241124 AOC Sunday Report
Worldwide Communion
Sunday Next before Advent
Sunday Report
The Sunday Next before Advent – November 24, 2024
Sunday Next before Advent 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 225-226, with the Collect first:
The Collect for the Sunday Next before Advent
STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for the Sunday Next before Advent. Jeremiah xxiii. 5.
BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
The Gospel for the Sunday Next before Advent. St. John vi. 5.
WHEN Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the frag-ments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
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.
Points to Ponder:
Stir Up Sunday
Stir Up Sunday is an informal term in the Anglican Church for the last Sunday before the season of Advent. The term comes from the opening words of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer:
STIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Through an association of ideas, the day subsequently became connected, especially in England, with the preparation of Christmas puddings in readiness for Christmas. Also, though with no real religious significance, Stir Up Sunday is located just the right time of the year to make the fruit cakes, Christmas Puddings and the like to be consumed on Christmas. In many English culture homes, the afternoon of Stir Up Sunday is dedicated to measuring, stirring and cooking the Christmas Pudding!
The Christmas pudding is an important part of the Christmas Day celebrations in the UK. Christmas pudding is a round, rich and heavy pudding made from fruit, eggs, sugar, breadcrumbs, suet, spices, and alcohol such as brandy or rum. Many families have their favorite pudding recipe, which is often passed down through generations of family members.
Stir-up Sunday is traditionally the day for making your Christmas pudding; giving it a month to mature before eating it on Christmas day. Stir-up Sunday is on 23 November this year.
According to tradition, everyone in the family (especially the children) takes a turn to stir the pudding and makes a wish while stirring. Traditionally, the pudding should be stirred from east to west in honour of the three Kings who travelled from the East to see Jesus; and it should also have 13 ingredients to represent Christ and his disciples.
It used to be common for people to put a coin in their Christmas pudding. This was supposed to bring wealth in the coming year to the person who found it.
Christmas puddings are popular in the UK, but many people now buy their puddings from their local supermarket.
Praise ye
the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of
saints.
Psalm
149:1
Better is
a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with
strife.
Proverbs
17:1
Behold,
God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is
my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah
12:2
The great
day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the
day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zephaniah 1:14
My faith
rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel, or know, but in what Christ is,
in what He has done, and in what He is now doing for me.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon
The Gospel
was not meant merely to reside in our intellect, memories, and tongues—but to
be seen in our lives.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle
Before God
spoke in aeons past, the world was mantled in a thick curtain of darkness which
had shrouded it from the moment that it was made, from nothing, by the Voice of
God. It was from this smothering darkness that God spoke Light into being, and
it was so. The sphere of the earth was exposed to the light of first day, and
Creation continued to its physical consummation by the executive hand of the
Lord – the same Lord who not only made Heaven and earth, but you and me. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with
God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men”
(John 1:1-4). “That was the true
Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came
unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:9-12). The same Lord who came down at Christmas and
humbled Himself to the bed of a manger for feeding animals, and whose coming
was heralded by the Light of a Star.
The Lord God
knew in the Eternities Past that man would not be able to achieve any
righteousness at all on his own power and will; so the Lord God made provision
for a Savior who would come into the world to redeem those who would believe
upon Him truly and devoutly. The only One who could qualify to redeem of sin
must, Himself, be Holy and Sinless. That One Person was the Lord Jesus Christ –
the only Begotten of the Father and the Lamb that was sacrificed for us from
before the foundation of the world. “But
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:19-20; also
Revelations 13:8).
Bishop Jerry Ogles – Traditional Christmas Hymns Revisited. p. 14-15
Video Sermons and Devotions
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:
Bishop Ogles has a You Tube Channel that is free to subscribe: all of his
Video Devotions by Bishop Jerry Ogles for the Sunday Next before Advent
The Names of Jesus Series: Emmanuel
Click link below to view and listen:
Articles of Religion Series: Article 24
Collect
for the Sunday Next before Advent
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hfCTdKEUc
Sermon for the Sunday next before Advent –
Bishop Jerry Ogles
The
Epistle
Jeremiah xxiii. 5.
BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.
Today is the Sunday-next- before-Advent, or the 25th Sunday after Trinity. It matters not the terminology or semantics of the name for “a rose is a rose by any other name.” Regardless of our terms, this Sunday is not simply the last in Trinity – it also introduces the Advent season. The Scriptural texts clearly point out this principle.
In our text from Jeremiah, we see the glowing promise of a coming Redeemer in the Branch, unlike every other, that shall also be a King and Judge over all the earth. The believing Jew, as well, as the gentile, each of which designates the Israel of God, shall be saved. He shall be called “The Lord our Righteousness.” This is definitely an Advent promise. This name conveys a particular meaning to us. We are not righteous under the terms of our own merit, but through the imputed righteousness and merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. Does this not herald the advent of Christ is a powerful manner? The promise of salvation is no longer simply a physical salvation illustrated by the crossing of the Red Sea, and a salvation from the tyranny of the bondage in Egypt, but a salvation of the soul and spirit of His Elect who are the true seed of Abraham – those who have believed in both the promise and the fulfillment of that Promise of the coming Redeemer. (Galatians 3:7-22)
In this text from Jeremiah, we clearly see the Promise made to Abraham being fulfilled in the coming of Christ at Advent. We find in this passage the threefold Promise of a Coming King, the blessings of His reign, and the greatness of His Redemption.
The Gospel
St. John vi. 5.
WHEN Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Just as the text of Jeremiah points to the Promise of a coming Savior, so this Gospel text proclaims the fulfillment of that Promise. He comes as King though not correctly understood by the multitudes at the time. They sought after an earthly king, and could not yet comprehend a Heavenly King. In Luke 9:11 our Lord proclaims the fulfillment coming of the promised Kingdom of God. John the Baptist, in whom many placed the wrong level of trust, had been beheaded. Now the people resorted to Christ alone as their King to save them from the bondage of Rome. They misconstrued His kingly realm as being not of this world, but that of Heaven and all beneath.
We observe, too, the absolute blessings of His Reign. He had counseled that we first seek the Kingdom of God and all needful things would follow. Though in a level of ignorance of its full meaning, the multitudes had followed the Lord into the desolate mountain at which He had made good His Promise of supplying their need. He did so with a miracle of His own power unlike that of Moses whose power came from Another on high. In supplying the needs of the multitude in the wilderness, it was found that even more left of bread than at the beginning and after the feeding of the five thousand-plus. It was the charity and faith of a young lad that supplied the small quantity of bread that led to the feeding of an enormous multitude. So it is in the lives of the Elect, our results in following Christ are multiplied by our faith in Him who supplies the need a hundred-fold.
We also see in this Gospel the demeanor of His people in serving others. Though Christ can do without the labors of any man, He nonetheless allows us the privilege to serve others as He did His disciples in serving the multitude out of his miraculous bounty. We are bound by the same obligation and privilege.
On this Sunday, we recognize the fulness of the gospel taught in the preceding season of the church year; and we gather the fragments to insure nothing is lost as we observe the Promise of Advent Season – His coming as a Babe in Bethlehem and the Promise of His coming again in great power and glory. All things done in good order is illustrated. The disciples served the people, and the people sat down to partake of the blessing. This also demonstrates the inadequacy of any labors on our behalf apart from that labor done in Christ and His salvation.
I have written a fuller explanation of the Prayer of Collect in a separate devotion which I append to these notes; however, we can simplify the question by noting the three-fold import of that prayer:
1) To have our wills quickened, or stirred up, to insure that we take upon us the Mind that was in Christ and not the carnal self-will of the suppliant. The self-will of man is dead until quickened to take upon our souls the Will of God. That is true life and liberty.
2) The hope of greater fruitfulness in Christ. We must be ready to serve others in our service of God. If we are true in spirit, we would not allow our neighbor to starve to death while we have a full cupboard. In Christ, we have the abundance of riches that exceed those of the world. Will we allow our neighbor to live in ignorance of that blessedness we enjoy in Christ? and,
3) The reward will be according to our labors in Christ. Our abundance of good works will be abundantly rewarded, but all is attributed to Christ and not us, for we lack any merit apart from the workings of our Lord Jesus Christ in and through His people.
