Worldwide Communion
Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
Sunday Report
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity – October 27, 2024
Twenty-Second 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 220-221, with the Collect first:
The Collect for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..
The Epistle for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity. The
Epistle. Philippians i. 3.
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.
The Gospel for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity. The Gospel. St. Matthew xviii. 21.
Peter said unto Jesus, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
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 Menzies-Grierson – England (right)
Points to Ponder:
Go ye into
all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
St. Mark 16:15-16
Let the
peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body;
and be ye thankful.
Colossians
3:15
Whosoever
shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
I St. John 4:15
The only sure confirmation we
have of any truth is the Bible.
“Is not my
word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock
in pieces? 30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets,
saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31Behold,
I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He
saith. 32Behold, I am against
them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my
people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor
commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the
LORD.”
Jeremiah
23:29-32
We are in danger of being stern where God is tender,
and of being tender where God is stern.
Ostwalt Chambers – The
Love of God
Christians are
generally at their best, when they are in the furnace of affliction.
Martin
Lloyd Jones
Those who
have their spiritual senses exercised will be aware of the voice of Satan, even
in a friend, a disciple, [or] a minister, that dissuades them from their duty.
We must not regard who speaks so much as what is spoken. Whoever takes us off
from that which is good and would have us afraid of doing too much for God,
speaks Satan’s language.
The Rev. Matthew Henry
Mercy imitates God and
disappoints Satan.
John Chrysostom
Mercy comes down from heaven
to earth so that man by practicing it may resemble God.
Giambattista Giraldi (1504-1573)
What's Wrong with You?
The Lord sometimes leaves in us some defects of character in order that we
should learn humility. For without them we would immediately soar above the
clouds in our own estimation and would place our throne there. And herein lies
perdition.
Theophan the Recluse, from The Desert: An Anthology for Lent
Humility
is not denying the power you have. It is realizing that the power comes through
you, not from you.
Fred Smith, Men of
Integrity, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 54.
See: Isaiah 29:19; Luke 14:11; 2 Timothy 1:6-7
If men knew the Word of God,
they would know that evil does not come from God, but from men, from all men
(Romans 3:23): “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” This
is why they desperately need to be born again, that is, to open themselves to
the grace and forgiveness of God, freely offered in Jesus Christ, instead of
closing in on themselves like oysters absorbing all the filth of the sea. If
all men knew the Word of God, they would recognize their error, they would
repent of their sin, they would hate the man they were before and all the evil
they did, tolerated, appreciated and loved, and they would agree with the will
of the Father, like the monk (St) Gerard who posted on the door of his
monastery cell "Here, the will of God is being done". It must be
remembered that the French verb for to agree: “Accorder" contains
the word "heart: coeur" and refers to a true heart-to-heart
conversation with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - not mere
servile submission.
Bishop Yves Mera – AOC
Presiding Bishop of France – The Heart of Faith – 10-27-24
“For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) The only fear we should have of God is that
fear we feel in disobedience to a good father. We do not wish to bring shame or
dishonor on our earthly fathers, and we certainly must have an even greater
aversion to bringing such upon so gracious and loving Father as that which we
have in God. Instead of fear in our living, we should have a sense of the great
power made available to us in Christ. Of course, the only way in which we may
have a “sound mind” is to have put on the mind that was in Christ. We should as
well have a Spirit of Love. The amazing nature of Love is that it is never
depleted but rather increased at the sharing of itself.
Bishop Jerry Ogles- AOC Metropolitian – Reason for Love , p. 133
Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop - Metropolitan
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:
Bishop Ogles has a You Tube Channel that is free to subscribe: all of his
Article 20 of the 39 Articles of Religion
Brief Devotion by Bishop Jerry Ogles - https://youtu.be/xcwTvDoovaM
The Names of Jesus Series: The Amen
https://youtu.be/B1oA1Q6Sa0I?si=W9zdB0on3G-41ap2
Sermon Summary – 22nd Sunday after Trinity – Bishop Jerry Ogles
click below to listen
Sermon for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
PERSEVERANCE,
“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.” Philippians 1:3-4
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
Confucius rightly says that a voyage of one thousand miles begins with the first step, but just as important to complete the voyage is the last step as well. To achieve victory in any race, we must complete the last step.
