250907 AOC Sunday Report
Worldwide Communion
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
September 7, 2025 - Sunday Report
Twelfth 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 206-207.
The Collect for Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle for Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. II Corinthians iii. 4.
SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and en-graven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
The Gospel for Twelfth Sunday after Trinity. St. Mark vii. 31.
JESUS, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.
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:
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth
the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
Proverbs
17:15
For lo, the days come, saith the LORD that I will
bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I
will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it.
Jeremiah 30:3
For
behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread
upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him,
and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before a fire, and as the waters that
are poured down a steep place.
Micah
1:3-4
Do not be
led away from the truth and simplicity of the gospel by pretenders to science
and eloquence by a show of deep learning, or a flourish of words, by [the
learned so-called]. We are in great danger of deceiving ourselves when we have
too high and opinion of human wisdom and arts; plain and pure Christianity will
be likely to be despised by those who can suit their doctrines to the corrupt taste
of their hearers and set them off with fine language, or support them with a show
of deep and strong reasoning...The person who resigns his own understanding
that he may follow the instruction of God is on the way to true and everlasting
wisdom.
The Rev.
Matthew Henry
To weigh materials we use a scale. To weigh ideas and
doctrines, we use our minds guided by the influence of Scripture.
The Rev.
Bryan Dabney
It ought always to be remembered that there are two
distinct things which the Lord Jesus Christ does for every sinner whom he
undertakes to save. He washes him from his sins in his own blood and gives him
a free pardon— this is justification. He puts the Holy Spirit into his heart
and makes him an entirely new man— this is his regeneration. The two things are
both absolutely necessary to salvation. The change of heart is as necessary as
the pardon; and the pardon is as necessary as the change. Without the pardon we
have no right or title to heaven. Without the change we should not be meet and
ready to enjoy heaven, even if we got there. The two things are never separate.
They are never found apart. Every justified man is also a regenerate man, and
every regenerate man is also a justified man. When the Lord Jesus Christ gives
a man remission of sins, he also gives him repentance.
The Most
Rev. J. C. Ryle
When we taste of that Water of Life which Christ is;
we, too, become a Fountain of living waters whose Springs are filled with
endless supplies of Love. In fact, the more we love others, the greater is the
remaining reservoir of Love. Love makes the heart full of joy and endless
comforts. Taste it, and share it, and you will find that it truly is possible
to take “Heaven on Earth.”
Bishop Jerry Ogles – Reason for Love, pg. 142.
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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
Monday Morning Meditation: Whither I God!
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/whither-i-go.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTP1k_CI8HA
Monday Evening Meditation: The Master
AOC Bishop’s Blog Link: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-master.html
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tde-vyqy288
Tuesday Morning Meditation – Six Doors of Note from the BIBLE
AOC Bishop’s Blog Link: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/six-doors.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogkZkqFsBj8&t=19s
Tuesday Evening Devotion: The Nile River
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-nile-river-of-africa.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHHygaGNbIg
Wednesday Morning Meditation: How Readest Thou?
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/how-readest-thou.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcG10lJKT-0&t=1s
Wednesday Evening Meditation: What is in thy Hand?
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/what-is-in-thy-hand.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGxCU-EQEEU
Thursday Morning Meditation: For Such a Time as This
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/esther-for-such-time.html
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx9oFERoTk0
Thursday Evening Meditation: Be Still and Know
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/be-still-and-know.html?spref=fb
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzDmNYQsm-0
Friday Morning Meditations: The Law of God
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/law-of-god.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-eg6SyN-W0
Friday Evening Meditation: The First Miracle
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-first-miracle.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svl6Dnc9EXU
Saturday Evening Meditations: Greater Works
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://youtu.be/l7IbderjQFA?si=SXU4r2m4xKhNVYkL
You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7IbderjQFA
Sermon Summary for 12th Sunday after Trinity
Morning Prayer - Second Lesson: Philippians 2:12-18
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”
The opening line of our Prayer of Collect is a sad testimonial of the failure of God’s people to wait until the ship is half-way under water before pleading for help from the Lord who is always ready to hear our prayers. Of course, He always gives more than we deserve for we have earned no favor of Heaven for our presumed good works. A fair description of our own good works is properly defined by Isaah 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
Pure water does not issue downstream from the feet of men and cattle, but at the source of the Fountain Spring. If we receive the ‘abundance of mercy’ petitioned from the Lord, we shall certainly receive forgiveness of all sin. That is not to say that we should not repent of our sins, both of commission and omission as the General Confession avers, but how often do we sin in abandon of awareness. None of those good things we ask are merited but rather granted through the merits of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We must forever be mindful of the all-abundance of God to grant our pleas of mercy and grace. Our prayers must, as well, be God-centered and not self-centered. We pray that His will be done and not our own since His will shall always be perfect.