As we prepare for the second Advent of Christ, let us also acknowledge and cherish the Gospel which we have loved and received in His first Advent and ministry.
Sermon - Bishop Jack Arnold
Anglican Orthodox Church of the United
States
Diocese of the WestChurch of the Faithful Centurion -
Descanso, California
The Sunday next before Advent
The Collect.
|
S |
TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As is oft the case, today’s propers are all tied together. As is usual, they call for action not just thoughts. In fact, the collect is among the most direct, asking God to stir our hearts that we might ACT in a manner which will result in good things! The collect is asking for God to inspire us to ACT to produce those good works that will please Him. It is asking for God to assist us in our actions here on Earth to produce good fruits. And through those good fruits, God will reward us with gifts that are better than we could possibly imagine.
Jeremiah prophesies the coming of Jesus out of the branch of David that He might unite God’s people as one under a New Covenant. Christ is the key piece to the puzzle of the Old Testament prophecies. He is the answer to all of the prophecies the Old Testament contains about our savior. John tells us Jesus comes to fill both our spiritual and physical hunger. Our spiritual hunger in that by His Coming, we will have the Word as our spiritual bread and drink. And our physical hunger by the fact if we follow what He says and do our best, we should have no problems getting food to eat. The collect is calling us to action, to perform good works to advance the cause of the Gospel.
The collect is asking us to allow God into our hearts so that we can go forth and do good works that the Good News might be spread. The Good News cannot be spread without the good works. For what good are nice words if there are not the nice actions to back them up? Action not just diction is what counts here as the tagline to many of my sermons go.
In order to perform those good works, we find that we need to have God within our hearts, stirring up our wills to perform those actions. This is what the collect is asking God to do. If we allow God into our hearts to stir up our wills to do those good works, the collect assures us that we will be rewarded very well. Our wills are naturally inclined towards not following Him; we need to have our wills reset towards following Him.
In order to have our wills reset to following him, we have to throw off our old man, to quote Saint Paul and to put on the new armor and helmet of the new man. We have to shed our old like a lizard sheds his skin and grow the new armor and helmet. Then We have to let the Holy Ghost into us and cleanse us of our old sinful selves. Because as long as we are our old sinful selves, we are unable to fully serve Him and to live His Word. We need the Holy Ghost to help us get rid of our old selves and help us put on our new better selves. In order for all of this to happen, we have to willingly let the Holy Ghost into our hearts, souls and minds and have him guide our actions. For without the Holy Ghost’s influence, we cannot truly be able to willing follow Him and act for Him on our own intuition. Our own natural intuition will lead us astray. We must follow God rather than look to ourselves to renew our hearts souls and minds.
God is the answer to the missing hole in so many people’s hearts and lives, and that is very much evident to see in today’s society. We can try to fill the missing hole in our hearts with worldly things, but we will find that nothing else in this world will satisfy us like God and the Word of God can. The sad part is that the missing hole is obvious, but to those who will not believe it is not obvious at all. As mentioned prior, they will keep searching for things to fill that broken hole, but nothing they will find will come close to filling the hole as God can.
Our broken society is a reflection of the missing gigantic God shaped hole. Yet nobody wishes to acknowledge or recognize this hole. That is because our human nature would have us run from God rather than accept God. The church sadly has been complicit in this by allowing the devil to enter into the church. The church has allowed the devil to enter in because they have been blinded by the care and riches of this world and focusing on quantity over quality.
No house divided against itself shall stand and sadly that is what is happening with the modern church. We have found that no art or work of mammon can come even close to the pure satisfaction following God provides. Yet because so many people have been blinded by Satan, they won’t see this. This is the only possible way we can truly be satisfied, everything else is a shadow of true happiness and satisfaction. God is the only way in which we can truly be happy, for everything else is worthless to our wellbeing, except for the joy of following Him.
