250202 AOC Sunday Report
Worldwide Communion
Presentation of Christ
Fourth Sunday after
Epiphany
Sunday Report
The Presentation of Christ – February 2, 2025
Presentation of Christ; Fourth 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 Presentation of Christ - Page 231-232, with the Collect first; Fourth Sunday after Epiphany page 114:
The Collect for the Presentation of Christ
ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we humbly beseech thy Majesty, that, as thy only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts, by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
The Epistle for the Presentation of Christ. Malachi iii. 1.
BEHOLD, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ sope: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.
The Gospel for the Presentation of Christ. St. Luke ii. 2.
AND when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
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:
Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is
merciful.
Psalm 116:5
Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness,
than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.
Proverbs 28:6
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury,
even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the
wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and
till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall
consider it perfectly.
Jeremiah 23:19-20
For I know your manifold transgressions and your
mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the
poor in the gate from their right.
Amos 5:12
Even the richest of men are indebted to the mercy of
God for their daily bread.
Matthew Henry
The sin underneath all our
sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace
of Christ and must take matters into our own hands.
Martin Luther
Parents,
if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a
habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. Tell them what to say. Encourage them
to persevere. Remind them if they become careless and slack about it. Let it
not be your fault, at any rate, if they never call on the name of the Lord.
This, remember, is the first step in religion which a child is able to take. Long
before he can read, you can teach him to kneel by his mother's side, and repeat
the simple words of prayer and praise which she puts in his mouth. And as the
first steps in any undertaking are always the most important, so is the manner in
which your children's prayers are prayed, a point which deserves your closest attention.
Few seem to know how much depends on this. You must beware lest they get into a
way of saying them in a hasty, careless, and irreverent manner. You must beware
of giving up the oversight of this matter to servants and nurses, or of trusting
too much to your children doing it when left to themselves. I cannot praise that
mother who never looks after this most important part of her child's daily life
herself. Surely if there be any habit which your own hand and eye should help
in forming, it is the habit of prayer. Believe me, if you never hear your
children pray yourself, you are much to blame. You are little wiser than the
bird described in Job, ‘which leaves her eggs in the earth, and warms them in
the dust, and forgets that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may
break them. She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not
hers: her labor is in vain without
fear’ (Job 39:14-16). Prayer is, of all habits, the one which we recollect the
longest. Many a grey-headed man could tell you how his mother used to make him
pray in the days of his childhood. Other things have passed away from his mind
perhaps. The church where he was taken to worship, the minister whom he heard
preach, the companions who used to play with him,—all these, it may be, have
passed from his memory, and left no mark behind. But you will often find it is
far different with his first prayers. He will often be able to tell you where
he knelt, and what he was taught to say, and even how his mother looked all the
while. It will come up as fresh before his mind's eye as if it was but
yesterday. Reader, if you love your children, I charge you, do not let the
seed-time of a prayerful habit pass away unimproved. If you train your children
to anything, train them, at least, to a habit of prayer.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle
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, Metropolitan
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
We are fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Bishop Ogles has a You Tube Channel that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg
The Names of Jesus Series: THE BELOVED
Click link to listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBTcd6Z7q5Y
Enjoy this presentation from the 39 Articles of Prayer Series: Article 31
Click link to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF64DXuypGc
Sermon – The Presentation of Christ
There are a number of important points brought forth in today’s sermon text. We have the beautiful picture of the Baby Jesus being brought to the Temple for His Presentation to the Lord. In all things, even as a baby, our Lord complied with all of the mandates of the Law. So did His mother Mary and Joseph. The best environment for the raising of children is early in the duties of worship and praise of the Lord. It is important that we raise our young in the nurture of God’s Word. (Note the dimun-ition of Christ in the ESV: 33And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. (Luke 2:33) (NOTICE: This change in the text, inconsistent with the underlying Greek text of the Received Text, would have us believe that Joseph was the father of Jesus, but see how the KJV relates the passage: “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.) Which do you believe? Do you believe Jesus was the Son of Joseph or of God the Father?
We also learn an elder, devoted over a lifetime to the work of the Lord, develops a spiritual sense to see truths that others may be blind to see. Simeon and Anna were both elderly workers in the Temple. God has shown Simeon long before by means of a faith-led Spirit that he would behold the Savior before falling asleep in the Lord. Not only is a sound knowledge in all of the Law, prophecies, and Gospels sufficient for that spiritual sense; there must be a love of the very Word of God and a persistent thirst and desire to squeeze all the truth and knowledge one can get from it through study and meditation on it. This both Simeon and Anna had done. Anna was of a very advanced age. Her only husband died after seven years of marriage leaving Anna to the work of the Lord for the next eighty-four years. That would make Anna over one hundred years of age. What do we learn for our personal lives about these two? We learn, in the first case of Simeon, to depend upon the Lord to fulfill every promise made even when hope may seem forlorn in advanced age. From Anna we learn that all things that happen in our lives are under the direct sovereignty of God. Anna was seemingly left alone after only seven years of marriage; but God used that time, over the next eighty-four years, to draw Anna ever closer into a relationship with her Maker and true Husband. “5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” (Isaiah 54:5)
A life of service to our Lord brings the joy of angels and the sorrows of the veil of tears at once. It must have been a burden upon the heart of Simeon to express this to the tender mother of our Lord: “28Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. 33And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.” Truly this confirmed the wondrous hope given to Mary by Gabriel in Nazareth. But the beauty and joy of Christ also must pass by way of the cross. This is the part that must have humbled Mary as well as Simeon in the telling of it: “34And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;” The falling of many included the Jewish rulers and priests who rejected the promise made to Abraham of a Redeemer in Christ and, instead, clung to the Law as embellished by intricate rules and restraints by the religious rulers. But those Jews who believed (by far the minority – not unlike those in churches today – were raised up to the Mountain of the Lord in faith and courage.