The Collect
LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Prayer of Collect today stresses a ‘continual’ godliness. It is the consistent effort to become great in any field which results in accomplishments. Our Christian faith is no different but, instead of seeking greatness for ourselves, we seek to honor and glorify the name of a Great and Holy Father. At the moment that our salvation is confirmed in faith, by the grace of God, we may be as the stellar Nova – brightly burning briefly, and then collapsing in on oneself with the candle extinguished; but persistent dispositions of holiness lead to a closer walk with our Lord.
In the language of the market-place, there are two kinds of Christians – the professional which seeks to gain profit and lucre, or in social acceptance; and the amateur who follows in love. That is the meaning of amateur – one who loves a thing without expecting pay. It is derived from the Latin: ‘amatorem’ (one who loves).
It is not wealth or riches that will see us through faithfully to the end our days on earth, but rather love. Love can literally move mountains, and it adheres us to the object and desire of our hearts throughout our life’s journey. That love encompasses our love for God and then, our love for each other. Paul articulates that love in the first verse of our Epistle for the day: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” It is in Christ that we are able to remember and love the brethren. We remember, especially, those who are afflicted or in prison for their faith – and we remember them not only in our thoughts, but also our prayers. Paul prays that his beloved brethren and siters will be “filled with the fruits of righteousness , which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” Have we prayed like prayers for our brothers and sisters in Christ – not once, but always?
Paul, in his Epistle from Philippians 1:3, prays for the good work begun in Christ, the good work carried on in Him, and then the good work completed. That is the full measure of the Christian life, to answer the call of the Holy spirit, to live in the earnestness of faith, and to end our days in the cradle of our Lord’s grace. Paul further illustrates the importance of persistence in the faith in Philippians 3:14 – “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” We may be the fastest runner on the track, but what if we falter short of the finish line!
From the time I was a young cadet, I was encouraged to look up and not down. For even our postures can dictate our hope or despair.
The soldier, on the long march, is conditioned to look up and forward to the distant trail rather than down at the place of his next step. That practice not only helps us to keep in mind the goal to which we are marching, but also from feeling bent over and weak for the journey – and thus we will not only appear to be true soldiers in our countenance, but will also in our inward thoughts.
In our Gospel text, Peter makes a sincere inquiry: “. . . how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?” Please note, first of all, that Peter is inquiring concerning forgiveness of his brother. This presupposes that his brother, being in Christ, is sincere in his apology. God expects no more of His children than He exercises Himself in the act of forgiveness. God will not forgive us if we do not confess our sins, and our repentance must be sincere and not simply ‘confessing with our mouths’ only.
Our Lord posits a parable of a great king to whom one of His subject owed an amount of money that was inconceivable of his ability to repay. When threatened with the hell of imprisonment and the loss of his family, the penitent pleaded mercy which the king not only granted but forgave all of the man’s debt. That is what the Lord does for us when we came with broken and contrite hearts pleading mercy – He requires no further sacrifice and forgives ALL our debt. This illustrates that there is no limit on perseverance in mercy and kindness – not only to God but our fellows. We see in this Gospel text from the Gospel of St Matthew 18 that there is never a limit on patience with our brothers and sister in Christ. We persevere not only in faith, but in love and forgiveness. If we do not forgive others, neither will our Father forgive us. “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” is a simple principle of forgiveness that we repetitively proclaim in the Lord’s Prayer.
Debt can lead to hopeless bondage, but we have a Lord who forgives every ounce of our debt which is beyond any man’s means to repay. He does so completely and with only one reciprocal command, that we do likewise. But do we? Do we show mercy only once or twice, but lack patience in persevering in our mercy for all future forgiveness when sincerely pleased of us? Heed the counsel of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:14-15 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
We have an example of the greed that will override mercy to forgive others as God has forgiven us. The merchant to who a great debt was freely forgiven, goes out and finds a poor man who owes only a small debt. He grabs him by the throat and demands immediate payment. Being unable to pay, the poor man is threatened with prison. The great King in this parable represents God who freely forgives the sincere penitent. The man forgiven a debt beyond any man’s ability to pay, represents you and me, for God has forgiven our sin debt freely for us, but at the cost of the torture and sacrifice of His only Begotten Son. He paid the wages of sin for us which would have been our eternal death.
If God has forgiven us such a mighty debt, how can we refuse to forgive our brother of such a tiny debt? Perseverance in faith and mercy is not the exception, but the rule of life for all believers in Christ. That nature of mercy is not our own, but Christ who works in us to show His mercy and faith to others. It is the heart that professes belief by lacks evidence of it that is the tragedy of the soul. Having put on the Mind that was in Christ, our wills shall always to be to do the will of our Father in Heaven. Having received Christ into our hearts, it is His will that governs our own in good works. Perseverance in holiness is a continual sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost.