The spirit of our Prayer of Collect is clearly proposed by Paul in his letter to the Philippians. We do not lean our faith on the minister at hand, nor on our fellows in worship, but individually live out our faith without ambitious motive. That means doing our alms not to be seen of men. Even our prayers of a personal, and not communal nature, must be done in the privacy of our secret place. That secret place can be in our hearts even if among a multitude of people. We should never reach the point of self-satisfaction with our spiritual attainments, but live out our lives of faith knowing and believing that whatever we have done falls short of the standard God has set for us. But it is the grace of God that makes us righteous in the eyes of God and not our works, persé.
When you provide shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, or love for the orphan, any goodness in those works belong to Christ who works in and through you. The failures and sins in our lives belong to us alone. There is none other to blame but ourselves. Paul clearly asserts this “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Even your righteous thoughts may be ascribed to Christ.
There are few things the Lord despises more than an ungrateful heart filled with murmurings and disputations. To such people, the best of others is never good enough. So, they sit in judgment as one who regards the sin of others with the eyes of an eagle, and their own shortcomings with the eyes of a mole. Insofar as they are able, they keep a continual turmoil going among the brethren of the Church. How then should we quit ourselves in the eyes of our neighbors and nation? “15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” If God is our Father, our actions and words should reflect that relationship. The devout Christian may be the only display of the Gospel that many unbelievers will ever see, and by that means they may be brought to the mercy seat of Christ. Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
Yes, we live in a nation as perverse as those of the day Paul wrote. Indeed, every nation is filled with perversities of all sorts; but that does not mean that we join, out of loneliness, those multitudes on the Broad Way, but remain on that Straight and Narrow Way which is Christ – the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.
It is not only the ordained minister who must preach and share the Gospel of Christ, but every believer has that duty, obligation and privilege. If we live our lives in the righteousness of the Lord, we may not even need to proclaim, on the public square, our faith. It will be known through the process of observation; and it may instill a respect and curiosity in the lost concerning the One whom we serve and worship. This may afford a jubilant opportunity then to answer the biblical reasons for our joy and purity of life.
It is the devout Christian that may answer precisely as did the Lord Jesus Christ when asked by the disciples to eat. Jesus responded, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” What was that meat? It was the white harvest of lost souls whom the Savior came to redeem. We will do well to feed that same hunger for souls.
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:
The General Epistle of Jude one of the most significant books of the New Testament yet it is only twenty-five verses long. We know little about Jude, save that he was the brother of the Apostle James (and therefore of the Lord Jesus Himself (Mark 6:3). The Epistle is short and pointed, ideal for a Bible Study class. Jude's message is often neglected in modern Bible Study classes, but could not be more contemporary in focus. Jude addresses the problem of false teachers who had arisen in the Church and does not mince words as to how they are to be dealt with. We live in an age of supermarket religion and many have parted from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (v.3) yet they remain, in many instances. unchallenged. Jude's warnings need to be heard as much today as in any other age of the Church.
Jude was, of course, Jewish by birth and upbringing, and his language reflects this. He uses this to advantage by citing references from the Torah and Midrash that Jewish Christians could well understand. He begins by identifying himself as a servant i.e. a believer, and a brother of James (and the Lord Jesus himself) which gives apostolic gravitas to what follows. His greeting is standard for the time, similar to Paul's, but he gets right to the point.
Heresy, much like counterfeit money, appears very close to the real thing. It sounds good, feels right, and is usually promoted by capable, glib, and appealing proponents. The society in which the early Church found itself was full of religious novelties. Sects and cults thrived in the mixed racial atmosphere of the Middle East - and of Israel in particular. There were pagan sects galore as well as divisions even amongst the Jews themselves. Because of ties to the State, religion was a serious business for all, rich and poor alike. Imagine! No books, no phones, no radio or TV, no newspapers - no buildings, no money, no political influence, never mind the Internet. How, apart from the power of the Holy Ghost, and the writings of the New Testament, did Christianity survive? A partial answer to this great miracle of God is the ministry of Jude.