But there was one final bit of Simeon’s words that would hurt Mary to her heart both now and at the foot of the cross: “35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” When did a sword pierce the Blessed Mary’s side?
Mary was a tender young virgin when approached by the Mighty Angel Gabriel. She believed firmly in all that Gabriel had told her. But the details got mixed up with the time, the love, the distance and the beauty of the whole truth of how Christ would Redeem His people Israel (both Old and New Testament Church). Even during His earthly ministry, it seems that Mary failed to grasp the deep meaning of her Beloved Son’s ministry. It seems that she did not bother to attend His preaching very often. We get a glimpse of this fact in the Gospel of St. Matthew:
“46While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. (Matthew 12:46-50)
Mary was likely troubled by the constant exposure of Jesus to His enemies, the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadduccees, and Rulers. Why did He take such unnecessary chances with His life being subject to great danger? It may have seemed quite preposterous to a loving mother. Then, at the very end, it was Mary who braved the wrath of the Jewish rulers and stood with John and the other women at the foot of the Cross of our Lord. She saw them mock her dearly beloved son, spit upon Him, beat Him mercilessly, strip Him naked in public, humiliate Him, and finally nail Him to a cruel Cross. How would any other mother react except in abject sorrow and wonder? But this will lead to the fulfillment of the last of Simeon’s prophecy. 35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) The Blessed Mary watched helplessly as her Son writhed in pain on the cross. She felt the warm drops of blood falling down in torrents – and she was helpless to lift a finger of comfort. But our Jesus (as Lord of Heaven) saw His mother’s misery and said, “Woman, behold, your son! Then he said to the disciple, Behold, your mother! And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27) She how Christ in His death made a continuing provision for those who love Him?
But there is more! “28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), I thirst. 29A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished, and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost. 31The Jews therefore, because it was the day of preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath was an high day), besot Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs. 34But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. (John 19:28-34)
This last was the piercing of the Blessed Mary’s Heart. It did not hurt Christ as He had already given up the Ghost, but it rent the soul of Mary! And so was the prophecy fulfilled.
Our service to God will forever be filled with Joy and Love; however, those may be punctuated by moments of deep sorrow. Yet Hope and Joy prevail above all else.
In Christ Alone during EPIPHANY,
† Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop.
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide & Chancellor,
Faith Theological Seminary
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 Presentation of Christ
Malachi 3:1-5; Luke 2:22-40
JESUS PURIFIES HIS
PEOPLE
For once, the Lord does not put the younger before the
elder, and it is Jesus, Mary's eldest son, who is presented to the Lord in the
Temple of Jerusalem (Matthew 1:24-25): “Then
Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and
took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her
firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
To meet the requirements of the Law of Moses, Joseph and
Mary had their first child circumcised eight days after his birth (Leviticus
12:1-3): “And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived
seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to
the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the
eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” The eighth day from December 25
falls on the first of January, when the Church celebrates the circumcision of
Jesus. Then comes the presentation of the eldest boy, on the thirty-third day
from circumcision, which brings us to February 2nd (Leviticus
12/4... 6-8): “And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying
three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the
sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. ... And when the days of her purifying are
fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first
year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin
offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:
Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall
be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born
a male or a female. And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall
bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and
the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her,
and she shall be clean.”
And it is with the same precision that is found in the text of Moses that
Jesus' parents fulfilled their religious duty to God.
Today, we look with a doubtful eye at these ancient and
solemn rites, which are no longer valid because of the destruction of the
Temple in the year or the Lord 70; but this was not the case with Joseph and
Mary, who obeyed without wondering nor asking any question. However, they very
well knew that their salvation did not depend on these rites. But if God
imposed them, they had to subscribe to them, without thinking.
Some evangelical denominations have thought it necessary
to replace the baptism of infants by a presentation of their invention, without
the circumcision and animal sacrifices with which Moses accompanies them, at
the command of God. These churches deny baptism to children - even to the
children of faithful Christians - on the pretext that this decision is personal
and can only come from an adult or an adolescent who has passed the age of
reason, and has been instructed in his religion, but do not fail to present to
the Lord their children who have not been regenerated by baptism, and who are
consequently marked by original sin which only baptism can withdraw, but
without asking for their child’s opinion. They are not only a double standard,
but a violation of the Law of Moses, which states (Leviticus 22:21): “And
whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish
his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be
accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.” Now, original sin is a great
defect, and it is therefore a mockery of God to present to Him children not
regenerated by baptism. These presentations cannot be accepted.
