250803 AOC Sunday Report
Anglican Orthodox Churchsm
Worldwide Communion
Seventh Sunday after Trinity
August 3, 2025 - Sunday Report
Seventh Sunday after Trinity Propers:
The propers are special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saint’s instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent. The Propers for today are found on page 198-199.
The Collect for Seventh Sunday after Trinity
LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for Seventh Sunday after Trinity. Romans vi. 19.
I SPEAK after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Gospel for Seventh Sunday after Trinity. St. Mark viii. 1.
IN those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
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:
The LORD is good to all:
and his tender mercies are over all his works.
Psalm 145:9
Every word
of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Proverbs 30:5
But now, O
LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we are all
the work of thy hand.
Isaiah
64:8
Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in theland, not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
Amos 8:11
And call
no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
St. Matthew 23:9
We trust in Jesus for what we cannot do ourselves: if
it were in our own power, what need of looking to him? It is ours to believe,
it is the Lord’s to create us anew. He will not believe for us, neither are we
to do regenerating work for him. It is enough for us to obey the gracious
command; it is for the Lord to work the new birth in us. He who could go so far
as to die on the cross for us, can and will give us all things that are needful
for our eternal safety.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon – (All of Grace, p. 58).
Where is Jesus Christ now?... I answer in the words of
Scripture that Christ “is passed into the heavens,” that he has “entered into
the holy place... now to appear in the presence of God for us... until the time
of restitution of all things” (Heb.4:14; 9:12, 24; Acts 3:21)... Let us stand
fast on the old doctrine that Christ’s natural body and blood cannot be “in
more places than one at a time.” Let us maintain firmly that Christ’s human nature is like our
own, sin only excepted, and cannot therefore be at once in heaven and on the
communion table. He that overthrows the doctrine of Christ’s real, true, and
proper humanity is no friend to the gospel, any more than he that denies his
divinity... Christ, as a man, is in heaven, and in heaven alone.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle; Knots Untied, pp. 256-259.
The fathers of our flesh must be called fathers, and as such, we must give them reverence, but God only must be allowed as the Father of our spirits. Our religion must not pin our faith on any man’s sleeve because we know not [where] he will carry it……The Rev. Matthew Henry
We can only know the Way, the Truth, and the Life by knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, for His is truly the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Him - notwithstanding the heresies of the Ro-man cult. Knowing the truth sets us free from the nagging guilt of sin. The blessings of the abundant Life in Christ is one which lasts forever.
The Way, the Truth, and the Life is of no benefit
unless His Way, His Truth, and His Life becomes your own through the benefits
of the Cross that He suffered. “. . . Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16)
The Most Rev. Jerry L. Ogles -Reason for Hope, pg. 55
Jerry Ogles, Presiding Bishop – Metropolitan AOC 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 Blog:
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com
Bishop Ogles You Tube Channel
that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW3bgXBJFomPB5mZ4Oigxg
7-28-25 Monday Daily Meditations:
Tuesday– 7-29-25 Morning Meditations: The White Stone
7-30-25 Wednesday Morning Meditations
7-31-25 Thursday Morning Meditations
8-1-26 Friday Morning -Youth Devotion
Click link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pJsktYZ-qQ
8-2-25 Saturday Morning Meditation
You tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkchARpYtMc
Sermon Summary for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity- MP
SCRIPTURE: First Lesson: Hosea 14
Second Lesson: Romans 6:12-18
The
Collect.
LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
This Collect asks four things of God which we are incapable of doing ourselves:
1) “Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name”;
2) “increase in us true religion”;
3) “nourish us with all goodness”; and,
4) “keep us”.
We can neither receive, nor retain, the love of God’s name without the efficacious working of the Holy Spirit therein. We are helpless to supply a thing of which we can claim no ownership. The love that permeates our hearts is from the overflowing Fountain and Source of Love which is in God through Jesus Christ. Like our bodies, we cannot add a single inch to the stature of our spirits and souls. All of the increase we enjoy in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding comes from that same Source from which the Love of God overflows.
Our nourishment is forever from God if it is wholesome and good. We daily partake of the Bread of Heaven given by that Giver of all good things found in the Word of God which is preserved for us as a gift to all who believe. Who is our Keeper? Why, it is the Lord Himself. He is our Good Shepherd to keep us in the good way. He is the Rock of our Salvation to keep us from drifting. He is the Ark into which we flee for salvation in the day of ruin. And He is much more…so much more that we cannot mention all in the scope of a short devotion. Since He is the Word in total, He is also the Author and Giver of Life itself, and the Preserver of Life in Love.