In Christ Alone during Season of TRINITY,
† Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop.
Twenty-second 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 and are all tied together. Today’s propers really put to lie the concept of the hermit Christian. When we talk about them, look how the Collect talks about the Household of God, what Bishop Cranmer styles as the Church, and how Paul speaks of the benefits of fellowship and joint prayer. If that were not enough, see how Jesus reminds us of the need for forgiveness and patience, things you only need if you interface with others.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name…
In the Collect we ask the Lord to keep His household, (that would be the Church or us) in continual godliness (that is to keep Him as our leader and follow Him and the principles of Scripture), so that with His Help we can have as smooth a path as practical and serve Him in happiness. In today’s modern age we can clearly see the results of not holding to continue godliness as worldly concepts and values sneak into the more modern churches. We are seeking to avoid such worldly influence in our church today.
If the Church is not in continual godliness as many of the Churches are now then they will not have God’s guidance to get them through these adversities and thus they will stumble and fall. Another reason we should be following God constantly instead of the world. The world cannot give us the perfect guidance God can and their advice will only lead us to ruin. So let us turn to God and follow His Lead that we might be devoutly given to serve Him with good work.
Devoutly serving him with good works is only possible if we listen to the Scriptures and apply them with the help of the Holy Ghost. We cannot do good works for Him without the help of the Holy Ghost. We need His help is we are to carry out His Mission here on Earth and to walk that narrow uphill trail towards heaven.
Saint Paul follows this same thought in his Epistle when he thanks the Philippians for their fellowship and talks about how their bond through Christ have strengthened his faith as a result which enabled him to continue doing good works for the Lord. He expresses his wishes for the Philippians to do the same and to keep growing in heart, soul and spirit, with their judgement and knowledge increasing as they allow the Holy Ghost in their hearts more and more.
Paul also wishes the Philippians would approve of godly things and their holiness would increase as they walk more and more with God. He is wishing for them to continually grow in wisdom through reading of the Holy Scriptures and then applying them in their day to day actions. Remember Paul’s letters aren’t just meant for the people he is writing to, his letters are meant for us. His messages are timeless. We must do as he suggests and continually read Holy Scriptures and apply them in our day to day lives. It also helps if we can find a community of like minded believers to worship together. We can strengthen each other through fellowship and walking the journey to follow God together. It ties in nicely with the collect asking for God to keep the Church in continual godliness. He also calls us to be sincere in all of our dealings and being kind to our fellow believers.
Which brings us to the point of the Gospel, in which Christ tells Peter about forgiveness and how we must be ever patient with our fellow humans, and if they are repentant, grant them that forgiveness, no matter how many times they might err and vex us. It doesn’t matter if we want to or not, if they are truly repentant then we must forgive them, regardless of how we want to do otherwise. This is important as if we hold the evil of non-forgiveness in our hearts, it is to our own detriment. We would not be following the words of the collect of staying in godliness if we were to not forgive. For as God forgives, so must we forgive those who are truly sorry.
Holding non-forgiveness in our hearts is as bad for us as holding a grudge against an individual. It is a cancer to our soul, eating away out our soul turning it from bright white to a dark black. We must not allow this to occur and if somebody is truly sorry for their misdeeds, we must forgive them. Else we will not only hurt them by not forgiving them but we will also hurt ourselves grievously. It is hard sometimes with our natural inclination to be petty to forgive, but if somebody is truly sorry, we must forgive them all the same.
We can only forgive those sins against us, for those that are against God, only God can forgive. Remember, we can forgive them for personal trespasses against us, but through God’s power, only He can grant absolution of our sins, not us. Nowhere in Scripture does Christ tell Peter humans have the power to forgive sins, as the Roman Catholics claim they have, but rather God must forgive sins, but we can tell others God has forgiven them.
The parable illustrates what happens to those who are forgiven, but yet turn around and do not forgive their neighbor (in this case, a debtee) for their sins and have thus abused their forgiveness from Our Lord. If we follow this person’s path, we will find ourselves in a poor spot in eternal life; not only the eternal life, but our temporary life here on earth would be made more miserable by our abusing of the forgiveness. Let us not be like that fellow, but let us forgive our neighbor, if he is truly sorry and willing to repent and re-start the friendship, and turning a new leaf so to speak.