So, the Holy Family eventually safely arrived in the
Temple of Jerusalem to present the baby Jesus, according to the rite prescribed
by Moses (Luke 2:22-24): “And when the
days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they
brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the
law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the
Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of
the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Note Luke's insistence on repeating
the justification of the rite “As it is
written in the law of the Lord”
for Luke regards the law of the Lord as the supreme rule, to be scrupulously
observed. Note also that Joseph and Mary present a modest offering “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”, which connotes them as a
relatively modest family; Luke does not speak of the sacrificial lamb
prescribed by Moses, but the True Lamb is present: Jesus himself is the Lamb of
God, who will be sacrificed later, on Mount Calvary, nailed to the cross for
the remission of the sins of all who believe in Him.
And this faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah-Savior is
shared by two witnesses: Simeon and Anna. Let us read first the testimony of
Simeon in Luke (2:25-32): “And, behold,
there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just
and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon
him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see
death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the
temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after
the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and
said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy
word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of thy people Israel.” See how Simeon is led and indwelt by the Holy Spirit: his testimony is
inspired by God; Simeon does not come on his own initiative. So much for the
form. And on the substance, Simeon declares that he can finally die in peace,
because he has seen the Messiah promised who had been awaited for more than
four thousand years by the chosen people, a people of believers, even if they
are not all as submissive to God as Joseph and Mary. Simeon knows that the work
of salvation is now underway, and that God will bring to a successful
conclusion what He has already begun. Nothing and no one will be able to stop
Him or make Him renounce.
Such a statement is unusual, unexpected, and Jesus'
parents are astonished (Luke 2:33): “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at
those things which were spoken of him.” In other words, there was more
faith in a Simeon than in both Joseph and Mary! Faced with their astonishment,
Simeon, who was then still filled with the Holy Spirit, explains to them why he
intervened, and who Jesus really is (Luke 2:34-35): “And Simeon blessed
them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and
rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of
many hearts may be revealed.” With this theology lesson, Simeon makes them
see and understand that Jesus is indeed the expected Messiah, but that not all
the chosen people will be saved: “For
many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14).
There is therefore an opposition between believers and non-believers, even if
some among the latter be Jews; that being a member of the Hebrew people,
descended from Abraham, saves no one, but only faith in Jesus Christ, the
promised Messiah. And the faith of some as well as the non-faith of others will
be revealed by their behavior: self-righteous or repentant. Indeed, repentance
is shown by a change in behavior and way of thinking, and this can only come
from the depths of the human heart. As for Mary, she will be struck down by
grief when she sees her firstborn son suffer and die nailed onto a vulgar
wooden cross. But why, if not to spare us and save us, if we believe in Him? In
this sense, being the mother of Jesus was not a privilege, but a sacrifice that
she accepted without measuring all the consequences for herself. However, she
committed herself to it out of obedience, in holy trust (Luke 1:38): “And
Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word. And the angel departed from her.” Let us know that God can send
trials to us too, and ask us to sacrifice even our own lives for His glory
alone.
Now, here is the testimony of Anna (Luke 2:36-38): “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had
lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of
about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served
God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant
gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked
for redemption in Jerusalem.” There were many prophetesses in Israel, but
no priestesses. In Anna's case, her life was of scarce fun: widowed after only
seven years of marriage, she outlived her husband in the Temple, fasting and
praying, and all this, only to announce to the Hebrew people that Jesus was
indeed the hoped-for Messiah-Savior. But her long lasting devotion was
eventually rewarded, as she is still spoken of today, more than two thousand
years after these events. Her gratitude to God and her action, which give her
the great privilege of seeing her Savior and Lord, is finally rewarded by the
gratitude of God who in return gives her an eternal fame: her name and her
action are engraved in all Bibles!
The sequence of events confirms these two testimonies
(Luke 2:40): “And the child grew, and
waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”
And this presentation of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem
was the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 3:1): “Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant,
whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” But
Malachi goes further than Simeon in the register of the sufferings foretelling
(Malachi 3:2-3): “But who may abide the
day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a
refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as
gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness.” Just as
there is no sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem or purification without a
devouring fire, there is no repentance without suffering (Psalm 51:16-17): “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would
I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” The new birth causes as much pain
as a birth, when it is not feigned, and sincere.
We see from this that if God stands not against
sacrifices and rites, He is completely opposed to these same rites and
sacrifices, when they are hypocritical and if they are not truly heartfelt.
Joseph and Mary offered their eldest son to God to Whom they were entirely
subject and obedient, and as in the sacrifice of Isaac, God replaced the child
on the altar with an animal sacrifice - two pigeons - in order to redeem Him
from God, until Christ in turn took the place of the lamb prescribed in the Law
of Moses and was sacrificed for us who believe in Him (Leviticus 12:6): “And when the days of her purifying are
fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first
year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin
offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest”
But now listen to Malachi's comforting words, in the
following verses (Malachi 3:4): “Then shall the offering of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former
years.” God will be pleased with us if we offer our hearts and lives to Him
as a voluntary sacrifice (Romans 12:1): “I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” while keeping in
mind that this personal sacrifice does not bring us any merit, but is a
testimony of gratitude for the salvation freely offered in Jesus Christ,
through faith. It is not a merit, but it is a due. And Malachi's reference to
the past refers to the very beginning of Genesis, to the state of Adam before
his disobedience and his Fall, when he still resembled God (Genesis 1:27a): “So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him..."
