250209 AOC Sunday Report
Worldwide Communion
Fifth Sunday after
Epiphany
Sunday Report
February 9, 2025
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany 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 115-116
The Collect for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
The Epistle for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. Colossians iii. 12.
PUT on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
The Gospel for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany. St. Matthew xiii. 24.
THE kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
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 (above)
Points to Ponder:
My lips
shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. My tongue shall
speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness. Let thine hand
help me; for I have chosen thy precepts.
Psalm
119:171-173
A man
shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart
shall be despised.
Proverbs
12:8
But the
wicked arer like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up
mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.
Isaiah
57:20-21
Sing and
rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of
thee, saith the LORD.
Zechariah
2:10
I am the light
of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have
the light of life.
St. John
8:12
Do all
things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless, the sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom
ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians
2:14-15
“Faith does not come to Calvary
to do anything. It comes to see the glorious spectacle of all things done, and
to accept this completion without a misgiving as to its efficacy. It listens to
the ‘It is finished!’ of the sin-bearer, and says, ‘Amen.’ Where faith begins,
there labour ends,—labour, I mean, for life and pardon. Faith is rest, not
toil. It is the giving up all the former weary efforts to do or feel something
good, in order to induce God to love and pardon; and the calm reception of the
truth so long rejected, that God is not waiting for any such inducements, but
loves and pardons of His own goodwill, and is showing that goodwill to any
sinner who will come to Him on such a footing, casting away his own poor
performances or goodnesses, and relying implicitly upon the free love of Him
who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son. Faith is the
acknowledgment of the entire absence of all goodness in us, and the recognition
of the cross as the substitute for all the want on our part. Faith saves,
because it owns the complete salvation of another, and not because it
contributes anything to that salvation. There is no dividing or sharing the
work between our own belief and Him in whom we believe. The whole work is His,
not ours, from first to last. Faith does not believe in itself, but in the Son
of God. Like the beggar, it receives everything, but gives nothing. It consents
to be a debtor for ever to the free love of God. Its resting-place is the
foundation laid in Zion. It rejoices in another, not in itself. Its song is,
‘Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by His mercy He saved
us.’ Christ crucified is to be the burden of our preaching, and the substance
of our belief, from first to last. At no time in the saint’s life does he cease
to need the cross.”
Horatius Bonar, The Everlasting Righteousness; or,
How Shall a Man be Just with God?
(Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1874/1993), 116-117
The year's trials are God's chisels, shaping you for eternal glory.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle
In the gospel there is a salve for every sore, and a
remedy for every malady.
There is no spiritual disease, but there is power in Christ for the cure of it!
Matthew Henry
So the road ahead is marred by the fog of doubt and
perplexity? The Lord has equipped us with an amazing array of faculties to
guide the ship of our souls in every kind of storm, but the greatest compass we
can own is that of a good conscience, duly informed by the Word of God. It is
that still, small voice that came to Elijah by the mountain rock. (See 1 Kings
19:12) Please remember that the great stones and floods of life remain to the
Christian as to the heathen, but we have that Voice behind quietly whispering
to us. “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water
of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more,
but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21And thine ears shall hear a
word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the
right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:20-21)
Bishop Jerry Ogles (Reason for Hope, page 72)
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 videos at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg
Sermon – The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Today’s lectionary text reflects the patience of Christ in His dealing with those of the church – both the faithful and hypocritical. But there is also a reflection on two kinds of seed. In the first Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-16, the seed is the Word of God; however, in the parable of today, the seed represent those in the church. The field is the world. The first Sower is Christ – the second sower is the devil.
The seed of wheat represents the true and faithful Christian in the Church; but there is also present in the church a false Christian whose appearance and cunning appear to be genuine, but is as shallow as a silver plated dinner service. The false professor cannot be easily discerned from the true. The tares (Arabic, suwin) resemble the wheat so exactly at its early growth that the farmer risks destroying the wheat along with the tares if he attempts to separate them. As the tares and wheat grow to fruition, the difference becomes more apparent, but too late to remove. The heads of wheat bow their heads filled with grain while the tares shoot proudly straight up without any fruit whatsoever.
Of course, the Sower of wheat will gather the tares at the last and separate them from the wheat before gathering the good wheat. The tares are bundled up and put to the fire. It is true of the souls of men as well.
Our Lord often castigated the Jewish rulers, Scribes and Pharisees for their overt hypocrisy. These represented the tares in the field (or church). They had a firm of godliness but denied the power thereof. They were false professor who enjoyed a false respect of the people for their so-called righteousness. They were pretentious and false plants in the Garden of the Kingdom.
Our Lord took a serious and condemning view of these imposters:
JOHN 8:38-45
38I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that
which ye have seen with your father. 39They answered and
said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of
Abraham. 40But now ye seek to
kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this
did not Abraham. 41Ye do the
deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of
fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42Jesus said unto them,
If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I
proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot
hear my word. 44Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it. 45And because I tell you the
truth, ye believe me not.