Events happening in this country today show that we are not truly capable of satisfying ourselves, only Jesus and the Holy Spirit can fill the hole. We cannot replace God with man as some liberal minded folk in this country are so apt to think. This is why we truly need the Holy Ghost acting in our hearts and cleansing us of these impure thoughts. Otherwise we risk becoming like many in this country today, unhappy and angry people that do not understand that true happiness is not found in mammon but serving God and spreading the Good News to all nations.
As we are nearing the beginning of Advent, let us think ahead to the joy of Christmas, the birth of Christ, His entry into this world, the joy of Epiphany, His revealing to the world. Then let us look ahead at the horror, pain and sadness of Good Friday. This lets us see the joy of eternal life He gave us, came at a very heavy price. Jesus gave His Own Life so we might have eternal happiness and not only that but he had to go down into hell and do battle with the devil.
The World is constantly changing things to suit its sinful desires. However, those of us who follow God do not change from the truth. This is why we will never be fully satisfied with things of this world, but we will be satisfied with what God provides for us.
He asks of us nothing special; but just to do our very best, not just say it. It is something I am striving to work on more and more every day. As we are not perfect, we will stumble on this but as long as we get back on track and follow the Holy Ghost back to the course we are supposed to be on , then all will be well.
We must keep learning and following His Word. It is a hard concept for many of us to follow, including myself, but we must all strive more and more every day to do our very best. If we study Scriptures diligently and work hard to follow them to the best of our abilities, then we will, with the Holy Spirit’s help, be charted on an excellent course.
Interestingly, He tells the disciples to “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” It seems He is talking about the sheep that He tends to, He wishes to “gather up the fragments that remain”, meaning the people apart from His flock, that “nothing be lost”, meaning that their souls may not be lost for eternity. Think about that and take what it is offered before it is no longer on the menu! And be thankful for All His Blessings in our lives, for our friends and our family that He has placed in our lives.
We are blessed and should be grateful we are in a spiritually rich group (The Anglican Orthodox Church) and in communion with some very good men and women across the Earth in the AOC Worldwide Church, who hold true to the principles of Scripture. God has blessed us all by bringing us together. I am thankful for each and every person in the AOC Church and my family and friends. At Thanksgiving, we should be thankful most of all for God sending His Son to die for us, that we might have eternal life and happiness instead of the eternal misery that comes from the separation from God.
Actions speak louder than words, when we actually use that inspiration of the Holy Ghost and a couple well thought out words with actions, we can do many marvelous things in the lives of people around us, through His Spirit and Word and we will help to fill people’s spiritual hunger, through acting through His Word, in thought, word and deed.
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.
Jeremiah 23:5-8; John 6:5-14
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
For the EPISTLE: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” (Jeremiah 23:5-8).
The GOSPEL: “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” (John 6:5-14).
On the Epistle: “Behold, the days come saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth” Jeremiah lived six centuries before Christ. He was a great prophet, to whom God spoke by word of mouth. Here he announces well in advance the coming – the Advent - of a descendant of David, the arrival of a new legitimate King, whose function will be to judge His people, and a stumbling block to the reprobate “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:6-9). The stumbling block is therefore the Word of God incarnate, that is, Christ Himself (John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” The Hebrews did not remember their war dead, as we do every year, but the one living and true God who miraculously set them free from slavery in Ancient Egypt, and that was nothing like partying. With the coming of Christ, their focus changes and becomes the restoration of Israel into the Land which God promised to Abraham and his descendants by faith: (Genesis 15:3-7) “And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.” God has driven them out of their promised land to punish them for their sin: idolatry. But the coming of Christ, and soon His return as a perfect and eternal Judge, the true Israel, the Church of Christ, His bride, becomes the new historical reference point for believers, and the origin of our calendar, which means that the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a much more important event than the crossing of the Red Sea. Now, this crossing of the sea on dry ground, and the engulfment of the enemy army that came after the Hebrews to destroy them, was not a small miracle...