But God will judge unrepentant sinners, those who love
neither God nor their fellow men (Malachi 3:5): “And I will come near to you
to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against
the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the
hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the
stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.” This is
perfectly clear and cannot be denied.
Dear friends, let us hasten every morning when we get up,
to present our souls and bodies to God, in the Temple of our hearts, and the
Eternal God will be pleased to be thus fully honored and praised, and taken for
what He truly is: the Master of the Universe and of our lives. Amen.
Sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany – the Bishop Yves Méra
Romans 13:1-7; Matthew 8:1-13
THE WORLDLY AUTHORITY
In the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
When our Lord
Jesus Christ came to fulfill His mission on earth, He never finished
descending: After coming down from Heaven, He came down from the mountain; and
once He came down from the cross and was buried, He descended again down into
hell. And as soon as He was resurrected, He did the exact opposite. No matter
how low we have fallen, Christ can come and fish us out and lift us up from our
pit hole (Romans 5:20b): “... But where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound” and (Matthew 12:31): “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy
shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not
be forgiven unto men.” All sin can be forgiven to those who repent,
that is, who change their behavior by asking forgiveness from those they have
offended and by repairing the damage they have caused that can still be
repaired. But blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. What is
this blasphemy? The Gospel does not tell us, and we are lost in conjecture...
However, we can determine the essence of it in four points:
1. The Holy Spirit is God. It is therefore a blasphemy against God.
2. The Ten Commandments of God command us to respect God and even the Name of God, for His Name is Holy (Deuteronomy 5:11) “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
3. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convince us of the Truth of God, and to strengthen our witness (John 16:13): “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” To blaspheme is therefore to contradict the Truth, to lie about God.
4. But the Truth does not consist only in words (Isaiah
42:1): “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul
delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the
Gentiles.” The Truth is also revealed by our actions, and we are all such
servants, if we walk in the way that Jesus Christ has marked out for us, the
one in which Himself walked before and ahead of us. To blaspheme against the
Spirit of God is therefore to deny Christ, to renounce faith in God, and
thereby to make His Holy Spirit a liar.
To blaspheme
against the Holy Spirit, then, is to deny Christ after we once have known Him
and made His dwelling in our hearts by His Holy Spirit; it is to cast Him out
of our hearts and lives. Let us then fear that He will take us at our word and
let us down, which is quite the same as handing us over to Satan (1 Timothy
1:20): “Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto
Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” How can God forgive us if we
deliberately choose to end up in hell by making a pact with the devil, and if
we curse God, like many successful artists and Hollywood stars? Let us remember
that Satan is the father of lies, and that his promises are just as many
ephemeral mirages that are paid for on credit, but with an exorbitant interest
rate: you become the slave of the devil and the servant of demons, for
eternity.
This is not
the case with the leper in the Gospel, whose faith is manifest: he prostrates
himself before Christ, treating Him as his Lord (Matthew 8:2): “And, behold,
there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean.” And Christ healed him, immediately for good and
forever, of his leprosy and his sins. But He recommends that he submit to
religious authority and its rites of purification, because it is also a
testimony of faith in God (Matthew 8:4): “And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the
priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.”
The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to testify to our faith in God, beginning
with the account of the blessings we have received from Him (Matthew 10:19-20):
“But when they
deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be
given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.”, says the
Lord.
Our first
testimony, therefore, is to practice our religion. And yes, I am talking about
religion, not just our personal relationship with our Lord. The Gospel
testifies to us that God founded the Judaic religion through Moses, with all
its prescriptions, to which Jesus Christ submitted Himself, enlightening them
with His Law of love. Christ Himself instituted rites, and even the new
sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. In your opinion, is it not a kind of
blasphemy to neglect these sacraments and rites, such as abstaining from going
to worship without a sufficiently valid reason, such as treating a wounded
person on the side of the road to Jerusalem, or rescuing a child or a donkey
that has fallen into a well or a reservoir? Only an urgency is an acceptable
excuse for not going to worship, or for arriving late. Let us be good
Samaritans to all, and good teachers to our children and our cattle; but let us
not neglect to serve God by listening to His Word, read, preached and taught by
the pastors whom God has called for this purpose. A prolonged absence -
sometimes years - from Sunday worship is a Christian counter-witness and
against the Spirit of God. In the Gospel, even bedridden people are carried in
order to approach the Lord Jesus Christ; this is how they express their great
faith (Mark 2:1-5): “And again he entered
into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And
straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to
receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto
them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne
of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they
uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down
the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said
unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven
thee.” Let us
remember this from this episode: Christ was proclaiming the Word, as biblical
preachers do at every service, and even a paralytic is carried into His
presence and listens to this Word. In this case, He is healed not only of his
physical illness, but also of all his sins, including the original sin, that
transgenerational disorder of rebellion against God that we all inherited from
Adam, our first father. Moreover, this healed sick man was then born again, for
the Holy Spirit of God came to dwell in his heart, cleansing it of all evil.