This passage is significant in pointing out the two different families in the world and Kingdom of God. They did, indeed, have a father; but that father was the devil just as is true of all who know not God as Father. This clearly reveals two different families – and only two. We belong to the wheat or else the tares. Two very different families and two very different kinds of seed. At Eden, the seed of the serpent was first evinced to the ruin of the paradise of God. The serpent is the devil, and he is the father of lies.
Galatians 3:26-29
26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. We are all made one in Christ regardless our blood, race, tribe, or nationality. That is the ONLY interpretation that can be gleaned from Paul’s Epistle.
Let us cease to puzzle over genealogies and races of people. IT is not the flesh but the spirit that seals us as Christians, or marks us as belonging to Lucifer.
The term "Abraham's seed" appears in the Bible in several places, including Galatians 3:29 and Romans 9:7. According to Galatians 3:16, the promise was made to Abraham and his seed, which is Christ. Therefore, if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Not all who are of Israel are Israel, and not all who are the seed of Abraham are children.
Romans 9:6-8 (KJV) 6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Whose child art you, God the Father, or the dark Prince of the Air?
In Christ Alone during EPIPHANY,
† Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop.
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide & Chancellor, Faith Theological Seminary
Sermon – Bishop Jack Arnold - Time and
Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion,
Descanso, California
Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power …
In the Collect, we are asking God to keep His People (that is US) in line with His Wishes, not our own, so we might be defended by Him. We cannot expect Him to defend us from the slings and arrows of this world if we will not line up behind Him. This is a pretty simple concept, but one that escapes so many. We find God being blamed by people who do what they want, not what He wants them to do.
The truth of the matter is that the blame rather lies within us. We are the cause of all our problem due to our inherent sinful fallen nature. We are asking for His Help and intervention in our lives, that we might be cured of this dreadful sickness known as Sin. It is not a surprise a lot of Jesus's miracles were healing of various long suffering people with sickness. In a way, they are allegorical, in that He heals us of our sins, as He healed them of their physical sickness. This shows that He can and will heal us not just of our physical afflictions but our spiritual and mental afflictions if we will but let Him into our hearts, souls and minds.
Paul reminds us that God wants us to treat others as we would be treated; having “a heart of compassion, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another…” Paul says these are qualities we must have if we are truly the elect (chosen) of God. These qualities all follow the summary of the law that Jesus gave us, Love God and Love your neighbor as thyself. If we do not have these qualities, how can we be called the chosen of God? We will find that in order to succeed in life that we need to have these qualities within us.
Our ultimate example to follow is that of Jesus. He forgave us, stood in our place, accounted us (who are guilty of capital crimes) as perfect. Yet, we want to hold a grudge against someone for leaving us alone a few minutes too long. How is that right?
In addition to being forgiving, we are to be sharing of His Word and joyful while doing it! Let us think about Psalm 100, the Jubilate Deo:
O BE joyful in
the Lord, all ye lands: * serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his
presence with a song.
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; * we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; * be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name.
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; * and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
Does this psalm not give a lot of insight into how we are to live our lives?
We learn from this psalm that we are to be a joyful people giving thanks to the Lord always. We have to always remember that it is He that created us and not us, we are not self-made men. We are God created men and it would do us well to always remember that. It is when we forget this fact that our troubles seem to happen and why there is so much trouble in the world today. If people would remember that God created us and lived according to the way that he has called us, love God and love our neighbor as ourselves, then the world would be a much better place.
Paul calls for us to let the Peace of God that passes all understanding, enter into our hearts to transform our hearts, souls and minds becoming the men and women of Christ that God would have us be. We have to of our own free will choose this for ourselves. God is not going to choose it for us. He will not force us to take this action. We have to take action and let Him into our hearts.
So, what if we choose not to live our lives God’s Way, but rather our way? The Gospel covers this very subject. Did you ever notice that weeds normally flourish far above the crop plants? While they oft succeed in growing taller and quicker, they are not useful. A wise farmer will let them abide in the field and separate them out at the harvest. God is that wise farmer, who will sift us out before His judgment seat. He knows that there will be folks who may not be receptive right now but will have major events that will change their perspective. If they were cut out of the field before then, the would not make it to heaven for sure. God knows there will be folks like this, that is why He patiently waits for them. The weeds are an allegory to the people who choose not to follow God’s way. They may seem to flourish in the short run, but in the long run they will not prosper. Let this be a lesson for us, lest we might have some misplaced envy of these folks. In the end we will be the happier for choosing to follow God. This is what Jesus is referring to in the Gospel. God is that farmer who will patiently wait until the end days to make that final determination.
We need to not wait for the final day to make the right choice. So while we still have time let us choose to be like the good plants and not be the weeds and grow and learn from the Scriptures!
Follow God’s will and you will do well enough in earthly riches, which are transient in nature, but we will have for …ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. (St. Matt. vi. 19, 20)
It is our actions here that count, what we do in response to the eternal life Jesus has given us. Will we throw it away or use it wisely?
