250302 AOC Sunday Report

 

Anglican Orthodox Church_sm

Worldwide Communion

Quinquagesima Sunday
Sunday Report

 

March 5, 2025

 Quinquagesima Sunday 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 120-121

 

 

The Collect for Quinquagesima Sunday

O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoso-ever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

 The Epistle for Quinquagesima Sunday. I Corinthians xiii. 1.

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel for Quinquagesima Sunday.  St. Luke xviii. 28.

 Then Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.  For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:  And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.  And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come night unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath save thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. 

 

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:

By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
Psalm 33:6

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:5

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Isaiah 29:15

Beware false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing; but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
St. Matthew 7:15

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ Jesus have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27

...[The] Church of England holds that there is no sacrifice in the Lord’s Supper, no oblation, no altar, no corporal presence of Christ in the bread and wine; and the true intention of the Lord’s Supper is just what the Catechism states, and neither less nor more: “It was ordained for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits that we receive thereby.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle

Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their love of frivolities, their attempts to meet the world on it’s own ground, and give back the old love of the doctrines of the Cross and Christ. May free grace and dying love again be the music that refreshes the church and makes her heart exceeding glad.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon

 God has not Promised

Annie Flint, 1919

 God has not promised, skies always blue;
Flower-strewn pathways, all our lives through.
God has not promised, sun without rain;
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

 God has not promised, we shall not know,
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe.
He has not told us, we shall not bear,
Many a burden, many a care.

 God has not promised, smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide.
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.

 But God has promised, strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way.
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing kindness, undying love!

God has not promised, we shall not know,
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe.
He has not told us, we shall not bear,
Many a burden, many a care.

        ¹But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. ² When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. ³ For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

            “Joys are flowing like a river, Since the Comforter has come; He abides with us forever, Makes the trusting heart His home.” Joy has always flowed freely in the heart chambers of those who love the Lord and His impeachable Word. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had that joy; and so did David, Solomon, and Deborah, to mention only a few of the Old Testament witnesses. But the prevailing joy, as a River of Life, came to us as the flowing waters of the Holy Ghost and Comforter after the Ascension of our Lord. The joys of the Old Testament saints was based on an amazing faith in the fulfillment of the promise of God. In the New Testament age, we look, not only in faith, but in the accomplished fact of the coming of the Savior. The Comforter, being a Spirit, is capable of omnipresence that a physical body is incapable of being. The Holy Ghost abides (lives in our hearts) forever in the hearts of the faithful. Those hearts are His home, not a place of occasional repose.

Bishop Jerry Ogles (Joys are Flowing like a River-June 20, 2017)

                                               

Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop, Metropolitian
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 Articles of Religion Video Series: Article 34

 

 Click link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c866ecv-wkw

    

 Names of Jeus Series: The Stone Rejected

 Click link: https://youtu.be/jiOzLs4qc-s

 

 SHEPHERD OF SOULS, REFRESH AND BLESS;

a hymn for Quinquagesima Sunday,

“For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10

            This is yet another hymn with both lyrics and music that combine to create an atmosphere of reverence and dignity. The author of the lyrics is James Montgomery (1771-1854) – a Scottish cleric. The tune, St. Agnes, is the composition of John B. Dykes (10 March 1823 – 22 January 1876) and was written for the hymn, Jesus the very thought of Thee. The name Dykes chose for this tune is worthy of mention. He named it for St. Agnes, a young Roman Christian girl who, according to St. Ambrose, was martyred in 304 at the age of 13 years of age for refusing to yield to the immoral approaches of young noblemen who reported her as a Christian. She was led naked from her home to a brothel. The magistrate ordered her burned; however, the flames parted without touching her body. A Roman guard then beheaded her with his sword. Such was the courage of many Christians during those terrifying and troubling times.

Click here to listen and watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7fkXAnYB4c

SHEPHERD OF SOULS, REFRESH AND BLESS

1 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless
Your chosen pilgrim flock
With manna in the wilderness,
With water from the rock.

2 We would not live by bread alone,
But by your word of grace,
In strength of which we travel on
To our abiding place.

3 Be known to us in breaking bread,
But do not then depart;
Savior, abide with us, and spread
Your table in our heart.

4 Lord, sup with us in love divine;
Your body and your blood,
That living bread, that heav'nly wine,
Be our immortal food.

1 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless Your chosen pilgrim flock With manna in the wilderness, With water from the rock. Christ is the shepherd and Bishop of our souls. He has shepherded His sheep beside the still waters and fed them in green pastures. He has even laid down His precious life for the lambs whom the Father has placed in His hand. He has fed us abundantly in wilderness sands and watered us with the Fountain of the Waters of Life. Unlike the manna that God sent down to His people in the wilderness journey, Christ is the Bread and Manna that literally came down from Heaven to feed all who partake freely. We are in this world, but not of this world. We are as pilgrims seeking a city, and that is the City of God.

 2 We would not live by bread alone, But by your word of grace, In strength of which we travel on To our abiding place. We feed upon the grasses and knolls of God on the Bread of Heaven; and that Bread is every Word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is that Word Incarnate! His Word is all of grace, and grace is freely granted to the elect of God – His sheep. Our true home is not of this world but of the heights of the Celestial City. Our spiritual nourishment is His daily word and, in the strength, and grace of that Word we are made to run and not grow weary.

