240915 AOC Sunday Report

 


            Anglican Orthodox Churchsm                                        

Worldwide Communion

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sunday Report

 

  The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity – September 1, 2024

 Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity Propers:

 The propers are special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.

 

The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.

 

The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saint’s instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent. The Propers for today are found on Page 212-213, with the Collect first:

The Collect for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

 The Epistle for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. The Epistle. Ephesians iii. 13.

I DESIRE that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen

The Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.  The Gospel. St. Luke vii. 11.

 AND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.

 On Point

Someone asked, where do the quotes come from? The answer is from the people who uttered them. But, how did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, others from Rev. Geordie and many from Rev Bryan Dabney and a few from other places.                              Rev. Geordie England (right)

 Points to Ponder:

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Psalm 68:19

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

Proverbs 22:28

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come to save you.

Isaiah 35:4

Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

St. Luke 12:15

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

What he lays upon us He will support us under. 
– John Newton

In due time the weeping intercessor will become the rejoicing winner of souls.
 – C.H. Spurgeon

Unity without the gospel is a worthless unity, it is the very unity of hell.
 – J.C. Ryle

The word of God can be in the mind without being in the heart, but it cannot be in the heart without first being in the mind.
– R.C. Sproul

We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must humbly submit and resign ourselves to them.
Matthew Henry

Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.
– Augustine

He Feels Our Pain
I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the Cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us.
John Stott
- Bread and Wine

 

A desire for God which cannot break the chains of sleep is a weak thing and will do but little good for God after it has indulged itself fully. The desire for God that keeps so far behind the devil and the world at the beginning of the day will never catch up...We need a generation of preachers who seek God and seek him early, who give the freshness and dew of effort to God, and secure in return the freshness and fullness of his power that he may be as the dew to them, full of gladness and strength, through all the heat and labor of the day. Our laziness after God is our crying sin. The children of this world are far wiser than we. They are at it early and late. We do not seek God with ardor and diligence. No man gets God who does not follow hard after him, and no soul follows hard after God who is not after him in early morn.
The Rev. E. M. Bounds
– 19th and 20th century American Christian pastor and author.

1In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 2Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.  3For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Psalms 31:1-3
Psalms 31:1-3 was the passage upon which President Chester A. Arthur held his finger as he was sworn in as President of the United States in 1881. It was, for a time, customary for Presidents to choose a particular verse from Scripture that would define their approach to authority. President Dwight D. Eisenhower placed his finger on Psalms 33:12 at his swearing in ceremony in 1957: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” 
 There are many other examples of this policy until the modern era. I believe Eisenhower was the last to lay his finger on a particular verse at swearing in. Perhaps that Scriptural testimony should begin the presidency of every man elected to the office in future times when America stands alone as the only possible redemption in liberty of peoples around the world. I present the words of a pioneer pastor, educator and geographer, and father of Samuel Morse (inventor of the telegraph and Morse Code) – Jedidiah Morse:            To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief or of the corruption of doctrine, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom, and approximate the miseries of complete despotism. I hold this to be a truth confirmed by experience. If so, it follows, that all efforts made to destroy the foundations of our Holy religion, ultimately tend to the subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican form of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must follow with them.”
The Most Rev. Jerry L. Ogles20th and 21st century Anglican Orthodox
Presiding Bishop (Independence Day Message July 4, 2023).

 


Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 

We are fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the Collect and sermon notes.

 

Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:

 

                                                                                                                                                  

 The Names of Jesus Series The Great IAM

 https://youtu.be/VjIgGff3Nh4

 


Bishop Ogles 39 Articles of Religion Series: Art. 16: Of Sin after Baptism
https://youtu.be/L9mCqIuAd-k

   Bishop Ogles Brief Morning Devotions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZHqH2FKS2o&t=103s  - Monday 9/9/24

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E-0o7VB4wY – Tuesday 9/10/24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmjsPSHZZPs – Wednesday 9/11/24

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB1OYLTX9hU – Thursday 9/12/24

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqCpnsRi-s8 – Friday – 9/13/24

 

https://youtu.be/MqCpnsRi-s8 - Saturday - 9/14/24

 

            

                                                                                          

Sermon Notes for Sixteenth  Sunday after Trinity

 The Collect.


O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about. 18And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. (Luke 7:11-17)

            How often have we been at the point of complete and total heartbreak when suddenly our prayers are answered in a far greater way than we could have thought to ask? Love being the one power that is stronger than death (for all love is of God), why are we surprised at the miracles of love that we observe in our own daily lives? Why will a mother sacrifice her last breath of her life for her child? Why do men go off to war against the enemies of their homeland without a sigh or a word of regret in risking their lives to defend it?