If God has been so good to forgive us, why should we not inform others God can and will forgive them of any sins against Him or us for that matter? Why would we keep such wonderful news to ourselves? The Lord wants us to spread the news to all the world and have them hear His Message.
Today’s propers speak of the power of Our Lord in forgiveness and how we must remember our bond with our fellow Christians in Christ, especially in times of great sorrow or trouble and use that to strengthen us in our day to day lives. We must always remember there are others in our heavenly family who are struggling along with us. With the help of the Holy Ghost and our bond with Christ, we shall not fail.
The Collect’s prayer, Epistle and Gospel tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message, ultimately. We have to be willing to forgive others, tell them about God’s forgiveness, and not turn around and commit the grave error of not forgiving others as God has forgiven us for our sins. We have to act more like God each day, though we are not and never will be perfect. If we try our utmost best, that is all we can do.
Heaven is at the end of an 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 Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
Philippians 1:3-11; Matthew 18:21-35
THE HEART OF FAITH
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Forgiveness is a central concept of the Gospel, at the heart of faith, because Our Lord Jesus Christ came to forgive all the sins of those who believe in the Good News of the Gospel. We often think that the Good News is that of the resurrection of Our Lord, and we are right. But Christ did not die crucified just to show us His superpower over death by rising from the dead on the third day. His approach is not a simple demonstration of strength, but the bold manifestation of a divine forgiveness. The word forgiveness is synonymous with grace. Forgiveness is a "gift for", a gift by which God gives us the grace to forget our offenses against Him. Forgiveness is therefore a pure gift of grace, for no one can influence God by forcing Him to forgive us our sins, nor can one buy His grace in exchange for a few good works of piety that might merit His indulgence. Forgiveness is not an indulgence! Forgiveness is much more than an indulgence! Forgiveness is not a tolerance of sin, an acceptance of evil, but on the contrary an acknowledgment of sin and a renunciation of evil, with the help of the Holy Spirit which dwells within us.
In reality, God is impassive. He does not suffer from our sins because they have no effect on Him. God does not suffer from our sins, but He cannot suffer them. He does not approve of them and does not support them. On the other hand, God is good, He is Goodness itself, and He grants us His grace if we agree with Him, with His will, with His holiness; in other words, if we disapprove of our sins and declare them unbearable to the point of hating and abhorring them. Such is the repentance which the work of the Holy Spirit works in us, if we consider and believe the sufferings endured by Christ on the cross; His sacrifice is horrible, but it is the one we have earned by our sins, that is, by our ignorance or revolt against our Heavenly Father and our refusal to obey His Ten Commandments.
Paradoxically, Christ teaches us hatred! Yes, hatred of evil and disobedience to His Law of Holiness. Progressive people reproach us for this quite enough. And hatred is the opposite of love, but "God is love " (1 John 4:8). Loving God is not only to be in harmony with His holy will, but also to hate everything that opposes it. My friends, let's learn to hate... but to hate evil, Satan, his works and his deeds. Without this hatred of evil, we will not be saved on the day of Judgment. We would have deluded ourselves with deceptive illusions if we had thought that to love consisted in loving everything, tolerating everything, accepting everything, approving everything. This false love - this hypocritical love - is basically nothing but indifference to evil, and a real lack of love for lost sinners, most often through ignorance. For ignorance of God leads to all sins that lead to hell. Hating God and His Law of Holiness is to ignore His goodness and mercy; it is also to impute to Him the evil that is happening in the world. Have you never heard agnostics and atheists cry out, "If God were good, why violence, disease, wars? Why does He allow innocent little children to suffer sickness and even death?" And they end their easy diatribe by accusing God of being unjust, without seeing their own injustice in blaming our good Heavenly Father for all that men do when they are influenced by Satan, that is, deprived of God's Holy Spirit who makes us know, understand, and love God's Word.
If men knew the Word of God, they would know that evil does not come from God, but from men, from all men (Romans 3:23): “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” This is why they desperately need to be born again, that is, to open themselves to the grace and forgiveness of God, freely offered in Jesus Christ, instead of closing in on themselves like oysters absorbing all the filth of the sea. If all men knew the Word of God, they would recognize their error, they would repent of their sin, they would hate the man they were before and all the evil they did, tolerated, appreciated and loved, and they would agree with the will of the Father, like the monk (St) Gerard who posted on the door of his monastery cell "Here, the will of God is being done". It must be remembered that the French verb for to agree: “Accorder" contains the word "heart: coeur" and refers to a true heart-to-heart conversation with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - not mere servile submission.