 3 Be known to us in breaking bread, But do not then depart; Savior, abide with us, and spread Your table in our heart. His elect gather to feed at His Communion Table which is right and proper for all families to dine together. In the elements of Bread and Wine we recognize His spiritual presence always abiding with and among us. He abides in the hearts of His chosen and never leaves nor forsakes. His Temple is in the chambers of our hearts from which His love rules our ways.

 4 Lord, sup with us in love divine; Your body and your blood, That living bread, that heav'nly wine, Be our immortal food. This stanza reminds us of the two on the Road to Emmaus who walked unknowingly with Christ who revealed all the Law and Prophets concerning Himself; yet His identity was still hidden from them until, at their insistence, He abode at their home and broke bread. When our Lord handed the Bread to the two men, immediately, their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. He may come to us in the same way. In our hours of great sorrow and despondency, He walks right beside us even if we may not recognize His presence. At the end of our sorrows, He makes His face to shine upon us and makes us glad.

 The Sermon – Quinquagesima Sunday

 THE THREE ETERNAL GRACES & A BLIND BEGGAR

“Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” Luke 18:38

The Prayer of Collect. 

O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

 The Epistle. 1 Corinthians xiii. 1.

THOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 31-42

THEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. ⁴³ And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

 Love is associated with all things in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the preeminent grace above all others. 

Without love, none other of the gifts of the Spirit have worth. The source of that love is the same as that fountain of Living Waters and the Bread of Heaven – our Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God is transmitted to the heart by the Holy Spirit, and that love draws us to the Throne of Grace and Mercy like a great magnet draws metal of like nature to itself. This is clearly the biblical principle set forth in our Prayer of Collect.

            Paul’s first Epistle to the Corinthians in chapter 13, clearly sets forth the value of the component of love in our relationship to the Triune God. It lists many gifts of the Spirit, many of which were temporary; but there is one gift of Grace that surpasses them all – LOVE. There are three eternal gifts of Grace mention – Faith, Hope, Charity (Love) – but the greatest even among these three is love. No matter the effort we put forth in keeping the commandments, we cannot do so without love. With love, the Commandments are no longer external laws by which we are governed, but inward natures by which we are conformed to the image of God.

            In the Gospel text, we find Jesus on the last journey of His earthly ministry to Jerusalem. He knows full well what fate awaits Him there, but He never hesitates to continue that journey of love to its end on the cross. The shadow of the cross has cast its image upon His entire life from the wooden manger at Bethlehem until the instrument of wood on which He would suffer a terrible and humiliating shame and torture for you and me.

            The miracle that our Lord performs enroute to the cross is of particular note in revealing the deep love of Christ. Even as He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified, He nonetheless took compassion on a poor blind beggar on the wayside at Jericho. My father always taught me that the best credential of character is revealed in the small graces performed by a man and not necessarily the major and impressive acts. In all ways, big and small, Christ exhibited a divine compassion that is beyond words of description. 

            Here is a blind beggar who is helpless to the extreme. Someone of his friends or family found it necessary to bring this man to this roadside place every day. They were, unwittingly, helping to bring him to Christ. God the Father very often brings men and women to Christ by most surprising means. Before He ever undertook His last journey to Jerusalem, Christ was aware of this poor beggar. He knew of the man’s frailty and despondency as he sat by that roadside begging the least measure of alms from passers-by. But Christ does all things in its best order and perfect timing. The beggar was one without hope in this world, but hope was on its way from the majestic palaces of Heaven to succor the man. It was a surprise of providential grace that came upon him by as he sat there day after day.

            Some who passed by dropped a mite into the jar of the beggar, but most passed by without the slightest notice. No one truly cared for him save, perhaps, his kin. But there was One who was approaching who cared so dearly for this poor beggar as to die in his stead for the beggar’s sin – our Lord Jesus Christ. I say ‘surprised’ because the beggar had no idea who was the center of attention of the passing throng. Upon hearing the approaching chatter of a multitude of disciples, the beggar inquired of some stranger of the cause of the uproar and excitement. When told that it was Jesus of Nazareth, the blind man proved that his spiritual vision was better than almost any who followed Jesus. We are not told how the beggar recognized Christ as the Messiah, But he surely proved his faith by his exclamation – “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me!” Very few had called our Lord by this prophetic title. 

            The beggar cried from a heartfelt desire long pent up in a frail body and the ragged robes of poverty. He cried out in all seriousness. He cried out in faith that surpassed many of our Lord’s own disciples though he had not had the same opportunity to witness the many miracles. The beggar had doubtless heard rumors of the Stranger of Galilee and of the miracles He had performed and the compassion He had for sinners. 

            As he made his plaintive cry for mercy, those disciples who preceded the Lord tried to silence the man. It is often true that those who seem closest to Christ are the very ones who prevent sinners from coming to Him. This is true even in many of our churches today. A stranger appears at Church who has recently come to know the Lord as Savior. He has many gifts of talents to share in the Church and is eager to do so. But often those who have the upper seats in the Church grow jealous of the stranger and try to prevent his having any role in sharing those talents. My wife describes such people as old hens that run to a younger chicken who finds a grain of corn or an insect and begins pecking it on the back of the head until he releases his spoil. Unfortunately, I believe we have all witnessed this kind of deplorable behavior at Church.