The early Church was divided by error almost from the beginning, as proven by the record of the first Council of the Church in Jerusalem not fourteen years after Jesus Resurrection. The new religion of "The Way" was particularly vulnerable, partly for the reasons given, but also because it welcomed everyone: Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, with a message of love. And so "ungodly men" posing as believers but self-seeking deceivers came into prominence and deceived many "turning the grace of God into laciviousness." The comparison to our own day could not be more obvious. Long before the so-called "sexual revolution" the Church had been beset by immorality in the ministry but in these times the problem has become acute. Preachers openly profess that the message of the Gospel is "free love" and entire denominations have been split over the matter of homosexuality and the LGBTQ+ agenda.
Jude calls for judgement and separation. His reference to the way of Cain, to Sodom and Gomorrha, to Balaam and Enoch would not wasted on his audience. The image he uses is of God's wrath falling upon those who would pervert the Gospel and deceive the brethren - with an army of ten thousand of his saints. He calls them "filthy dreamers" and "brute beasts" "wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." Wow! There are consequences to permitting false teachers to remain unchecked because their smooth talking can do great damage. There are those in the modern Church would would reduce the message or salvation and grace to a simplistic understanding of the word "love." As in the Old Testament , the message of God's love for His people has been reduced to LICENSE. It is not by accident that many Bible "versions" removed John 8:1-11. Yes, the infamous woman taken in adultery was saved from stoning but with Jesus' own admonition that she sin no more.
So it is that Jude ends his missive on a positive note of redemption. He urges his readers to "keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (v. 21) but also to have compassion in calling the wayward back, "pulling them out of the fire." (v. 23) There is always forgiveness to follow repentance, even for the ungodly. Jude's language may seem harsh to us today but the preservation of the Gospel demands it. The visible Church cannot survive the syncretism and falsehoods that abound because we are afraid to speak the Truth. We should always "earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints." The world is filled with many "gospels" and American society in particular is given to entertain smooth talkers and charismatic personalities that promote a form of the Christian religion that the Apostles knew not. We must preserve the Apostolic testimony contained only in God's Word for the generations yet to come. That was Jude's message and that must be ours as well.
His closing words are powerful, prophetic, and encouraging. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen." (v. 24 ,25) May Jude's blessing be upon us all forever.
+CEM
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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.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Based upon those verses from our epistle lesson, our Lord expects us to be witnesses for him and not “inquisitors” on his behalf. We are expected to have an answer for our faith, and not to carry that witness wrapped in a mantle of dread that would mark us as enforcers of our faith. I’ve heard it said that you cannot compel any person to believe anything and that is true. The Medieval Church was notorious for their “arts of persuasion” via their roving bands of “godly men” who came for to save men’s souls, or else. And that “or else” often resulted in the deaths of those they sought to convert. And on that account, it would be wise to search the scriptures and see what was written concerning witnessing to the unregenerate. Did our Lord use force to compel an acceptance of the faith? Did the apostles use force to compel acceptance the same? Clearly the answer is NO they did not. So then, if our Lord did not use such techniques and the apostles did not do so as well, then we why on earth would anyone employ those things in his service? Our Lord desires all who come to him to do so willingly and not under threats of violence.
Now you may encounter those who will cite the Old Testament practices for dealing with the recalcitrant. But we are not under the LAW. We are under GRACE. Those things were called for by the LORD for a particular purpose at a particular time. And truth be told, our gracious and loving God was teaching the people about the nature of the LAW. St. Paul tells us in Galatians chapter three …11that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith. 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ: that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (vv. 11-14).
And further on in chapter three of the epistle to the Galatians we read, 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for it there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (vv.21-26). So then we need only offer freely the gospel of truth to those around us without violence to their person. As Thomas J. Jackson once opined, “The duty is ours, the consequences are God’s.”
Often during this time of our earthly pilgrimage we will be tempted to judge unrighteously and not in love. Our Lord loved those he disagreed with and willingly gave his life for them that should they come to believe thereafter they too would be saved. So we don’t need to have, as it were, the last word. When they ask for an answer for the faith that is within us, give them that answer, and if they reject it, then let that be on their own heads. God will have the proverbial “last word” in any case.
Keep in mind also the Parable of the Sower from St. Matthew’s gospel (13:19-23): 19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21yet hath he no root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22He also that receiveth seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. This parable will aid us in our witness and it should take away the desire to be unduly forceful with those about us who are not accepting of the gospel message.
And we know that the Lord’s last word to the unregenerate does have consequences of an everlasting nature. Salvation is not something anyone can earn apart from a saving faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Consider the following passage from St. Matthew’s gospel: 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And thy name done many wonderful works? 23and then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (7:21-23).