And if this man, now restored to the fullness of life, were to deny Christ -
which, in this case, seems to me very unlikely because his encounter with
Christ was so significant and transforming - then he would blaspheme against
the Spirit of God; it would be as if he were declaring that he was not healed,
or that his healing came from any other than Christ. What a counter-testimony,
indeed, would that be!
The Apostle
Paul extends the obedience we owe to God, our Lord and Master, to the civil,
eighter royal or republican authorities. Let us not forget that in the Roman
Empire historical context this meant submitting to a pagan authority,
idolatrous and persecuting the Christians (John 15:20): “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute
you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” How
can we submit to our persecutors? Did Jesus resist those who crucified Him?
(Isaiah 53:7): “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” The Apostles all suffered
persecution, including John, even though he died in his bed, him alone.
Paul goes
even further by declaring that pagan or secular authorities are willed by God
(Romans 13:1): “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there
is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” God has
established them to punish sinners by treating them as they deserve; it is
therefore only justice on the part of the Lord. And who are we to criticize the
infinite Wisdom of God? See how the French Revolution, wanting to get rid of
God and destroy His Church, replaced our "very Christian" kings with
a series of Freemasons, each one behaving worse than the last, with rare
exceptions such as General De Gaulle? See how elections are bypassed,
cancelled, restarted until the result satisfies those who pull the strings over
the puppets they place at the head of our respective states in Europe? Well
yes, these evildoers will end up taking away from us our own possessions and
ruining us; they will euthanize us when we are useless, because that is their
PROJECT. But what does it matter to us? We have a treasure in Heaven, and we
are willing to give up everything, even our own lives, having chosen to return
to our heavenly homeland, the Kingdom of God (Matthew 10:28): “And fear not them
which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him
which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”; and (Romans
13:2): “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of
God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
And Paul does
not only ask us for a façade obedience, outward and hypocritical, but for
sincere submission in good faith (Romans 13:5): “Wherefore ye must needs
be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”
In other words, we submit to the authorities, even anti-Christian ones, in
order to obey God. This paradox has a limit, however: our Christian obedience
puts our obedience to God before our submission to the civil authorities. We
will therefore obey the civil authority, as long as it does not ask us to deny
our faith in Christ, our only Lord and Savior. Even if this authority forbids
us to go to worship, closes our temples and keeps our pastors away, we will
still be able to pray, and the Book of Common Prayer will be an effective aid to
us in the sense that there is no need for an ordained pastor to lead the prayer
(except Holy Communion, namely). And if the same authority takes away from us
our Book of Common Prayer, we will always have been trained in that book to a
biblical and exhaustive prayer, to a general intercession and thanksgiving;
then we will know how to pray for those who persecute us, as it is written in
the Office of the Litany: “That it may please thee to forgive our enemies, persecutors and slanderers, and to
turn their hearts;” We will
always want the good of all humans, for we remember that we were like them,
before we were born again in Christ. In Adam, they are our cousins.
Paul puts
things back into perspective (Romans 13:7-8): “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any
thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the
law.” Paul remains in line
with the Lord Jesus, when He said to the Pharisees who came to trap Him (Mark
12:17): “And Jesus answering said unto them, Render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
And they marvelled at him.” We must therefore submit to civil authority, in
Christ, and through the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us, as long as it
does not prevent us from serving our God and Father. Let no one force us to
blaspheme against the Holy Spirit of God! Rather die a thousand deaths!
My friends,
you now know what you have to do (Luke 21:36): “Watch
ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all
these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
And our Lord Jesus Christ warned us (Luke 21:33-35): “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words
shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts
be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so
that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that
dwell on the face of the whole earth.” At the end of the world, our
Eternal Father will blow the whistle for the end of the game against Satan, his
demons, their cheating, and their evil works. Only the Word of God and those
who are attached to it and have digested it will remain (Revelation 10/10): “And
I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my
mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.”
The Bible is as good as honey, but it is also filled with God's bitterness
against the sins of men. Reading it leads us to hate sin in all its many forms,
and to renounce it, for eternity. This is true repentance, according to the
Bible. And in the next verse, we receive our roadmap: (Revelation 10/11): “And
he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and
tongues, and kings.” Let us pray, pray and preach, evangelize the world
around us, including those of worldly authority. Amen.
Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France.
Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi - Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.
Fourth Sunday
after Epiphany
Now we would not see anything amiss in what he had read only that he did not finish the passage from Isaiah 61 wherein the prophet wrote in verse 2, …and the day of vengeance of our God…. But his neighbors did. They questioned openly, Is not this Joseph’s son? (v.22); And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were fill with wrath (v.28). And further, they tried to kill him by throwing him off a cliff. What then set them off? Was it on account of his interpretation of scripture? We know the answer to those questions as regenerated souls in Christ. They were angered because he was claiming to be of God. For only a person who was of God could do the things which he had read and to teach with such authority. And he was no doubt claiming messiahship which they interpreted as blasphemy.