            But this blind beggar is not easily deterred from crying out. This is his only moment of hope, and that moment is in Christ. The sinner never knows when his last opportunity may come to make his appeal for mercy. This poor man cannot allow the opportunity to pass him by. His prayer is persistent. In fact, he cries out even more profoundly. Though physically blind, his cries for help cannot be subdued by men of lesser spiritual sight. Persistence in prayer will result in miracles more often than those of lesser faith realize.

            Notice that the man does not cry out to have his sight restored. He simply cries out for mercy, for if we are granted mercy by God, all other needs will be satisfied. We are too specific in our prayers to God in many cases. If we simply pray for mercy expecting it to be granted according to the will of the Lord, it will surely be granted. But we sometimes pray that the Lord will solve some worldly problem for us instead of giving us the strength to overcome that problem, and often we do not pray that HIS will be done instead of our own.

            Do you believe that the prayers of a poor blind beggar can pause the powers of Heaven? Look at this verse: “And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near.” The prayer of the blind beggar caused the Lord to STOP. Having been granted mercy already by the Lord, Jesus asked, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” Only upon making our sincere appeal to God do we offer to petition our great need. Of course, our greatest need is not physical sight, but SALVATION! The blind beggar would receive BOTH! But we must be patient to hear our Lord’s answer to our prayers before presuming too much against the powers of Heaven.

            Jesus responded to the man’s plea with a double-edged sword of mercy: “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.” Notice, the blind man received not only his sight but was made every whit whole in Christ. Christ always addresses our most serious need in considering our prayers for His grace and mercy.

            How did the beggar respond? How do we respond now that Christ has set us free from sin and opened the floodgates of mercy for us in saving our souls? He immediately followed our Lord after receiving the ability to know the way and did so with rejoicing. How closely do we follow Him after receiving our own greatest need supplied? Such a testimony of rejoicing gives witness to others of the grace and love of our Lord and is contagious to those around us.

 In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 In Christ Alone during Pre-Lent,

 † Jerry Ogles

Presiding Bishop. 
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide & Chancellor,
Faith Theological Seminary

  

Charles Morley
Bishop of Alabama
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 Sermon for Quinquagesima

 We are very fortunate to get a copy of Bishop Morley’s sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Epiphany for this week’s Sunday Report.

 

What you see is What you Get

 

     "What you see is what you get." That snarky old jibe might apply particularly to the Episcopal Church of this century, and to modern Anglicanism in general, with few exceptions. Over a relatively short period of time, ecclesiastically speaking, world-wide Anglicanism has changed its "look." - along with its theology. A century ago, the word "altar" did not appear in the theological lexicon of the Book of Common Prayer - and there was a good reason for that. A little event called the Protestant Reformation dispelled the notion of "sacrifice" with regard to the Lord's Supper and the term "Lord's Table" remained the term used until 1927 when the word "altar" was introduced into the "new" revision of the American BCP. No longer was the altar a place of bloody sacrifice but a table at which a heavenly Supper was to feed the believer "spiritual food."

     The liturgical dress of clergy has historically been very indicative of the theology of a Church or Communion, and while clergy dress has changed through the centuries, the garb worn by most modern Anglicans today is identical to that of their Roman Catholic brethren. For almost four hundred years the cassock and surplice remained the formal dress of ministers celebrating the sacraments in public. Bishops wore a similar garment called a rochet - which was a surplice with gathered sleeves - a very distinctive form of clerical dress unique to Anglican bishops world-wide. Now most Anglican clergy wear a garment invented by a haberdasher in the twentieth century called a "cassock alb" -  a sort of white monastic robe shared by Catholic priests, unknown throughout church history.

     Nowadays, bishops generally appear wearing pointed hats called miters, and "copes" or cloaks of elegant material, usually matching the material of their miters. They will also almost always tote a large stylized version of a shepherd's crook called a "crozier" as a symbol of their office. This modern attire is identical to that of Roman Catholic bishops but was unknown in Anglicanism from the Reformation until 1917.  The historic, distinctive dress of bishop's white rochet and black chimere has almost disappeared. Some bishops will wear a red chimere (more outstanding but improper) for photographic purposes.

     Until very recently, Anglican clergy eschewed the moniker "Father" as a term of address, to remain distinct from Catholic clergy for whom the term required. Anglican clergy would prefer the term "Mr." or the unbiblical "Reverend" or "Dr." if the title applied. Today, Anglican clergy are ubiquitously addressed as "Father" and will often insist on the title, rejecting the former terms as somehow disrespectful. It might be added here that Roman clergy were forbidden to wear clerical collars in public until that same year (1917).

     Most Protestant denominations - Anglicans included - referred to the Sacrament of the Lord's Table as "Holy Communion" or "the Lord's Supper" and have done so for centuries, whilst not all sharing the same theology of "God's Board." None called it "the Mass" as this term - along with the word "Eucharist" - was used exclusively by Roman Catholics. Modern Anglicans, however, have embraced "the Mass" and "Eucharist" almost universally when referring to the Sacrament, along with a requirement that the "Eucharist" or Mass be celebrated weekly, if not more frequently, on the Lord's Day. No other Protestant denomination refers to the Sacrament as "Eucharist" - the term was added to the Prayer Book in an esoteric rubric only in 1927. The Mass or Eucharist has almost completely replaced Morning and Evening Prayer as principal services of public worship, as the historic Prayer Book demands.