On the GOSPEL: “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip…” With Jesus, here come the myriads of human stars that make up the Church, as the Father showed them to Abram (Matthew 24:31): “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Great troops gather every Sunday in His Church to listen to Him, all over the world. But the elects remain in the minority, as Christ said (Matthew 22:14): “For many are called, but few are chosen.” And the Lord's elects need special food, spiritual as well as material through Holy Communion: The Word of God (Matthew 4:4): “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
And Jesus asks Philip this question, the answer to which only He knows: “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” The Bread of Heaven cannot be bought; it is free. In this circumstance, Christ's followers are panicked, because their faith is still unenlightened and remains down-to-earth. Knowing God's Word well – who is Christ – takes time. But God is patient with us (2 Peter 3:9): “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
“And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” Five thousand is a lot of mouths to feed, but it is not much compared to the population of Israel at large (Matthew 22:14): “For many are called, but few are chosen.” An interesting point is the way in which the food offered by Christ is distributed: it is dispatched through the Apostles, those who have studied God's Word and are responsible for teaching it to others. It is not a question of particular revelation, of the kind "God has told me...", but of the transmission of the Gospel truth within a structure instituted by Christ Himself - the Church - and the Church of Christ is the one where the apostolic succession is maintained; it is obviously Episcopalian, from a biblical point of view. But sometimes some churches, and even the larger ones, depart from the truth to teach another gospel. (Galatians 1:6-9): “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed" Anathema, that is to say, doomed to Satan and to death, and excommunicated.
“When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” Two points should be highlighted here:
1) The grace of God is sufficient and even superabundant. "Sacred Scripture contains all that is necessary for salvation; so that no man should be required to believe as an article of faith, or to consider essential or necessary to salvation, the least thing that is not read therein," says the 6th Article of Religion, the Anglican confession of faith. Everything that might be added to it, such as worshipping Mary and the saints and their relics, trafficking indulgences, Purgatory, meritorious works, therefore deserves anathema. The same treatment applies to everything that has been erased from Sacred Scripture in recent editions of the Bible: about 64,000 words are missing!
2) Nothing must be lost. The Word of God is never proclaimed in vain: (Isaiah 55:11): “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”; and (Wisdom 1:11) specifies that even “A furtive word is not without effect.” There is nothing too much in the Bible; and as French poet Georges Brassens once sang, "On the desert island you must take everything away with you". Every word we read in the Holy Scriptures has its effect on us. So don't be surprised that good sermons, from the early church, are stuffed with Bible verses, because that's the performance’s purpose, and what it should aim at - the target. And the action of the Holy Spirit does the rest. Not the supposed virtue of the preacher.
“Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” And here is the conclusion of this miracle: the 5,000 beneficiaries of God's grace did not shout from the rooftops "Come over here, Jesus distributes bread!", as if they were coming to Christ only for His material blessings... On Sundays, in the main churches of Italy, there are several masses said almost at the same time, on different altars. People go from one Mass to another, for the moment of communion, and you can hear them shouting "A la communione ! - To the communion!" And the crowd moves from one corner of the church to the next, like the waves of the ocean. They receive communion here and there, and neglect the preaching and even the readings of the Word. It is an ecclesial disaster, encouraged by Catholic teaching which does not impose the presence of the faithful during the liturgy of the Word; To fulfill the obligation to attend Mass and have it valid, it is sufficient to be present at the offertory - that is to say, from the Collect! You understood me correctly... and you know why my worship does not include systematic offerings: In worship, it is God who offers us His Word of Salvation free of charge, which does not forbid voluntary offerings, but it is preferable that they are not linked to the liturgy, at the risk of polluting it and that a misinterpretation be drawn from them. For it is a half-open door for the devil, and the flesh is so weak...
So, save your money for the poor. In any case, you will not take anything with you to Heaven. Absolutely nothing. Let us work to provide for ourselves, and let us leave the surplus to those who need it more than us, starting with our own children and Christian brothers. On the other hand, let us not be afraid to talk about our Lord Jesus Christ - which is forbidden to any organizations benefiting from public subsidies, and many of them have fallen into that trap.
Let us bear witness by saying, like the 5,000 witnesses of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves: “This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.”; “… that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9b). God does not ask us for more. And no less either!
Jesus is alive! He is our final Judge. Glory to God!
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.