In our Old Testament reading from Hosea, God calls His people, Israel -the Church, to repentance. We have worshipped the calves of idolatry for too long and have forsaken the Fountain of Living Waters which is God. Let our calves, or words of praise, now be directed to the only God of our Creation and Lord of our righteousness.
We see the same departure from God in our culture today as men and women turn from holiness to abject immorality in marriage, business, politics, and fellowship with unbelievers. They worship idols of Hollywood, of sports, and of the digital media. None of these are gods at all but are the lairs of the devil and his pits of destruction.
In healing our backsliding, we must take counsel of our consciences which inform us of our sins in relationship with the Word of God that has been our chart and compass in the days of our former righteousness and favor in God. God will then be as the nourishing dew to the lilies of the valley and the vineyards of our planting. Like the Dew, His Spirit will work unseen in our hearts to revive that which is like unto the dead estate of the sinner unto the living stones of the Kingdom.
If, like the Prodigal Son, we finally come to ourselves, and recognize our foolish wanderings in a far country far removed from our Father God, we shall have our minds revived to knowledge and wisdom that is the normal state for the believer.
Let us examine our own souls in view of the counsel of Hosea and determine in what ways we have fallen from the grace and favor of God. Those whose souls are yielded to God are alive as a person revived from the deadness of sin.
In our Epistle reading from Romans, we discover our privileges as servants of almighty God and not of the serpent of Eden.
Yes, we once were servants of sin, but now we obey from our hearts the biblical doctrine whereby we were saved. Though we still stumble and fall, our hearts are nonetheless stayed on Christ to lift time and again. We are now servants of righteousness – that is, the righteousness of Jesus Christ and not of our own merit.
When sin reigns in the body. We give way to carnal desires and greedy dispositions. The lust of the flesh determines our actions and not the logic and reason of Holy Writ. But we have been bought out of that slavery to sin at great expense. Just as the Children of Israel were brought out of physical bondage in Goshen of Egypt, so has our souls been brought out of bondage to spiritual Egypt. The blood of the Passover Lamb saved the first-born of each family whose shelter was under the blood of the lamb. That Lamb foreshadowed the true Lamb of God which was to come and redeem us on the brow of Calvary’s Mount.
Being under grace does not mean we are free to violate the Commandments of God. Perish the thought. We are under greater imposition of the law under grace than we were under the Commandments written on tables of stone. How is that possible? Because we now obey out of love that compels an overwhelming desire to obey our Father than by the stricter judgment of the letter of the Law. That which we love, we will never intentionally violate – and we love the Law of God.
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE
HOLY GHOST. AMEN.
† Jerry Ogles
Charles Morley
Bishop of Alabama
Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
We are always happy to get the instruction and devotions that Bp Morley is giving to us. We hope you enjoy the following:
A Meditation on Ephesians Chapter Three
The privilege of coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may have some ramifications you haven't yet realized. The Lord Jesus Christ accomplished three things for us by His death, burial, Resurrection and Ascension. We don't often think of these three aspects of the Faith but they are true nonetheless.
First, He saved us from the wrath of God. It would be a marvellous thing in itself if that were the only thing He accomplished for us. No one likes to speak of the wrath of God. No one is comfortable speaking about the consequences of sin but God hates sin and, as children of the Fall and sinners by nature, the wrath of God is witnessed upon every man born of woman. The full weight of punishment for the sins of all mankind fell upon Him on the Cross, a penalty we owed but could never pay. In the words of the great hymn writer "There was no other good enough to pay the price for sin: He only could unlock the gates of Heaven, and let us in." (There is a Green Hill Far Away, hymn 65; 1940 hymnal)
The justified anger of God is no longer upon us. What an astounding thing to consider. God smiles once again upon His wayward children, thanks to the sacrifice of our Brother. Eternal punishment is no longer our fate: justice has been met with mercy and we are freed from His wrath forever. All Creation was waiting for this Redemption since before the world began, and God in His mercy releases from the darkness of our own devices and desires and places us in the Light. Our "groaning and travailing" in this weary world is no longer endless.
