St. Aidan's Anglican Church, Kansas City - weekly talks

Ivanka Demchuk - Icon Parallel cities collide, one earthly, the other heavenly, the present age, and the age to come.

St. Aidan's is a local church with a variety of spiritual gifts in play. We also have members who oversee their own unique ministries, such as Desert Stream and Culture House, both having an international scope. Considering these ministries provides a living illustration of how the Holy Spirit raises up ministries with differing scope and effect. These two ministries also provide a mutual offering for each other where Christ's wholeness can be experienced in the arts and human sexuality. This talk's aim is to explain the differing gifts among us and to introduce the leaders of Desert Stream to the Culture House. Andrew and Annette Comiskey oversee Desert Stream. Based on Jesus' mercy and the dignity of men and women made in God's image, they equip Christians to gather in pursuit of radical wholeness. For more, see desertstream.org. Jeremiah and Mona Enna oversee the Culture House, a myriad of programs and opportunities for professional artists, students of the arts, and fans, families, and friends of the arts. At the core of who they are is the belief that each person was created in the image of God and has been gifted with creative gifts to improve our community and world. For more, see culturehouse.com.

Icon: Ivanka Demchuk Introduction to Spiritual Formation of the Family Seminar Opening poem: Charles Sperry Talk: Lindsay Powers

The call and example of Jesus to likewise become a servant is a way to dismantle abusive power structures. He did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. At St. Aidan's, we call newcomers to membership to commit their lives to one another in loving service. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with singing! We long to be joyful servants of the King.

We strive to build a church family that lives as the interrelated, interdependent Body of Christ of I Corinthians 12. We view membership as local and universal with intentionality and mutually agreed-upon biblical aims for the people of God in a local church family.

The Transfiguration of Christ reveals the original glorious light humanity wore as a garment. This loss of glory revealed to our ancestral parents a sense of nakedness, fear, and shame. The entrance of sin into the cosmos stripped humanity of this glory shared in communion with God. Christ, the Second Adam, the ultimate human, fully human and fully divine, shows forth the outcome of our salvation in Christ. The feast of the Transfiguration shows us what it means to be fully human, restored in Christ. Christ calls us out of darkness into his marvelous light. In baptism we put on Christ, the restored robe of glory. He calls us to walk in the light, restoring communion with God and creation. As we live in this light, we have communion with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

The Calling of Saint Matthew is a painting by Caravaggio, depicting the moment at which Jesus Christ inspires Matthew to follow him. It was completed in 1599–1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, where it remains. It hangs alongside two other paintings of Matthew by Caravaggio, The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (painted around the same time as the Calling) and The Inspiration of Saint Matthew (1602).

Icon by Ivanka Demchuk The Wedding at Cana of Galilee, John 2:1-11, is a picture of humanity, empty and without the wine of divine life. Israel had run out of wine, and it would require the Paschal Mystery to restore the divine life. The wedding at Cana is a picture of how our transformation occurs. Jesus brings the wine, restored communion, to our lives. He fills our empty vessels with the abundance of his Kingdom - righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. He's saying if our relationship with God has run out of wine, do what he tells you, and out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. If our marriages are running low on this joyous wine, do whatever he tells you, and out of our innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. The presence of Jesus in our households brings transformation. “I will restore the years that the locust have eaten.” Joel 2:25 We see how Jesus transformed water into wine. Today we believe he will transform wine into his blood. Likewise, he can transform our households, our marriages, our relationship with him and others by the koinonia of the Holy Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit into your lives. It's the presence of Jesus that transforms our households. The Spirit and the Bride say, Come.

Holy Matrimony, a truly Christian marriage, and life-long celibacy point to the union of Christ and His Church, His Bride. Both an outward signs of an inward grace; both signify Union in Christ, yet marriage signified earthly union awaiting the consummation of all things, while life-long celibacy points to the eschatological union, the full consummation of Christ and His Church in the eschaton.

Andrew and Annette Comiskey are the founders of Desert Stream Ministries (desertstream.org/). Desert Stream is based on Jesus' mercy and the dignity of men and women made in God's image. They equip Christians to gather in pursuit of radical wholeness.