Error is error, wrong is not right. But, a person’s final destination is up to God, not us. It is not upon us to decide the final destination for people. That is God’s job. But our job is to be good ambassadors for Him, guiding and leading people to Him and not away from Him.
During the journey of life through the time space continuum, we need to do our best to keep ourselves and those around us moving towards God, not away from Him. The direction is always clear, sometimes we just do not want to read the signs. So, let us trust and turn to God, our infallible navigator, if we will but listen to Him and act upon his instructions we shall navigate through every storm and trial in our lives with the least pain.
If we understand we are less than perfect, actually far less than imperfect, we have a good start. We need God in our lives to give us direction. We need His guidance to direct our ACTION.
Read the Bible, find out what He wants you to do, then Do It. What can you do today to carry out His Will? There are a multitude of things you can DO to carry out His Will, but the question is, “Will you?”
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Bishop Jack Arnold
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 Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Colossians 3:12-17; Matthew 13:24-30
ENDURE EVIL
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Perfection is not of this world. Only God is perfect. And we fail to be good imitators of Christ, or even of Paul, who declares (1 Corinthians 11:1), “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.” and Paul repeats it (1 Corinthians 4:16): “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”
If Apostle Paul makes such statements, it is because he feels the need for them; and if he feels the need for them, it is because he has seen deviations in the churches he once founded, both in practice and in doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3-4): “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Paul is in no hurry to put the train of the Church back on its tracks of the Word of God, revealed, inspired, without error, the only source of faith and morals; but not being able to be everywhere at the same time, he delegates to the Corinthians his faithful secretary Timothy (1 Corinthians 4:17): “For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” Today, too many churches have deviated and are still deviating from the Gospel of grace to preach bargain salvation through good works or tolerance if not approval of sin. Under these circumstances, Paul would not hesitate for a second: he would send faithful missionaries to these churches to preach the true Gospel of Christ, the Bible: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). And it is indeed the Word of God that Paul sends Timothy to preach (2 Timothy 4:2): “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
In the seventeenth century of the Christian era, two movements thought it necessary to separate from the Church of England: the Quakers and the Puritans. They could not stand the presence of alcoholics and adulterers in worship. Their spirit of judgment turned to spiritual pride, and they founded churches of pure spiritual men, thinking they were better than others. They were badly offended, because they ignored the warning of our Lord Jesus Christ to those who wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery (John 8:7b): “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And these churches of Puritans and Quakers soon found themselves with alcoholics and adulterers in their congregations. Same thing for 19th century founded Evangelical and Baptist churches. Evil must not be fled, but fought.
The first duty of the Christian who wishes to attain eternal life is to show himself worthy of God's call, that is, to put his own house in order. The Book of Common Prayer enjoins us to examine our consciences morning and evening, and to repent of every sin - conscious or not - before even thinking of addressing God in prayer: “Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders. Spare thou, O Lord, who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.” (1928 BCP, pages 35 & 44). Have you noticed that this examination of one’s conscience includes a solemn commitment to renounce sin, and to fight against temptation? It is this same commitment that Christ expected of the woman caught in adultery, by sending her away (John 8:11b): “... go, and sin no more.”
So, we have too much work to do on ourselves to worry about comparing ourselves to others. We do not have time, and the charitable love that the Holy Spirit that dwells in our hearts leads us to love our brothers and sisters, manifesting to them the supreme charity of leading them to repentance and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Far from us wanting to exclude them from the Church, we want to make them imitators of Christ, in the communion of all the saints. Far be it from us to want to leave a biblical Church where the whole Word of God is preached, studied and put into practice. Far be it from us to want to found a new cult of pure men, as modern-day Cathars. Our missionary role is rather to go to sinners by showing them the love of God who sacrificed his only Son on a wicked cross in order to redeem us and rescue us from the clutches of the Evil One. Our role is to bring them to repentance and to help them to lead “a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy Name”, of the holy name of God, whose servants we claim to be.
We must therefore bear evil, which in no way means enduring it or approving it, but to first engage in the struggle against evil within ourselves, and then to help our brothers and sisters in their own struggle. There is only one way to do this: to study and teach the Bible (Romans 10:17): “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Trust in the power of this Word (Hebrews 4:12): “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Remember this: we do not judge according to our own standards, but according to those of the Bible; in a way, it is the Word of God that judges and convicts of sin - not us.
And how can we fulfill our role and obligation if we exclude sinners from our congregations? In the end, we will soon empty our churches and we will end up deserting them ourselves! (John 8:7-9): “So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” How and by whom will sinners be brought to repentance, if no one instructs them in God's will, clearly expressed in His everlasting Word? Note in passing that the best way to get people interested in Bible study is to set a good example for them by studying it ourselves, and not hiding. We are not ashamed to read the Bible, not any more than we eat breakfast every morning.