The first activity of the born-again Christian is in fact meditating on the Word of God and praying, which, taken together, are a true conversation, a true heart-to-heart with our Creator. The Christian's second activity is then to forgive those who have wronged him, because he himself has been forgiven by God for all his sins, which are so many offenses against God. Imagine that in Heaven we could be reunited with those who have harmed us or who have contributed to spreading gossip about us. Imagine that the murderers and rapists of children could be condemned to live their eternity with their victims. Without the forgiveness asked for and granted, paradise would be worse than hell! Let's not make life on earth a living hell for those around us. Let us learn how to love. And how can we love, if we do not truly forgive, from the bottom of our hearts?
This is the heart of faith... it is found in Matthew 6:12: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Forgiveness is the act of a Christian who has understood all the ultimate implications of faith in Christ. The parable of the merciless servant in Matthew 18:21-35 clearly tells us in its conclusion that those who refuse to forgive those who ask them will end very badly (Matthew 18:34-35): “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Note that Jesus Christ specifies that this is only about forgiveness between Christian brothers. And this forgiveness is the cement in the building of Christ's Church, and the heart of the Christian faith. No one can call himself a Christian and refuse to forgive his repentant brothers! And this Christian forgiveness implies a total forgetfulness of offenses and wounds. It is not simple, I admit, and without the assistance and impulse of the Holy Spirit that God puts in us, it would even be impossible. We cannot just pretend we forgive. We cannot deceive God in this matter, as in all other matters, because God knows everything, sees everything, hears everything, and His divine gaze reaches to the depths of our hearts (2 Corinthians 5:11b): “… we are made manifest unto God…”
God has forgiven us everything at Calvary, by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ on the cross. And would we hesitate to forgive a small offense, a small wound of self-esteem, a little backbiting? What is this pride that holds us back and prevents us from doing so, if not the voice of Satan? And to silence the enemy of our immortal souls, it is only necessary to feed on the Word of God. Is this not how Jesus responded to Satan, when the latter tempted Him in the desert? (Matthew 4:4; 7; 10): " It is written..." and quoting the Bible. And how can we refute Satan if we ignore God's powerful and active Word? Let everyone be reassured (John 14:26): “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” It is enough to love God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and we are forgiven and loved by God to the point of seeking to please Him in all things (John 14:21-23): “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Do you think that this divine love, this communion with the Trinity and this dwelling of the Trinity in us, does not require forgiveness of all offenses, in the first place? Before receiving His Divine Majesty into our hearts, a great cleaning is necessary. The dwelling place of our heart must be completely cleansed, purified, and sanctified. And it is God also who cleans us up by forgiving us our sins, all our sins, and by justifying and glorifying us. Our salvation does not depend on us. It is inaccessible to us, but we can receive it from God, according to His will if it is such, and if we do not hinder it by our hardening in sin, like the merciless servant in the parable who refused to forgive others and to forgo their debt to him. The cross is the rallying sign of Christians, and it is also the symbol of forgiveness: The language of the cross is this, in fact: "Here, everything is forgiven, erased, forgotten". And its corollary we find in John 8:11 “Go, and sin no more.”
Thus, Paul writes to the Philippians that he keeps them in his heart (Philippians 1:7b): "I carry you in my heart, you who all share in the same grace as I do ". There is only one grace indeed: Jesus Christ given by the Father for our forgiveness and salvation, out of love for us. And Paul continues, in the next verse (Philippians 1:8): “For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”
Paul does not hide from us the reason for his love for his Christian brothers and sisters (Philippians 1:5): It is “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” Our duty as Christians is to spread the gospel; hence the need to read it, to study it, to meditate on it in order to nourish oneself with it, daily. Otherwise, we are helpless. And Paul does not hide from us that this is a continuous and long-term work, the work of a whole life (Philippians 1:6): “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” However, Paul does not ask us to evangelize by word alone, but also by our behavior, this is what he calls "bearing fruit": “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11). Paul invites us to let ourselves be transformed by God who wants to mold us in the image of Jesus Christ, His beloved Son. Then He will love us, as He loves His Son, since we will be ONE with Him, through Him and in Him.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7). Let us therefore learn to love one another as God loves us. Let us learn to forgive one another as God has forgiven us. Let us nourish ourselves with the Word of God “That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:17), “that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:” (Ephesians 1:4b). “Holy”, that is to say, separated from this world, not living like it, while being in the world to which God sends us. We will then be stumbling blocks, witnesses whose good behavior raises questions for those who do not believe in God or refuse to submit to His Love, thinking that our heavenly Father is a wicked god, since He does not give in to their every whim. They are children at heart, who need to be taught, educated, formed in the image of Christ, just like ourselves.