Andrew and Annette Comiskey are the founders of Desert Stream Ministries (desertstream.org/). Desert Stream is based on Jesus' mercy and the dignity of men and women made in God's image. They equip Christians to gather in pursuit of radical wholeness. Following today's talk includes portions of the ministry prayer time. The entire congregation responded and came forward to receive prayer. Next week, they will continue part 2 of their message to our congregation.

3. The Church Comes Home - Ordering Our Lives In Love - Fr. Derek & Katie Metcalf 06.18.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Psalm 127 Ephesians 2:11-21 Luke 11:14f.

Alongside the sermon series, The Church Comes Home, we encourage our congregation to read Habits of the Household - practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Jason Whitmel Earley.

The Feast of Pentecost, Anita Powers - artist

This is the final class for the summer. We plan to begin with Genesis 12 sometime after the summer. Blessings.

John 17:1-11; Acts 1:1-14 - Year A - 7th Sunday of Easter. This talk encourages us to look at God's eternal plan of redemption in Christ as a whole, from the anticipation of Advent blooming into Christmas, the Feast of the Incarnation; from Good Friday necessitating Easter, and the Ascension anticipating Pentecost, the final act of redemption until the return of Christ, the Grand Finale. These feasts are not to be understood as individual events but one dependent on the next to accomplish the whole plan of redemption from the Theotokos' conception by the Holy Spirit to the return of the glorified God/man, King Jesus. Though Easter is the feast of feasts, it is not isolated from the Ascension pointing to Pentecost. Alas, Pentecost points to the Grand Finale, the final return of Christ to inaugurate the New Creation, new heavens, and a renewed earth wherein righteousness dwells. Come, Lord Jesus!

Eastertide brings us backward to the forward teachings of Christ, pointing to his resurrection and ascension, and to Pentecost, the sending of the Holy Spirit. It would take all three of these salvific events for His Church to form and abide in Him.

17. Genesis 9:18 - 10:32 Bill Baldwin 5.14.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Genesis 8:20 - 9:17 - After the Flood (Worship, Government, and Covenant) Bill Baldwin 05.07.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled - Fr. Derek Metcalf 05.07.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Genesis 7-8

Luke 24:39-49 Today we continue in Luke 24, with Luke's final resurrection appearance. Last week, we reflected on how the risen Lord interacts with humanity. He appears to the fearful, the unbelieving, the sad and disillusioned on Emmaus Road. Emmaus road can be understood as a metaphor for humanity going the wrong way. These two disciples attended the first Holy week, witnessed the crucifixion and heard the testimony of the women that Christ had risen. They knew the facts but didn't get the meaning of it all, the visible realm was obvious, but the invisible realm was closed. There are two ways of seeing, perceiving. The first way is familiar to all. Though born blind to true reality, we come into this world seeing the surface of things. Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” Like us all, these two on Emmaus Road were familiar with this way of seeing. It's all humanity knows until the risen Lord reverses this limited way of seeing passed down from Genesis 3:7. Their eyes were opened to what? That they were naked, that they were ashamed, that they were afraid. Luke 24:31 is the reversal to Genesis 3:7: Verse 30 says, “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Verse 31, “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.” As they processed this encounter, they asked each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” The Scriptures become a sacramental portal into the mystery of Christ, the pattern of life, participating in his death and resurrection.