In our epistle lesson we read, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them (Ecclesiastes 12:1). While these are sobering words for the faithful, they are damning words for the unregenerate. Those who are born again of the Holy Ghost, will have a heart for God, and on that account, they will seek to please our heavenly Father. As for the ungodly, they will rather seek after …the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life… (I St. John 2:16)
In our gospel lesson, our Lord drew a clear distinction between those who love God and those don’t when he said, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (St. John 5:24). The operative phrase is found at the beginning of that passage — He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me — for if one both hears and heeds the words of Christ and believes on the Father who sent him as the Messiah, then such a person possesses at that moment a place in God’s eternal kingdom. Ergo, when we combine our lessons we find that it is best for mortals to come to the Godhead early in life, for to do otherwise may result in their being made castaway— lost to God in this life as well as in the next.
Sadly, that is not how the contemporary versions of the Laodicean church view the matter. They do not teach such things because their master is not the humble carpenter of Nazareth, but the fallen angel known as Lucifer (See Isaiah 14:12): the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4) and the father of lies (See St. John 8:44). The Devil has sought from the beginning to turn mankind against his Creator, all the while diverting their worship to himself (See St. Luke 4:5-7). Witness the words of St. Paul who wrote in his epistle to the Romans in chapter 1: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful: but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (v.21-22)... 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen (v.25).
In the parable of the Sower (St. Matthew 13:18-23), our Lord warned of the Devil’s power to remove the seed of the word which has been sown by our Lord into hearts of men. And so it follows that all who attend an apostate church will face an array of assaults by the wicked one designed to diminish and disparage the true gospel of salvation. Like the godless revolutions of the past and present, Satan has and will seek to tear down the existing godly order only to bring in his novus ordo seclorum which includes his ersatz gospel. This false testimony may contain a thin veneer of the one true gospel, but it is one which has been denatured and redacted so that it bears only a figment of the same. And given the current state of affairs within the modern church, it begs the question: “How can a person remember his Creator if he or she has not been accurately informed about him?” Logically speaking, such cannot happen.
As born again Christians, we understand that as part of our belief in God we also acknowledge the existence of personal evil in our world. Some have questioned the reality of the devil but again, the Bible is plain-spoken about this malefactor who is ever ready to counter godly teaching via his army of false ministers and false disciples (see II Corinthians 11:14-15). These wolves in sheep’s clothing have encouraged their charges to embrace any number of deceptive beliefs and practices many of which may seem innocuous to the uninformed; but are, nevertheless, detrimental to their salvation. Said practices and beliefs are conduits that will lead the unsuspecting into the wider world of sin and rebellion against the Godhead. These may include the use of synchronistic religious practices, such as sacred journeys, or the exercise techniques of pagan practitioners, as well as the inculcation of doctrines that are designed to cast doubt on the exclusivity of the Christian faith and the veracity of the scriptures.
The Bible tells us that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God (I Corinthians 10:20). Is that true today? Most assuredly. Look about our current scene and you will see numerous examples of what the Bible called the synagogues of Satan. These have masked themselves as temples of the living God, but they are hardly that at all as they are run by hirelings and not true shepherds of Christ. They teach a false gospel taken from edited bibles developed by redactors of the truth of Christ rather than proclaimers of his glory. And like their bible editors, many of them deny the deity of Christ, his resurrection and his coming again. They teach a soothing, abridged Christianity that contains no judgment, and no perdition. Through their doctrinal abridgements and revisions, they have changed the truth of God into a lie. God has clearly stated that there will be a judgment and an eternal punishment for all who live in disobedience to his word written.
Often, we who hold to the orthodox teachings of Christianity are chided for being judgmental, strident, and of course, exclusive in our faith. But what does the Bible tell us? It tells us in rather straightforward language that God does indeed have an exclusive understanding regarding those who would enter his kingdom. Consider the First Commandment: 2I am the LORD thy God...3Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:2-3). Such is self-explanatory.
God’s exclusivity also applies to human behavior. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their abominable deeds (Genesis 19:1-25). As St. Jude warned us in his epistle: 5I will therefore put you in remembrance though ye once knew this, how... 7even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (vv. 5-7). These are not isolated passages illustrating an exception rather than the rule because God hatest all workers of iniquity (Psalm 5:5).