Our Lord has given us his word written to be a light unto our path and a lamp unto our feet that we stumble not on this rocky road of life. He cares for us and will be there for us if we are obedient to his will. The Scriptures supply us with comfort and guidance. We may not always see everything before us; but we can weather the storms of this life via our faith in him who knows us and who will hear our prayers and help us as members of the body of Christ. Therefore, keep to the faith and share it as you have been enabled by the Spirit of the living God. And may the peace of God keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let us pray,
Father we thank thee for thy word written and for the blessings that come to us from its pages. Fill us then with thy most holy Spirit and help us in our pilgrimage to thy kingdom and with our duties that we have been called to perform in thy service; and this we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week,
Bryan+
Roy
Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's Anglican Church - Diocese of the Midwest Anglican
Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Holy Communion
The Epistle: 2 Corinthians 3:4-9; The Gospel. St. Mark 7:31-37
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
Hymns # 544, 156, 362
…4SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. (2 Cor. 3:4-9)
In this passage, St. Paul is explaining to the Church at Corinth the major difference between the Old and New Testament. The law is a condemnation of man, it kills. ‘...for the letter killeth...’ And yet even in this capacity to condemn, the children of Israel could not look at the face of Moses because he had beheld the glory of the Lord.
When Moses had received the law on Mt Sinai, he saw God, he saw his hand as he scribed out the law on the tablets of stone, that vision of God left a ‘shining’ on Moses face. When he returned to the people, they could not look on his face because it was so shiny. It was reflecting the glory of God, his righteousness. They were afraid to look at Moses because the Glory of God was shining from Moses face. This Shekinah glory was so strong that its’ reflection persisted long after Moses came down from the Mount. It was so bright, Moses covered his face with a veil to not frighten the Hebrew people he led. Throughout the Bible we can read of this Glorious light that reveals to us God’s eternal Holiness. Humans are very visual oriented, we many times need to see the manifestation of God’s Glory in order to have at least a smidgen of understanding of his Holiness.
Let us look at the commentary of Matthew Henry and see the compare and contrast of the Old and New Testament as it relates to this difference of our sinfulness and God’s holiness.
II. He shows the difference between the Old Testament and the New, and the excellency of the gospel above the law. For,
1. The Old-Testament dispensation was the ministration of death (1. 2 Cor. 3:7), whereas that of the New Testament is the ministration of life. The law discovered sin, and the wrath and curse of God. This showed us a God above us and a God against us; but the gospel discovers grace, and Emmanuel, God with us. Upon this account the gospel is more glorious than the law; and yet that had a glory in it, witness the shining of Moses’s face (an indication thereof) when he came down from the mount with the tables in his hand, that reflected rays of brightness upon his countenance.
2. The law was the ministration of condemnation, for that condemned and cursed every one who continued not in all things written therein to do them; but the gospel is the ministration of righteousness: therein the righteousness of God by faith is revealed.
This shows us that the just shall live by his faith. This reveals the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ, for obtaining the remission of sins and eternal life. The gospel therefore so much exceeds in glory that in a manner it eclipses the glory of the legal dispensation. (See, 2 Cor. 3:10)
As the shining of a burning lamp is lost, or not regarded, when the sun arises and goes forth in his strength; so there was no glory in the Old Testament, in comparison with that of the New.
3. The law is done away, but the gospel does and shall remain, 2 Cor. 3:11. Not only did the glory of Moses’s face go away, but the glory of Moses’s law is done away also; yea, the law of Moses itself is now abolished.
That dispensation was only to continue for a time, and then to vanish away; whereas the gospel shall remain to the end of the world, and is always fresh and flourishing and remains glorious. And so we see the gospel message come forth in the work of Jesus Christ. His gospel outshines all the foreshadowing of the Old Testament. His gospel continues to point the way to heaven, even to this day.
We recite the Ten Commandments when we come to the Lord’s Table. In this time of remembrance we are reminded that we can not keep the Law. It is impossible for us to keep the Law, for if we break one commandment, we have broken them all. So, in this monthly reminder we are pointed to the Savior, because it is only by him are we saved from our sin. The law discovers sin, the gospel offers grace and Immanuel , God with us. Let us be ever mindful of the gift of God to us, his creation. He sent his only Son to save us from our sins.