My friends, remember who you were before you were touched by the grace of faith in Christ. You were of the world, like everyone else. And now you no longer belong to the world. You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. And if God leaves us a little more time in this world that is going to perdition, it is to serve as witnesses to Him. Internet selling companies know this and practice it: they don't just boast about their products and offer some discounts on prices... They add in the comments evaluations of fake customers expressing their satisfaction at having received their order quickly, and the effectiveness of the product they purchased. Through our transformed lives, we are true witnesses of God's grace and the efficacy of the forgiveness He offers us in Jesus Christ, His Son. Oh! Of course, we will experience failures, wrong outcomings, and we will be sorry for them. The fault of God who has chosen us despite our faults and weaknesses (2 Corinthians 4:6-7): “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” God knows that we are not perfect, and He takes this into account.
Let no one boast of being a good witness, for the only good witness is the Holy Spirit who works in us, and through us, despite our faults and weaknesses. But let us be patient. Let us hope in God's faithfulness to His divine promises, and let us practice forgiveness from the bottom of our hearts, which is the most obvious manifestation of God’s love, for it is the faith of the heart and the heart of faith. 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.
Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
But unlike much of Christendom today, those newly formed church bodies did not construct church buildings. Still, they were not without places to gather. Early Christians often met in private homes to worship and pray. Later, as persecution by the Roman authorities became more the rule rather than the exception, many would find other venues. They would also not announce their meeting places to just anyone for safety’s sake. Still, the house-church remained the most popular place where the faithful might gather to lift their voices to God’s throne of grace.
And the home is, after all, a fitting place for a church. All through the scriptures we read of the family as the central cell of a godly faith. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob taught their families about the LORD their God, not in some temple or edifice, but in their homes. In the time of Moses, the Israelites constructed the tabernacle— a tent made to divine specifications. But the real work of living their faith was in their own dwellings. And such a state continued throughout the years of the kings of Israel and Judah with the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. Home and hearth, family and faith all worked together to advance the message of God to the Jew first and then to the Gentile.
As the Christian faith achieved acceptance by the Roman emperors, church buildings became more prevalent. No longer was the home the center for worship, nevertheless, Christians were expected to keep alive in their homes those principles of the faith which they had been taught in their church gatherings. As time passed, church buildings supplanted the home as the chief venue for the tutoring of both young and old. With the collapse of civil government in the Western regions of the Roman Empire during the 6th century A.D., literacy levels in those areas dropped significantly. Few could read the Bible in Latin and fewer still in Greek and the organized Church of the day did not encourage their flocks to do so. Besides, most people were lucky to live hand-to-mouth and were hardly interested in learning to read and write, neither were they afforded the opportunity to do so under the then developing feudal system of governance. And so for nearly 500 years, Christians had to trust their church leaders to tell them the truth concerning God’s word written. Nevertheless, change was in the wind. By the time of the Renaissance in the 14th century there were already present a host of cathedrals and lesser church buildings which captivated the minds and imaginations of Medieval worshipers. These structures inspired within their attendees a sense of awe and reverence. As a result, such awe and reverence permitted the church leadership to influence both noble and commoner alike regarding the things of Scripture without giving them any encouragement to read the Bible for themselves. Their church windows were like picture books which added sight to the messages they heard from the Bible. The images and statuary, relics and monstrance’s were but additional visual aids that the people might look upon to support their faith. Nothing was taught in the home except what had been taught in church.
Nevertheless as time passed and more and more people became literate, the book they wanted to read was the Holy Bible. It should be understood that books of any kind were expensive as they were hand written. But with the coming of Johan Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press all that changed. With more scholars and ministers now able to publish their books and sermons for a wider audience, and with the growing list of bible scholars working on vernacular translations of Holy Writ, those who could read came to know more of what God expected Christians be in his service. Armed with this knowledge of God’s word written, many began to question the authority and traditions of the stablished religious order. Persecution by the Medieval Church soon followed in a vain attempt to restrain this tide of biblical awareness. As a result, many Christians, like their counterparts of old, returned to worshipping in their homes and away from the prying eyes of the Medieval Church. Here again, the followers of Christ could read and then teach the truth of the Bible which God had so long ago proclaimed. And as a natural outgrowth, they formed new church bodies based on the words of the Bible and not on the words and whims of men.