While there were others of his day who did the not accept him as the Messiah, still, a host of people came to accept him as their Saviour and Lord who had merely heard about his works such as the faithful centurion as mentioned in St. Matthew 8. And a whole world of people would accept his witness from the time of the disciples right on up to the present. People who never saw a single work he did nevertheless received his Spirit experienced a change of mind and heart which transformed them. They thus became new creatures in Christ Jesus, born again of the Holy Ghost and made ready for the coming of the kingdom.
Given the above, it is hard to imagine that anyone today who claims to be a member of an orthodox Christian body would not accept Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Nevertheless, they exist and their numbers are growing. They deny the truth of God with regard to our Lord and his teachings as well as those of the apostles who followed him. Consider the passages found in Romans 1:18-32 and you will see in grisly detail the truth concerning those souls. As the apostle Paul wrote, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (v.18). These are the same people who will sit week after week in their pews and not lift a finger to preserve themselves and their churches from God’s wrath. And to boot, if you encourage them to seek out a bible-believing church, they will walk away from you, or even attack you for your “presumption” to offer such to them.
And notice that, as St. Paul stated, they hold the truth in unrighteousness. That also matches their description by the apostle Peter who wrote, Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, Where is the promise of his coming... For this they willingly are ignorant (II Peter 3:3-5). They are happy in their sins and thus remain willingly ignorant of the final judgment that for them is, kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men (v.7).
So when issues such as those recorded in Romans 1:18-32 are brought up, they will mock and scoff as if their criticisms will have any bearing on the reality of their actual destination following their deaths. Nothing will keep them from their “occasional Christianity.” Nothing will move them to accept the points made by the apostle Paul and the other apostles. In Revelation 3:14-19 we are given the message to the Laodiceans which our Lord said were, neither cold nor hot (v.15). He also said that, because thou art lukewarm... I will spue thee out of my mouth. This word “spue” is used only one time in scripture and it means to “spit out” whatever was held within the mouth, or, by extension to “hold in utter disgust” a person or idea that is offensive. Ergo, God will not take to himself those whose pretended faith is lukewarm for such is considered to be no faith at all in the eyes of the Creator. That is why we need to reach out as we can to those who continue to sit in the darkness of their pews within the various branches of the Laodicean church who art thus held captive by the Devil.
As the apostle Paul wrote in II St. Timothy 2:19-26: Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity (v.19). That verse is self-explanatory. It says in the plainest possible language that God knows his own and it is a sealed matter (Ephesians 4:30). And to those of us he knows, we are expected to purge ourselves of sinful behaviors so that we might be vessels meet for the master’s use (v.21). We are made fit for our tasks when we, Flee youthful lusts and follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (v.22).
The apostle Paul concluded II St. Timothy 2:23-26 with this advice: 23But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. 24And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26and they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (vv.23-26). As the Rev. Matthew Henry once warned, “We must not quarrel but... be gentle. This is the attitude of the Lord’s servant in contrast with that of the false teachers. Nothing worse becomes the servant of the Lord Jesus who Himself did not strive nor cry but was a pattern of meekness... to all.”
The enemies of our Lord may be influenced if God will perhaps give them of his Spirit. Some will turn while others will not. You cannot work with those who will not relent (See II St. Timothy 3:5). And if they have “tasted of the Lord”, they will be nearly impossible to turn. I say “nearly” because I am being charitable and we ought to charitable as often as possible.
Our Lord came to save sinners. He came to give sight to the blind. He came to liberate the captives of Satan. He came to save us from everlasting damnation. He came to give us life eternal. Therefore let us hear, see, and worship him who is our Saviour, Redeemer and Friend, even Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us pray,
O God who is the giver of all good gifts; make of us a people who hear, see and embrace Christ as our own, and then to live in obedience to his will for us as found within the pages of Scripture; and these things 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 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
The Epistle: Romans. 13:1-7; The Gospel: Matthew. 8:1-13
O God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright; Grant to us such strength and protection; as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
“Obeying a higher power”
Or rebellion 2.0
As followers of Christ we have many essential obligations, not a list of dos and don’ts as such, but things we should do as Christians to provide a witness of our faith in Christ. This is the hardest when we apply the lessons from the passages of scripture we read or heard today.
As an average American, we generally follow the rules, we stay within the speed limit, try to not pass in dangerous areas and mostly follow the laws of the land. We probably do the worst job when we drive, simply because it seems everyone else is breaking the law. But that aside, we usually have a few questions about ceding ourselves to a central authority. We have this legacy that came from our earliest time both in the colonies and as a newly minted nation to bend or test the rules and to always question authority or the authorities.
It really is a human condition, we have been breaking rules since the first days in the Garden of Eden. But as Americans we have gone to the point of making it a national passion to question and pick at the authorities of the land.
And yet is this really the Christian way to live?
We have the lessons of today’s scripture to point us in the right way. There are several reasons we are to submit to authority.
1. Number one is that God has mandated it. “…For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” (Romans 13:1)
Yikes. Does that mean someone like Fidel Castro was in power because of God?...Yes.
Why?.... God’s purpose is not ours.
We tend to forget that He has plans and the time to do what He wants, in spite of what we want to do. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers...” (Romans 13:1)
This whole concept opens up so many avenues of questions, many of which make us very uncomfortable, especially if we think of the times of rebellion in our own lives.