            Does God yet work such wonderful miracles as we have read about on that day He visited Nain? A young man is dead and within minutes of being buried. Is there hope for such a one? His mother has only this one son. She is a widow who has transferred all of her love and dependence from the deceased father upon this one special child for whom her very life is ransom. But he is now dead and she is left all alone! Though crowds gather about her, none have that familiar and loyal heart that beat in the breast of her deceased son, nor the dedicated love that heart devoted to his mother, for he is dead!

            I can only imagine the pain and anguish of that forlorn heart of the woman of Nain that day. She would perform her last duty to a son that she had held dear to her bosom from the day of his birth. As she walked along behind the bier, she was dazed with misery and blinded by hot tears of devastation and wonder." "Can it be that he is truly dead – that I shall no longer hear his voice responding to my calls to supper?" "Is it finally true that I am now left alone against the world since the darling of my heart has departed?" A million questions swirled through her troubled mind as she trudged along a path blurred by the tears of her misery.

            And what of the dead son? What are his thoughts? Well, he has no thoughts at all because the dead know nothing at all4For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. (Eccl 9:4-6)

            The world is populated by dead people who parade about as the living, and by the living who have been made alive from death.  Do we not remember that we were all dead in trespasses and sin before Christ called our name and made is alive in Him? (See Ephesians 2:1) We knew nothing. We had no power at all to save ourselves or to even think of our great need. We were, spiritually, just as the young man lying on a bier at Nain that day. Did that young man know of Christ? did he desire to have Christ come and make him alive? No, he did not think any of these thoughts. Remember, he was dead as dead can be, and so were we before Christ chose us as His own and made the life blood of His eternal love flow though our hearts. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you (John 15:16)

11And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

Now I pose the question that begs our deep thought: who are the dead? The dead: Those who reject Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who have no forgiveness for their sins…those for whom there has been no redemption for sins. That includes all the world which dwells in utter darkness.

The dead hear not. Who stopped their ears? Not God. Not even Satan. They themselves have chosen to be dumb to the reality of God. Their spirits lie in the same repose of that of Lazarus in the Tomb at Bethany before the penetrating voice of Christ called his name and commanded him to come forth.

This son of the widow is dead, but death cannot exist in the presence of the Fountain of Life. Jesus knows the importance of a son or daughter to a widow. The boy is all his mother has just as He, Himself, is the only Begotten of the Father.

As the procession proceeds from the gate of the city, there may have been little notice paid to the Master of Life who is approaching. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Strange that a Perfect Stranger (and Jesus was both perfect and a stranger to the procession at Nain), should come forward with such a comment – weep not! How could she help weeping over her great loss. Christ speaks today and few listen or know Him.

Jesus never desires our sorrow, but our joy in life.  He neither wants us to `fear' or to `weep'. Fear not, I am with thee always, even unto the end of the world. Or “Hagar, why weepest thou?” The desire of Christ is always for our extreme joy in Him. And Christ knows there is no real joy, or life, apart from that which He offers. He sends no one to Hell. The lost, due to their rejection of Him, send themselves to Hell.

14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. When God is at work, we had best stand still and see the marvelous works that His hands perform. Stillness is a vanishing quality in a world bent on technology and pragmatism.  As God said to Job in Job 37:14 “Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God”  Or  Psalms 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

So those who bore the body remained motionless while God worked. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.

Though the ears of the Rabbi's maiden were closed in the lock of death, the young girl heard the voice of Christ. Though Lazarus lay long dead in a stone cold tomb, the voice of Christ, his Friend, penetrated the bars of death and were heard in newness of life. So, with this young man.

And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. With Christ, death is always in the past tense! He was dead! No longer was he dead because he had heard and responded to the voice of Christ. He sat up and began to speak. Once you have heard the voice of Christ whisper in your ear a personal message, you cannot fail to speak out. You do not keep it a secret. When you are suddenly made alive in Christ, how is it possible to conceal one's joy?

It may be that you have yet to be made alive, unless you have heard that Voice. When were you dead, and have you been called to life? Have you listened? Did you respond by unashamedly speaking out? We were ALL dead prior to responding in faith to the grace of Christ. All lost. All dead.

