250921 AOC Sunday Report
Anglican Orthodox Churchsm
Worldwide Communion
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
St. Matthew, The
Apostle
September 21, 2025 - Sunday Report
Fourteenth 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 209-210.
The Collect for Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen...
The Epistle for Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. Galatians v. 16.
I SAY then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
The Gospel for Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity. St. Luke xvii. 11.
AND it came to pass, as Jesus went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glo-rified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
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:
Bless the LORD, O my
soul: O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and
majesty.
Psalm
104:1
The wicked
is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of
trouble.
Proverbs
12:13
Hearken
unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear
ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
Isaiah
51:7
Seek the
good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall
be with you , as ye have spoken.
Amos 5:14
God's greatest mercies call for our
greatest thanks.
His saving sinners calls for eternal praise.
The greatest blessing we can receive from
God is salvation from sin and Hell. And therefore, the greatest reason we should give thanks to God
is for His great salvation.
Thomas Brooks
If you
take a book into your hands, be it 'God's book, or any other useful good book,'
rely on God to make it profitable to you. Do not waste time reading
unprofitable books. When you read, do so not out of vain curiosity but with
love for God's kingdom, compassion for human beings, and the intent to turn
what you learn into prayers and praises.
The Rev.
Matthew Henry
ask you then,
whether you cannot see wisdom and mercy in the darkness which it has pleased
God to throw around the prophetical history of his Church? You wonder in your
own heart why the things to come were not more clearly revealed. But, consider
for a moment how fearfully deadening and depressing it would have been to the
early Christians if they had clearly seen the long ages of darkness and
corruption which were to elapse before the Lord returned. Reflect for a moment
how much unhappiness primitive believers were spared, by not knowing for
certain the events which were to take place... Wise mercy showed the early
Christians a light in the distance, but did not tell them how far it was away.
Wise mercy pointed out the far off harbour lights, but not the miles of stormy
sea between. Wise mercy revealed enough to make them work, hope, and wait. But
wise mercy did not tell all that was yet to be fulfilled before the end. Who
thinks of telling his little children in their early years, every trial, and
pain, and misery which they may have to go through before they die?.. We do not
do it, because they could not understand our meaning, and could not bear the
thought of it if they did. And just so, it seems to me, does the Lord Jesus
deal with his people in the apocalyptic vision. He keeps back the full
revelation of all the way they must go through till the time when he sees they
can bear it. He considers our frame. He teaches and reveals as we are able to
bear. After all, there is no argument in reply to those who object to the study
of Revelation so powerful as the simple promise of the word of God... And there
on the forefront of the book stands a promise and an encouragement to the
reader and hearer: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear. These words,
no doubt, were spoken in foresight of the objections that men would raise
against the study of the book. Give these words their full weight. Fall back on them when all other arguments fail. They
are a reserve which will never give way. God has said it, and will make it
good.
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle
Bob Butler lost his legs in a 1965 land mine explosion in Vietnam. He returned home a war hero. Twenty years later, he proved once again that heroism comes from the heart.
Butler was working in his garage in a small town in Arizona on a hot summer day when he heard a woman's screams coming from a nearby house. He began rolling his wheelchair toward the house but the dense shrubbery wouldn't allow him access to the back door. So he got out of his chair and started to crawl throught the dirt and bushes.
"I had to get there,"he says, "It didn't matter how much it hurt.
"When Butler arrived at the pool there was a three-year-old girl
named Stephanie Hanes lying at the bottom. She had been born without arms and had fallen in the water and couldn't swim. Her mother stood over her baby screaming frantically. Butler dove to the bottom of the pool and brought little Stephanie up to the deck. Her face was blue, and she had no pulse and was not breathing. Butler immediately went to work performing CPR to revive her while Stephanie's mother telephoned the fire department. She was told the paramedics were already out on a call. Helplessly, she sobbed and hugged Butler's shoulders.
As Butler continued with his CPR, he calmly reassured her."Don't worry,"he said. "I was her arms to get out of the pool. It'll be okay. I am now her lungs. Together we can make it." Seconds later the little girl coughed, regained conciousness, and began to cry. As they hugged and rejoiced together the mother asked Butler how he knew it would be okay.
The truth is, I didn't know." he told her. "But when my legs were blown off in the war, I was all alone in a field. No one was there to help me except a little Vietnamese girl. As she struggled to drag me into her village, she whispered in broken English, "it's okay. You live. I be your legs. Together we make it." Her kind word brought hope in my soul and I wanted to do the same for Stephanie."