Rebellion? Yes, how about the time we defied mom or dad? Or how about the time we disobeyed the teacher, coach, law enforcement officer, etc.
Wow, guilty as charged.
2. Another reason we pray for our leaders; we are compelled by the Word of God. St. Paul tells us to pray for those in authority over us.
I remember several years ago, after a Morning Prayer service, a young fellow, father of at least five children, came up to me as said I shouldn’t be praying for the current president. This fellow said since the president was not acting in a Christian manner that he did not deserves our prayers. I reminded him of St Paul, writing, while in prison to a number of city churches, urging them to pray for those who “hold the sword” of justice and law: “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:4)
I believe this young man lost the point of why we are to pray for ALL who are in authority over us, we are both asking that justice be true and balanced and that those charged with carrying out the law do it according to the law. As we find in Morning Prayer, pages 14 & 15 or in Evening Prayer page 25 in our prayer book, there set out two different prayers for the president and all others in authority. These prayers have been a fundamental part of daily and weekly worship for centuries.
In verses six and seven of the Romans passage we read today St. Paul sums up the civic lesson, important to a civil society and mandated by God:
6For this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. (Romans 13:6-7)
Let us always remember, that God is in control, He has set the boundaries of everything, things that happen are for a purpose. “...Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
“Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake...” (Romans 13:5)
The bad things happening, because we live in an imperfect world. It is a fallen world, thanks to the first Adam. He disobeyed God, the Father and Creator, we are all still paying for that disobedience.
But not all is lost, because God provided a way, that He compelled the prophets to speak of, the angels to sing of , the Gospels to proclaim the WAY. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (Romans 14:11)
Yes He sent his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to fix, once and for all, the problem of the fallen world.
The Second Adam came to fix what the First Adam broke, so all who call on the Name of Jesus may be saved from the destruction brought on by a disobedient creature.
And now from the Gospel reading we see first hand the concept of authority. Here we find secular authority and sacred authority: both having equal bearing, secular being used correctly, not in abuse or corruption.
Matthew 8:5-13: 5And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
We are still struggling with that disobedience, we are still trying to find a way around the very clearly marked warning signs, laws that point us to the Gospel, and the life of Christ which leads us to salvation. We must remember that even under this authority that God has placed over us, we still must follow the Word of God when it is in direct contradiction of the law of the land. That is not just a given, it is the right way to live our lives as Believers in a fallen world. There are many examples of evil or contrary laws that are diametrically opposed to the Word of God, these must be opposed. There is never any justification for taking the life of a pre-born child or chemically/surgically altering the born sex of a person no matter what society says. There will be a day of reconciliation, it will be a time when: For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11)
Let us pray.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; who then shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in the right way, because of mine enemies. As the psalmist of old wrote and sang, Lord give us the same peace and comfort he found in your word, help us daily to seek your word, to seek your will, and to serve you in gladness so those around us can see that we serve the Risen One, the savior of the world. Go with us this day, keeping us from sin and error, lift us up, help us in the week to come to do your will, these things we ask in the Name of the Father, in the Name of the Son, and in the Name of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, the supreme Governor of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defense, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee, who art the only giver of all victory; through the merits of thy Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O GOD, merciful and compassionate, who art ever ready to hear the prayers of those who put their trust in thee; Graciously hearken to us who call upon thee, and grant us thy help in this our need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O LORD Jesus Christ, who saidst unto 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 to it that peace and unity which is according to thy will, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
Rev. David
McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We are Fortunate today to have a sermon from Rev. David McMillian
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Neh 8:1-12; Ps 113; 1 Cor 12:12-27; Luke 4:14-21
"Jesus is the Pattern for our Ethics (as was His custom-ethos or ethics)"
WORDS OF WISDOM
“Feeling good about ourselves is essential in our being able to love others.”
FRED ROGERS (he was a Presbyterian minister , and we could learn from how he applied his faith to apply ours in some good way)
The I Corinthian chapter twelve reading talks about this in a very graphic way, “…25the members should have the same care one for another. 26And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 27Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
We may want to say it this way. Jesus is the pattern for our ethics. In Luke the word custom, “as (was) His custom” is the greek word-ethos. "The Greek verb “ethó” primarily means to be accustomed to or to be in the habit of doing something. It implies a repeated or habitual action, often reflecting cultural or personal practices that have become routine". biblehub.com Luke 4:16 greek
What are our customs or habits? ----These reveal our heart in some fashion, don't they?
In Pulpit Digest William H. Willimon used this illustration; "Philip Haille wrote of the little village of Le Chambon in France, a town whose people, unlike others in France, hid their Jews from the Nazis. Haille went there, wondering what sort of courageous, ethical heroes could risk all to do such extraordinary good. He interviewed people in the village and was overwhelmed by the ordinariness. They weren't heroes or smart, discerning people. Haille decided that the one factor that united them was their attendance, Sunday after Sunday, at their little church, where they heard the sermons of Pastor Trochme. Over time, they became by habit people who just knew what to do and did it. When it came time for them to be courageous, the day the Nazis came to town, they quietly did what was right. One old woman, who faked a heart attack when the Nazis came to search her house, later said, 'Pastor always taught us that there comes a time in every life when a person is asked to do something for Jesus. When our time came, we knew what to do.'"
