Getting Married at Holy Trinity
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A. ANGLICANS BELIEVE: That Jesus was, and is, the Son of God, and that God has raised Jesus from death. That Jesus practised what he preached, he showed us in his life, death and resurrection that God's way is the way of love, and that our human fulfilment consists in following God's will for us. That God's will is that we should love God above everything else, and love one another as much as we love ourselves. That our love is often blocked by the fact that we have sinned, but that we can overcome that sin by accepting God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ (see Zephaniah 3:15). That life in this present world is not all. We can hope for a new quality of life which will overcome death and bring eternal life in Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:50-55). That God's Holy Spirit is present in the Church to strengthen and inspire us to live the Christ-life. We believe that, while knowing about a Church's history and traditions is important, what really matters is knowing, loving and following Jesus Christ the Lord of the Church. B. ANGLICANS BELIEVE that four basic elements are essential to the life of the Church: THE HOLY SCRIPTURES (go to
www.biblesoc.org.nz ) THE HISTORIC CREEDS THE SACRAMENTS of
Baptism and
Holy Communion THE HISTORIC MINISTRY of Bishops, Priests and Deacons C. ANGLICANS BELIEVE IN UNITY: For a long time now the many different churches have regretted the historic reasons and the prejudices which have divided the Christian Church. In New Zealand the Anglican Church is negotiating towards union with the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist Churches and the Associated Churches of Christ. This negotiation has led to the establishment of a number of "Co-operating Parishes" where several different congregations share their life and ministry together. The Anglican Church is also seeking a way towards union with the Roman Catholic Church, basing discussions on a number of 'Statements' which have been agreed to at an international level. D. ANGLICANS BELIEVE IN EVANGELISM: Jesus commanded his disciples to proclaim the good news of God's love to all the world and from the very earliest times Christian missionaries have obeyed that command. Anglican missionaries have played their part also. In the wake of the expansion of the British Empire, they carried the Gospel to Africa, China, India and the Pacific. They were so successful that today there are many more dark-skinned Anglicans than light-skinned Anglicans. Today the good news of God's love needs to be proclaimed in our own land. The Anglican Church believes that task belongs to all God's people. Everyone knows that people who go to Church pray, sing hymns and listen to sermons. But not everyone understands why they do it. People who go to Church share a reverence for God as our Creator and recognise that there is more to life than the everyday things surrounding us.
Some of us have experienced a sense of awe and wonder when confronted with the majesty of the mountains. Others have looked at their first-born child and felt a love so deep they can hardly bear it. It is the awareness of 'something' and someone greater than ourselves at work in our lives that puts everything else into perspective and enables us to recognise not only what is good and pure and valuable, but also what is evil, corrupt and worthless. Giving expression to feelings like these, responding to this awareness, is what going to Church is all about. In Church, the people of God come together to worship and praise God and to reverently acknowledge God's power and love in their lives. JESUS IS CENTRAL: The first Christians had experienced all those feelings of awe and wonder at some-thing greater than themselves. Then they met Jesus. Almost 2000 years later, there are millions of Christians who claim a similar experience and who continue to express that experience in their prayer and worship. Jesus was a Jew and much of our Christian worship is based on Jewish forms of worship. But at the centre of all Christian worship is the Service Jesus himself gave us. It is called by various names: Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Liturgy, the Lord's Supper, or the Mass. This central Service has been celebrated in Parish churches and in great cathedrals, in prison camps and on ocean-liners, wherever Christians have gathered. It is our Christian response to what Jesus did on the night before he died. During a simple meal with his disciples He gave them bread to eat and wine to drink and commanded them to, "Do this to remember me". Somewhere in the world, every day for the past 2000 years, the Service of Holy Communion has been celebrated to remember Jesus our Lord. This is the most common Service of Worship in the Anglican Church in New Zealand. Though the Family Service which we have on the first Sunday of the month does not include the Holy Comunion. The details of the Holy Communion Service may vary from church to church, but the basic elements of the Service are always the same.
The first part of the Service includes hymns or songs, teaching about our faith, readings from the Bible and usually a sermon. During the second part of the Service the Priest uses Jesus' own words over the bread and wine so that they become symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ. Exactly what this means and how this happens has been the cause of religious debate for centuries, but for most Anglicans a short poem written by Queen Elizabeth 1. sums it up: He was the Word that spoke it, After everyone has received and eaten a small piece of bread, and taken a sip of wine from the cup, a prayer of thanksgiving is said and we are sent out to be agents of God's love, peace and hope in our daily lives. What are the Sacraments? A Sacrament is an action or sign which has an inward, spiritual meaning; a way to express something which is too deep for words. The Church has two great Sacraments. They are the two commanded by Jesus: The Holy Communion and Baptism. BAPTISM: Baptism is the rite of Initiation or "Belonging" to the Christian Church and
is administered by the immersing in, or pouring over, of water. The water symbolises among
many things, a cleansing or "washing" from the old way of life. Baptism is
always accompanied by a profession of repentance from sin and affirming of faith in Jesus
Christ. Baptism always takes place during a Service of Worship whether the worshipping
congregation is a small family group or a gathering of the local Church. HOLY COMMUNION :
CONFIRMATION: is the means by which a Christian is commissioned for witness and service by the "laying on of hands." ORDINATION: is the means by which Bishops, Priests and Deacons are made ministers of the Church. MATRIMONY: is the joining of a man and woman in marriage. PENANCE: is the Sacrament of forgiveness and reconciliation. UNCTION: is the Sacrament of healing. OTHER WORSHIP SERVICES: We have other Worship Services apart from those celebrating the sacraments: Morning and Evening Prayer, sometimes called Matins and Evensong, are based on the old monastic services. They consist of hymns, readings, prayers and psalms. The psalms are the ancient hymns of the Jewish people. While some of the psalms are over 3000 years old, what they have to say about our relationship to God is still relevant today.