Eventually, either through the good fortune of living within kingdoms or principalities which permitted new church bodies to form, or, via migration to places where such bodies could be established, the house church was restored at least in part. And for as long as these new churches adhered to the doctrines and teachings of the Bible — even if they had church buildings for worship — the Body of Christ grew and spread.
Sadly, this growth did not last and such is not at all surprising given the work of the Devil and his minions both in the spirit and the flesh. With the capture of much of Christendom today by Modernists and Progressives, one of the few remaining safe places for the true and faithful Christian to learn and grow in the love of the Godhead is again found within the precincts of their homes.
In spite of this, you may hear the critical comment, “Well, your house-church is not a real church.” Such people will level this charge because in their minds the concept of a church equates to having a separate church building, and so if you do not have a building, then you do not have a church.
My response is, “Nonsense!” If the “church” you are attending does not teach the truth about God as found in the Holy Bible. If it does not follow the prescribed character of a true church as found within the pages of Scripture. If Jesus Christ is on the outside (Revelation 3:20) precisely because his word has been rejected by those within. Well then, it is you who are in error and not us. Consider the following observation by Bishop John Charles Ryle who noted that, “The meanest room where a few penitent believers assemble in the name of Jesus is a consecrated and most holy place in the sight of God. They that worship God in spirit and truth never draw near to him in vain. Often they go home from such meetings warmed, cheered, stablished, strengthened, comforted, and refreshed. And what is the secret of their feelings? They have had with them the great Master of assemblies even Christ himself.”
Additionally, he noted that, “It is fitting and right beyond doubt that buildings set apart for Christian worship should be worthy of the purpose for which they are used. Whatever is done for Christ ought to be well done. The house in which the gospel is preached, the Word of God read, and prayer offered up, ought to lack nothing that can make it comely and substantial. But let it never be forgotten that the material part of a Christian church is by far the least important part of it. The fairest combinations of marble, stone, wood and painted glass are worthless in God's sight unless there is truth in the pulpit and grace in the congregation. The dens and caves in which the early Christians used to meet were probably far more beautiful in the eyes of Christ than the noblest cathedral that was ever erected by man. The temple in which the Lord delights most is a broken and contrite heart renewed by the Holy Spirit. Without the truth in their pulpits, the most beautiful buildings are simply historical museums.”
Ergo, any house or home regardless of size and appointments can be a house of worship, a place of solace, a hall of comfort and a temple to the mighty God we worship. Let us therefore cheerfully and with reverence come into the LORD’s presence with thanksgiving and praise. It does not matter the locale if our hearts, prayers and confessions are raised there to him. So do not let the unlearned or the unfaithful convince you that your fellowship “is not really a church” because you do not have a building, or “you are part of some breakaway faith.” Be where you need to be to please God and leave the rest to themselves.
Remember the words of St. Paul in II Corinthians 6:14-18, Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Good advice.
Let us pray,
O holy and gracious God, we thank you for our house of worship, our home and hearth; that it may ever be a place of true faith and where sound doctrine is preached
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 for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
Psalms 71 First lesson: Numbers 20:14-31 Second lesson: 2 Timothy 1:3-14
LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..
“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” (Psalm 71:1)
In the tradition of the Reform Movement of the early modern period, this coming Thursday is Reformation Day. This was the day that a conflicted middle aged monk nailed a broadsheet of some 95 complaints against the abuses of the church of Rome on the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. He was challenging the very church that this monk had dedicated his being, his life, his all and yet he was willing to risk everything by raising these complaints against spiritual abuses that now permeated the established church. This of course was the church of Rome.
After years of study, this monk, by the name of Martin Luther, begun realized the answer to all of his doubts. He had for years feared death, the divine judgement of God, the pains of hell fire, because he had doubts of his salvation. He didn’t think he had done enough to save himself from this horrible end of his earthly life.
As a monk, Luther had access to the Word of God. There were various texts and Latin translations of the Bible available for the monks to study. One day as he was struggling with his unbelief and doubts of being good enough for salvation, he read this verse from St. Paul’s book to the Romans;
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17) The Holy Spirit opened Luther’s eyes, spiritually and physically. Suddenly he found peace. He realized that it was by faith that he was to live by, not by useless works, which had caused him so much fear and doubt. His understanding of the scriptures ran diametrically opposed to the traditions of the church of Rome. He quickly became disillusioned with most everything he had been taught about the church of Rome. He also would later realize that the choke-hold the Roman church had on the sacred scripture was the main cause of all of this confusion and doubt he had experienced as a young man. This choke-hold would later cause Luther to translate the Bible into German, making the Word available to anyone who could read.
