August 2025
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
August 2025 from Father Tim
Another August has arrived and it will be a busy one at Saint John’s. August 1st is Lammas Day. The name “Lammas” derives from the Old English word “hlafmaesse,” meaning “loaf-mass”. In early English churches, loaves of bread baked from the first harvested grain were brought to the church to be consecrated during Mass. In addition to four Trinity Sundays (3rd, 10th, 17th, & 31st) we have the feast of S. Bartholomew, Apostle & Martyr on Sunday the 24th. The Transfiguration of Christ is on Wednesday the 6th and is a day of obligation. Friday the 15th is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Lammas Day, and our act of receiving Communion, should remind us of our absolute dependence upon God. Sacramental Communion is the way we continually receive the love and power of God afresh, in order that we may go forth into the world and give it out again to others. What did Christ do in that Upper Room, on the ‘night in which He was betrayed’? First He broke bread. It had to be broken. No loaf can be eaten whole. Thus Christ had to die. He had to give His Body to be broken before He could save each of us. Jesus accepted His suffering and His death as part of the Purpose of God. Next Jesus gave the Bread to His friends, showing that the great Act He was about to achieve – on the wood of the Cross – was for them. Jesus was called and sent to die. He was born to die. It was in His blood. If He had not died, He would have lived an untrue life. His God-given mission was to be the Lover, Seeker, and Savior of others, not of Himself. Jesus loved giving, so He gave to all. He gave the bread, He gave Himself, in order that we might all enter into our true relationship with our Heavenly Father. Finally, He invited them to eat that Bread. He asked them to do something. Not just to think, or to look, but to act – to do! There is a profound symbolical meaning in this action; yet the simplest and most ignorant person knows what food means. It is something we cannot do without. If we don’t have enough to eat or if we cannot eat, we die. At each Communion we should recall Jesus saying, ‘I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world’. Our desire should not be merely to ‘receive’, but to ‘become’ the pure bread of Christ. ~ Father Tim
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Do you know someone who needs the Bread of Life? If yes, please invite them to church this August, where Christ can give them new energy, new power to endure, to suffer, to love and to give — to the uttermost, and to the end. ~ Father Tim
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Do we turn away from [the Lord’s Table] when it is administered? If so, how can we justify our conduct? It will not do to say it is not a necessary ordinance. To say so is to pour contempt on Christ Himself, and declare that we do not obey Him. It will not do to say that we feel unworthy to come to the Lord’s table. To say so is to declare that we are unfit to die, and unprepared to meet God. These are solemn considerations. All non-communicants should ponder them. ~ J.C. Ryle, 1816-1900, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
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Do you know?
Do you know Saint John’s may be eligible to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Do you know our Book of Life Club will complete our discussion of Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton in August? Do you know Bishop Fodor will make his Episcopal visit on August 17th? Do you know we are planning a trip to a Reds game in September as a church group?
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Saint John August Ordo Kalendar
Sunday, the 3rd of August, at 10:30 AM, Trinity VII Mass, Vestry Meeting
Wed., the 6th of August, at 6:30 PM, Transfiguration of Christ Mass
Saturday, the 9th of August, at 9:00 AM, Morning Prayer
Sat., the 9th of August, at 9:45 AM, Book of Life Club, Orthodoxy
Saturday, the 9th of August, at 11:00 AM, Confirmation Class
Sunday, the 10th of August, at 10:30 AM, Trinity VIII Mass
Wednesday, the 13th of August, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Saturday, the 16th of August, at 8:00 AM, Rule of Faith Meeting
Sun., the 17th of Aug., at 10:30 AM, Trinity IX Mass, Bishop Fodor
Wednesday, the 20th of August, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sun., the 24th of Aug., at 10:30 AM, S. Bartholomew, Mass, B/A CH
Wednesday, the 27th of August, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sunday, the 31st of August, at 10:30 AM, Trinity XI Mass
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In the celebration of this sacrament we receive the renewed assurance of the forgiveness of our sins, and of our fellowship with Christ; unite with one another as members of His Body, and rejoice in the hope of His return to glory. Therefore, we will commune faithfully and thus renew our pledge of allegiance to Him. ~ Unknown Author
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August Birthdays & Anniversaries
John Fischer – Birthday – August 1
Robert and Sarah Kleven – Anniversary – August 15
Sally Thomson – Birthday – August 23
Chris Stockman – Birthday – August 23
John Hoyle – Birthday – August 27
Janet Butler – Birthday – August 28
Savannah Barkdoll – Birthday – August 29
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Why should we want to worship Jesus well?