Freedom from the wrath of the Father would have been glorious in itself but the atoning work of the Saviour does not end there. He takes us, who were dead in our trespasses and sins, and gives us NEW LIFE whereby we are reborn as sons of God and joint heirs of our BROTHER CHRIST. Through Him, we become that which by our human nature we cannot be. We put away our "old man" as the Apostle calls it, and we begin to function as members of THE BODY OF CHRIST. We are no longer "of the world" even though we are in the world. We learn how to be truly alive by loving Him above all things and by keeping His Commandments. This is not the promise of some future state but of today's reality. I believe St. Paul is not speaking metaphorically when he tells us in Ephesians 5:30 "...for we are members of his Body, of his flesh and of his bones." Through Christ we learn how we should live with others and with ourselves. We are all members of one BODY. We are no longer victims - we are more than conquerors. The next time you are tempted to sin, remember who you are and WHAT you are. Christ has made us LIGHT.
But the wonderful ministry of the lord Jesus Christ does not end there. We speak of the Saviour "conquering sin and death" but what does that really mean? It means that we receive yet another benefit of His "inestimable love" by granting to mortal men ETERNAL LIFE. Even though we experience human death, we will live forever in a state of eternal bliss with our Father in Heaven. The mind cannot begin to consider the joy of this gift of the Saviour - and yet that is our fate, the "blessed hope that Thou hast given us" by the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of the Son of God. It is hard to imagine a state in which we will no longer be subject to TIME. As a result of the Fall, we have all been made subject to the ravages of time: we grow old, we hunger and thirst, we experience loss - and ultimately death. As the poet said, "We are all children of a lesser god."
But the death of Christ frees us from the terror of time - we are no longer subject to earthly time. Earthly time, the scientists tell us, is a matter of decay, the corruption of neutrons and electrons as they change. But in the New Creation, there will be no death, no decay, no passing of hours, minutes, and days. Eternity has no measure: our new life in Christ makes us subject to God's time. Imagine - never being separated from THE PERFECT LOVE that brought us into existence and that keeps us by His grace, until we are joined with Angels and Archangels, and all the company of Heaven.
Nothing above comes from my own meditations. I would urge all who read this missive to consider a great work by a wise Christian (John Owen) who was powerfully used by the Holy Spirit to write about "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ" in which he examines the above in the light of biblical truth. I have simply considered the three aspects of Christ's redemptive work in order to bring joy to the believer and encouragement to those who as yet know not Christ by Faith.
What a friend we have in Jesus!
Miserable Offenders or The Blessed Company?
I always thought, were I ever able to write a novel, the two phrases above would make excellent titles. The contrast of the language of the Book of Common Prayer could be used either for a comedy or a tragedy, depending on the outcome. A dear friend who is a published author once advised me that in order to have a successful mystery you must always have at least one apparently unsolvable murder. I could never bring myself to write about murder, even totally fictional murder, but I have always wondered if my one great work would be a comedy or a tragedy.
There is a great drama being played out in American society, and especially in the Christian Churches of America. A great war is being waged - silently, bloodlessly, ubiquitously - and not without terrible consequence. I am speaking of the war being waged by the proponents of Marxist/Leninist COMMUNISM. Yes, Communism. The war is being led not by the commissars of the former Soviet Union but by political and religious "leaders" in our own country. Years ago we identified the bad guys by their Boris Badenov trench coats and thick accents. Today, they are more likely to have Brooklyn accents and wear designer suits. They are firmly entrenched in Congress and in Cathedrals; teachers, lawyers, clergy, military, Hollywood and the arts. They are black, white, brown, and red - and are no longer concealing their subversive intentions. They are outspoken in their desire to overthrow the present government, to overhaul society, and to create a new world order based on the economic principles of Karl Marx.
They are much wiser than the Communists of the last century, the heavy handed Bolsheviks that infiltrated labor unions, waving hammer and sickle banners or wearing Mao suits. Today's Communists have cleverly adopted a new identity and a new name - they call themselves "Socialists" and eat in sushi bars. What exactly is a "Socialist" compared with a Communist? As the old saying goes, "A socialist is a communist with a necktie." They are the graduates of ivy league universities and mainline seminaries and are far more glib than their placard-bearing antecedents. In our colleges, their professors teach economics, English literature, and anthropology based on Marxist principles - and in our seminaries they preach race relations and biblical "criticism." They convince our children that Che Guevara was a great folk hero and that they should sport his image on their T-shirts.
These are not the meek intellectuals of the so-called "McCarthy Era" when scared politicians first encountered Communists in government and panicked, seeing communists "under their beds." In fact, many Communists were exposed and the depth of their infiltration was ignored only because of politics. But they have never relented in their desire to bring about a people's utopia in America but using the freedoms we enjoy, the political mechanisms of democracy, and a free press to accomplish their ends.