Our Lord Jesus Christ invites us to bear with sinners with a parable: that of the tares and the wheat (Matthew 13:26-30): “But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” If the biblical judgment belongs to us, the condemnation belongs to God alone. In other words, we must bear the evil that sinners do, and especially the evil that they do to us, while resisting temptation and sin, so that they have the chance to hear and be touched by the preaching of the Gospel of Christ crucified for our sake but resurrected by the Father in order to manifest His free forgiveness towards us. My friends, let us not keep our joy of being saved to ourselves; let us share it with those around us, those who are near and far. Let us bear witness to our faith by simply living a holy and charitable life.
Paul invites us to do this by writing to the Colossians (Colossians 3:12-13): “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Sinners are not perfect or to our taste? Let us ask ourselves the question of whether we ourselves are perfect and to the taste of our Father in Heaven! We will have the answer! Let us look at ourselves in front of the mirror and keep in mind our imperfect image, as the Apostle James reminds us (James 1/23-24): “For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.”
And what does this Word recommend to us? Once again, Paul gives us the answer (Colossians 3:16): “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” So much for the theory; and now here is for practice: (Colossians 3:17): “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” Let's forget our SELVES and our personal interpretations. But let's read the Bible again, the whole Bible. Let us listen to or read biblical sermons by taking part in worship in the traditional churches that still resist the influence of a World doomed to Evil in all its forms, and that we must endure well in order to evangelize it with our witness of Christian life, even if it remains imperfect.
We will be forgiven for our imperfection if we have love for our brothers and sisters (Colossians 3:14): “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” Do we want to be perfect? It is futile to try to appear perfect, like hypocritical Cathars. The latter claimed to be perfect by proxy: They raised some young people to perfection so that they would be perfect in their own place, waiting in a life of pleasure for these perfect people to give them the "consolamentum" at the moment of death, the forgiveness of all their sins, by means of a magic formula that only the “perfect” were allowed to pronounce.
Far from this, we must aim for perfection for ourselves by loving our brothers and sisters and helping the weak to grow in faith. The task is immense; there is enough to occupy us for the whole of our lives. And finally, wouldn't this be "serving God" by serving our brothers and sisters? Christ did not recruit social workers but Apostles, to teach and spread Christian obedience (Matthew 28:19-20): “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
We have this reassuring promise: Christ is there, close to us; He walks with us and guides us on our journey to Heaven. And since it is by faith that we are saved, our priority must be to teach God's Word and put it into practice by being believers and loving one another.
Certainly, the Twelve Apostles recruited seven Deacons to serve at the tables and to ensure that no member of the Church was in need and want. But the mission they gave them was a menial task in order to dedicate themselves entirely to the service of men by preaching the Word of God (Acts 6:2-4): “Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Seven Deacons, to be compared to Twelve Apostles, this gives us an idea of the relative importance of their respective ministries!
At the end of this biblical overview, we will remember this: We are all sinners, and we all have to repent of a multitude of failures in our obligation to bear witness to our faith in Christ. But let us take heart each time: it is precisely because we are sinners that Christ converted us by revealing Himself to us. Let us not be impressed or stopped by scruples or wounds of self-esteem and pride. Christ Himself was confronted with it before us (Hebrews 5:8-9): “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” And it is precisely this eternal Salvation that we want to spread in the world, and to reach the Father's elect, while bearing as Christ did before us the presence, the criticism and the snares of the evil weeds that the Evil One has sown there and that our Lord allows in order to test our faith and make it grow in view of the great final Harvest. Amen.
Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.
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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.
Fifth Sunday
after Epiphany
Or how about the desire of a person to purchase an automobile— especially one that has an appealing color, appointments, and image— with little consideration for the cost. And “cost” entails more than just the sticker price. As a rule, there are the usual accompanying costs such as maintenance, insurance and taxes. If one thought about those things for a moment beforehand, such reflection might save that person a good deal of anxiety later. No doubt you have heard the sentiment, “When the new wears off, all you are left with is payments.” Sad to say, many will heed the illusion of their desires without fully counting the cost. Our Lord once advised, For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it. Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that that behold it begin to mock him saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish (St. Luke 14:28-30).
The English pastor, Matthew Henry, once noted that, “When we take upon us a profession of Christianity, we are like a man that undertakes to build a tower... Let [him] consider that it will cost [him] the mortifying of [his] sins, even the most beloved lusts. It will cost [him] a life of self-denial and watchfulness, and a constant course of holy duties. It may cost [him his] reputation among men...
Nothing is more shameful than for those that have begun well in religion to break off.”
God wants us to temper our desires with the reality of their true worth. Consider verse 14 of our lesson in Amos wherein the LORD said, Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live. We have been called to gauge our behaviors and acquisitions via his righteous laws, and to therefore judge the same as being either acceptable or unacceptable in his sight and not simply our own.
Verse 15 of chapter 5 amplifies the above when the prophet proclaimed, Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. God reminded the people that they must extend their judiciousness to all aspects of their daily lives— individual as well as corporate— and that if they would do so, he would have mercy upon those who would live accordingly. As Christians, we have been admonished in Scripture to self-judge and to confess to God our sins and trespasses. The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians in his first epistle, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged (11:31). And this goes hand in hand with his admonishment of the Galatians when he wrote, that those who belong to Christ, have crucified the flesh with the affections and lust (5:24).