Have you considered yourself righteous in your own right? 10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:10-12) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God  ALL? (Romans 3:23) Does that include you and me? Yes, ALL

What is the condemnation to those who sin such as you and I have done? 20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. 21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:20-23)

What remedy is there for all of us who are born under the condemnation  of sin?  8But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 10: 8-11)

Christ is the great Creator and Giver of Life. Death will not exist in His presence. So we must insure our salvation that we may be present with him. But, how? Know that the wages of sin is death. Admit that we are dreadful sinners and cannot save ourselves through any good works. Repent of our sins and turn away from the desires of the flesh. Receive Christ as you Lord and Savior – not simply Savior, but Lord of your life as well.

How many of us present today have taken a `dry' shower, or a `dry' swim, or walked in a `dry' rain?

Is it possible to get into the water, or to come into contact with a fountain of water, and remain dry?

            There is a River of Life which makes all alive who bathe therein and drink from its fountain:

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4: 13-14)

When we are IN Christ, all our sins are covered by His blood. When we are IN the River of Life, we are wet with that water of life all over. We are baptized in newness of life. Your eternal destiny depends upon which choice you make at the crossroads of life – will you be fearful and unbelieving? Or will you partake of the Tree of Life and Fountain of Living Waters?

5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:5-7)

            Simple response –That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)

Have you, too, believed unto salvation? (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Corinthians 6:2)

It will not be tomorrow, or next week, month, or year. The time is NOW! How do you stand, Reader, in regard to your soul?



Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Sermon – Bishop Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California

Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction.

 Consider the words of the Collect, “…let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness …”

 When the Collect talks about the church, just like last week, it is not talking about buildings; it is talking about us.   Each of us; all of us and together.  We need God’s help (pity) to keep the group of us together following His Will, for without His Help (Holy Ghost) we are doomed to utter failure.  This is a simple truth that we can see today. Look no further than the mainline churches of today for an example.

 They are leaving the established doctrine of 2 millennia to try to be cool and attract more people. Their efforts are in vain and contrary to Scripture, as we are called to be separated from this world and not a part of it, to be holy. They are becoming un-holy and it shows in their more paganistic doctrines. We are called to not to join forces with this world but to be set a side from it. You can barely distinguish some of these churches doctrines from what more worldly or other religions believe and they can hardly be considered a Christian church.  Their main problem is that they are willing to compromise on the beliefs of the Gospel to attract more people, which is not what God has called us to do. We must seek quality over quantity in our churches to avoid the race to the Pit that so many of the mainstream churches seem to be engaged in.

 The problem for many people is Heaven is at the end of a hard and narrow uphill trail; the easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.  That seemingly easy way leads to The Pit. This easy downhill trail snares a lot of people and there will be sadly some that never realize this. It can ensnare anybody so we have to be on our guard lest we start down that path ourselves. This proves the truth of this collect, that without His help, we are doomed. With His help, we are set for success for evermore.  He offers; do we accept?

 Saint Paul points out if we will open our hearts to God, He will send the Holy Ghost to fill our hearts with Love, Courage, Inspiration, Tenacity and Confidence, all of the good traits that will help our character development. Once the Holy Ghost enters into us, we will know the full dimensions of Christ, the height, width and depth of His love for us, and this fullness will fill us to our content, and we will want to spread that Good News and Love of Him to others.  The world searches for the something to fill that empty void within them. Christ fills that void perfectly, but alas as the world does not have the Holy Spirit within them, they shall never be able to fill that void with Christ.

 Allowing His love for us to enter into our hearts is part of the Good News. The Good News is that He died for us so we might have eternal life, a happier life here and a happier life after our life here.  Before we get that wonderful eternal life, we have to first open our hearts to God. We cannot have any of these positive characteristics if we do not allow Him in. We have to be humble and realize we cannot get through life without these characteristics, which means we cannot have a good and successful life without His Help.

 He offers all of these things for our benefit, so we will be successful for Him. We have to accept this offer by opening our hearts to Him.  If we will open our hearts to Him, our ears will hear the command “… Arise.”  When we rise, we rise with the confidence of immortals and can conquer any obstacle. We will have died in our old sinful ways and be resurrected like our Lord in a new spirit and a new birth of everlasting freedom. But, without an open heart, our ears will never hear the command directed to our soul, “… Arise.”  We will be dead to eternity. There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.

 All Jesus asks is that we follow Him.  That is all follow Him.  But, words mean something; the word follow is very important.  We have to trust God is like a perfect CFI[1] and if we follow his instructions at the right time, we will keep ourselves from physical and spiritual harm. Like the CFI he is here to keep us from mentally and spiritually harming ourselves. If we will listen to His instructions, we will keep our mental and spiritual selves intact and be a lot happier for it.