The best place to find out about Jesus is from the pages of the Bible. In the Old Testament we read of God preparing the world for the coming of Jesus, His only Son, into the world. We find many prophecies relating to the manner of his birth, his life, his death and resurrection, and to his coming again as Judge. In the New Testament Gospels we read four accounts of the major events in the life and ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. Read the New Testament for yourself, in a modem translation. The following are some of the scriptures which tell us of these key matters we ought to consider. JESUS - a man of history : No other person has influenced the history of the world as much as Jesus. He was born in Palestine during the Roman occupation in the
First century, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,
Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king
of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.' Some thirty years later, Pilate the Roman governor sentenced him to death. Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar. When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as The Stone Pavement ... It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. ‘Here is your king,' Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, 'Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!' 'Shall I crucify your king?' Pilate asked. 'We have no king but Caesar,' the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. JESUS - his unique birth and life His supernatural birth
His Supreme Authority His authority over the forces of nature As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on
the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples
went and woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown.' He got up and rebuked
the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your
faith?' he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is
this? He commands even the minds and the water, and they obey him.' His authority in the supernatural realm The people were amazed at his teaching, because he
taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in
their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 'What do you want with us,
Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are - the Holy One of
God!’ ‘Be quiet!' said Jesus sternly. 'Come out of him!' The evil spirit shook
the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that
they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching - and with authority! He even gives
orders to evil spirits and they obey him!' His authority over disease Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all
the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many
who had various diseases. JESUS - his unique death and resurrection The Apostle Paul wrote:
What I
received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures. His death
His resurrection 7he strongest evidence for the truth of the claims Jesus made is in the fact of his resurrection. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in
clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed
down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for
the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while
he was still with you in Galilee: "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again." Then they remembered
his words. ... Declared with power to be the Son of God by his
resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus said.. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you
say, 'Show us the Father"? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that
the Father is in me? The words that I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the
Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father
and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.'
He is eternal Jesus said. 'I tell you the truth ... before Abraham was born, I
am!' 'Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had
with you before the world began.' 'I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do
the will of him who sent me.' He is powerful Jesus said.- 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me.' He satisfies 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never
go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.' He offers light in our darkness 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will
never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'
He promises security 'I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be
saved . .. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may
have life, and have it to the full ... I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all; no-one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.' He promises life after death ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes
in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die.' He is the way to God 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one
comes to the Father except through me.' He forgives sins 'Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are
forgiven.' At this some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, 'This fellow is
blaspheming!' Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts
in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven", or to say,
"Get up and walk"? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on
earth to forgive sins .. Then he said to the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat and go
home."' And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled
with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. He is coming again Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man, said 'The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and
all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds
of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send His angels with a loud trumpet
call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to
the other ... Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.' JESUS - his impact on others Today there are many opinions about Jesus Christ but it is interesting to look at a cross-section of statements from those who met him face to face. The man in the street When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds
were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their
teachers of the law. They * said to the woman, ' We no longer believe just
because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man
really is the Saviour of the world.' ( * People from the town of Sychar.) Peter - one of his closest friends When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God!' The religious leaders The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied... Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?' 'He is worthy of death,' they answered. Then they spat in
his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, 'Prophesy to us,
Christ. Who hit you?' Pilate - his Roman judge Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the
crowd, 'I find no basis for a charge against this man. The centurion - his executioner When the centurion and those with him who were guarding
Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,
'Surely he was the Son of God!' After his death and resurrection, the church of Christ grew rapidly. There was no doubt in the minds of the early Christians about the supreme greatness of Jesus as these passages demonstrate: God speaks through Jesus In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by
his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The
Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining
all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down
at the right hand of the majesty in heaven.
Jesus Christ is Lord Christ Jesus ... being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a
man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross. Therefore
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. JESUS - his impact on you Some people tried to get rid of him. Some tried to ignore him. Others were unwilling to face up to the force of his claims upon them. It is the same today. You can't sit on the fence Jesus said.. 'He who is not with me is against me.' Listen to him 'I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over
from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead
will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.' Recognise your need If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and
the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we
make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
Count the cost He called the crowd to him along with his disciples and
said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet
forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?' Believe in him Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. His invitation to you He said.. 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.' (Quotations from the New International Version of the Bible © IBS) How Do I Join the Church? Jesus said there is only one way of joining the Church and that is by BAPTISM. He said "Unless you are born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (see John 3:5). Two things happen in Baptism. First, the person being baptised says, "I believe in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." They affirm their Faith. Then the baptising minister either plunges the person under water, or pours water over the person's head, while announcing that this person has now entered into a new state of life; a state in which he or she belongs to God, in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, that person now belongs to the Church of Christ.
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