“The offering of fine flour, sirs,” I said, “which was prescribed to be presented on behalf of those purified from leprosy, was a type of the bread of the Eucharist [i.e., communion or Lord’s supper; Eucharist means “thanksgiving”]. Our Lord Jesus Christ prescribed this celebration in memory of the suffering which he endured on behalf of those who are purified in soul from all iniquity, in order that we may … thank God for having created the world … for the sake of man, for delivering us from the evil we were in, and for utterly overthrowing principalities and powers by him who suffered according to his will.” ~ S. Justin Martyr, 100-165 A.D., Theologian, Apologist, & Martyr
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LORD, this is Thy feast, prepared by Thy longing, spread at Thy command, attended at Thine invitation, blessed by Thine own word, distributed by Thine own hand, the undying memorial of Thy sacrifice upon the Cross, the full gift of Thine everlasting love, and its perpetuation till time shall end, LORD, this is the Bread of heaven, Bread of life, that, whoso eateth, never shall hunger more. And this the Cup of pardon, healing, gladness, strength, that, whoso drinketh, thirsteth not again. So may we come, O lord, to Thy Table; Lord Jesus, come to us. ~ Source Unknown
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He was the Word that spake it.
He took the bread and brake it.
And what the Word doth make it,
I do believe and take it.
~ Queen Elizabeth I
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A Man or Woman of Great Character
What difference does the Holy Spirit make in your life? Hopefully a lot. Here, I want to say a quick word about what makes someone’s evangelism potent, and what gives a nonbeliever reason to hear us out.
Evangelism requires arguments, whether implicit or not. I like making them explicit, but you don’t have to. St. Paul described his work as God making “an appeal” to mankind (2 Cor. 5:20), and any appeal is built on reasons. The gospel of “God became a man to take on our frailty and die, and rise victoriously as a king to offer all people eternal life” carries with it the implied argument that it should be accepted because eternal life is a good (the Gospel means “good news”), and that God’s kingdom is something people should want to be a part of. But what about our appeal to them is, well, appealing? It’s not any arguments we give implicitly or explicitly (1 Cor. 2:1-5), but rather our manner of living. Arguments are great to have, and I use lots of them, but if I lack humility and grace, then I may as well commit every logical fallacy in the book, because I will not be heard. Being very knowledgeable on a topic is not a reason for people to want to give you a hearing on that topic. No, rather it is your demeanor, your manner of living, that will make you to be someone that others want to listen to. The perfect evangelist will first and foremost be a man or woman of great character, whose life is marked by what separates us from the nonbeliever: the presence of the Holy Spirit.
It’s easy to show the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) when you are not facing hostility to your message. But some fruits, such as patience, can only be seen when they are tested. Ours is a culture of “anything goes”, in which the exclusivity of Christ is offensive, and biblical sexuality and values are trampled on openly in the name of “tolerance”. In this climate, I commonly see people scoff at the very notion of Christianity, and every once in a while, this scoffing will turn into cursing, or else snide comments or sneering glances, and possibly even violence. If you are active in sharing your faith, you will encounter hostility. That is exactly when you must show that you have the Holy Spirit. That is exactly when you have the opportunity to ask yourself: “Which one of us has the Holy Spirit? Who should be the patient one here?” Remember that the unbeliever does not have the Holy Spirit, and they are not forming their lives after the manner of Christ, “who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return” (1 Peter 2:23). So, do not expect them to respond to something they hate in the way that you are supposed to respond to something that you hate.
Showing virtue in the face of evil will get someone to think “Why? Why do they not mock in return?” And as soon as you have an unbeliever interested in why you do not live like others do, you are on your way to a good evangelism encounter. ~ Chris Stockman
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He is The Bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the Flesh, molded in His Passion, baked in the furnace of the Sepulchre, placed in the Churches, and set upon the Altars, which daily supplies Heavenly Food to the faithful. ~ S. Peter Chrysologus, 380-450 A.D., Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church
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Supper at Emmaus
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I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible. ~ S. Ignatius of Antioch, died c. 108/140, Apostolic Father, Patriarch of Antioch, & Christian Author
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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