October 2026
Spirit of the Eagle
St. John the Evangelist ACC
Spiritual Tidbits & Rector’s Reflections for
October 2026 from Father Tim
October and Fall 2026 have arrived and the heat of summer is finally behind us. This month we celebrate the two Trinitytide Sundays (4th &11th), S. Luke, Evangelist & Martyr, (18th) and Christ the King (25th). There is also Saints Simon & Jude, Apostles & Martyrs (28th) and the Vigil of All Saints (31st) or All Hallows’ Eve. “On the vigil of the hallows, it was gloomily and steadily raining.” This is a quote from a story set in 1945 London. But here we are in northern KY with another Halloween coming up quickly, that over-commercialized and hyper-competitive spectacle on which Americans will spend roughly $13 billion this year. Now that’s gloomy. Our society has sadly shifted away from the traditional fun of my youth. In contrast the quote above is from the book All Hallows’ Eve, by Charles Williams, fellow Inkling along with C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and about sixteen others. The plot of All Hallows’ Eve is about finishing unfinished business for both the departed and those still living left behind. The book begins as a twin ghost story. Two women (a young wife and her friend) wandering through London gradually come to understand that they are dead because their plane crashed into a London bridge. For them, London remains the real London, but also a kind of inferno, purgatory, and paradise. As the book draws to a close one of the young women will go forward into the light, and one will not. Salvation and, yes, damnation. Heaven and Hell. Good and evil. This book has everything you would expect for this time of year: a necromancer, young lovers parted by death, spells, charms, a Gothic yet 20th century London setting, various types of the un-dead. How each deceased young woman arrives at their final destination also involves all the living characters they have left behind. All Hallows’ Eve is a theological thriller, full of adventure, but also conveys a real Christian depth and the triumph of love. Supposing we awoke one day and came face-to-face with one of our recently deceased loved ones? What if we were able to communicate with them? How would it possibly change the direction of our lives? These are serious questions that Charles William explores with great insight. I pray that this October each of us will spend less money on Halloween, and spend much more time contemplating All Hallow’s Eve.~ Father Tim
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Do you know any lost souls who live for a worldly Halloween without ever considering the direction of their soul at death? If yes, please invite them to church this October where they can begin contemplating the triumph of Love. ~ Father Tim
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The day may come when after a long fight with disease, we shall feel that medicine can do no more, and that nothing remains but to die. Friends will be standing by, unable to help us. Hearing, eyesight, even the power of praying, will be fast failing us. The world and its shadows will be melting beneath our feet. Eternity, with its realities, will be looming large before our minds. What shall support us in that trying hour? What shall enable us to feel, “I fear no evil”? (Psalm 23:4). Nothing, nothing can do it but close communion with Christ. Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith. Christ putting His right arm under our heads. Christ felt to be sitting by our side. Christ can alone give us the complete victory in the last struggle. ~ J.C. Ryle, 1816-1900, Anglican Bishop of Liverpool
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Did you know?
Did you know St. John’s gave a charitable donation to the Prison Fellowship Ministry in September? Did you know Saint John’s has begun the process of being listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Did you know our October Book of Life Club will be discussing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis in October? Did you know we will be making improvements soon to the basement of the church?
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Saint John October Ordo Kalendar
Sun., the 4th of October, at 9:00 AM, The Office of Morning Prayer
Sun., the 4th of October, at 10:30 AM, Trinity XVIII Mass
Wednesday, the 7th of October, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sun., the 11th of Oct., at 9:45 AM, Psalm-Children Sun. School Class
Sun., the 11th of October, at 10:30 AM, Trinity XIX Mass
Wednesday, the 14th of October, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sat., the 17th of Oct., at 9:00 AM, The Office of Morning Prayer
Saturday, the 17th of October, at 9:45 AM, Bible Study
Sat., the 17th of Oct., at 11:00 AM, Book Club, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Sun., the 18th of Oct., at 9:45 AM, Psalm-Children Sun. School Class
Sun., the 18th of Oct., at 10:30 AM, S. Luke, EV.M. Mass, Vestry Meeting
Wednesday, the 21st of October, at 5:00 PM, Focus Group Committee
Wednesday, the 21st of October, at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer
Sun., the 25th of Oct., at 9:45 AM, Psalm-Children Sun. School Class
Sunday, the 25th of October, at 10:30 AM, Christ the King Mass
Wed., the 28th of Oct., at 6:30 PM, Evening Prayer, Ss. Simon & Jude
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Death used to be an executioner, but the gospel has made him just a gardner. ~ George Herbert, 1593-1633, English Poet, Orator, & Anglican Priest
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Let’s Take Pantheism Off The Table
The universe is a pretty neat place, all things considered. But as great as the universe is, it’s still not God. Every now and then, you’ll hear someone, typically of eastern thought, espouse a type of pantheism. The word comes from combining “pan” (all) and “theism” (God), and so a pantheist is going to affirm something along the lines of “everything is God”, or “God is everything.” Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “The universe is God’s body” before; such is a pantheistic sort of claim. It’s the sort of thing that sounds profound, and perhaps makes for a good slogan to slap on merchandise, but there are a lot of issues to consider.