In verses 16-17 of chapter 5 of the Book of Amos we find that the LORD’s approaching judgment for Israel would cause many to wail and cry. Some of them would reason that it was the end of all things (I St. Peter 4:7). And on account of the promises God had given their forefathers, they falsely expected him to rescue them from their enemies in spite of their godless lifestyles. Not so! The LORD gave the prophet the following message in verses 18-20 which would shatter that illusion when he said, Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? The plague of captivity was coming and God would not lift his finger to protect them from it because they had broken his laws and were not sorry that they had done so. Also, the false prophets of their day had convinced the people that peace and safety were before them and that what the LORD’s prophets had said would not come to pass (see Jeremiah 23:13, 16-18, 21-22, 31-32; Ezekiel 13:1-3, 10-11, 15-23).
Even today, careless sinners would rather listen to false teachers and ministers whose speech is smooth and soothing as it comforts them in their sinfulness rather than prompting them to have those sins expunged by our Lord. However, there is grave danger for those who choose to remain under the influence and sway of false professors. The early 20th century Bible teacher, Arthur Pink, once observed that, “The time of the sinner's opportunity for fleeing from God's wrath is exceedingly brief and limited. The sad and tragic thing is that so few realize it. The sinner sees little cause for alarm and fails to apprehend his imperative need of promptly accepting Christ as his Saviour. He imagines himself secure. He goes on in his sin, and because judgment against an evil work is not executed speedily he increases in his boldness against God. But God's ways are different [than] ours. There is no need for God to be in a hurry— all eternity is at His disposal. When one man robs another, instantly the cry is raised, "Stop thief!" lest he should soon be out of reach... But it is different with God. He is in no haste to execute judgment because He knows the sinner cannot escape Him. It is impossible to flee out of His dominions! In due time every transgression and disobedience shall receive a just recompense of reward (Hebrews 2:2). Because there is wrath, beware lest He take thee away with His stroke (Job 36:18). The immediate reference is to death— the removal of the sinner from this earth to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire..”
The final verses of Amos chapter 5 (vv. 21-27) express how God felt about the people’s worship of him. The law provided the Israelites with the details for wholesome and reverent worship of the LORD. In every instance, the people were supposed to bring their hearts to worship and honor God and not just their bodies. Yet they came before him in arrogance thinking he did not see them as they truly were. Their offerings, their songs of praise and their religious duties involved will worship and self-aggrandizement. It was all about them and for them and not the very LORD and God who had provided them with all that they possessed.
Clearly, the Israelites had by and large deserted the LORD their God: who had brought them out of bondage in Egypt and into the land of promise. It is likely that many simply went through the motions of godly worship while afterwards they went to some high place or grove and worshipped the so-called “hosts of heaven”. So when the true prophets of God told them that they were in error and needed to repent and change, some were persecuted and some were killed by the very people they had been sent of God to warn. As the prophet Amos so noted the words of God, Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? And given the state of their souls, his return at that point in time would have been disastrous for them even more so than the coming of any earthly enemy.
And what of people today? Haven’t some called upon God to return and “make the world safe for democracy”, or grant them “freedom from fear”, or “a full dinner pail” or “a great society”? Are those not the very things that the superficial Christian, the Christian in name only, or the progressive Christian desire? When indeed our Lord returns to judge this world it will be a day of terror for the unregenerate like nothing that has ever been seen before and never will be again. But we who have been born again of the Holy Ghost have not been called to face God’s wrath. And others need not face such if they will come clean by making their confession before the Father of their sins and trespasses in the name of his only begotten Son. In that vein, we ought to encourage all who have not done so to seek our Lord’s cleansing power. Strive to enter in via the strait gate and narrow way which leads to everlasting life. Only by being born again in Christ Jesus can one be saved, so come before his throne of grace and ask for his pardon. If we should ask our Lord for anything, that would be it. It is not too late. Accept the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and live.
Let us pray,
Father assist us by means of thy good Spirit to pray for what you would have us do in thy service; and keep us also on the path of life eternal; all of which we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 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 Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Psalms 112; 1st Lesson-Habakkuk 1:12-2:4, 9-14; 2nd Lesson- Luke 12:35-48
O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy Church and household continually in thy true religion; that they who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Who will be blessed?
The psalmist wrote about the man who would be blessed.
1.What type of blessings would he have ?
2.What did he do to receive these blessings ?
3.Why was it important to know about these blessings and from whence they came ?
We don’t naturally do good. We tend to take care of self or self interest first, sometimes just to the point of nothing else. Why should we help others? What have they done for us that they should deserve some type of goodness or help ?
1. The first thing that the psalmist tells us, the one who honors or has respect for the Lord and seeks the goodness of the Lord’s commands, he shall be blessed.