Long ago, God expressed his will for mankind as set forth in his word written. Our good and gracious God requires that all who come to him in Christ Jesus must see themselves as miserable sinners— dead to God and destined for an eternity in perdition— and that our only hope lies in our personal acceptance of our Lord Jesus Christ. One cannot expect to be accepted into God’s kingdom if such a one has lived a life marred by the abominable, the sinful and the wicked and never bothered to confess those errors to him in the name of Christ. That’s a “fool’s errand.” Still, many churches teach just that. It is called “Universalism” and it will be the undoing of many. How does their teaching match up with what our Lord said? 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth (St. Matthew 13:40-42).
How does Universalism match up with our Lord’s plan of salvation as found in Scripture? …30Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. 32And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house... 33And he... was baptized, he and all his, straightway. 34And... he... rejoiced, believing in God with all his house (Acts 16:30-34). If one believes on the Lord Jesus, one must also be accepting of his word and commandment. And if not, then it begs the question, is that person truly saved at all?
And finally, how does their teaching compare with the Great Commission? 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (St. Matthew 28:19-20). Again, we are presented with the exclusivity of the Christian faith. If one is baptized as described, then one is accepting of the rubrics of the faith— the call to be saved requires the believer to accept God’s will for them and to live that perfect will.
We have been commanded to obey the teachings of our Lord. We must study the scriptures and learn from them. We must daily petition God to assist us as we labor in his harvest. If we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, Redeemer and Friend, then we ought to live in obedience to his will and pleasure as found within the pages of Scripture. So do indeed remember thy Creator by being doers of his word and not hearers only and avoid Satan’s false religion which will only lead you away from him who truly loves us and seeks our eternal good.
Let us pray,
O gracious LORD, fill us with thy most holy Spirit, that we might better serve thee by keeping to that strait gate and narrow way which leads unto everlasting life, and encouraging others to do the same; and this we ask in the name of him who died and rose again, even thy Son, 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 for the Sunday Next before Advent
Psalm 145 First lesson: Jeremiah 3:14-18
Second lesson: 1 Corinthians 11:17-32
O God, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness: Be ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy church, and grant that those things which we ask faithfully, we may obtain effectually, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This Sunday is essentially the New Year’s Eve of the church calendar year. The new year of the church appropriately starts with the season of Advent. Think about the portent of salvation, of hope, of light given to the darkened world, all coming together in the season of Advent. As we are praying to be “strengthened and asking God to hear our prayers” on this the last Sunday of the old church year, let us look to the new church year with great anticipation of good things to come in our continuing journey to Zion.
Many of the vestiges of John Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress, should be an encouragement to us in our own progress to the Kingdom. Read what the psalmist wrote in the 145th psalm, take note of what he indicates is the path of praise to be afforded the Lord:
Notice the progression of these five verses; extolling and praising God and his name for ever and ever. 1I will extol thee, my God, O king: and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Blessing God and again praising his name....for ever and ever. 2Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Why? Great is the LORD (and because he is great) he is to be greatly praised and that greatness is beyond our ability to understand the greatness. (humbling). 3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
And then a most important aspect of this praise; teaching the next generation about the works of the Lord, declaring these great works to the next generation and in turn they tell the next generation. 4One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
Now let us put this in context of the new church year. At the cusp of the calendar year we usually reflect on what the past year revealed, we think of the high points, low points, and maybe unusual events that may have unfolded during the previous year, overall, there is a reflection upon the past. Today let us do the same with the church year. Let us reflect on the past year, think about all things that have transpired over the last year, good, bad, and otherwise and then apply the first five verses of the 145th psalm. Hmm, what will that bring to mind? Do we praise God in all things? Do we reflect on his greatness, his works to be praised, his mighty acts, his glorious honor?
8The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. The next couple of verses give us the hope of great mercy, the goodness the LORD gives to all, the tender mercies over all his works and the wonderful act; “[he] is slow to anger”. What a merciful blessing. Think about it. If we were God, how merciful would we be? How slow to rebuke would we be? How kind to others would we be?