     The Anglo-Catholic Movement, initially a poorly regarded eccentric minority within the Church, has succeeded in creating a Church almost identical to the Roman Catholic Church visually, if not also theologically. Changes in the vocabulary of Anglicans - most especially in Prayer Book language - as well as visual changes in the ritual and ceremonial of public worship - has altered an historic Communion in such a way as to be unrecognizable to but a single generation previous.

     The English Church and her American Episcopal cousin had little to distinguish "Anglicanism" as a distinctive religious "home" for Christians, i.e., apart from the English Bible, the Prayer Book and, most importantly, the Articles of Religion and the ecclesiology which have followed the Articles since the sixteenth century. Other Churches have Bibles and liturgies, but the Articles were our distinctive expression of the Christian faith, and ours alone. In modern times the Articles have either been attacked or ignored, and their denigration to "historic document" in the '79BCP reduced this powerful and distinctive confession to ecclesial oblivion. Few Anglican clergy are obliged to subscribe to the Articles as once was an ordination requirement in every diocese in America, Great Britain, and Ireland

     That's radical change no matter how you slice it. Is such change necessary or beneficial? Is liberal, non-papal Catholicism the end-all of the glorious Church which followed the British Empire all across the globe, creating a distinctive world-wide Communion of biblical Protestantism with it? I respectfully suggest it is not. Quosque?

+CEM

 

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 Quinquagesima Sunday

 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Luke 18:31-43

THE LOVE OF JESUS

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It is sprinkled with good feelings. But feelings are deceptive. Feelings do not always take the truth in account. Now Jesus IS the Truth (John 14:6): “Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” And when Jesus teaches us the Truth, it can hurt, so much do we tend to delude ourselves: God loves us, it's true; “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), this is true. But God is just and holy. God is perfect. And He hates sin (Romans 1:18): “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” And sin is disobedience to the Law of God (John 14:20-21): “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Beloved, you will have yet understood: We do not know how to love in the same way as Jesus loves us (1 John 4:9-11): “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”

Pagans, and even Jews at the time of Israel's decadence, took themselves for God the Father and sent their children to death by fire on the stake at the feet of the statue of Moloch... In their good feelings, they thought that they were thus proving their love and their spirit of sacrifice; They showed off that they loved their God more than their own children... but they were practicing a hypocritical sacrifice, passed on to an innocent child, used as a scapegoat. But the true God had forbidden this kind of sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21): “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.”

There is, however, some truth in this horrible and cruel rite: Christ came into the world as an innocent child, ready to be sacrificed to take away the sin of faithful men. But the parallel ends here. Since the time of Adam and Eve, our sin - which is our inability to observe the Law of God - has made us all impure and therefore unfit for any work of reparation and reconciliation with the Holy God. As French priest of the 17^th Century St. Vincent de Paul said, "When God needs a victim, He sends over His own Son." (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.”

And this is the prayer that the Eternal Father expects of each of us (Psalm 51:9-12): “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” Many things are said in Psalm 51:

1.      Our sin makes us ashamed: “Hide thy face from my sins”

2.      Our desire is to get rid of them: “and blot out all mine iniquities.”

3.      Our sacrifices are useless, ineffective, and vain: “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.” So, there is nothing we can do to get rid of our sin by our own means. We are like Lady Macbeth, who kept washing her hands, stained with the blood of her crime, over and over again but the stain was always coming back again.

4.      Our sin leads us into depression: “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” And from the depths of our distress, we turn to God to save us: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

5.      Then we have the certainty that our prayer will be heard, for this is what God expects of us: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me"

6.      Finally, we have this assurance that God Himself assists us, personally, by breathing into us His Holy Breath - the Holy Spirit: “’and uphold me with thy free spirit.” We are thus recreated, restored to perfection in the state of Adam before his fall (Genesis 2:7): “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” We are not a body with a soul, but a soul with a body.

Beloved, remember this: Entry into the Kingdom of God is not free. You can't earn it, nor can you buy it like a ticket for a merry-go-round entrance at the fun fair. Our access to Heaven has a price, however: the price paid by Jesus dying on a cross. All Christ expects from us is to believe in Him, and to obey Him with the ability that His Holy Spirit gives us and pours into us, and to love our brethren. And it is our love for our Christian brothers and sisters that testifies to our salvation in Christ (1 Corinthians 13:3-6): “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.” You have heard it as I have myself : " charity... rejoices in the truth ." And the Truth is Christ, the Word of God incarnate in Jesus (John 1:1-4): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”; (John 1:14): “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

So, yes; let us love one another, but in Truth. Indulgence and laxity have no place in Heaven, but in hell. In hell, everything is allowed, absolutely everything. It is even permissible to believe in God. But the only thing that is not allowed is to love God and our brothers in Christ! Satan does not reject believers, but he redoubles his cruelty to those who repent too late of their sin (Hebrews 9:27): “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”

My der brothers and sisters, let us learn to love as God loves us. Let us learn and warn those around us that they are in peril if they do not repent of their evil way, and trust in Christ to save them (Isaiah 65:2): “I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts”

But we prefer to stay at peace with our loved ones... we tolerate, we accept, and we are not far from approving those “which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts” says Isaiah. Rome even goes so far as to bless them, with a fake blessing that sends them straight into hell, especially if straight they are not willing to be... Let us pay close attention to this: it is not a question of arguing about mere little things, but of rescuing from hell those whom God has predestined to salvation. Let us sow the Good Word everywhere, in worship as well as on social networks. In the end, the Angels of God will sort them out. (Psalm 115/1): “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.”