 We need recognize who has the ability, the power, the perfection in leadership and have that trust to say, "You lead; I'll follow." I believe that is what Jesus expects from us in regard to our entire life. We may get out of position or even go lost wingman on the odd occasion, but he expects us to Our very best to follow His lead and stay in position.  Hard to do if your eye is not padlocked on Him.

 As ministers of our Lord, we have a similar responsibility to those who would follow us here on earth.  And we have to work even harder, for created by a perfect God, we are imperfect creatures with free will.  A problematic combination.  We have to strive to do better than most as we are in a position where people will be watching our actions more carefully than other people. We must strive for a correct attitude, heading, stability and predictability in our path so we can be followed towards that final destination marking a successful mission. We must always be checking our navigational instruments of the Holy Scriptures and our navigator, the Holy Ghost, to ensure we are on the right heading. We have to be willing to act for Him to show that we truly do have faith and not just say that we have faith. It is a lot easier to say than do, that is for sure. 

 When Saint Luke relates the story of the Widow of Nain, it is more than just a simple miracle. 

 In those days, a widow with only one son had little, a widow with no son was in deep trouble.  Jesus took compassion on her and also took the opportunity to make His power evident.  He came to the bier, and touched it saying, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”  The young man arose and began to speak; whereupon Jesus brought him to his mother.  Not surprisingly, news of this event was spread “forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.”  Like the young man, we are dead to eternity until we hear the command “… Arise.”  If we hear and act on that command, we have eternal life, just like the young man, it starts right then! Eternal life doesn't start when you take your last breath, it starts when you take your first breath! Think through your life like it will be eternity and plan your actions accordingly.

Also, please take note Jesus ACTED.  He did not just tell the widow He was sorry, so very sorry; He actually did what He could to help her.  He can do more than we can, but we can do more than we do and we can certainly do more than just talk.  Words are very nice, but do not mean a whole lot unless they are backed by actions.

 If we truly have faith, then we must follow Jesus’s example and live our life like He lived His, with action! We must have good actions that will follow with that faith. If we only speak with our lips and do not have good actions, then we do not have any faith. However, if we do truly have faith, then we will speak the right things and do the right things.

 Action, not diction, is what counts in the end.

 Heaven is at the end of a hard and narrow uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

 It is by our actions we are known.

 Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

 


Yves M. Méra
Presiding Bishop 
AOC France
Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

 We are fortunate to have a sermon from the Presiding Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church of France and the Administrative Coordinator of Europe and Africa. As you will read, he is an excellent writer. The sermon is easy to read and provides much insight.

 SERMON for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity 

 CHRIST IS IN EACH OF US

 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

 Young boy Scouts learn to do their daily Good Deed. It is hoped that this will inculcate in them a good habit of doing good, without expecting thanks, for they are only doing their duty. If these G.D.s are made in the spirit of deserving something, they are on the wrong track. But if they are made to testify to their faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, then it is something else entirely! Jesus Himself performed many Good Deeds of all kinds, from the multiplication of the loaves and fishes to feed the crowds, to the resurrection of the widow's son and that of Lazarus, through countless healings. The driving force behind these miracles was always compassion - never showing off.

 And we should not expect thanks, but rather criticism; and this is another opportunity to bear witness to our faith. We find in the Gospel of John these enigmatic words (John 10:32-34): “Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? “ The Pharisees' first reaction to a miracle is anger; They are driven by jealousy, because they are full of themselves and reject anything that could call into question their social and religious superiority, as well as their spiritual authority. It is always unpleasant to see a newcomer just out of school show you with his fresh knowledge, while you have the experience of a lifetime and white hair, bleached under the harness by your efforts and the pains you have taken.

 And this is a testimony through Good Deeds, as Jesus Christ Himself says (John 10:37-39): “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand.” Believe in these little boy Scouts' G.D.s, because they testify that God is present in their hearts, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit.

 This is the lesson that the Gospel of Luke offers us. By resurrecting out of compassion for the widow of Nain, his only son and sole support in his old age, Christ is doing a Good Deed. The crowd of the people was not deceived and immediately detected the hand of God in the miracle performed by Jesus (Luke 7:16-17): “And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.” In their joy at seeing the widow's son come back to life and returned to his mother, they give glory to God with all their hearts, so much so that they forget to thank Jesus! On the other hand, they are full of reverence for this “great prophet” whose action testifies to the presence of God in Him. And in their turn, they spread the gospel of Christ—God incarnate and only begotten Son of the Father—throughout Judea and throughout the whole region.

