THE CAMBRIAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GRAIL
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:22
The Bible teaches us that our Lord Jesus Christ went everywhere "preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom". What does this mean?
In Luke chapter four we are told that Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry. He taught in the synagogue one Sabbath and read from Isaiah the Prophet:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book . . . and began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
- Luke 4:18-32
This Scripture Jesus was reading was talking about Israel's Year of Jubilee. In the book of Leviticus, we find that God commanded His people to cancel the debts, empty the prisons, free the slaves, restore family homesteads, and stop working for one year - on every 50th year. Israel did not obey this commandment. Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah would come, He would restore the observance of the Jubilee. That was why our Lord's neighbors wanted to kill Him. By saying that this scripture was "fulfilled in your ears", He was telling the people that the Kingdom of God had come. He was the Messiah who was sent to "restore all things" (Acts 3:21).
The Kingdom of God, which Jesus proclaimed, began with a release from the people's debts to God - an Atonement which made it possible to enter a spiritual rest - a Jubilee. Our sins have enslaved us. We need to be saved from our sins and to be brought under the rule of God.
Our opening text above comes from the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. There, Jesus taught us about the Kingdom. He taught us that only the meek will inherit the land of the earth. Why is that so?
Well, the word "meek" means "tame". What is the opposite of tameness? Something that is not tame is "wild". What makes a wild animal wild and a tame animal tame? The wild animal lives for itself by its own rules. It does not submit to the rule of man, nor does it live for man's benefit. It roams the earth and obeys its own instincts. It may even fight with man.
The tame animal, on the other hand, lives under the rule of man. It is fed by man, controlled by man, and exists for the benefit of man. The tame animal may disobey at times, but it never breaks free from the rule of man. It does not roam the earth, seeking for its sustenance. It stays in one place and relies upon the providential care of man.
Likewise, when Jesus said "the meek shall inherit the earth", He was teaching us that only those who are under God's rule and who live for God's pleasure will inherit the earth. The Kingdom of God grows to the extent that mankind is "tamed". Presently, mankind is wild. It lives for itself and lives by its own rules. Christians are called to submit to the rule of God and to allow Him to provide for them. They are called to leave their wild state and enter the rest of the Kingdom of God. That is what salvation is all about.
How Do We Enter the Kingdom?
First, we enter the Kingdom by confession. We confess that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior and Lord. By this confession, we accept God's forgiveness and enter the sheepfold of His Son (Romans 10:9-13).
Second, we enter the Kingdom by obedience. We learn God's laws in the Bible and try to obey them. Sometimes, we may disobey. Obedience is contrary to our wild natures. But in any case, we submit to the rule and discipline of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12).
Third, we enter the Kingdom by covenant. We join ourselves to God's men. We integrate ourselves into a governing structure called "the Body of Christ" - the Church (1 Corinthians 12).
ENTERING THE CHURCH
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
1 Corinthians 11:3
If you examine these words from the Apostle carefully, you will learn how we covenant: by obtaining headship. It is easy for us to see how the woman obtains headship in marriage. But how does man obtain headship in Christ?
There are different views. Protestantism tells us that headship comes spiritually, only. Every man is under Christ if he listens to that little voice called "the Holy Spirit". The problem with this view is that it has produced confusion. Many thousands of religious sects exist in the world today because each one of them claim that that "little voice" has taught them a different interpretation of the Scriptures. The result has been arrogant sectarianism. Protestantism has failed to produce meekness. Instead, it has produced wildness.
Roman Catholicism claims that headship comes through Apostolic succession. Men are ordained in successive generations to represent the rule of Christ to humanity. The problem with this view is that men guided by "a little voice" still decide who qualifies to be ordained. What happens if those men are unfaithful? Perhaps, there is less anarchy, but it is an impure Church with a frightening potential for tyranny. Protestants say that sectarianism is the necessary price of freedom and a pure church.
