By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird

Who can forget the classic 1993 comedy ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ where Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) and Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) find healing and romance through the delightful impetuosity of Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger ), Sam’s media-savy son?  Seattle is a beautiful coastal city to visit that has much in common with Vancouver BC.

Fifty years later…

A few years ago, my family and a Christian Ashram team  had the privilege of ministering at John and Holly Roddam’s Seattle congregation, the original epicentre of Anglican renewal which began fifty years ago in 1960 and continues to impact the world.  I believe that the renewal birthed in Seattle is God’s wake-up call to a sleepy, self-absorbed Church.  As Paul put it in Romans 13:11, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your sleep…”

You may remember St. Eutychus, the patron saint of teenagers, who was literally bored to death during the Apostle Paul’s all-night sermon (Acts 20:9).  You may also remember how Jesus’ closest disciples couldn’t stay awake on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:32) and the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus even had to say to them: “Why are you sleeping?  Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:46).

Waking up…

I believe that God is blowing the Shofar of renewal across the Anglican Church saying “Wake up, wake up, before it is too late”. Why has so much confusion crept into much of the Anglican Church regarding sexual immorality, new-age syncretism, and mother/father god/dess worship?  Clearly we, as clergy and laity, have been asleep at the switch, instead of being watchmen for our nation.  “Let us not be like others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

What is the calling of faithful Anglicans in these perilous times?  It is the same calling that many christians parents have on Sunday mornings while attempting to get their teenagers ready for church: “Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!” (Ephesians 5:14)  Wake up, O Canada; Wake up O Anglicans; rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you!

Awakenings…

It is little wonder that previous times of renewal (which means new-again) and revival (which means life-again) have been called ‘awakenings’.  We think especially of the 18th century First Great Awakening with the Anglican priest George Whitfield and Congregational pastor Jonathan Edwards, and the 19th Century Second Great Awakening with Presbyterian clergyman Charles Finney and Yale President Timothy Dwight.

How deeply we Canadians need to wake up to righteousness (1 Corinthians 15:34).  How deeply we Anglicans need to recover the discipline of morning prayer, exemplified in the heritage of our Book of Common Prayer.  Then we can cry out like the Psalmist: “Awake my soul!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.” (Psalm 57:8)  Perhaps we can hear Proverbs 6:9-11 as a prophetic calling: “How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep?…”God is saying to us: “Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourselves with strength.  Put on your garments of splendor…Shake off your dust, rise up…Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O Captive Daughter of Zion.”

Being in Seattle for the Christian Ashram weekend was a wake-up call to me.  Like many churches in renewal, the Roddam’s congregation had both a traditional and then a contemporary service on Sunday mornings.  Their congregation proves that the traditional Prayer Book service doesn’t inhibit freedom in the Spirit.  It was wonderful to see the gift of prophecy graciously exercised in both services.  There is such an anointing on their people  who have been soaking in the Spirit for fifty years.  Being around such godly people helped me shake off my dust and free myself from the chains on my neck.

What a joy to know that a Canadian Anglican couple, the Rev. John and Holly Roddam, were serving the people of Seattle.  Canada, through the ministry of the Rev. Dennis & Rita Bennett, has received so much through the Bennett’s extensive travels across Canada.  Many Canadians Anglicans can date their awakening to the reading of the Bennett’s bestsellers like ‘Nine O’clock in the Morning and ‘The Holy Spirit and You’.

I believe that God sent Canadians servant-leaders to Seattle as a way of saying ‘thank you’ to Seattle for all that they have given to so many in Canada and around the world.  I thank God that the Rev John and Holly Roddam were powerfully used in helping many to be ‘sleepless in Seattle’.  While the Roddams have since move back to the Maritimes, they have left a significant imprint in the hearts and minds of many in Seattle.  I pray that for the sake of the Anglican Church and our lost world, we sleepy believers will awaken and ‘not rest until righteousness shines out like the dawn and salvation like a blazing torch’ (Isaiah 62:1).  Do it again Lord, wake us up for your glory and honour!

Note: The majority of the people at the Roddam’s congregation have now left the old St Luke’s building, re-aligned with the Global South Anglicans and formed a new congregation Emmanuel Anglican Church . You are encouraged to check out this vibrant congregation led by Rev Dan Rice.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Hird, BSW, MDiv, DMin

Past Chair, Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada

-previously published in the Anglicans for Renewal Canada magazine

P. S. Click this Amazon link to view for free the first two chapters of our new novel Blue Sky.

“I’m afraid there’s been an accident…”

Sandy Brown and her family have just moved to Spokane, Washington where her husband, Scott, is pastoring a new church. With a fresh start, Sandy is determined to devote more time to her four children. But, within weeks of settling in their new life, the Brown family is plunged into turmoil.

Sandy receives shocking news that her children aren’t safe, which brings back haunting memories of the trauma she experienced as a girl. Then, the unthinkable happens…

A brutal attack puts Sandy on the brink of losing everything she’s loved. Her faith in God and the family she cherishes are pushed to the ultimate limit.

Is healing possible when so many loved ones are hurt? Are miracles really possible through the power of prayer? Can life return to the way it was before?

Blue Sky reveals how a mother’s most basic instinct isn’t for survival… but for family.

If you’re a fan of Karen Kingsbury, then you’ll love Blue Sky. Get your copy today on paperback or  kindle.

-Click to check out our marriage book For Better For Worse: discovering the keys to a lasting relationship on Amazon. You can even read the first two chapters for free to see if the book speaks to you.

-The sequel book Restoring Health: body, mind and spirit is available online with Amazon.com in both paperback and ebook form.  Dr. JI Packer wrote the foreword, saying “I heartily commend what he has written.” The book focuses on strengthening a new generation of healthy leaders. Drawing on examples from Titus’ healthy leadership in the pirate island of Crete, it shows how we can embrace a holistically healthy life.

In Canada, Amazon.ca has the book available in paperback and ebook. It is also posted on Amazon UK (paperback and ebook), Amazon France (paperback and ebook), and Amazon Germany (paperback and ebook).

Restoring Health is also available online on Barnes and Noble in both paperback and Nook/ebook form.  Nook gives a sample of the book to read online.

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

To receive a signed copy within North America, just etransfer at ed_hird@telus.net, giving your address. Cheques are also acceptable.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca 

Indigo also offers the paperback and the Kobo ebook version.  You can also obtain it through ITunes as an IBook.

-Click to purchase the Companion Bible Study by Jan Cox (for the Battle of the Soul of Canada) in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.ca

Many of our books include references to and stories about E. Stanley Jones.

To purchase any of our six books in paperback or ebook on Amazon, just click on this link.

To receive a personally signed copy of any of our books within North America, just etransfer at ed_hird@telus.net, giving your address. Cheques are also acceptable.