Let us pray:
GRANT to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O ALMIGHTY Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that, through thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be pre served in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Beloved, go in peace, in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen
+Roy Morales-Kuhn
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office
We are grateful to have this sermon today from the Rev, Don Fultz, Statesville, NC:
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Mark 7:31-37
Jesus performed many different types of miracles in his short ministry. There are 19 of these recorded in the book of Mark. In fact, the stories of these miracles cover almost half of the narrative that St. Mark devotes to the ministry of Jesus. These miracles were acts of God’s mercy and compassion shown by our Lord Jesus towards others. But they also served another purpose in that they demonstrated Jesus’s unique divine power and authority and that He was truly the Messiah and the son of God. Let’s take a look at John 14:11 where Jesus says to his disciples. “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works sake.”
In today’s Gospel reading we read about Jesus healing of a deaf man with a speech impediment. We are told in verse 31, that after Jesus had departed Tyre and Sidon, He came into the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. The “Decapolis” was a federation of ten cities in Galilee and eastern Samaria located primarily along the eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordon River. The majority of the people residing in this area were Gentiles. And just like the Gentile areas of Tyre and Sidon, the practice of paganism was widespread. So Jesus felt a great need for his ministry and healing in this area.
We read in verse 32: “And they bring unto him one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.”
We are not told how these people of Decapolis knew to bring this man to Jesus.
Perhaps, it was the seed that Jesus planted during his last visit to this area. Let us go back to the 5th chapter of Mark, verses 1-20 for some background. Here we are told of another miracle that Jesus performed in Gadara, one of the largest cities in the Decapolis region. In this miracle, Jesus casted out thousands of demons out of a man. You may recall, Jesus then allowed these same demons to possess a large herd (2,000) of swine grazing nearby and caused them to run violently down a steep place into the sea and were choked in the sea.
The former demon possessed man wanted to follow Jesus but instead Jesus tells him in verse 19: “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee….” It is interesting to note that in prior miracles and even in todays, Jesus tells the people not to tell anyone about their miraculous healing. Was he using this man as a missionary? Because in verse 20, we are told that the man “departed and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.”
So perhaps, these friends of the deaf man had heard about this same good news and this is why they chose to take him to Jesus to be healed.
There are several other lessons that can be derived from this verse.
First, those who presented the man to Christ were involved in a service that we all should be doing –that is leading people to Christ as the solution for their needs. In this miracle, they had brought the man to Jesus to be healed.
As Christians it may be just a simple task of leading a lost soul to a particular scripture in the bible or inviting them to attend church to hear the gospel message.
In society today, many recognize the problems of others. They may know when a person is mentally depressed or morally sick. However they have no clue as to the true cure. Their first inclination is to take the person to a Psychologist or Psychiatrist for help. Unfortunately, this is not always the answer to their problem.
Conversely, Christ is the answer to the greatest problems and needs of people if they just believe and put their trust him as Hebrews 11:6 tells us “…He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Secondly in this verse, we see an act of compassion and mercy towards the deaf man by his friends who took the time and effort to bring him to Jesus to be healed. In essence, they were performing the service of being a loving neighbor. Jesus in response to a question about what is the greatest commandment, tells the Pharisees in Matthew Chapter 22, verse 37and 39 that the first and great commandment is “…Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind....39and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” But what does this mean? Who is our Neighbor? A neighbor is not just the person who lives next door or across the street. It is anyone that may cross your paths within this life. A loving neighbor is one who understands and shows God’s compassion and mercy towards another person.
This was illustrated by Jesus in his parable of the Good Samaritan found in the 10th chapter of St. Luke, verses 25-37.
So what did Jesus do when he was asked to heal the deaf man. We are told in verses 33 and 34: “33And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34And looking up to heaven, he sighed and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is be opened.”
So why did Jesus separate the man from the multitude? Let us look at Matthew Henry commentary. “Ordinarily, He wrought His miracles publicly before all the people, to show that they would bear the strictest scrutiny and inspection; but this He did privately, to show that He did not seek His own glory, and to teach us to avoid everything that savors of ostentation. Let us learn of Christ to be humble, and to do good where no eye sees.”
Jesus tells us even in prayer, we should seek privacy. In his Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, verse 6: He tells us: “But thou, when thou prayest enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut the door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
So why did Jesus heal the man by putting his fingers in his ear and spitting on his finger and touching the man’s tongue? We really don’t know why Jesus healed the man in this manner. His reasons for the method adopted are not recorded. We do know that Jesus healed in many different ways. He healed the Gentile Phoenician woman’s daughter with just a word. He could have healed this man with just a word also. Perhaps Jesus wanted this man to believe in Him. Not only that he could heal him but also have faith in Him that He was the Messiah and the son of God.