 Such are our little boy Scouts, every time they do their G.D.: they testify to the presence of God within them. Yes, “God hath visited his people”; God is visiting His people today: He is present in the heart of every believer who is faithful to his obligations as a consistent Christian, and acting for the glory of God and the good of all. The mayonnaise of the Good Deed takes hold when the recipients and the spectators discern the Spirit of God in the charity freely manifested, for it is a grace of God. God urges faithful Christians to act for His glory and for the good of all. It's as simple as that; Don't go looking for noon when it is two o'clock! But it happens that, as in the time of Jesus, these charitable works are badly received. And if they are not well received, it is because the Adversary of Christ - the ancient Serpent of the Garden of Eden - urges the enemies of Christ to persecute Christians in order to silence them. But Our Lord Jesus Christ warned us (Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” The enemies of Christ and of the Truth are around us, and even some have smuggled themselves in and sneaked into the churches showing their credentials - I was about to say "wearing a white cassock"...

 Moreover, our Lord commands us to love His enemies and to do good to them (Matthew 5/44-45a): “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. You heard me right: we are sons and daughters of our heavenly Father when we do good to God's enemies, just as Jesus Christ came to testify to the Father by His miracles, in the midst of a hostile people because they were no longer waiting for Him, even though John the Baptist had announced His imminent coming. But they treated John the Baptist as they treated all the prophets by silencing him definitively, killing them by every possible means.

 But the Word of God cannot be silenced (Luke 19:39-40): “And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. John the Baptist being beheaded and dead, the Apostles received the Holy Spirit of God at Pentecost to raise the torch of witness by preaching the Word and doing good around them (Acts 2:42-43): “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.” And what the Christians did not know how to do, God did for them because they asked Him with a faith that moved mountains (Acts 3:2-9): “And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God.” All the people saw this miracle, but not all were converted: only those who were predestined to be saved from the Father's wrath against sinful men believed in God (Acts 13:48): “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” My friends, rejoice, for if you believe in God according to His gospel, it is because you are predestined to eternal life in Christ Jesus.

 When the Apostle Paul gives his testimony of conversion in Acts 22, he affirms that God allowed Ananias to perform this miracle and put these words in his mouth (Acts 22:12-15): “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.” Do we know who will be touched by our witness, our preaching and our Good Deeds of Charity? Do we know which of them will become a great preacher before the Lord, a pillar of Christ's Church, or even a Reformer and a martyr? Let us remember that all the small and great witnesses of Jesus Christ were first taught by others, either by preaching, by reading the Bible, or by attending catechism. This is our role to teach the gospel, even today, until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 There is no shame and even less boasting for the believer to know that he is inhabited by the Spirit of Christ - who is the Holy Spirit of God - because it is a simple fact, a spiritual reality. The same apostle Paul makes it clear in his Epistle to the Ephesians, at the end of chapter 3 (Ephesians 3:16-17a): “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” If you have faith, it is because “Christ may dwell in your heart” He was there before you realized it and had faith. For it is Christ who makes His dwelling in your heart. He enters it in the same way He entered the upper room where the Apostles did not invite Him, believing him dead (John 20:26b): “... then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.

 God's grace is not a commodity that can be earned, bought, bartered or traded. We do not dispose of it at will, according to our good will, for it is our Father in Heaven and He alone who has the initiative; He gives grace to whomever He wills (Mark 3:13): “And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.” Hence Paul invites us to “be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19). Yes, we are filled with God: The Trinity dwells in us!

 And the same Paul exhorts us to give glory to God for every grace He gives us, even though we had deserved eternal hell because of our personal sin and the sin we inherited from Adam, if God had not given us the grace of dooming us to be saved by the blood of Christ shed on the cross to wash us away from our sins,  manifesting and thereby communicating to us His boundless love (Ephesians 3:20-21): “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen

 Yes, in saving us, God is doing more than we could have thought or even imagined, and asked. We who were rebellious became His followers, servants, and worshippers, as a result of a radical change in our condition, decreed by God. From then on, we no longer belong to ourselves. We are not only His creatures, like all the men and women of this world, but He has recreated us in His image, and for His glory alone. Simple logics say that:

1.      We thank Him by being grateful to God for His gifts and for the work of His Son on the cross, which saves us by restoring us into God's friendship.

2.      We praised Him for His power, wisdom, and glory altogether revealed in His Word and manifested in Christ Jesus.

3.      We submit to Him as zealous servants, obeying His Commandments and His Law to love all His creatures, good or bad towards us.

