgeon, 1834-1892, English Minister known as “Prince of Preachers”
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March Birthdays & Anniversaries
Judy Hulsey – Birthday – March 28
Kay Matthews – Birthday – March 31
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Why should we want to worship Jesus well?
If God is in fact our Enemy with only destructive intentions toward us, why do we experience any good at all? It isn’t surprising that life is painful. What’s surprising is that life is joyful. What do our simple, daily joys mean? Is God pretending to be our Friend, is He setting us up for the ultimate nasty surprise? Or is God sending us signals every day that His heart is loving and kind, so kind that we can go back to Him in repentance and find His arms open to us? ~ Stephen Charnook, 1628-1680, English Puritan Divine
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Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility. Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins. Repentance is purification of conscience. Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness . . . . Do not be surprised that you fall every day; do not give up, but stand your ground courageously. And assuredly, the angel who guards you will honour your patience. ~ S. John Climacus, 579-649, Christian Monk at the Monastery on Mount Sinai
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Cults
Cults can be quite dangerous. They are devious in their tactics to recruit new members, and so they can be effective agents of the devil in bringing us away from the truth and into a life of pain. One such cult that, to the unsuspecting, can appear harmless is the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG), or the “Mother God” cult. They are based out of South Korea, and per their website: “In 1964, Christ Ahnsahnghong, the Second Coming Jesus, established the World Mission Society Church of God as the only church in the world that celebrates the Feasts of God. Through various Bible prophecies, you too can confirm the identity of Christ Ahnsahnghong.” Yes, the wooden grammar is even on their website. They currently have about 3 million members and are in countries all over the world. Their nearest “church” to us is in Louisville, but I have recently encountered them on the campus of UC. Here, they are starting a student group called “The Elohists”, and on other campuses they are known as “The Last Reformers”. They are also active in Columbus and on the campus of Ohio State, so it would not shock me if this is part of their efforts to begin something here.
One characteristic trait of cults that claim the name of Christ is they will claim to “restore” something that had been “lost”, or “changed”, or “corrupted”. This is the move made by Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, as well as the WMSCOG. They claim that Christ Ahnsahngong is Jesus who returned to “restore” the New Covenant. They claim that the early church always met on Saturday and observed Passover, until the big meanie Constantine the Great changed everything to pagan “day of the sun” (Sunday) worship and renamed it “Easter” after the Chaldean deity Eostre. And, lucky for you, they are here to set you straight and get you on the path to salvation! Now, they can’t even get their paganism accurate, as Eostre was a Germanic deity, not Chaldean (that would be more like Ishtar), and that is quite the imaginative retelling of early Christian worship, given the multiple references to Sunday worship we have from well before Constantine, such as in Justin Martyr (d. 165). But, let this pass, as these mistakes are the comparatively minor ones.
Much more serious is their talk of “Mother God”, an entirely distinct, divine figure on par with the God the Father. The logic is indeed something: Scripture calls us children of God in many places, and we are told of God the Father, so there must be God the Mother as well! They will also try and talk with you about what “elohim” means, and they want it to be the plural of el/eloah (the male/female Gods). Now, elohim is plural in form, but has a singular referent many times (such as in “God created” in Genesis 1), which is shown when the verb is singular. They will have many proof-texts that they will try to shoehorn “God the Mother” into, but they are all desperate and question-begging. One example: Revelation 21:6-7 says “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. … I will be their God and they will be my children.’” Per the WMSCOG, the speaker there is the Mother. But, in context, the speaker is obviously “He who sat on the throne”, which would disqualify it from being a proof-text for a female deity. In addition to these heretical beliefs, they are modern-day Sabellians (modalists) about the Trinity, as they will say that the Father is the Son who is also the Holy Spirit.
The this-worldly danger with WMSCOG, as with many cults, is their manipulation and brainwashing tactics. They are a “high-control organization” that appears to follow the B.I.T.E. model of authoritarian control: Behavioral control, Information control, Thought control, Emotional control. They will relocate new members, control who they contact, control what media and information they interact with, and manipulate and gaslight members into doubting themselves and depending solely on “the church”. Nasty stuff, but how it starts is they want to invite you to do a Bible study with them. They will talk all about the Bible, and church, and Jesus: good stuff! Then they will mention an obscure phrase in the Bible that is apparently VERY important to your salvation and invite you to study it; ones that approached me wanted me to join them to study the “seal of God” in Revelation 7:2. The single best antidote to the WMSCOG is to read your Bible often and know a little context. Know Scripture better than the heretics do. ~ Chris Stockman
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A stroke, from guilt, from wrath, broke Judas’ heart into despair; a look from love, from Christ, broke Peter’s into tears. ~ George Swinnock, 1627-1673, English Clergyman & Author
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Every man, by his own natural will, hates God; but when he is turned to the Lord, by evangelical repentance, then his will is changed; then his conscience, now hardened and benumbed, shall be quickened and awakened; then his hard hearts shall be melted, and his unruly affections shall be crucified. Thus, by that repentance, the whole soul will be changed, and he will have new inclinations, new desires, and new habits. ~ George Whitefield, 1714-1770, Anglican Priest & Evangelist
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Sincere repentance is never too late, but late repentance is seldom sincere. The thief on the cross repented, and was pardoned in the last hour of his life. We have one such instance in Scripture – that none might despair; and only one – that none might presume. ~ Gorham Dummer Abbott, 1807-1874, American Clergyman, Educator, & Author
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Be ashamed when you sin, don’t be ashamed when you repent – Sin is the wound, repentance is the medicine. Sin is followed by shame; repentance is followed by boldness. Satan has overturned this order and given boldness to sin and shame to repentance. ~ S. John Chrysostom, 347-407, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
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It is doubtless a most joyful thought that we have redemption through the blood of our adorable Savior. But I have no less comfort in the thought that He is exalted to give repentance and remission of sins… Repentance is in every view so desirable, so necessary, so suited to honor God, that I seek that above all. The tender heart, the broken and contrite spirit, are to me far above all the joys that I could ever hope for in this vale of tears. I long to be in my proper place, my hand on my mouth, and my mouth in the dust… I feel this to be safe ground. Here I cannot err.God delivers us from the darkness of ignorance and sin, and hence he is greeted as a lamp in Scripture. ~ Charles Simeon, 1759-1836, Anglican Priest & Biblical Commentator
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We need to be straitly warned, that it is no light matter whether we repent or not. We need to be reminded that there is a hell as well as a heaven, and an everlasting punishment for the wicked, as well as everlasting life for the godly. We are fearfully apt to forget this. We talk of the love and mercy of God, and we do not remember sufficiently His justness and holiness. Let us be very careful on this point. It is no real kindness to keep back the terrors of the Lord. It is good for us all to be taught that it is possible to be lost forever, and that all unconverted people are hanging over the brink of the pit. ~ J.C. Ryle, 1816-1900, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
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The seeking of Jesus Christ and the quest for chivalry combined lead directly to one place only: Anglican-Catholicism. Courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help and defend the weak and the poor. Welcome to the Anglican Catholic Church. ~ Father Timothy Butler