All men are spiritually blind, until they open their hearts to the Truth that is in Christ. In Jericho, Jesus healed the one blind man who implored him, without paying attention to those around him, rebuffing him. And he cried out at the top of his lungs, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38). And in verses 42-43: “And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.” Here we see that the best testimony is that of a healed sinner, whose life is transformed by the power of God: “and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”

All the people are amazed at what they see, and begin to praise God. But of all this people, few will be saved, for the same people who praise him in Jericho will demand his death in Jerusalem. (Luke 13:34-35): “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”; “Ye shall not see me” what does this mean, but that Christ blinds up those who oppose Him. Not only does He not heal them, but He abandons them to their fate, the fate they wanted. Christ came to speak to them about the Way of salvation, which is the way of holiness, but they did not want it. For they had not received the Holy Spirit of God in them, being too proud. They thought that being descended from Abraham was enough to be saved, even without partaking the faith of Abraham. (Romans 4:3): “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” And Jesus repeats it to anyone who will listen: "thy faith hath saved thee". Without faith, therefore, it is impossible to be saved. Don’t you even dream about it!

Alas, three times alas, our contemporaries no longer believe themselves to be sinners, and no longer know that they are lost, because the main stream and big Churches forget to preach about sin, about the perdition that follows, and about the hell to which it leads. They believe that they can attract the good graces of the crowds by promising them a bright tomorrow, despite a present lived in plain ungodliness. This is not the way of Truth, the way that Christ taught us. And if this is not the way of Truth, then it is the way of lies and error. Think of it, my brothers. And if you do not have the strength to undeceive the liars and those who follow them by word of mouth, at least let a reproachful silence on your part make them understand that you are not walking in the same way as them. Following French persecuted sister of a Reformed pastor Marie Durand, who was locked in at the Tower of Constance for her biblical faith during 38 years, “RESIST!” (This she engraved on a stone with her fork, for her fellow-prisoners to read). Amen.

Rt. Rev. Yves Méra, AOC Bishop of France

 

 

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

 

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share the common message of action as we prepare for the real meaning of Lent, which itself is a season of preparation.  Let us start by reading today’s Collect:

The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the

Sunday next before before Lent.

The Collect.

O

 LORD who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Consider these words from the Collect:

… that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity …

In the Collect, we acknowledge to God that if we have not charity, nothing we do is worth anything; we then ask Him to send the Holy Ghost into our hearts with the precious gift of charity.  Webster tells us that Charity is love; universal benevolence; good will; the word which properly denotes love. What it really means is Love in Action! Like many areas of our Christian development, we will never fully get there. But if we never try to put Love into action, we will never even get close to getting there. The key words are in action.  This means that we cannot just profess to love and never fully show it in our actions, but that we have to show that we do love by our actions! Once again we must make sure that our actions align with our dictions.

Charity is the purest form of love there is and derives from God’s love for us. Without God’s love in us, we cannot hope to have any form of charity towards our fellow humans. Thus without God’s love we find that we are simply unable to do anything good for Him and our fellow humans on this Earth. We are called to be agents of good change and not that of negative change. In order to be agents of good change, we must have charity in our hearts. In order to have charity in our hearts we must have the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

In connection with the Collect which talks about one who is brought before God without love in his heart is a dead person. And not just in eternity but in life, a person with no love is a dead person walking.  Paul makes this very point in his Epistle, saying that no matter what talents we have, without the Love of God in our hearts, it is all for naught.  You can be the best in your profession or have a super unique talent, but in the end if we do not have the Love of God in our hearts, our talents are ultimately wasted. We need to ask God to send that Love into our hearts that we might be inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit and His Love to act for Him.  We cannot do anything for God without that Love in our hearts. We must have the Love in us, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, in order to be effective in our ministerial efforts. He is the reason we are here in this life and He is the one we must act for.   It must be clear to us our understanding here on earth is limited, while here we will never see the fullness of God’s Plan; yet the part most clear is the love we are to have one for another, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, for no reason other than we know it is right so to do.

Having Love in our hearts is a must if we are to perform actions for Him here in this world. In order to have love in our hearts, we must be open to the Holy Spirit. Only then can we truly receive His Love to spread around. And do not fret, there is an unlimited supply of love for everyone. When Paul talks about God’s great plans, he uses the phraseology “through a glass, darkly”, which is very interesting inasmuch as CS Lewis uses a variation to describe earth as compared to heaven.  He calls earth The Shadowlands and says in heaven all is clear and bright, not dark and muddled as here on earth.  So, here our understanding is limited, it will not always be so. That will be fulfilled when we pass those Pearly Gates into heaven, and in order to do that, we have to have faith, and act in good works with charity.