 But we must not imagine that God's love is mild, sweet and syrupy, bathed in an undifferentiated universalism. This love of God, on the contrary, is targeted, strong, virile and powerful; we look at and accepts the trials - the crosses - the criticism and the hostility of unbelievers who resent us for reminding them that without the grace of God it is impossible to be spared in the day of His divine wrath against all rebellion and against all voluntary or involuntary disobedience. Unbelievers do not even know that they are lost sinners, and if they are told that the Last Judgment will be fatal to them, they immediately cry out against God's injustice: "There are many who have done worse than me!", they say. But deep down, they don't know what they're saying; they are ignorant of the Truth, they are ignorant of Christ and His work of redemption aimed at those whom the Father has given Him (John 6:37-40): “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 My friends, let us thank the Father for giving us His only begotten Son and infusing His Holy Spirit in our hearts. Christ is in each of us and we are thus assured of being resurrected in the Heaven promised to all the Father's elect. Such is our incomparable wealth, of which no thief can dispossess or deprive us. Let us be faithful to the promises of our baptism! Amen.

 Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.

 


 Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi - Sunday Sermon

We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.

 

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

In our epistle lesson (I St. Peter 5:5-11), the apostle called upon Christians to, be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (v.8). We have also been called to abstain from those things that would distract us from our duties to the Godhead, or allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security where we might be induced to rest instead of watch against the approach of our adversary. In our Christian walk and witness, we are confronting not simply an idea, or a construct of man, but a force greater than anything we could possibly imagine outside of God himself. The Rev. E. M. Bounds noted that, “The Bible reveals the Devil as a person — not a mere figure, not simply an influence... There is much truth that needs to be learned about the Devil ... We need the knowledge about the Enemy — his character, presence, and power — in order to rouse men to action. This knowledge is vital to victory.” When we come to see the Devil as he is, then the words of the apostle Paul from his epistle to the Ephesians will provide us clarity regarding whom we face: For we wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (6:12).

 St. Paul advised the youthful Timothy concerning our Christian witness that, ... the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (II St. Timothy 2:24-26). We are, therefore, not to strive or be forceful. The Bible is not a blunt instrument. It is a book of persuasion. There is no compulsion in biblical Christianity. We are to teach with patience the word of God and that word tells us in no uncertain terms that God is love (I St. John 4:8). If you love someone, harshness and pointed arguments are to be avoided. If a person refuses, let your message be remembered by them in a kindly but forthright manner so that if the day comes when they have reached the “end of their rope” they won’t reject turning to Christ because of anything that they witnessed in your manner of presentation of the gospel message. That said, we are to nevertheless speak the truth about their choices, but they are free to accept or reject it as they will. Our hope ought to be that down the way they will have time to reconsider their position as the prodigal son had done (St. Luke 15:11-32). Remember, you do not have to have the last word with the unregenerate. God will.

 Our Lord described the Devil as a murderer who is devoid of truth and is the father of lies (St. John 8:44) who comes to, steal, and to kill, and to destroy (St. John 10:10). He has no interest in seeing humanity prosper or develop in any meaningful way. His only desire is to turn human beings against their Creator. He hates God and he hates mankind because we have been made in God’s image. To underestimate his abilities has often resulted in fatal consequences for countless souls throughout history. Again, we are no match for him alone. The roaring lion is a powerful metaphor which well describes his nature. So when the apostle Peter warned the faithful to keep themselves under control and watch for the Devil’s approach, he was communicating a timeless message that will last until the Son of Man returns to vanquish him and his minions forever. In conjunction with St. Peter’s message, we are to resist the Devil with the weapons of our warfare as noted in Ephesians 6 wherein the apostle Paul called on believers to, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:10- 11). It ought to be clear from the outset that our fight will not be easy. As Dr. Merrill Unger has noted, “Satan knows biblical terminology. He is also a master in masquerading under the guise of divine power. Alleged miraculous cures or manifestations often are accomplished by doctrinal errors. Every believer should realize that Satan can use doctrinal errors to his advantage, but he cannot overcome the Christian’s defenses in God’s Holy Word! This is our bulwark against demon incursions.”

 Bishop Ryle once noted that, “The Lord Jesus promises eternal life to every sinner that comes to him... In Christ you are like Noah in the ark, and Lot in Zoar, nothing can harm you. The earth may be burned up with fire at the Lord’s appearing, but not a hair of your head shall perish. Doubt it not. Pray for more faith. Watch and pray. Watch against inconsistency of walk, and conformity to the world. Watch against sins of temper and tongue... Watch against the leaven of false doctrine. Remember that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light... Be very jealous for the whole truth as it is in Jesus. Do not put up with a grain of error merely for the sake of a pound of truth. Do not tolerate a little false doctrine one bit more than you would a little sin.” Good advice.