Other groups, like the Orthodox, are very much the same as the Roman Catholics, except that they believe that Apostolic succession has been passed to them through different channels.
If you read again the above Scripture carefully, you will find that Paul uses the name "Christ" as a collective noun in the generic sense, just as he speaks of mankind as "man" and womankind as "woman". He says that "the head of Christ is God". Now, we know that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of the Divine Logos and that "God" is a composite being of Three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. These three persons make "Godkind". Likewise, the word "Christ", here, refers to a collective body of persons holding the office of Christ, or "Christkind". Christ is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for Messiah. And Messiah, in Hebrew, means "anointed or consecrated one".
In the Old Testament, kings and priests were anointed for their office by the pouring of a sacred oil upon their heads. Consequently, it was accurate to refer to such men as "messiahs" - christs. And the Bible does so. Thus, in this sense, Christianity existed in the Old Testament (which explains Ignatius' claim that Christianity preceded Judaism: Magnesians 3:11).
The Fathers of the Early Church provide us with guidance in understanding this concept as it relates to the Body of Christ. They taught that the messianic offices of the kings and priests of Israel were consolidated into Jesus Christ and His vicegerents (co-rulers). Ignatius, a contemporary of the Apostles, explained in numerous places how that the office of Overseer (or Bishop) was meant to be the messianic office of the Church. Consider the following:
For even Jesus Christ, our inseparable life, is sent by the will of the Father; as the bishops, appointed unto the utmost bounds of the earth, are by the will of Jesus Christ.
- Ignatius to the Ephesians 1:12
It is therefore evident that we ought to look upon the bishop, even as we would do upon the Lord himself.
- Ephesians 2:4
For as many as are of God, and of Jesus Christ, are also with their bishop. And as many as shall with repentance return into the unity of the church, even these shall also be the servants of God, that they may live according to Jesus. Be not deceived, brethren; if any one follows him that makes a schism in the church, he shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If any one walks after any other opinion, he agrees not with the passion of Christ.
Wherefore let it be your endeavor to partake all of the same holy Eucharist. For there is but one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ; and one cup in the unity of his blood; one altar; as also there is one bishop, together with his presbytery, and the deacons my fellow-servants: that so whatsoever ye do, ye may do it according to the will of God.
- Ignatius to the Philadelphians 1:8-12
It is quite obvious that the Early Church regarded the Bishop as the sole representative of the Throne of Christ and symbol of the unity of the Church. The presbytery represented the college of the Twelve Apostles. But the Bishop represented Christ Himself.
The value of these men is not their superior spirituality, but rather the promise that they are under the immediate discipline of God. By Covenant, God has promised to personally tutor them (See the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7). The consequences of their actions are not deferred, but rather are Providentially guided.
How are these men appointed?
Herein lies an important distinction in the Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail from all other catholic bodies: it does not find this messianic office in the bishops of Apostolic succession but in a Christian caliphate consisting of qualified descendants of the House of David. These bishops were known as Mebakkers.
The leadership of the New Testament Church did not lie with Peter or any of the other Apostles, but with James, the brother of Jesus. This is confirmed by the events which transpired at the first General Church Council described in Acts 15. There, we find that both Peter and Paul came to James for judgment in the matter of controversy. It was James who was ruler of the Church in our Lord's stead.
There is a lot of history and Scripture which confirms the above assertion and you are invited to consult with our other publications to find that documentation. The fact is generally not known, however, that the Church was ruled by our Lord's kinsmen and their descendants (called the Desposyni) for the first one hundred years after His Ascension. Only after a major war and crisis in Palestine near the middle of the Second Century did the Gentile churches depart from their Jamesian tradition and embrace an extreme version of Pauline Christianity which evolved into the Classical Christianity of the post-Roman period.
Nevertheless, that tradition was taken by the Jamesian Diaspora and survived on the frontiers of the civilized world, such as the Celtic Church in the British Isles. It is from the Celtic Church that the Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail finds its roots.