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Would we be that merciful? I don’t think so. First off, we are not holy by birth or eternally {God being eternal, not created or born}. We always seem to find a way of retribution, we always seem to find a way to get even, thank God we are not in charge.
10All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. Instead let us praise the Lord. Let us cease from ‘transferring’ our feelings of revenge on others by way of the ord. Instead, let us do what the psalmist wrote out in the following:
11They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. How much more worthy an effort, to teach of the kingdom, teach of its everlasting nature, teach of the power and majesty that God affords his kingdom and how that in turn affects us?
17The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.
As we stand at the end of the church year and look into the future of the same, let us pray that God gives us the patience, strength, courage, and will to do the right things, being His faithful. We need to ask God to aid us in our journey to His kingdom, daily giving us the blessings and spiritual nourishment to press on, His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
21My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. (Psalm 145)
Let us pray:
O LORD Jesus Christ, who didst say to thine Apostles, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; Regard not our sins, but the faith of thy Church, and grant it that peace and unity which is agreeable to thy will; who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
O GOD, who art present in every place; Mercifully hear our prayers for those whom we love, now absent from us; watch over them, we beseech thee and protect them in all anxiety, danger, and temptation; teach us and them to know that thou art always near, and that we are one in thee for ever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Thanksgiving Day
Let us thank Almighty God for all his blessings:
FOR all thy blessings in creation; for the beauty of earth and sea and sky; for thy manifold works, and for the wisdom wherewith thou hast made them all,
We thank thee, O God.
For the happiness of our earthly life; for all our powers of mind and body; for faithful friends, and for the joy of loving and being loved,
We thank thee, O God.
For the great salvation given to us in Jesus Christ our Lord; for the gracious words spoken by him, and for the perfect example of his life on earth,
We thank thee, O God.
For his suffering and his dying; for his rising again and his ascending into heaven; and for the gift of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost,
We thank thee, O God.
For all the blessings brought to us in thy holy Church; for the preaching of thy Word, and the grace of the Sacraments; and for our fellowship in Christ with thee and with one another,
We thank thee, O God.
For thy long-suffering with our sin and our unbelief; for thy calls to repentance, and for thy gracious welcome to all who return to thee,
We thank thee, O God.
For all thy fatherly discipline; for our share in the Cross of Christ; for strength given according to our need, and for sorrow turned into joy,
We thank thee, O God.
For all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear; for the example they have left us, and for the blessed hope of reunion with them hereafter,
We thank thee, O God.
For the hope of a new heaven and a new earth; for the place that our Lord has gone to prepare for us, and for the promised vision of thy glory,
We thank thee, O God.
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.
From the Rev. Stephen Cooper of Fairbanks, Alaska
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, Mauri Turner, Mike, Jim, Dotty, Jan Jessup, Steve, Josh Morley, Jennifer, AOC USA,
AOC Missions, Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper, Bishop Zephaniah, Jim Sevier, Linda, Donald Roesch
Prayer Needed:
Jeff – Stage 2 – Melanoma – just beginning treatment
Bishop Roy – Biopsy on Nov. 27th
Tate Maag – infant with recently
implanted feeding tube
Alicia – Struggling caring for parents at home
Anne Lee – Lung Cancer – recent diagnosis
Colin Beall and daughter Lowery – each has a different type of cancer
Bishop Zephaniah – Kidney stones
Rev. Dr. Robert Weldy – various health issues
Donna – beginning her chemo for Brain Cancer – recovered from surgery
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
Katie Pope – Just beginning treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
THANKSGIVING
James Cavanah – has recovered from Stroke and hospitalization
Anne Lee – recently told she is cancer free
Jim Kniffen – completed his IV antibiotics – continues to recover with oral antibiotics
Hurricane Helen Recovery
Please keep praying for all the people and towns affected by Hurricane Helene
All Those in Recovery from Hurricane MILTON
All Those in Recovery from Typhoon Pepita – Philippine Islands
Pray for all those affected by Wildfires around the United States
Pray for the People of Spain affected by the flash floods in Valencia
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