I don’t have any proof to this idea, but somehow I think that in all of Luther’s studies he came across this Psalm 71 and perhaps helped him to reinforce his faith in where his trust was to be placed. It also sounds remarkably close to one of Luther’s most famous hymns, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”.
In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. 2Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. 3Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. 4Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth. 6By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee. 7 I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge. 8Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day. 9Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. 10For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, 11Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him. 12O God, be not far from me: O my God, make haste for my help. 13Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt. 14But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more. 15My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof. 16I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come. 19Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee! 20Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. 21Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. 22I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel. 23My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. 24My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.(Psalm 71)
Most of the reformers, whether on the continent of Europe or in England, tried to bring the church back to the simple message of the Gospel. None of them were trying to found or start a new church, just an attempt to bring the church back to the basics.
The reform movement tried to strip off the added layers of tradition that had occluded and obscured the clear message of the Word of God. When Jesus shared the good news to his disciples and those who followed him the three and a half years, there was no ambiguity to what his message was, his parables bear that out.
As we spend time in reading the New Testament we can see that when the Word was made flesh, God was with us, Immanuel, he gave us the gift of eternal life by way of his Son’s death and glorious resurrection. All of that is simple gospel.
Let us remember those who came before us, who by faith, gave us a clear legacy of what it means to be a follower of Christ. We look at those who lost their lives because they would not bow to the tyrannical power of the Roman church. They would hold fast to the “faith once delivered” and give their lives in sacrifice so that others would be able to eventually live in peace with the full gospel in their hands. What a sacrifice. Would we be willing to lay down our lives so others could have access to the Word of God, unspoiled by the heavy baggage of tradition and years of textual abuse that has surrounded the Word?
Today let us endeavor to honor the memory of those who came before us and by their lives and ministries, gave us a legacy to uphold, most especially in the concept of “rightly dividing the Word of God”. This we dedicate to the honor and glory of God, because of his Son, Jesus Christ our Savior.
Let us pray:
O most merciful Father, we humbly thank thee for all thy gifts so freely bestowed upon us. For life and health and safety, for power to work and leisure to rest, for all that is beautiful in creation and in the lives of men, we praise and magnify they holy name. But above all, we thank thee for our spiritual mercies in Christ Jesus our Lord, for the means of grace, for the hope of glory. Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgement, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God, through Jesus Chris our Lord. Amen.
Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
Rev Stephen Cooper Church of the Redeemer Fairbanks, Alaska
From time to time we are fortunate to receive a sermon from Rev Cooper in Fairbanks Alaska. The head of our northernmost church, Stephen is a brilliant and inspiring speaker. I wish we had video of him rather than just audio; but I am confident you will enjoy this. This sermon is for last week. Please take the time to listen to it.
Click below to listen to this wonderful sermon
For the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuMDbGcCUPk
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, Jim, Dotty, Jan Jessup, Steve, Josh Morley, Jennifer,
AOC USA, AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper,
Prayer Needed:
Brett Wydra – ICU – Blood Sugar – Kidney Issues
Jerry Audiss – Diagnosed 4th Stage Liver Cancer
Donald Roesch – ICU – Heart attack - Pleas pray for his wife Ashley and children, also
Mike Gettinger– heart related difficulties
Jim Sevier – God’s Peace in his life
Mauri Turner – Stomach Cancer
Anne Lee – Lung Cancer – recent diagnosis
Colin Beall and daughter Lowery – each has a different type of cancer
Dallas Minner – man with possible breast cancer – tests this week
Linda Derewsky – fatigue and ongoing sore throat
Bishop Zephaniah – Kidney stones
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
Jim Kniffen – came out of surgery for Staph infection in knee replacement – continues with IV Antibiotics three times a day and has begun to start oral antibiotics as well, it is wreatking havoc with his stomach – this is treatment to continue to defeat the blood born Staph infection following surgery.
Katie Pope – Just beginning treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Hurricane Helen Recovery
Please keep praying for all the people and towns affected by Hurricane Helene – Many in the mountains of NC have still not received help.
Hurricane MILTON Recovery
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