There are simply those times when we cannot stand alone. There are those times when we need Someone to be our legs, arms, and our Friend.
"There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" - the Lord Jesus Christ, and He always has time for us.
Bishop Jerry Ogles – I Be Your Legs – 250701
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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 Evening Meditation: Old Robes and Old Boats
AOC Bishop’s Blog; https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/old-robes-old-boats.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWzQD4T1EpE&t=2s
Friday Morning Meditations: The King James Bible
AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-king-james-bible.html
You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3xgcjn8HHY&t=2s
Saturday Morning Meditations: Sin and Death
AAOC Bisop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/09/sin-death.html
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NipHqOMAE7k
Sermon on St. Matthew the Apostle
9And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. 10And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. 11And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? 12But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. 13But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (St. Matthew 9:9-13)
We observe today the calling of the blessed apostle, Matthew, by the Lord Jesus Christ. This account is given as a lesson and guide to all who are called by Christ – either in a role of layman or as minister. Every outward evidence of the call of the Apostle Matthew seems to have been casual and non-circumstantial; however, a deeper examination of the account will reveal otherwise. God does nothing by accident or without deep rivers of compassion and meaning – so, the call of St. Matthew. Just as surely as Jesus knew whom He would meet at the noon day hour beside the Well that Jacob dug, He also knew whom He would find at the customs table by the shores of Galilee. There was a reason that Matthew, a Levite, had his table there – it was to assess taxes on those who crossed and landed in port on those shores. There was a reason that Jesus “passed forth from thence” (Capernaum) to those shores. He had a certain appointment there with Mattthew.
This was a day like every other day for Matthew, except what was about to transpire. He was now minding his own business, but would very soon be minding the business of the Lord. When God calls a man or woman, there is no time for excuse or equivocation – one simply answers the call and follows.
This apostle is referred to as Matthew, though he is called Levi by Mark and Luke perhaps to avoid labeling him with the lurid past as “chief of the publicans” (tax collectors). But Matthew, in his Gospel, refers to himself as Matthew so as to leave no doubt as to the depths from which he arose to become a blessed apostle of the Lord.
There came a time in every Christian’s life that he or she heard that voice. It may have been as a little girl swinging on the playground, or it may have been an older gentleman for whom the Lord had work to do in His vineyard – but the voice was heard as surely as Matthew heard this voice of Christ. “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.” You will note that Jesus did not begin a rapport with Matthew to inquire as to why an Israelite would be doing the dirty business of the Roman government in collecting taxes. He asked nothing of him, for He knew ALL about Matthew. He did not tell Matthew to first straighten out his life and then come “follow me.” The need is now in your life to follow Jesus. If you follow Him, He will cleanse your heart and make you a useful vessel in His Temple. The invitation was not given owing to any particular merit in Matthew, “but notwithstanding the infamous employment he was in, as accounted by the Jews: this was no bar in the way of his call to be a disciple of Christ; and shows, that there was no merit and motive in him, which was the reason of this high honor bestowed upon him; but was entirely owing to the free, sovereign, and distinguishing grace of Christ, and which was powerful and efficacious: for without telling him what work he must do, or how he must live, and without his consulting with flesh and blood, at once, immediately.” (John Gill, 1765)
There were likely many men sitting around the shores of Galilee just whiling the hours away with nothing much to do at all. If any were from Alabama, they would have been whittling on a stick, but Jesus did not call those men – He called a busy man named Matthew. He seeks out doers and not idlers. If our hands are idle in profession, family, or some presumed need to retire from life, God does not need those lazy hands. He needs the hands, heart, and mind of men and women who will put those faculties God has given them to good use. So, Jesus found, and called, Matthew – a man who had never before met Jesus. So how did Matthew respond?
“And he arose, and followed him.” Matthew followed Jesus all of the way just as Ruth followed Naomi – not part of the way as did Orpah. Matthew was loyal to the end, and to the beginning of the glorious resurrection! He asked no questions, nor did he make any excuses. He did not plead for time to close out his books and deposit his tax money – he simply followed from that very moment. Have you responded in that way when the Lord called you? Or have you whiled away the days, the years, and the decades of your life as an unfruitful servant? Did you begin on the way, and then turn back as a dog to its vomit and the pig to wallowing in the mud? “But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22) I have no patience for a professed Christian who is too lazy to follow the Lord all of the way to that calling to which He has called them. But, I believe the Lord has greater long suffering and patience than we mortals have. He will strive for a time with that uncooperative servant, but not forever!