3rd Sunday of Eastertide - The Road to Emmaus

14. Genesis Class - Chapter 6 - Bill Baldwin 4.23.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

13. Genesis 4:17 - 5:32 Bill Baldwin 4.16.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Behind Our Barricades, Jesus Appears - 2nd Sunday Of Easter - Fr. Michael Flowers 4.16.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Having Loved His Own Who Were in the World, He Loved Them to the End The whole visible world proclaims the goodness of God, but nothing proclaims it so clearly as his coming among us, by which he whose state was divine assumed the condition of a slave. This was not a lowering of his dignity, but rather a manifesting of his love for us. The awesome mystery which takes place today brings us to the consequence of his action. For what is it that takes place today? The Savior washes the feet of his disciples. Although he took upon himself everything pertaining to our condition as slaves, he took a slave's position in a way specially suited to our own arrangements when he rose from the table. He who feeds everything beneath the heavens was reclining among the apostles, the master among slaves, the fountain of wisdom among the ignorant, the Word among those untrained in the use of words, the source of wisdom among the unlettered. He who nourishes all was reclining and eating with his disciples. He who sustains the whole world was himself receiving sustenance. Moreover, he was not satisfied with the great favor he showed his servants by sharing a meal with them. Peter, Matthew, and Philip, men of the earth, reclined with him, while Michael, Gabriel, and the whole army of angels stood by. Oh, the wonder of it! The angels stood by in dread, while the disciples reclined with him with the utmost familiarity! And even this marvel did not content him. He rose from the table, as Scripture says. He who is clothed in light as in a robe was clad in a cloak; he who wraps the heavens in cloudswrapped round himself a towel; he who pours the water into the rivers and pools tipped some water into a basin. And he before whom every knee bends in heaven and on earth and under the earth, knelt to wash the feet of his disciples. The Lord of all creation washed his disciples' feet! This was not an affront to his dignity, but a demonstration of his boundless love for us. Yet however great his love was, Peter was well aware of his majesty. Always impetuous and quick to profess his faith, he was quick also to recognize the truth. The other disciples had let the Lord wash their feet, not with indifference, but with fear and trembling. They dared not oppose the Master. Out of reverence, however, Peter would not permit it. He said: Lord, are you going to wash my feet? You shall never wash my feet! Peter was adamant. He had the right feelings, but not understanding the full meaning of the incarnation, he first refused in a spirit of faith, and afterward gratefully obeyed. This is how religious people ought to behave. They should not be obdurate in their decisions, but should surrender to the will of God. For although Peter reasoned in human fashion, he changed his mind out of love for God. Severian (late 4th century)

The Precious and Life-giving Cross of Christ Theodore the Studite (759-826) How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return. This was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the Lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny. This was the tree upon which the Lord, like a brave warrior wounded in his hands, feet and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on our nature. A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory! Well might the holy Apostle exclaim: Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! The supreme wisdom that flowered on the cross has shown the folly of worldly wisdom's pride. The knowledge of all good, which is the fruit of the cross, has cut away the shoots of wickedness. The wonders accomplished through this tree were foreshadowed clearly even by the mere types and figures that existed in the past. Meditate on these, if you are eager to learn. Was it not the wood of a tree that enabled Noah, at God's command, to escape the destruction of the flood together with his sons, his wife, his sons' wives and every kind of animal? And surely the rod of Moses prefigured the cross when it changed water into blood, swallowed up the false serpents of Pharaoh's magicians, divided the sea at one stroke and then restored the waters to their normal course, drowning the enemy and saving God's own people? Aaron's rod, which blossomed in one day in proof of his true priesthood, was another figure of the cross, and did not Abraham foreshadow the cross when he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the pile of wood? By the cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The cross is the glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the sanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfolds of heaven. Amen. Theodore the Studite (also known as Theodorus Studita, St. Theodore of Stoudios, and St. Theodore of Studium; 759–826) was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople, founded in 462 or 463 by the consul Studios (Studius), a Roman who had settled in Constantinople, and was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Theodore's letter, containing suggested monastery reform rules, is the first recorded stand against slavery. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium. He is known as a zealous opponent of iconoclasm, one of several conflicts that set him at odds with both emperor and patriarch. After his death the Studios monastery continued to be a vital center for Byzantine hymnography and hagiography, as well as for the copying of manuscripts.