2.There will be blessings for being upright and honest. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. In other words, he who is upright, kind and generous, who is honest and just in all things concerning daily life, he will have good come to him. And how about a legacy. Surely....a righteous man will be remembered forever.
3. The next verse gives us hope in an unsettled time. “His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.” Nothing will add terror to his heart, he can look at the future and not fear it.
The man who has been blessed is to share with those less fortunate and in doing so will bring honor on his name. We don’t give to the poor to call attention to ourselves, we do it because we have been blessed. He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour. (Psalm 112:9)
A life lesson:
The psalms cover praising God, remembering his glorious majesty, looking to a future of hope and peace, asking for guidance and wisdom. There are so many life dealing object lessons in the psalms, I recommend a daily reading of one or two of the psalms a day. In many of these songs (psalms) that David wrote the form is very familiar. There is a part that may deal with the sadness or distress that is invading David’s soul. Then there is the joy and redemption that is revealed or longed for in the Lord. David will point out that many follow their own way, to their destruction, but he will follow the Lord.
Try reading through the Psalter each month. The psalter for each day is listed as day one, two, etc in the Common book of Prayer. Psalm 149 & 150 are on day 31. If you alternate morning and evening readings, just once a day you can read all 150 in a two month period. Each time you read a psalm you will find something different. Each time you include the psalm in your daily reading you enrich your devotion time with the Lord.
The Psalms are so meditative, being written mostly by David, who spent hours watching sheep and being on guard for predators. He sat for hours watching the natural wonders of the heavens. He noticed the patterns in the stars, he noticed the waxing and waning of the moon, the yearly parade of stars that would appear like clock work over his head, sets of them would be named as constellations.
David wrote of these greater and lesser lights {sun, moon, and stars } in a number of his psalms. The natural order spoke to him of a supernatural order, the Master, Creator, Almighty God the Father of the Universe.
If you read the first three chapters of the letter to the Romans, you will see a similar use of the natural world being used to point to the supernatural wonder; God the Father, Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The pagan, the non-believer has no excuse to not know God. His Universe, His Creation speaks of Him, every precise creation. Let us look at the butterfly. The butterfly, from egg, to larva (an eating machine) to cocoon to a completely transformed creature, a flying insect of great wonder, that drinks its meals, not destroying it as it did as a larva; this all speaks of a divine creator. How can a butterfly be chance, or an evolving mistake? It takes some faith to believe in a science that as of yet has the answers to creation or at least origin of this natural world.
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy confirmed it, righteous laws. If we reflect on this verse we don’t necessarily see so much significance to it. We have grown up in a world of artificial light. We have street lights, lamps in our homes, our vehicles have headlights, small powerful flashlights, we are pretty much able to conquer the darkness. Now read the verses with the idea of NO artificial light. There are still places on this earth where darkness is still a real danger.
When David was writing this he was pointing to the ever illuminating Word of God, that lamp, that light which would help him in the darkest of nights to find the way. Yes we are talking spiritual, but it was well illustrated by the deep black darkness that occurs even to this day, where there is no artificial light. Now we can sing that chorus with a deeper understanding: ....”your word is a lamp to my feet that I might not sin against thee, that I might not sin, that I might not sin, that I might not sin against thee.”
Let us pray:
Almighty God and heavenly Father; Open thou our eyes that we may see ourselves to be sinners in they sight, partakers of a fallen nature, and actual transgressors against thee. Enable us to realize our continual need, both of thy pardoning mercy and of thy quickening grace, and to receive Jesus Christ as the only Savior of our souls. May we trust in his atonement, and rely on his intercession, as our only hope. Rejoicing in thy free salvation, and renouncing our own righteousness, may we walk in the way of thy commandments, serving thee faithfully, and striving against every sin; through the grace that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Almighty God, who art afflicted in the afflictions of thy people: Regard with thy tender compassion those in anxiety and distress, bear their sorrows and their cares, supply all their manifold needs, and help both them and us to put our whole trust and confidence in thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Now the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
The Rev. Don
Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC
located in the AOC National Office
We are grateful to have this sermon of today from the Rev. Don Fultz of St. Peter's AOC, Statesville, NC
Sermon Matthew Chapter 13, verse 24-30
Jesus used Parables quite often in his teachings to illustrate certain points. The parable in today’s gospel reading is referred to as the Parable of the “Wheat and Tares”. In this parable, Jesus tells us in verse 24 and 25 “the Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field but while the men slept , his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.” When the Tares and wheat started to spring up together, the servants of the householder asked him if he wanted them to uproot and gather in the tares. The householder told them no, we will wait until Harvest time when we will gather up the Tares in bundles and burn them.
Jesus told this parable to his disciples and a crowd that had gathered around Him. After the crowd had dispersed, His disciples asked Jesus to explain this parable to them. So if we read further into Chapter 13, Jesus helps us understand this parable more clearly when He says, in verse 37: “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man (Jesus Himself).” In verse 38: Jesus says “The field is the world; the good seed (wheat) are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one (Satan).” In verse 39, He says: “The enemy that sowed them is the devil (referring to the tares); the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” And in verse 40, Jesus says “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.”