THE TRADITION OF FATHER PRIESTS
The early chapters of Acts tell us that the first Christians met in homes. It was a family-centered faith. The Apostles and other ministers of the Church went from house-to-house to preach and perform their various duties. Their visits to the Temple and synagogues were made, primarily, with an evangelistic and prophetic mission in mind.
In the beginning, the elders of the Church were simply the old men (grandfathers) who presided over extended family groups, led them in worship, and saw to their needs. This concept is consistent with the heritage from the Old Testament and with such prophecies, such as Malachi 4, which declare that the Messiah would restore family government.
The Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail teaches that the organizing principle of the Kingdom of God on Earth is the family - specifically, the Grail family. It teaches that the traditional conception of the Church, as it is understood by most people, is a departure, even an apostasy, from the Biblical pattern.
The Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail is an episcopal office for father priests. Consequently, it encourages house churches which are led by fathers who are in communion with that episcopal ministry.
BECOMING A MEMBER
He setteth the solitary in families.
- Psalm68:6
Membership in this Church operates according to a mentoring system. We do not have church buildings and other institutional structures. We do not have regular times and places for meeting. Nor do we have a regular clergy.
Our mentoring system is different than traditional discipleship programs, where noviates follow a holy man or other spiritual leader. In the Grail tradition, the mentor operates within the family structure - and all spiritual functions are an extension of family life. It begins with a headship in the Grail family and then proceeds outward to all families of the Earth.
Becoming the member of any Church is a very serious matter. A headship is meant to be lifelong. Just as a woman's marriage is intended to join her to one husband for life, so does the joining of a man to his spiritual overseer. Therefore, you should accept the need for a probationary period of discipleship and evaluation.
If you are not the head of a household, the first order of business in becoming a member of the Cambrian Episcopal Church of the Grail is to be incorporated into a household or kinship group. A well-ordered home is the place where we learn the disciplines of life. It is there that we are our true selves. It is a place of accountability.
As it is in our time, the Early Church encompassed members of fractured families. For that reason, the Bishop was called "the husband to the widow and the father to the fatherless". Aside from his duties for the oversight of the Church, he was also the kinsman-redeemer to the weak. He was the Church's safety net, which explains why it was that he received the tithe. The tithes and offerings equipped him with the resources he needed to provide coverture.
WHAT WE DO
After you have been assigned to a kinship group nearest you, then you will settle down to the general disciplines of Christian living: prayer, the learning of Scripture, charity, work, and self-sacrifice. Because of the miracle of modern telecommunications and transportation, we can cross the miles to serve you.
Every week, you will find a new lesson on our Web page on the Internet which will follow the Daily Office. You will be expected to use the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer as your primary, liturgical guide. The Cambrian Pesher will provide you with resources from the Cambrian Prayer Book which will reflect the Jamesian tradition. In time, we will teach you the sacred rites of the Esoteric Church.
You may receive the consecrated elements from our Eucharist, which you will observe at home. Or you may show your unity with the Desposyni by following a simple liturgy in the church of your choice.
In time you will be expected to pay a tithe of your income to your father priest. If you are a father priest, you may pay a tithe from the tithes (1%) to our office, here.
If during the course of your probation, you decide to withdraw from the Church, you may do so with no disfavor from us. When you come to an understanding of this spiritual tradition and decide you are ready for a permanent commitment, then you will need to come to us for evaluation. If you have been approved, you will be consecrated according to the Holy Mysteries of the Desposynic Church and permanently incorporated into the Kingdom of God. By so doing, you become a member of the Elect that shall inherit the earth.
We trust that God has drawn your heart to Himself and that you have been moved by faith to respond to this message.
Direct further inquiries to:
James Wesley Stivers, Presiding Overseer
E-Mail address: mailto:overseer@grailchurch.org
If you want to begin tithing now, you may do so by clicking on the button below:
THE CAMBRIAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE GRAIL