Often in the rush and tear of everyday life, we may be influenced to act in opposition to God’s word written. We must work to avoid hypocrisy in our religion, in our homes and in our hearts. We must not compromise with those who represent the forces of darkness (Romans 1:18-32; I Corinthians 5:9-13; II Corinthians 6:14-18). Remember the question posed by the prophet Amos: Can two walk together, except they be agreed (3:3)? Stay true to the word of God and gather not to yourselves those whose hearts are dominated by the evil one. Witnessing to the unregenerate is one thing, but taking them into your fellowship and accepting their faults is something else entirely. The Church is not a debate
society. It is not a club. It is the body of him who is our Lord and Saviour. It is a house of prayer not a den of thieves.

 St. Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians concerning the nature of orthodoxy within the body of Christ when he wrote, 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (4:4-6). Yet in spite of this warning, too many churches today are now more or less bodies of the world and not of Christ. The Rev. Matthew Henry once wrote that, “We partake with other men in their sins, not only when we live in the same sinful manner that they do and consent and comply with their temptations and solicitations to sin, but when we encourage them in their sins, prompt them to sin, and do not prevent and hinder them, as far as it may be in our power to do so. A state of sin is a state of darkness.” Does this not describe any number of modern churches where every sort of perversion and doctrinal aberration is condoned and practiced without a word said to the contrary?

 The devil would like nothing better than to overthrow the faith of as many as he can. And our Lord has warned us that, 24there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (St. Matthew 24:24). The proof of our salvation is in our obedience to God’s word written. May our good and loving God grant to each of you a stalwart nature that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand (Ephesians 6:13).

 Let us pray,
O LORD, give us hearts amenable to obedience to thy divine will and protect us from all that world, the flesh and the devil might send our way; for this we ask in the name of thy Son and our blessed Saviour, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Have a blessed week,
Bryan+

 


Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's Anglican Church
Diocese of the Midwest Anglican Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC

Sermon on the Gospel Lesson for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

 Psalms: 66    First lesson. 1 Kings 12:1-20      Second lesson. Acts 19:21-34

 O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“Authority: Abuse and good use”

  What a study in contrasts of style.  When we read both the first and second lesson set aside for today, we see that the difference of leadership style  can make a profound impact on a people that would continue to influence long term affairs of state and church down through the ages. Of course the dividing of the house of David had been revealed in prophecy.  Because David had committed several grievous sins with the Bathsheba affair, his royal lineage would be disrupted by numerous situations after his son Solomon was dead. 

 1. “Chaos Style” (See 1 Kings 12:1-20) The first style of leadership depicted was the wrong headed approach committed by Rehoboam. King Solomon had increased civil labor duties, higher taxes, and a burdensome multi-layered system of government to help pay for all of his kingdom’s upkeep.

   When Solomon died, the people reached out to his sons and asked for a redress of these toilsome burdens.  Rehoboam asked both his older advisors and his younger advisors (yes men) what he should do in regards to this left-over government problem. They even promised fealty to the king, if he lifted this burden. 4Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee. His older advisors recommended servanthood, being a good servant to his people. 6And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? 7And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.

   Rehoboam apparently didn’t like the idea of humbling himself to his people by being a servant to his people, so he sought the counsel of his contemporaries, those who had grown up with him in the courts of King Solomon, not a good choice.  8But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:  

   Their advice was not a good choice for the new to the throne king: 9And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? 10And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. 11And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

Once the majority of the people of Israel heard that Rehoboam did not listen to them they left and later called Jeroboam, a trusted advisor to King Solomon. He had begun to seek a way to move most of the tribes to northern Israel, due to the excesses of Solomon.  This was mostly in costly building projects which caused Solomon to raise taxes to a very burdensome level. Jeroboam had fled to Egypt until Solomon had died. Then he returned to negotiate tax relief of the people.  When Rehoboam refused to cut taxes the ten tribes rebelled against him and called Jeroboam to be their king.  

15Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

And thus the division of the kingdom was complete. The majority of the twelve tribal units would follow the other son of Solomon, Jeroboam, which would fulfill the prophecy concerning the division of the house of David.  This would eventually lead to the very deep division among kinfolk that Jesus would focus on, the Samaritan people. They would be the remnant of those who did not follow Rehoboam but instead Jeroboam. 19So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day. 20And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

    Let us look at the leadership style portrayed in our second lesson today. (See Acts 19:21-34) Paul has preached to both Jews and Gentiles in the and around the city of Ephesus. There were a number of converts, a congregation of believers established, and a growing understanding of the prophecies concerning the Messiah. The general population of Ephesus began to see changes happening with the people in the city. The silversmiths in the city made a handsome living from selling small silver images of Diana to the faithful visiting the great temple located there.  Demetrius, a silversmith of some renown, address the smithing community to the drop in revenue due to Paul’s teachings. Notice how he paraphrases the second commandment: 26Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:

   Then Demetrius further enrages the craftsmen by pointing out what he saw as obvious: 27So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. Mind you, Demetrius really doesn’t care about the faith of the Diana worshipers, he is really concerned with the drop in revenue from the sale of the silver images that they make to sell to said worshipers. “25....Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.”

   And so as we have seen recently in our own time, never let a crisis go to waste, Demetrius now has the silversmith up in arms and the city in chaos. 28And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.29And the whole city was filled with confusion: Isn’t it interesting how much human behavior hasn’t changed?  People can be stirred up on the slightest provocation and chaos will ensue. 

 2. “Calm Style”.  So let us look at the calm style of leadership. What are the lessons we should learn from this?  Take everything with a bit of calm, study the situation well, take time to make a decision before taking action on it.  The importance of this being that if we move in haste then we may have to spend time undoing the damage of a hasty decision.

  The riot and possible harm caused to many people was avoided in the city of Ephesus because a clerk took the time to point out what had been missed in the chaos of Demetrius original complaint.  35And when the town clerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? 36Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. The clerk appealed to the law of the land.  One of the biggest problems now facing us currently, no one wants to see thing out in the courts of law. Most everything is being tried in the courts of public (read “lame-stream media”) realm.  The media is making legal decisions, not the courts.

   As a people of faith we must adhere to calm. We must address all issues in the light of Scripture. We must do it in peace and calm. 37For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. 38Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. 39But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. 40For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse. 41And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.

   As we look to a conclusion of this study of leadership style let us seek the peace. Let us look to the gifts of the Spirit that Paul wrote about, the world certainly does not have this. Let us re-read the collect for today:  O LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Let us understand that all that we do must be under the defense and safety of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can rest assured that He is our defense. He will keep us from spiritual harm. He will give us peace.

 Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn


  AOC Worldwide Prayer List


I have received updates from a few and those will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be removed from list just respond with remove in the subject line.

Keep Praying for the following:

Shamu, Tom, Craig, Jack & Dru Arnold, Jim, Dotty, Awiti Family, Jan Jessup, Steve,
Josh Morley, Jennifer, AOC USA, AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper
Genie, Bishop Zephaniah, Jim Kniffen, Linda

Prayer Needed:

 

 Dan – ICU – Blood Sepsis

 The Anderson Family – comfort in the loss of  their Mother Barbara Anderson

 Katie Pope – Just beginning treatment for Stage 4 Puminary Carcinoma “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)

 Ann Lee – Lung Cancer

Mauri Turner – Stomach Cancer

 Bobby and Vikki Breland – the loss of their daughter

 Bishop Zephaniah – Medical Issues with his kidneys, procedure coming up

 Bianca – has lost her father to Leukemia – please pray for comfort

Extended Issues need continued prayer;

 Laurie with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations, breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing depression to settle in.

 Malcom Allred – Cancer Treatment

 Jan Jessup – Neuro-dementia and her husband, Roger

 Praise Report:

 Jim Cavanah - Thanks be to God! He is the source of my strength. He is my Great Physician. I am happy to report that His healing mercies are beyond all that I could think or imagine. The stroke has left very little permanent damage. Tomorrow (Monday, September 16) will mark only three weeks since the stroke. I have some minor issues with the strength and coordination in my left wrist and fingers but again, these are minor compared to the complete paralysis of my left thumb and what the doctors called "a floppy hand" or a "floppy wrist". The Lord has been good to me! He always has been. He is loving, gracious, and merciful to all His people and He holds us in in the palm of His hand. I praise Him for His many blessings and for the exceptional level of recovery He has provided for me. He has allowed me to continue to serve Him in the ministry of Word and Sacrament to the glory of His holy Name! 

  Therefore, I want to thank you and everyone for all your prayers! They have been truly a blessing to me and Dawn and we are both so very grateful for your prayers and God's blessings upon me. Again, thanks be to God!

 Linda – Thanks everyone for their prayers she was able to come to church this week and beginning to get out again.

 





 



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