The term Tares used in this parable is most likely a weed called Bearded Darnel, lolium temulentum specie, (Wikipedia) which is a common weed, found in fields and waste ground throughout the world, but particularly in the Middle Eastern countries like Israel.
Darnel closely resembles wheat until harvest time and it is difficult to distinguish it from wheat until that time. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear. The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop, while the ears of the darnel stand straight up. The Wheat can be easily identified as it is producing fruit. Also, wheat will appear brown when ripe, whereas darnel is black. Bearded darnel does not produce fruit. And what does Jesus say about not producing fruit? “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast unto the fire.” (Matt: 7:19)
Wheat is sowed very densely (close together). When the roots are intertwined with the Darnel weeds, it makes it almost impossible to separate them. The result of trying to root out the Darnel weeds would likely result in destroying much of the wheat …which is what Satan wants…to destroy us. Sometimes, we respond just like the inexperienced servants who just wanted to just obliterate the weeds. When we find someone who disagrees with us or someone who doesn’t believe what we believe…we just want them removed from our life. A good example is James and John who were upset with some Samaritans who did not welcome Jesus. In Luke 9:52-56 we read: “52And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him. 53And they did not receive Him, because his face was as though He would go to Jerusalem. 54And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55But He turned, and rebuked them and said, “Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.”
So what are the major teaching points of the Parable?:
1. God will not remove us from unbelievers until the final harvest. Until then, we have to make the most of our opportunity to turn some weeds (unbelievers) into some wheat (believers).
We should always remember Jesus departing words to his disciples “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: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt 28:19-20)
Pointing people to Jesus Christ is one of our greatest privileges and one of our greatest responsibilities as Christians. Jesus left us with the task of sharing the Good news of the Gospel with others. Consider what St. Paul says in Romans 10:14: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Wheat and weeds may live side by side until harvest…but only the wheat possesses the lifesaving message of the Gospel.
We will find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted mingled together in every congregation of Baptized people. The purest ministry or preaching of the Gospel will not prevent this. Since the beginning of the Church, the same state of things has existed. There has never been a church or religious assembly of which all of the members have been all “wheat”. The devil, that great enemy of souls, has always taken care to sow “Tares.” Even the most strict and discipline will not prevent this from happening. There will always be Tares found among the Wheat even in the most purest church.
Therefore, we need to be careful in our efforts to obtain purity as we may do more harm than good. We may run the risk of encouraging some to follow in the ways of Judas Iscariot. In our zeal to “gather up the Tares”, we are in danger of “rooting up the Wheat with them.” Those who care not what happens to the Wheat, show little of the mind of Christ. Also, there is deep truth in the Charitable saying of St. Augustine, “Those who are tares today may be wheat tomorrow.” St Paul is a good example, although it took an act of God to get him converted to Christianity.
Unless we are inclined to believe the idea that the conversion of the whole world by missionaries and ministers will happen before the end of the world. More probable, just as Jesus spoke in this Parable the “Tares and Wheat will grow together until the Harvest. The kingdoms of this world will never become the kingdom of Christ, and the millennium will never begin, until the King Himself returns.
2. Only God Judges. We need to be careful of judging others…especially non-believers or people of other denominations. We can only read a person from the outside but we have no idea what‘s going on in the inside …only God can read our thoughts and what is in our hearts. In Jesus Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:1-2 He says: “Judge not that ye be not judged. 2For with what Judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” We are not qualified to judge another person. Only God is…so we need to point every person to Jesus Christ and leave the judgement to God.
3. Expect resistance. Satan does not want us to succeed. He doesn’t want us to point people to Jesus Christ so they will have an abundant life. He doesn’t want us to share our faith with others. Whenever, one takes a step of faith expect resistance.
St Peter warns us about this in 1 Peter 5:8 which says: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
4. Separation at the end of the world. The parable teaches us that there is to be a day of separation between the godly and ungodly members of the visible church at the end of the world. This will be the time that the Wheat and Tares are to be divided at last.
St. Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 32-33 Jesus tells us: “And before him shall be gathered all Nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a Shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 32And he shall set the sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left.” The sheep representing the Godly and the goats representing the wicked or Ungodly.
Jesus also tells us in Matt. 13:49, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just.” These angels sent by the Lord in the day of his second coming will also gather all Professing Christians into two great companies. These messengers of God shall discern with unerring judgement between the righteous and the wicked, and place every one in his own lot. The saints and faithful servants of Christ shall receive glory, honor, and eternal life whereas the worldly, the ungodly, the careless, and the unconverted, shall be “Cast into a furnace of fire”. (Matt: 13:50)
There is something solemn in this part of the Parable. The meaning of it is very clear and there is nothing to be mistaken as our Lord Himself explains it in words of singular clarity, as if He would impress it deeply on our minds. So let the ungodly man tremble when he reads or hears this parable.