As they were coming in to Jericho, Jesus told the disciples of what was to come, yet they could not grasp their leader would submit to such treatment on their behalf. One of the reasons they could not grasp it is that they did not yet have the Holy Spirit in their heart to help grasp the words that Jesus spoke. In their minds He was the Conqueror; in a sense they were right, He came to conquer death for us, not the Roman Empire. He had the Love of God with Him and He loved us so much that He would die a painful method of execution and go into Satan’s realm in order to free us from the terrible wages of sin, that of death. As they went along, they encountered the blind man who was, like many of us are, blind.  His blindness was of eye, not heart, he knew the power of God and of love. The blind man who wanted his sight and knew Jesus had The Power.  He cried unto the Lord and was rebuffed by His People. This is the key and it applies to us as well. Did he give up?  No, he cried the more.  We are like the blind man in that our sin blinds from seeing what we could be with the help of the Holy Ghost. We must cry out for Jesus to enter into our hearts, souls and minds and lead a transformation of our minds to serve Him.

When Jesus heard him, he turned and asked what the man wanted.  MY SIGHT!  No generalizations, no beating about.  The blind man asked of Him what he truly wanted.  Ask and it shall be given unto you.  He lacked sight, not vision.  Nor, it might be added, did he lack faith. We should ask God to have to sight and hearing that we might see, hear and act upon the Word. To some, the faith he had might seem a blind faith, but it was one he acted on and gained what he lacked.  Will we have the faith to act?

True love is Faith, Hope, Charity[1].

There is but one way to heaven.

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost, use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

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

It is by our actions we are known.

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

 

 

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

  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.

 

 Quinquagesima Sunday Sermon

 

 It is not uncommon in today’s world to hear those of the universalist persuasion offering up their lame justifications for their all-inclusive, big tent misunderstanding of the Christian faith. The one which stands out in my mind is the pronouncement that, “Everyone is a child of God because God loves everyone.” And if they will offer any scriptural support for such, they will often cite I St. John 4:8 in part because it specifically states that ...God is love. While it is true that God is love, it does not follow that God’s love can be manifested in the same way to those who are living in disobedience to his expressed will. Think about the following passage from Leviticus: Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy (19:2). If one is to conform to this dictum, then one must meet those requirements which God has set forth in his word written. For it is within Holy Scripture that we find numerous accounts of those things we ought to do as well as those we ought not to do if we are to please our Creator God. Here are just a few.

 Adam and Eve were created to have fellowship with God (Genesis 1:27-31; 2:15-25). The devil, in the form of the serpent (Revelation 20:2), tempted them to go against his expressed will which resulted in their separation from his presence and their eventual physical deaths (Genesis 3:19-23). Having partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17), God expected them, as well as their descendants, to do that which was good ever after. This, of course, they could not do because of original sin. Original sin brought spiritual death to the descendants of Adam, effectively rendering them powerless to act on their own behalf.

 Cain and Abel were the first sons of Adam and Eve. They made offerings to the LORD in due season, yet only Abel offered that which was pleasing to God. Cain in his willfulness, offered God what he did not want, and was enraged because his offering was not received of God (Genesis 4:1-8). His willfulness and pride led to the first murder in history.

 Noah was a righteous man before the LORD (Genesis 6:9) while the rest of humanity lapsed into wickedness (Genesis 6:5-8). Because of his relationship with God, Noah and his family were spared from God’s inundating wrath. In spite of God’s deliverance of Noah and his family, such did not mean that humanity ever after would be free from sin (Genesis 8:21).

 The children of Israel made a golden calf (Exodus 32:1) after having accepted a covenant relationship with God which forbade idolatry (Exodus 24:3). God ordered Moses to punish the perpetrators and to have the people drink of the waters over which he had spread the remains of that idol. And so it was that in spite of their initial acceptance of God’s law, they chose to worship a false god over the true God of their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses later warned the people prior to entering the promised land with these words: …I have set before you life and death... therefore choose life, that you and your seed may live... that you may love the LORD thy God and... obey his voice... for his is your life and length of days... (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

 It should be clear from the aforementioned passages that our choices affect the way God's love can be manifested to us. If we truly love God, we will be obedient to his word and commandment. So it follows, that if one remains in an unregenerated state— that is, they have never been born again of the Holy Ghost— that person has no doubt rejected the things of God and cannot rightly be called God’s child. As King David noted in Psalm 5: For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. ⁵The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. ⁶Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing [falsely]: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man (vv. 4-6).

 The popular 17th and 18th century English Baptist pastor, Benjamin Keach noted in his work, Preaching from the Types and Metaphors of the Bible (p. 301), that, “All profane, debauched, and ungodly men, who are enemies to God and religion, who live like brute beasts upon the earth, who mind nothing but to satisfy their carnal appetites, who wallow in the lusts of uncleanness, drunkenness, pride, covetousness etc., without timely repentance, as God is, so he will for ever be to such a consuming fire... [But some may ask how can that be], seeing God saith of himself, Fury is not in me (see Isaiah 27:4); and that one of his chiefest attributes is love... (see St. John 3:16). Answer: God is set forth as, and said to be, a consuming Fire in respect to his justice. God is just, as well as gracious, a righteous and severe Judge, and he will deal with men according to the penalties of his just law... This terrible doctrine [that he is] a consuming Fire, may justly strike terror into the hearts of all ungodly men [for] the day is coming that he will burn them up, and leave them neither root nor branch. An use and consolation to the saints: this great God, who to the wicked is a consuming Fire, to them is a loving Father, and a reconciled God.”