Years ago when the western U.S. was being settled, roads were often just wagon tracks. These rough trails posed serious problems for those who journeyed on them. On one of these winding paths was posted a sign which read: “Avoid this rut or you'll be in it for the next 25 miles!”
“A habit is something you can do without thinking--which is why most of us have so many of them. Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” Mark Twain.
2. Some of us made resolutions for the New Year. This is not a bad idea, if we actually try them, step by step, as Twain says above. The Word is prominent in our texts for today as well. Nehemiah 8:9 "all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law." Instead of thumbing our nose at God and His Word, people would do well to attend the Worship of God and Reading of His Law.
Instead our houses are sometimes actually not built on a good foundation, but on sand!
Of course our Lord took the Word, and applied it to all in the synagogue that day He entered His hometown. He was the fulfillment of Isaiah and said so “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” (Luke 4:21) No one had ever applied it that way before . He is the Christ, the Son of God, God the Son, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. We need to help these people who may have beautiful Church buildings, but crummy theology. We are the people who can. Without the everlasting Son we cannot enter heaven. The Word tells us this directly in so many, many, many places!
3. Lastly remember what Jesus said in vs 18 and what He said He fulfilled, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised...” That would take a whole sermon to talk about these things.....but we are to do these things thru Him . Jesus is the pattern for our ethics as we said in the beginning....
Amen.
Candlemas, Presentation of the Lord in
the Temple.
(Luke
2:22-40)
Some things are defining. “Men declare themselves by their attitude to Him ( Jesus). They cannot ultimately be neutral. When men see Christ suffer, their reaction shows on which side they stand.” The Gospel According to St. Luke by Leon Morris
I want to focus on two verses in Luke chapter two: “And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)
1. Simeon blessed them. He had been waiting to see the infant Christ child, and here forty days after His birth He does. He utters words that are famous in many traditional Services at Evening Prayer since the Fourth century. We call it the “Nunc Dimittis" literally now let depart... The Salvation He was waiting for is here.
“Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: 30For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 31Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; 32A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”
The New Covenant was here. The birth of the Child Jesus gives salvation to all who receive it. Note Simeon took the child in His arms, and blessed God.
--The first thing we have to do is do this as well. We cannot have Salvation apart from the Child received.
2. Simeon tells about the fall and rising of many. To fall is to disobey God. Our moral compass needs a Moral Person to indwell us by faith. That person is the Child Jesus.
The people we encounter either fall or rise based on this fact.
“We despise people who challenge our cherished myths and kick us out of our comfort zones. The truth is that when Jesus sets about the task of saving us, he has to heal us of any myth or prejudice that is contrary to the spirit of Christ. Billy Sunday was the Billy Graham of a previous generation. He was conducting a crusade in a particular city.
In one of his sermons he said something critical of the labor conditions for workers in that area. After the service, several prominent businessmen sent a message to him by one of the local pastors. The message was this---Billy, leave labor matters alone. Concentrate on getting people saved. Stay away from political issues. You’re rubbing the fur the wrong way.”
Billy Sunday sent this message back to them: “If I’m rubbing the fur the wrong way, tell the cats to turn around.” Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, eSermons.com
3. Thank God for the rising. To know God is to have eternal life. Without Christ we cannot enter heaven on our own merits. We don't have life without the Son. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.
Christianity has changed the world. It was this that changed the slave trade in England.
“A deeply religious man, William Wilberforce had always been interested in social reform since his youthful days as a politician and student. He was initially concerned with improving factory conditions for poor workers in Britain. It was not until Thomas Clarkson brought physical and written evidence demonstrating the brutality of the slave trade to his attention, that Wilberforce became committed to the anti-slavery cause....Despite multiple setbacks, Wilberforce’s bill to terminate Britain’s slave trade eventually passed in the House of Commons and was given royal assent on 25 March 1807”.from https://www.historyhit.com/key-figures-in-the-abolition-of-slavery-in-the-uk/
His rising in our lives too can change us, as well as our communities. As Christians we too have a deep concern for others and their morals. True morals only can come through faith in God and His Son. His Word is our guide and His commandments ours to steer our lives by and see the lives of others change too.
Conclusion:
Simeon says Mary's soul would also be
pierced. There is a Cross before a Crown in each life that loves Christ. We
cannot change the Word to accommodate the culture or others. It must be our
anchor in times of deep stress or anxiety. In Him is light at this Season when
we close out the forty days after Christmas. We too present ourselves before
Him and see His way.
Rev. David Mc Millan
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, 
Colin and daughter, Lori Beall – cancer
Alicia – Struggling caring for parents at home
Bishop Zephaniah – Kidney
stones
Extended Issues need continued prayer;
Laurie with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations, breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing depression to settle in.
Malcom Allred – Cancer Treatment
Katie Pope –treatment for Stage 4 Pulmonary Carcinoma “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14)
Thanksgiving:
Don Fultz – cataract surgery
Other Prayers Needed:
South Korea: 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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