And they have succeeded. We now have Senators and Congressmen, Police Chiefs and Professors, Party leaders and Mayors, Bishops and Pastors who openly profess their socialist ideas and goals. The fall of the Soviet Union encouraged many Americans to believe that Communism was dead - certainly no longer the threat it once was to America, although the nuclear threat remained in a now much more docile regime in Moscow. The Peace Movement further encouraged a pacifistic spirit amongst the people, having avoided (or so we were encouraged to think) nuclear "Armageddon."
So socialism began its attack from within, seeking to convert not the "workers" in our factories but the minds of the young and the influential, using the power of a sympathetic MEDIA - a weapon Socialism never had before. No longer reliant on newspapers and books, Socialism could now infiltrate the homes and schools of America on a daily basis. In 1924 an Episcopal bishop, William Brown, was charged and convicted of heresy for preaching Marxism to his congregations. Such a trial could never be held today. What has changed? We were told that Sweden and other Scandinavian countries were "socialist" utopias and in many ways superior to their capitalist neighbors. These were lies but believed by many who failed to observe that other European countries were abandoning their failed socialist economies in favor of free market capitalism. Already liberal Christian denominations painted socialism as akin to what Jesus taught in The Sermon of the Mount. Many denominations taught that socialism was "biblical" and should be adopted by the faithful as a means of "living out the Gospel" by means of poverty and social service.
Socialism/Communism is not just another socio-political "theory." It is both an economic system and a religion, much as Islam is a religion and an economic system, whose followers are not content to practice their beliefs among themselves - but to convert the world. This was Karl Mark's strong belief, that communism MUST be practiced throughout the entire world - and would be, one way or another. And so, American socialists are unrelenting in their efforts, now that they have the approbation of the American public, who now fear MAGA Republicans and Bible-believing Christians more than the socialist politicians who want to take over their cities and run the universities. The Democrat Party in New York City is promoting a self-confessed Communist (who is also an Islamist) to run for mayor. Even though he has called for the abolition of Israel as a nation, the Jews of New York support him. They have a long record of supporting Communist and Socialist causes in politics and society - and cannot see the danger in their present position.
What, if anything, will stop the spread of this terrible disease? Christians, especially those involved in government, must speak out - as they have never done before - against this insidious anti-Christian movement that seeks to remove God not just from the public sphere but from our society as a whole. Not long ago, the Catholic Church sponsored Novenas to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to pray for her intercession in the conversion of Russia. Perhaps, they should hold them again for the safety and protection of America in this century. The Communists amongst us must be stopped. The story is not over.
+CEM
Jack Arnold
Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA
Education and Training Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
Church of
the Faithful Centurion
Seventh Sunday after Trinity
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider the words from the Collect, … author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same (that is to say keep us in goodness)…
To get anywhere, we must acknowledge in our hearts all good is of and comes from God. That is the trouble with the world today. Many people refuse to believe this simple truth and thus it is one of the causes all of the problems humanity suffers. If we were to all believe this simple truth and put our full faith and trust in the Lord, then humanity as a whole would be far better off. We must allow Him to enter into our hearts, souls and minds in order to truly follow Him and not just profess we believe Him with our lips, but show it by our actions.
Because of our human nature, there will be plenty of times when we fail, but if we turn back to Him, then we shall succeed. We just have to listen to what He says and then not just listen but act on what He says. This holds true not just for myself, but all of us who follow Christ’s banner. This is a constant truth that is repeated through the Collects and Scriptures. Without God’s help, we are doomed to great failure, but with His help there is no limit to what we can accomplish for Him.
The clear message in today’s collect, Epistle and Gospel is that we need to be in God and have His Love acting within us. For without His Love within us we can do no good thing and we cannot be regenerated or be “born again” without the help of the Holy Spirit. We need His Help if we are to follow Him and to spread the Gospel. Being a part of this world and being of God is impossible. As Jesus said, one man cannot serve two masters. We are in this world but we are not called to be of this world but of God. It is simply not possible to be of both. We have to choose sides, and choose whom we serve God or Satan. I know who I choose, do you? To me it is a very easy choice, to choose to serve God the ultimate form of goodness.
Before we are of God, we are of this world. Our life is here, our end is here. However, once we are transformed via the Holy Ghost, then we are merely sojourners here; our life is not really here and certainly does not end here. We are merely passing through this world as a portal to our new unending life with God. I find if I remember this whenever I am having any sort of trouble, then this thought sooths my worried mind and I think it will do for you as well.
The only way to be of God is through God, that is His Son, our Lord. I am the way, the truth, the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) Jesus himself clearly says the only way to be of God is through Him. Nobody comes unto God but by Christ. What does that mean for those of other faiths? Nobody knows but Christ. We can’t answer that question, only God can. So why not focus on the sure fire way to get into heaven which is to follow Christ to the best of our ability.