 So the issue boils down to living in obedience or disobedience as the case may be. The brave and stalwart Joshua warned the Israelites that in order to serve God and enjoy his benefits and blessings, they would have to keep his word and commandment which they, in turn, promised to do (Joshua 24:14-15, 19-27). We are further informed in the Book of Judges (2:11-19) that after a time, the children of Israel lapsed into disobedience. Nevertheless, in his love for them, God provided Judges to lead the people into the right way. Unfortunately, they only listened for a time, and afterwards ...every man did that which was right in his own eyes (21:25). Doing what one thinks is right in their own eyes is nothing more than the way of Cain.

 St. Paul warned us in his epistle to the Philippians that, ...¹⁷be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an [example]. ¹⁸(For many walk, of whom I have told you often...even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ...(3:17-18). And in his epistle to the Colossians he admonished his listeners to, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ...(2:8-10). Also in that same epistle he warned that, ...fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection... for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience...(3:1-17).

And our Lord warned us to avoid hypocrisy when he said, ⁷Ye hypocrites, well did [Isaiah] prophesy of you saying, ⁸this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. ⁹But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (St. Matthew 15:7-9). In the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (St. Matthew 13:37- 43), our Lord emphasizes that there are two kinds of people represented by wheat— which is a fruitful grain that feeds people— and tares— which are weeds that feed no one. The wheat, that is the children of the kingdom, are called righteous and shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father; while the tares are the children of the evil one and will be cast into the furnace of everlasting fire where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth (see St. Matthew 25:41)

 In St. John’s gospel account our Lord informed Nicodemus, ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life...¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (3:16-18) Also in that same gospel , our Lord observed that: ²⁸..the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, ²⁹and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. (5:28-29) Further on in St. John’s gospel, our Lord supplied the distinction between those who are his and those who are of the evil one: 42…If God were your Father, ye would love me...⁴⁴Ye are of your father the devil and the lusts of your father ye will do...⁴⁷I tell you the truth and ye believe me not...He that is of God heareth God's words: ye hear them not because ye are not of God. (8:42-47)

 St. Paul reminded the Corinthians in his second epistle, ¹⁴Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness...¹⁷come out from among them, saith the Lord...¹⁸and I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty (6:14-18). Finally, in Revelation, St. John wrote concerning the children of God that, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power...(20:6). Whereas the children of disobedience will receive their just due as noted in Revelation ...and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (20:11-15).

 So it should be abundantly clear from Scripture that since the beginning of mankind there are two basic categories of people: the children of God and the children of the evil one. The question is, Which are you? To paraphrase C. F. Kettering, “we should all be thinking about the future as that is where we will be spending the rest our lives.” May God so move each of you to daily live in obedience to his word and commandment, and to encourage others to do likewise.

 Let us pray,

Father, keep us this day from all sin and disobedience to thy word and commandment; and bless us with such a filling of the Holy Ghost, that in all our works and ways we will show forth the light of our salvation so that others may see and seek after thee; and this we ask in the name of him whose light is within us, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Have a blessed week,

Bryan+

 

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

Sermon for Quinquagesima Sunday

 Holy Communion

The Epistle 1Cor 13:1-13;   The Gospel St. Luke: 18:31-43

O LORD, who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoso-ever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.                       

“....the things which were spoken...”

Let us reflect on the Gospel reading for today. What level of discernment did the disciples have?  It is easy for us to discern what was being said or recorded in the Word, because we have the whole story in our hands. Our advantage is the complete Word of God as revealed in the Bible. We have the completed narrative of who Christ was and is according to the prophecies and fulfillment of said prophecies, so it isn’t a mystery to the modern reader of the Word.

Now in our Gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples that now was the time to go to Jerusalem in order for the prophecies concerning him be fulfilled. 

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. (Luke 18:31)

 The next thing Jesus does is give a summary detail of what is to transpire during those final days of Jesus earthly ministry:

³²For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: ³³And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. (Luke 18:32-33) …⁶I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)

Those disciples, who remembered their synagogue centered scripture memorization from their youth, should have been able to connect the passages from Psalm 22 and Isaiah 50:6 to what Jesus was saying. Again, we have hind sight, they didn’t. Also to be fair, they were looking for a holy messiah who would vanquish the Romans and other tormentors who plagued the Jews at this time. So the idea that this rabbi, who had shared his life filled with signs and wonders with them for three and a half years, was going to die and not set up a kingdom, just didn’t fit their idea of what was supposed to happen. In all fairness, it seems that it wasn’t time for them to know all the details of the coming week of instruction, betrayal, false charges, and finally painful scourging and finally death upon a cross like a common criminal. ³⁴And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. (Luke 18:34) 

Now comes the question.  Why were the disciples kept in the dark about what was to transpire shortly in Jerusalem?  Without going too far into the weeds, the most likely reason was to keep those who sought an earthly king from trying to impose this scenario upon Jesus. We don’t fully appreciate the anger and frustration of being a subjugated people, a proud but small nation that sought to restore the ancient glory of King David and Solomon in this dusty corner of the world.