First, it is flatly incompatible with Christian belief. For example, Scripture speaks as if there was a difference between God and the universe; God is the Creator, and Earth, plants, animals, humans, etc. are the creations. Further, if everything is divine, I fail to see the issue with making idols. Against the polemics in Scripture, such as S. Paul, God would indeed dwell in things made by human hands (Acts 17:24). And, most problematic for Christianity, there would appear to be no difference between Christ and you or I. After all, Christ would be just as divine as we are!
Second, there are strong reasons to think the universe is not past-eternal. In the 20th century, numerous scientific discoveries were made that indicate that the universe as we know it began to exist a finite time ago in the Big Bang. Such discoveries include the redshift in incoming light from distant galaxies, and the cosmic microwave background radiation, among others. (For those interested, the work of Dr. Stephen Meyer and Dr. William Lane Craig is very good at showing the scientific evidence for a beginning of the universe.) These provide reasons from what is known as “natural theology” that rule out any pantheistic religions. After all, it goes against what we mean by “God” to include him in the class of things that begin to exist.
There’s additional reasons that take pantheism off the table as a viable view of God and the universe, but let that pass for now. For now, I want to actually celebrate something about pantheism that it gets right. I think for a lot of people it comes from a good place; namely, the insistence that creation is good, and that God is near. In Genesis 1-2, we see over and over that “And God saw that it was good.” Psalm 8 extols the greatness of creation and man’s place in it. And while Paul disambiguates God from creation in Acts 17, he is clear to not drive a wedge between the two when he says “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Far from the remote God of deism, Scripture proclaims a God who is very near to us; all the more so given the Incarnation. The Christian story scratches the itch of the pantheist, and herein may lie your evangelistic point to press with any pantheists in your life. ~ Chris Stockman
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Death is never the last word in the life of a…man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing. ~ James Moffatt, 1870-1944, Scottish Theologian, Author & Bible Translator
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October Birthdays & Anniversaries
Cas & Judy Denton – Anniversary – October 4
Michael Griswold – Birthday – October 13
Jackson Bock – Birthday – October 14
Virginia Jackson – Birthday – October 16
Katie Craft – Birthday – October 17
Leslee Shelton – Birthday – October 24
Sheila & Ben Myers – Anniversary – October 28
Rick & Eileen Hanson – Anniversary – October 31
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Why should we want to worship Jesus well?
There is a preacher of the old school but he speaks as boldly as ever. He is not popular, though the world is his parish and he travels every part of the globe and speaks in every language. He visits the poor, calls upon the rich, preaches to people of every religion and no religion, and the subject of his sermon is always the same. He is an eloquent preacher, often stirring feelings which no other preacher could, and bringing tears to eyes that never weep. His arguments none are able to refute, nor is there any heart that has remained unmoved by the force of his appeals. He shatters life with his message. Most people hate him; everyone fears him. His name? Death. Every tombstone is his pulpit, every newspaper prints his text, and someday every one of you will be his sermon. ~ Unknown Author
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Death serves all alike; as he deals with the poor, so he deals with the rich: is not awed at the appearance of a proud palace, a numerous attendance, or a majestic countenance; pulls a king out of his throne, and summons him before the judgment seat of God, with as few compliments and as little ceremony as he takes the poor man out of his cottage. Death is as rude with emperors as with beggars, and handles one with as much gentleness as the other. ~ Jonathan Edwards, 1703-1758, American Preacher, Philosopher, & Theologian
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Tears are a tribute to our deceased friends. When the body is sown, it must be watered. But we must not sorrow as those that have no hope; for we have a good hope through grace both concerning them and concerning ourselves. ~ Matthew Henry, 1662-1714, British Minister
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The dust of Lazarus was dear to Jesus; He would not leave it in the rocky tomb. So is the dust of every Lazarus dear in His sight. He will not lose so much as one of them. Wherever they lie, it matters not – beneath the deep blue sea, or on some distant battlefield, or consumed in flame and smoke – the Lord Jesus will yet collect their scattered dust, and make them like His own glorious body. ~ Robert Murray McCheyne, 1813-1843, Scottish Minister, Poet, & Hymn Writer
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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