So, recognizing we cannot be a part of this world, we need to be holy, that is, set apart from the world in our thoughts, deeds and actions. For the world has shown that it will not willingly join forces with God, thus they have chosen the side of Satan. So we cannot hold with them. It is to God and His Banner to whom we must cling. His Banner will always remain strong and never fail. Even when we waver, God’s banner never wavers. In our moments of weakness, it is to God and His Banner to whom we must return to regain our spiritual strength. We will always be facing the same spiritual wickedness in this life as in times past. But with God’s help we can battle this spiritual wickedness. We just have to let the Holy Ghost into our hearts and let Him guide our actions.
Thus, when Paul wrote to the people of Rome, he was writing to all of us; for truly nothing is new in the world. There is truth to Solomon’s saying there is nothing new under the sun[1]. For there is no new sin in the world that has not existed since the time of Adam. It may take different forms over the eons, but all sins are still the same since the dawn of man[2]. Up until the time of Christ, we were still bound in our chains to Satan. We could not pass into the kingdom of heaven, even the Law of Moses could not redeem us, because, on our own we cannot be redeemed. It was only with the coming of Christ we could be redeemed.
Through His Death on the Cross, Jesus has paid the wages for our sins which as St. Paul says in today’s epistle is death. He has brought us eternal life by His Death and Resurrection. The sheer nature of his sacrifices demands that we endeavor to follow Him to the best of our abilities.
All three elements of God are active in our ongoing salvation. It is an infinite loop of sorts. God the Father passes His Will to us through the Holy Spirit. The Son, Jesus Christ is our mediator and advocate before the Father. While we do not know exactly each of their functions, we do know all three work together and Jesus is our mediator and advocate to the Father and the Holy Ghost breathes God’s Knowledge into us and believing and acting on what God asks and by what we get from the Holy Ghost brings us to be of God. And this is enough for us to believe upon. We do not need to know the inner workings of the Trinity, only know that they work and exist. Inquiring about the inner workings is superfluous and gets into the how many angels can dance on the head of a pin territory. Which the answer to how many angels can dance on the head of the pin is simply however many God requires.
Moving on to today’s Gospel, the clear message of the feeding of the multitude is action, and the whys and hows behind all of it does not matter as much as the simple message that He did it. It is all too easy to get wrapped around in fine details, when it is the bigger picture that matters. The fact of the matter is that when Jesus found Himself in a position where He should act, He always chose to act. This is a clear lesson for us. There will be many times when we have to make a choice, let us make the right one, with the help of the Holy Ghost.
That is a model we should follow; not just talk, but act as well. It serves as a template for our ministries here on Earth, to follow this plan of action and not just diction. Our love for God will be demonstrated through our actions, if we act for Him. Does this story recall the words from the Last Supper used in Holy Communion at the Consecration? He took Bread; and when he had given thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of me. Those few words produced The Word, which has satisfied so many over millenniums. It does not take a lot of words to satisfy us, but they have to be the right ones, which come from Our Lord.
Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
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Rev Bryan Dabney of 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.
Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Now we who have been born again of the Holy Spirit accept God’s word as truth. We understand that it has been given to us for our eternal good by him who is perfect in all things. So then for men to tamper with God’s word written is worse than folly. If they think that they can edit the word of God so that it says something other than what the Holy Ghost intended, they are putting themselves in the place of God. Was it not that old serpent, Satan, who first amended God’s word in the Garden (see Genesis 3:4-5)? Was it not his influence which led our first parents into sin? And did not that very condition of original sin also pass down to us? The tradition of the elders which our Lord found so repugnant was very much in line with Satan’s temptation of Eve. And our Lord’s reply is telling: 6Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. And our Lord also said: 7Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias 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. (Matthew 15: 6-9) Think on that last portion of our Lord’s reply: But in vain they do worship me. The superficial Christian has the same status with our Lord as an unbeliever because such a person has never been truly born again of the Holy Ghost. A vain worshiper is merely a show off. He or she possesses no real faith in our Lord, and is only present in church to be seen of others (St. Matthew 6:5-6). Within many churches today, one can witness an appallingly low level of godly faith and obedience as they have welcomed into their midst, and without reservation, individuals who are open and notorious in their sins. They have done this not for the purpose of educating those misguided souls according to God’s word written. No, they want to be thought of as tolerant, inclusive, politically correct, or what have you.