We read from Luke as he writes about that Thursday night Jesus was betrayed: ⁴⁹When they which were about him saw what would follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? ⁵⁰And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. (Luke 22:49-50)  

So we read here that there were a few of Jesus disciples who were ready to take up arms to help him start the rebellion that would cleanse the land of the Romans and Jewish-Greek oppressors.

This is most likely why the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus had to do over the next several days: mock trial, unjustly condemned to death, beaten, abused, mocked, and finally death on the cross.  But the most miraculous part of it all, He would rise again from the dead, conquering death and giving us the hope of eternal life through this most glorious resurrection.

So now even though it seems the disciples couldn’t understand, and wanted to make Jesus Christ to be what they were looking for, is easy for us to do the same..

We have an idea of what we think God is supposed to do in our lives. He is supposed to make things easier for us here, He is supposed to punish the evil ones who hurt us and confound us, not let them thrive. We can be so disappointed when He doesn’t do what we think He should do, forgetting that He is in control of ALL things. He created the world and all in it, so we need to praise Him, thank Him for the great blessings He has given us, and let Him do His will. “...thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...”

³⁵And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:³⁶And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. ³⁷And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. ³⁸And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. ³⁹And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. ⁴⁰And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, ⁴¹Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. ⁴²And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. ⁴³And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. (Luke 18:35-43)

Now the last part of this passage from Luke’s Gospel doesn’t seem to fit any type of sequence in the narrative.  That is, until you realize this is another certification of Christ’s pedigree.  If you go to Isaiah 35:5 you find this prophetic writing: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

So this miracle, that seems to have no connection to the rest of the story, is really about fully establishing Christ divinity. He can do things that defy the natural order. If you read the first chapter of the Gospel of John, it is fully explained why this healing and other miracles was in order, ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²The same was in the beginning with God. ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ⁵And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5)

As we conclude this study today, let us ever be mindful of the real reason Christ Jesus came to live with us for that brief period of time, some 2000 years ago.  He was about his Father’s business. He was fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning eternal salvation.

   We begin this forty-day period of contemplation, meditation, and reflection upon the great work Christ Jesus did to secure our salvation and eternal life, let us not forget who Jesus Christ is and why He died for us.

Let us pray: 

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness. may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

O LORD, we beseech thee, mercifully hear our prayers, and spare all those who confess their sins unto thee; that they whose consciences by sin are accused, by thy merciful pardon may be absolved; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O SAVIOUR of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord, who by thy Cross and precious Blood that redeemed us.  Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech thee, O Lord.    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

Quinquagesima Sunday

A Meditation on the Transfiguration---Sunday before the 40 days to Easter

  This week we are led up to a mountain , secluded, snowy ---  probably Mount Hermon with Jesus and His disciples to pray.  He had just spoken words of suffering and death. Luke 9:23--- "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. ²⁵For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away."

  The Disciples had been called, and had seen the miracle of feeding the many people about 5, 000.  What was happening now on the Mountain?  He shows Himself to them, white and glistering. His face was changed. They saw His glory. 

  We too have mountains in our lives where we stop and rest and pray. It can be a place that we know, or a place we imagine in our homes. We all need to stop, drop and pray and ask God, "What now?"  Pauses are needed. Sometimes God gives us pauses when we get sick, and have to go to the hospital.  These times of suffering can be times of reflection as well in the middle and especially at the end of it.

  Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John. Moses and Elijah were there as well. They spoke of Jesus' death coming in Jerusalem. The message comes out of the cloud, And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. ³⁶And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. "Luke 9:35-36)

  Today as we meditate on this, we soon too will celebrate His death on the Cross through receiving the Sacrament of His Body and Blood, Holy Communion. It is spiritual food for us received by faith in Him.

  I entitled this message in the bulletin today, "Getting out of Dodge--the Transfiguration." The first Church I had as a solo pastor was in North Dakota. The town was called Dodge, 100 miles west of the capital, Bismarck. We left there to go into active duty service as a Chaplain. We were young and curious about the future. God called us out of Dodge, and we followed. The Army was a good place to serve and talk to Soldiers and families as Chaplain and spouse. 

  I found that most of my time, although I had my own Service on Sunday, and in the field and trips (deployments) to other countries as an Army unit, was spent in doing the things that the Soldiers did.  But it was great to be able to do that. I found that listening to others was my main focus. They asked for advice.

  I believe that we all have our Dodges to leave and places to follow Christ. The place is not as important as the focus on what He is saying to us through the Scriptures. We worship on the Lord's Day, and ask Him, how we can best serve. Today as we receive the elements of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we should ask, how can I help? How can I serve? What is He saying to us today?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

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 Sexagesima Sunday: https://youtu.be/tXzFYqwFTlM

 

 

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.

 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

Toni- Breast Cancer

Donna – Breast Cancer- Surgery March 24th

Leslie – False teachers

Malou - 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

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,

 

in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

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[1] The three Gloster Gladiator fighters Faith, Hope and Charity defended Malta against the Italian Air Force during the early part of the siege of Malta in World War II.  Legend has it all three persisted and of the three, Charity never failed.