The man couldn’t hear but he could see and feel the compassioned touch of Jesus and know that the power of Christ was what healed him. We are all different, and Jesus does not minister to any two people in exactly the same way. We only know the results are the same as on other occasions, the man was cured.
So now the man could hear and speak properly.
He would be able to hear and understand about the message of Jesus and maybe his great Sermon on the Mount. He could also be another missionary for Jesus and spread the good news. His life was completely turned around as Jesus opened his ears and loosened his tongue.
There are two kinds of deafness-physical and spiritual. Unfortunately, many people have excellent physical hearing but are spiritually deaf. They seem to be immune to God’s word and just don’t want to follow his commandments.
This is why Jesus tells us in Mark 4, verse 9 “And He said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” A good example of spiritual deafness can be found In Genesis chapter 19, where we are told about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah due to their sinful ways. Abraham prayed to God to spare his nephew Lott who lived there. God answered his prayer by sending two of his angels to warn Lott and his family to leave the city to escape God’s judgment. However, Lott’s son-in laws thought it was a joke and stayed behind and perished. As Lot and his wife and children were fleeing the city, the angels warned them not to look back. However, Lot’s wife ignored the warning and looked back on the burning city and was instantly turned into a pillar of salt. Both Lot’s son-laws and wife had no physical disability in hearing but spiritually they were deaf to God’s commands. Spiritual deafness doesn’t always lead to physical death but it will surely cause eternal death and damnation.
So how can we be healed of our spiritual deafness? First, we must come to Jesus and establish a personal relationship with him. We must open our hearts and accept him as our Lord and savior. We must study God’s written word, the bible, with a reverent fear and respect. But most importantly, we must walk in the ways of Jesus and live a righteous life.
A minister once said in his sermon that the actions or life one lives may be the only bible someone has ever read. Psalm 119: verse 1-3 tells us “1Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. 2Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek him with the whole heart. 3They also do no iniquity; they walk in his ways.”
In the last verse we are told about the reaction of the multitude to this miracle: “37And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”
This miracle gave the people of Jesus’ time additional evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. He fulfilled the prophecies that spoke of the day to come in which the deaf would hear, such as Isaiah 29:18, “And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” Also, Isaiah 35:5 which says: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.”
Jesus could have just restored the man’s hearing. This would have been a great miracle by itself. However, He chose to heal the man’s speech impediment also. He had compassion on him and wanted to make the man whole so that he could not only hear but also speak correctly. When God does something He does it all the way. All we have to do is put our faith and trust in Him. Just like Proverbs chapter 3 and verses 5 & 6 tells us: “5Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; 6in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” In closing the world around us is always changing. However, Jesus is the same today as he was yesterday. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. And as John 3:16 tells us : “…That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
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:
Kamil – pray for successful – Chemotherapy
Sherrie – recovery from Surgery
Mary – End of Life – hospice
Donna – Brain Cancer that returned
Paul Meier – throat cancer
Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer
Pastor Glen Shoals – Skin Cancer
Steve Williams – recovery Hip Replacement
Mandy – Praise The Lord, Mandy has a New Job. – Prayer Answered
Heather – healthy pregnancy and delivery
Rachel – Health Pregancy and delivery
Marilee – Mastectomy Update – pray for successful – chemotherapy
Jennifer – Successful surgery – Praise the Lord – Prayer Answered
Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery
AOC Convention and Ministers meeting Sept 30- Oct 2
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
Betsey – Lane – Betsy onset of Dementia- Marianne her daughter
South Korea – pray to defeat the communists trying to take over; protection for the South Korean people.
Church of the Redeemer – changes in leadership, mourning loss of a wonderful Minister and Friend
Keep Praying for the following:
Shamu-health issues, Dotty, Jan Jessup-neuro dementia, Josh Morley-seizures, AOC USA,
AOC Missions, Zach, Harper-IBS , Jim Sevier- God’s
Peace, Linda –
multiple myeloma, Colin,
Marianne, Donna-chemotherapy, Aleyda-heart and bp issues, Daniel, Alicia-caregiver, Lydia,
Sophie, Colin and Lori Beall –
cancer, Toni – cancer, Donna - cancer, Malou –
cancer, Roseanne, Bobby, Archie, Eloise, Janice, Dakota, Katie, Finley, Mike & Gayle,
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