Let him see in its fearful language his own certain doom, unless he repents and is converted; he is sowing misery for himself if he continues to neglect God. Let him reflect that his demise will be just like the bundle of tares that are gathered at the end of the Harvest and burned. Surely such a prospect ought to make a man think!
Let the believer in Christ take comfort when he reads this Parable. Let him reflect and see that there will be happiness and safety prepared for him in the great second coming of our Lord. There will be no terror claimed for him. Only that he will be summoned to join what he has longed to see…a perfect church and perfect communion of saints. He will be finally separated from the Wicked! How brightly will grace shine when it is no longer dimmed by the contact with the worldly and unconverted.
The righteous are little known in the present day. The world sees no beauty in them just as they did not see any beauty in their Master. Just as St. John’s tells us in 1 John 3:1, “The world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” But the righteous shall one day “shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43).
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rev. David
McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We are Fortunate today to have a sermon from Rev. David McMillian
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Judges 6:11-24; Ps 85; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
"The Call"
“Little Transmitters”
In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe "Pioneer 10." Its main mission was to reach Jupiter and send back information about that planet. It was a bold plan because at that time no satellite had gone beyond Mars. Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and so much more. It swung past Jupiter in November, 1973, then passed Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. By 1997, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. Despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to earth. The most remarkable thing was that those signals were powered by an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light. Not even the most optimistic scientist could have ever imagined what that little 8-watt transmitter could do.
So it is when you and I
offer ourselves to God in faithful obedience. It’s just incredible what God can
do through little 8-watt transmitters like me and you, when we’re turned on for
him."
Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, www.eSermons.com
We are looking at our call, our equipping and our own missions today through the Gospel in the Readings for our last Sunday after Epiphany. We move into the 3 Sundays before the 40 days till Easter next Sunday, or Lent( the days lengthen). They are Sundays of preparation .
1. The Call of our lives has many facets. If we are honest with ourselves the Gideon (Judges) reading is us. Judges 6:13, "Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us…"
We too have a lot of excuses. Gideon argues with the Angel if that is possible. He says his situation is not ripe for helping out too, “…Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (Judges 6:14-15) Then he asks for a sign. Eventually he realizes that a real angel was there, and that he is being called by God to do something for His people.
Peter too asks for help too with a bit of attitude I believe...but He does obey. Jesus fills the net with fish, and Peter realizes he is in the Divine presence. He is filled with awe and wonder at the miracle. The word in the original there “For he was astonished, and all that were with them.” (Luke 5:9), amazement was on them all!, thambos- is when someone encounters the Divine in the ordinary things of all.
2. God equips those He calls. The Apostle in I Corinthians 15 says , “10But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
We too realize that God's grace accompanies us through the work He calls us to do.
Realize we all have a vocation, a calling----. Everything we do we can do for the glory of God. It may be something we see as small but as the initial illustration, like the 8 watt transmitter, we are needed.
The smallest task in the kitchen can be done in a way that we are seeing God through it. This takes some thinking on our part to know about glorifying God in the small things. " But when the Savior's light shone upon him (Peter) the darkness scattered , and by faith he began to discern in the deep what he could not see with his eyes." (Maximus of Turin)
3. Then we are off so to speak to do His work....Luke 5
"And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.11And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him." (Luke 5:10-11)
I repeat however that not everyone has the same vocation....each of us have a place to do His work, and a task. It may be the cup of cold water in His name. Mt 10:42 "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
Let me end with a wonderful quote from the Anglican Leon Morris, "
A turning-point has been reached. ..the nature of the new life to which Jesus is calling (Peter and the rest of the disciples) him comes out in the final words: you will be catching men. The tense is continuous: a habitual practice is in mind. And Peter will no longer be concerned with fish but with men. (this is ) catching for life, not for death. When the fishing party got to land they left everything. They left the greatest catch they had seen in all their lives. The catch was not as important as what it showed them about Jesus. They realized this and they followed Him. They became disciples in the fullest sense."
Rev. David Mc Millan
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.
Sermon for the Presentation of Christ
By Rev. Stephen Cooper of Fairbanks, Alaska
Click link below: https://youtu.be/wvSQhv5cIVg
Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
by Rev. Stephen Cooper
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, Colin, Lowery, Robert, Donna, Eddie, Tate,
Prayer Needed:
We humbly seek thy face in
the words of our prayers, beseeching thee, O God, to acknowledge our petitions
and bring comfort and an end to suffering of the following of our brothers and
sisters in Christ, and we thank thee for answered prayer,
Jerry – Heart Ablation Surgery and recovery
Colin and daughter, Lori Beall – cancer
Alicia – Struggling caring for parents at home
Bishop Zephaniah – Kidney
stones
Toni- Breast Cancer
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 –treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Mauri Turner – Stomach cancer
For the government and people of South Korea that God will protect them
from the forces of Communism.
Hurricane Helen Recovery-Please keep praying for all the people and towns affected
For All Those affected by the Fires in California
in Jesus Name. Amen.
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