Consider now Article XIX of our Articles of Religion where we find the following, “The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be duly administered according to Christ’s ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.” After reading that article of religion, do you think it permits the inclusion of the unregenerated without conditions? Consider the apostle Paul’s message to the church at Corinth: 9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (I Corinthians 5:9-13)
The Bible tells us that we ought to, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9). And we ought to, come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (Psalm 95:2). Worshipping God in the beauty of holiness does not translate into an open acceptance of sin. God has condemned sin, and if we are in agreement with those who do such things, then we too will face his wrath (Romans 1:18-32). The prophet Amos was given to pose the following question: Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (3:3). And the apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians in his second epistle, …14for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (II Corinthians 6:14-15) If we have been born again of the Holy Ghost, then we ought not continue in fellowship with those who have chosen to disregard God’s word and commandment unless and until they repent and reject their wicked ways.
As the tradition of the elders had brought to no effect the true meaning of God’s word written, likewise the same applies to those churches today which are using one the many corrupted bible translations. It is a sad reality that these new bible versions have contributed to the furtherance of many false doctrines and grievous heresies within the body of Christ. And since all Christian doctrine stems from God’s word written, so it follows that those churches who have employed a corrupted translation of the scriptures will find it difficult to impart a saving understanding of orthodox Christian doctrine to their congregations.
Another example of the modern church adopting the traditions of men can be seen in the various community activities which they use to promote themselves. But rare indeed are these events ever prefaced with remarks by their ministers concerning the Great Commission and the need for salvation in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. “Oh, that might keep people away,” some might say. Well that’s compromising with the world, and the Church is not supposed to be like the world. In truth, the only mission that the Church has been given is to proclaim the gospel to a sin-darkened world and not kowtow to the desires of the unregenerate.
The early Christians broke bread together at an “open table” which meant that it was open to all brothers and sisters in Christ. They also sang songs that lifted up God’s holy name in reverence. These hymns were not about the participants, neither were they a show or a performance as they were addressed to God, and their focus was entirely upon him and him alone. The early Church did not tolerate evil in their midst, nor was their table and their fellowship open to all without reservation. How many modern churches bother to include a message by the pastor on the necessity for salvation even during their regular worship services? Sad to say, many churches have become so much like the world that if those congregations did not possess a building you’d have trouble distinguishing them from any other nonprofit organization. As Pastor Ray Baumann once observed, “Church leadership must decide who is going to grow their church. You either grow it with man or with God. God’s way produces [believers] changed for life; man’s way produces attendees that come as they are and leave as they were.”
Here then is the new paradigm for church growth: churches filled with people who neither care for God or his commandments just like the Church at Thyatira in Revelation (see 2:18-29). If we are to avoid such a state then we ought to seek out folks who have discovered as we have, that to love the world is enmity with God. We want those to attend who have rejected the world, the flesh and the devil. We want those who are desirous of living in obedience to God’s word written.
It is essential for Christians to keep in mind that the traditions of men have been carefully crafted by the evil one to have only an appearance of godliness. As St. Paul reminded the Corinthian church concerning those who would feign to be members of the faith, 13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (II Corinthians 11:13-15)
So judge righteously and be alert. The Bible tells us to, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I St. Peter 5:8). There are many deceptive practices which the devil would have the church involved in, and not one of them will advance the gospel of our Lord, or seek the salvation of any soul. If we are not telling people about our Lord who was crucified for us and died; and who was resurrected and has ascended to the right hand of the Father; and who will come again to bring us to the Father’s house where he has prepared a place for us; then we are wasting our time and God’s patience. If we ever desire to hear from our Lord’s lips the words, Well done good and faithful servant, then we had best be about his business and that includes our keeping the world, the flesh and devil outside the doors of our churches along with its false traditions and beliefs.
Let us pray,
Father bless us with such an in-filling of thy most holy Spirit that we may discern what traditions are of thee as opposed to those from our adversary; and this we beg 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
Seventh Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Holy Communion
The Epistle: Romans 6:19-23; The Gospel: St. Mark 8:1-6
LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymns: #450, 609, 156
Today I would like to take a slightly different approach to the message derived from the readings set aside for this 7th Sunday after Trinity. I am borrowing from the commentary and musings of one of the most famous preachers of the Nineteenth Century; Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
He was known as the “Prince of Preachers”. His church in London was filled to capacity for every service offered over each week’s schedule. He also left a legacy of different writings, all from the Reformed view. He collected 732+ daily verses and devotional, one for morning and one for evening reading, these were later published and became a classic. His “Morning & Evening” is still published and available from many sites, including major Christian resource retailers.