Easter Homily of St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople ~ 400 AD If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival. If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord. If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense. If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation. If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness. For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first. He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious. He both honors the work and praises the intention. Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward. O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy! O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day! You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today! The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you! The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry! Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness. Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior's death has set us free. He that was taken by death has annihilated it! He descended into Hades and took Hades captive! He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions". It was embittered, for it was abolished! It was embittered, for it was mocked! It was embittered, for it was purged! It was embittered, for it was despoiled! It was embittered, for it was bound in chains! It took a body and came upon God! It took earth and encountered Ηeaven! It took what it saw, but crumbled before what cannot be seen! O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown! Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen! Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb! For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept. To Him be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Seated On The Empire's Stone -1st Sunday Of Easter Fr. Michael Flowers 04.09.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Palm Sunday - Fr. Derek Metcalf 04.03.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

12. Genesis Class - 4:1-16 - Bill Baldwin 3.26.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

11. The Genesis Class - New Testament Uses of Genesis 1-3 Bill Baldwin 3.19.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Matthew 5:5-7 Gentle Strength 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Starving for Being Rightly Related 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Merciful Identification 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

10. Genesis Class - Ch 3 8 - 24 Bill Baldwin 03.12.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

This is #2 of a series on the Beatitudes - an introduction

John 3

9. Genesis Class - Ch 3 1 - 7 Bill Baldwin 03.05.23.MP3 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Genesis 2:8-24

Year A - Matthew 4:1-11; Genesis 2 & 3

7. Genesis Class Week 7 Ch. 2: 4 - 9 Bill Baldwin 02.19.23.MP3 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Transfiguration & Our Interior Deserts, Mountains & Valleys - Fr. Michael Flowers 02.19.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

6. Genesis Class Week 6 - The Image of God - Bill Baldwin - 1 26 - 2 3 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

Practicing Poverty Of Spirit - Alms, Prayer, Forgiveness, Fasting - Fr. Michael Flowers 02.12.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

5. Genesis Class - 1:14 - 31 Bill Baldwin - 02.27/23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

How To Read The Beatitudes, An Introduction - Fr. Michael Flowers 01.29.23 by St. Aidan's Anglican Church, KC

"Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come" I Corinthians 10:11. Welcome to the Genesis Class at St. Aidan's, KC. Bill hopes to discuss the book of Genesis at least through chapter 15 and God's covenant with Abraham. The class will cover foundational themes regarding Creation and Redemption, the nature of the image of God, the Seed of the woman (and the Seed of Abraham) vs the Seed of the serpent, and the city of God vs the city of Man. We'll look at how all these points to Israel as God's chosen people, to Jesus as God's well-beloved Son, and to you upon whom the ends of the ages have come! The result, we hope, will be a greater understanding of "the big picture" presented in Scripture, a greater appreciation for how God works to accomplish his purposes, a greater joy in who Jesus is and what he has done and is doing, and a greater awe at how you have been placed into this unfolding story. Recommended background reading: Meredith Kline's Kingdom Prologue. See meredithkline.com/ Theopolis Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-theopolis-podcast/id1148175126?i=1000587310606 Icon: The Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

"Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come" I Corinthians 10:11. Welcome to the Genesis Class at St. Aidan's, KC. Bill hopes to discuss the book of Genesis at least through chapter 15 and God's covenant with Abraham. The class will cover foundational themes regarding Creation and Redemption, the nature of the image of God, the Seed of the woman (and the Seed of Abraham) vs the Seed of the serpent, and the city of God vs the city of Man. We'll look at how all these points to Israel as God's chosen people, to Jesus as God's well-beloved Son, and to you upon whom the ends of the ages have come! The result, we hope, will be a greater understanding of "the big picture" presented in Scripture, a greater appreciation for how God works to accomplish his purposes, a greater joy in who Jesus is and what he has done and is doing, and a greater awe at how you have been placed into this unfolding story. Recommended background reading: Meredith Kline's Kingdom Prologue. See meredithkline.com/ Theopolis Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-theopolis-podcast/id1148175126?i=1000587310606 Icon: The Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

Call this what you will. Exposing Division in the Church or Unity through Dethroning Super-Hero Leaders! The problem of division began in Eden with the divided-self, the division of male and female, and division from full communion with God. This division worked its way into Israel and the Church. Tribalism, personality cults, charismatic hypnosis all ten to cast a spell on many congregations. In Corinth, four factions emerged around exclusive allegiance to Paul, Apollos, Peter and Christ without any human leadership (autonomy). Jesus, knowing our struggles, prayed tfor His Church to be one by way of our communion within the Holy Trinity. The prayer of Jesus will be answered. We desire to be a humble part of that glorious Bride, the wedding feast of the Lamb.