Welcome to Anglican Kossacks, a group for Anglican/Episcopalian Kossacks to meditate on weekly scripture readings, discuss developments in the worldwide Anglican Communion, the Church of England and the Anglican Church of Canada as well as issues related to social justice and church polity, liturgy and music in a mutually respectful and tolerant online environment.Open to all, regardless of religious affiliation. Some of our diaries are action, informative or historical diaries and others are meditative and prayerful. We, like the Episcopal Church, welcome you! Thank you for joining us.
Just a wee bit of meditation. Nothing more. Let's relegate the pies to the Undercroft...
One of my favorite Psalms, not on today's cycle:
Ps. 24
The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world and all who dwell therein.
For it is he who founded it upon the seas
and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
"Who can ascend the hil of the LORD?
and who can stand in is holy place?"
"Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, *
who have ot pledged themselves to a falsehood,
nor sworn by what is a fraud.
They shall receive a blessing from the LORD
and a just reward from the God of their salvation"
Such is the Generation of those who seek him*
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob."
Ps. 24, 1-6, translation BCP, pg. 613.
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Collect for St. Mary the Virgin, to whom I am especially devoted though this is not in the Kalendar for Evening Prayer tonight; Her day, August 15th:
O God, you have taken to yourself the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by His blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal Kingdom; through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns, etc. Amen
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
I read a diary today that a man was going to be executed in Texas today. I assume this man was. He was forgiven by one of his victims. So I offer another prayer from our wonderful Prayerbook:
Collect No. 21, for Social Justice:
Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make us no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
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My beliefs, as a devout Episcopalian, come into question with great frequency. Not necessarily by others, but by my own mind. Nothing bothers me more than the Death Penalty. Every other civilized society denounces it, rebukes it, banishes it. Yet we persist. Some use the Scripture to embrace it, and some of them are the same who's forebears used the Scripture to embrace slavery.
I renounce it. My Bishop renounces it, as does my Diocese. Nearly every Episcopalian--nearly every, not all-I know renounces it.
Let us pray tonight and every day for every life taken by the State that is not a life the State should have a right to take. Let us set aside our anger and bile, and let us have the mercy that our Lord had upon those that were capitally punished along side Him.
Let us find, at long last in our souls, a deep and abiding love and mercy. Pardon. Justice. Love. Let us put this face on the discipline we practice as Anglicans. Let us lead the way to justice and peace.