Spurgeon’s devotional for today is the following:
The people that do know their God shall be strong. (Daniel 11:32)
Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and taught of the Lord; they are said to "have an unction from the Holy One," and it is the Spirit's peculiar office to lead them into all truth, and all this for the increase and the fostering of their faith.
If we study the reading from the Epistle we can strengthen this concept with the concrete truths about sin. 19I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
The practice of sin, the acceptance of a sinful life, the stubborn and willful giving into sin is for a Christian aberrance. Flee from the clutches of sin. As Joseph did when he was cornered in the apartment of Potiphar’s wife, we too, must run away. 21What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
And finally, awful consequence of sin: 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But as we continue with Spurgeon’s commentary, there is a cure for this fatal disease, it is the Love of God the Father who sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die in our place for this dreadful malady, SIN.
Knowledge strengthens love, as well as faith. Knowledge opens the door, and then through that door we see our Saviour. Or, to use another similitude, knowledge paints the portrait of Jesus, and when we see that portrait then we love Him, we cannot love a Christ whom we do not know, at least, in some degree. If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what He has done for us, and what He is doing now, we cannot love Him much; but the more we know Him, the more we shall love Him.
Of course, Spurgeon is referring to the very gift of God, his Son, as a sin-sacrifice, a once and for all sacrifice, for the sins of the world. Given once on the Cross, now a work completely finished. This is what Christ has done for us.
Knowledge also strengthens hope. How can we hope for a thing if we do not know of its existence? Hope may be the telescope, but till we receive instruction, our ignorance stands in the front of the glass, and we can see nothing whatever; knowledge removes the interposing object, and when we look through the bright optic glass we discern the glory to be revealed, and anticipate it with joyous confidence. Knowledge supplies us reasons for patience. How shall we have patience unless we know something of the sympathy of Christ, and understand the good which is to come out of the correction which our heavenly Father sends us? Nor is there one single grace of the Christian which, under God, will not be fostered and brought to perfection by holy knowledge. How important, then, is it that we should grow not only in grace, but in the "knowledge" of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Morning & Evening, C.H. Spurgeon, Hendrickson Publications, © 1991)
As we re-read our Epistle and Gospel selections for today {Romans 6:19-23; St. Mark 8:1-6} let us reflect on the devotional that Spurgeon wrote for this day. We can always ‘mine’ new understandings and insights from a reading and re-reading of the Word of God. Not a new interpretation, but understanding. When you keep the scripture in context, don’t take it out and torture it into your understanding of what it means, then you will be further along in the understanding of holy knowledge. We need to grow, not only in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, but also in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as in all things spiritual, this takes time and daily readings of the Word of God. The Bible is our guide book, it is our communications link to the God of Creation, the God of Redemption, the God, our Heavenly Father.
Let us daily walk in that knowledge, let us daily seek him who saved us from perdition, let us worship him in beauty and holiness.
Let us pray:
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 defence, 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.
Beloved, go in peace, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen
+Roy Morales-Kuhn
Rev. David McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We are Fortunate today to have a sermon from Rev. David McMillian
Sixth Sunday after Trinity Devotions
A Meditation from a Hymn and the Scriptures-7th Sunday after Trinity
Perhaps many of us have found comfort in singing good hymns. The 1940 Hymnal (Protestant Episcopal Hymnal) is a good place to start. For the 6th Sunday of Trinity hymns a hymn originally titled, O Conqueror" with a first line " O North...." is appointed, no. 541. I have used these hymns in my daily prayers. This one is quite meaningful.
The hymn was written by W. Cullen Bryant, 1794-1878. He was a lawyer in Massachusetts. He wrote over 20 hymns. He wrote for the " New York Post" as well. The tune to this hymn, "O North" is catchy and easy to sing.
North, with
all thy vales of green,
O South, with all thy palms!
From peopled towns and vales between,
Uplift the voice of psalms;
Raise, ancient East, the anthem high,
And let the youthful West reply.
Lo, in the
clouds of heaven appears
God's well-beloved Son;
He brings a train of brighter years;
His kingdom is begun.
He comes, a guilty world to bless
With mercy, truth, and righteousness.
O Father,
haste the promised hour,
When at his feet shall lie
All rule, authority, and power,
Beneath the ample sky;
When he shall reign from pole to pole,
The Lord of every human soul:
When all
shall heed the words he said
Amid their daily cares,
And by the loving life he led
Shall seek to pattern theirs;
And he who conquered death shall win
The mightier conquest over sin. Amen.
1. The first verse is much about nature; however in the second verse he talks about the coming of the Son of Man, "Lo, in the clouds of heaven appears God's well-beloved Son; He brings a train of brighter years; His kingdom is begun. He comes a guilty world to bless, with mercy, truth and righteousness."
Have you ever needed encouragement? Of course! We all need it. It can be perilous to base our lives on politics, the news or difficult events such as losses.
We live in a time when the abundance of life is lacking in its teaching of the coming of the Christ in brightness. Too often we are down in our thinking with the baseless and depressing claims of our society. We thought we had advanced, but we took too many steps in our thinking to a sad way of living. We hear the weather and the comment is, "mother nature sent us..." This seems to accentuate godless commentary on life to me. God the Creator should be acknowledged even by NBC. Could they say, "God sent?" That does not seem too religiously offensive.
Acknowledgment of guilt is absent from the culture. We look for ways to blame everyone except our own sin. His kingdom has begun. At death we are re-united eternally and presently with Him forever. His kingdom is begun the hymn reminds us. It is past, present and future. We should not narrow its scope as the world does. Hebrews 1 :2 says "in these last days, spoken unto us by His Son."
2. "O Father, haste the promised hour, When at His feet shall lie, All Rule, All Authority, and power beneath the ample sky; When He shall reign from pole to pole. The Lord of every human soul."
I like these words from the 3rd stanza. What a lovely quiet way to say what is true and beautiful for all to know. He is the Lord of every human soul .
What will it take for us to acknowledge this? A disaster in our lives ...It certainly wakes us up. We need Him every hour.
Philippians 2:10 says, " ...at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow...and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."
3. Lastly the 4th vs brings it home for us who live now in this world, "When all shall heed the words He said, Amid their daily cares."
The hard part is not on the Lord's Day Worship to glorify Him. We start there, but it is the daily list of things that seem to escape our glorifying God alone. Can we do all things to the glory of God? Whether we are nourishing our bodies with food, or whatever we do, we can remember and do these things to God's glory.
"And by the loving life He led, Shall seek to pattern theirs; And He who conquered death shall win the mightier conquest over sin."
Perhaps most of this can be summed up in the wonderful prayer for today from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, " The Collect
LORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
There is a true religion. There is true goodness. The LORD is the author of all good things. Good and well-written hymns are in that category. The hymn we have talked about focuses on much that is good---The Lord is come, and His kingdom is come now. We need the brightness of His Word, His kingdom and His pleasure in so much that is drab, dismal and dark in this present age.
He indeed is the Lord of every human soul. May our lives reflect His life in all that we say and do.
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:
Janice Smith – 2nd Stroke in the hospital
Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer
Pastor Glen Shoals – Skin Cancer
Steve
Williams – recovery Hip Replacement
Dakota Reynolds- hit by truck –
multiple injuries
Finley Cartwright – bypass surgery – recovering at home
Walter Hallberg III – went to be with the Lord 7/1-please pray for wife Mary and Family - mourning
Thomas Broome – pray for his wife and sons who are mourning his loss
Jeff Maraman - at the fire academy in Arkansas.
Lydia Collins - rectal cancer.
Marilee – Mastectomy Update – second surgery successful – chemo begun
James Cavanah – health issues, new medication tolerance – starting to work - keep praying
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
Korea – pray to defeat the communists trying to take over; protection for the South Korean people.
AOC Philippine Islands – torrential rains have caused damage to homes and churches- recovery
Mercy Home of India – Bishop John – Orphanage in need of paint and repair
Keep Praying for the following:
Shamu-health issues, Mike, Jim – tolerating well, medication working, PRAISE GOD, Dotty,
Jan Jessup-neuro dementia, Josh Morley-seizures, Jennifer, AOC USA, AOC Missions,
Zach, Jess, Luke, Jacquie, Harper-IBS, Jim Sevier- God’s
Peace, Linda –
multiple myeloma, Colin, Lowery, Robert, Donna-chemotherapy, Eddie, Aleyda-heart and bp issues,
Leslie, Daniel, Alicia-caregiver, Lydia, Sophie, Colin and Lori Beall –
cancer, Toni – cancer,
Donna - cancer, Malou –
cancer, Roseanne, Bobby, Missy, Archie, Eloise,
[1] 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
[2] In some respects, this is a key to the Bible. Regardless of our own self-centered thoughts, we are the same people since Adam and will be until the end of time. Thus he who writes the Romans just as well writes to us. We would like to think we are better, but we are not. We are the same. But, on the other hand, that is convenient for what worked for them will work for us.
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