“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.” This reminds me of our pickiness in finding a church full of perfect little Christians. In the halcyon days of my early manhood, I went on crusade to find such a church to no avail. Once I attended a country church in a little hamlet of Alabama. The minister said something that I needed to hear badly at that time. He said, “Folks, if you are searching for the perfect church, you had better get out of it as soon as you can, once you have found it – because YOU will ruin it!” It is not the Church that is perfect, but the Lord whom she worships. If the heart of the church is fixed on Christ and His Word, that is all that matters. An old friend counseled me to “find a Church that puts her faith in Christ, and believes His Word, sink an anchor into the ground there, and hang on tight.” I have found such a Church, and I have hung on tight!
Jesus knew we were sinful and imperfect when He came to us. He knew that we could not be righteous, and no sinner can enter Heaven. So, He came to redeem us from our sins and make a way for us to enter that Gate of Heaven which He opened for us. Here in this verse, Jesus is sitting at a meal in Matthew’s house with publicans (tax collectors), sinners, and His disciples. He did not sit there among them to become like unto them, but so that they might come to follow Him also and become more like Him. But there are some who are so self-righteous that even Heaven cannot afford to have them.
“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?” These pharisaical culprits had witnessed the Lord doing nothing amiss, but tried to judge Him by the company He was keeping. They could care less for the sinner and downtrodden – they were ABOVE all of that in their own minds. They were looking for grains of sand with which to make stones of offense. Moreover, gutless as they were, they did not confront Jesus directly, but rather asked of His disciples, there, prying and hateful little questions. Man has not changed from that moment until now. Those who bounce from church to church without ever saying what they found amiss to the minister, but do spread tales among the congregation, are just as gutless. The murmerers and back-biters are those who spread discord and discontent among the peace of the church. These Pharisees fit the bill perfectly.
If He did not hear their aural remarks, Jesus heard the profanity of their hearts. He responded with a comment that may have seemed a puzzle to some: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” The first sentence is fairly clear and reasonable to all. Jesus is the Great Physician who can heal every affliction of Mind, Body, and Soul. Those who are sick, and know they are sick, should consult a physician capable of the cure. Unfortunately, some diseases such as sinful hearts are so insidious that the afflicted are unaware of their depravity – they seek no healing at the fountains of Mercy. The Pharisees were too proud to see their own leprosy of sin discoloring their souls and hearts. They were, in a word, HATEFUL. The latter part of Jesus comment is what probably missed the heads of the Pharisees though they knew the words well from Hosea 6:6 – “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6) Mercy is a component of Love and the currency and coin of the Realm of the Kingdom of Heaven. If Love and Mercy are present, sacrifice is never necessary.
Friends, if any are called of God to any particular role, or office, you can never be of use to the Lord in it if you consider your calling a ‘sacrifice.’ It must be a labor of love and mercy for it is these two that grease the wheels of Heaven, and calls the Holy Ghost down to your endeavor. What of you, my friend? When God said, “Follow me” did you arise and follow? Did you follow all of the way?
In the Name of the Father, and The Son and 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:
Whatever happened to American Protestantism? In what is regarded as his most famous romantic play, albeit a tragedy, Shakespeare gives his Juliet these oft quoted words, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," with the implication that names are arbitrary and do not affect what the named things really are. This adage can be taken two different ways.
With regard to churches, i.e. denominations, names have been historically important. Words and labels are important. They have power, at least as much power as we allow them to have. Writers like Huxley and Orwell have made this very clear in their writing about dystopian societies. A rose by any other name WOULD smell as sweet - if it were still a rose. What we have done in so many cases is to keep the name "rose" but to substitute other flowers whilst still claiming that the other flowers are still roses.
Churches change, usually very slowly, according to the spirit of the age. What has happened of late cannot simply be described as rapid change but something much more fundamental to the nature of what is being described. I ask you to consider the Methodist Church in America - its history and present condition. Younger people (Gen X and Gen Z) can have no idea what it means to be a Methodist - apart from belonging to a congregation which bears that denominational name. Gone is the tradition of personal piety that gave birth to the Methodist Movement so many years ago - which persisted as a hallmark of Methodism for centuries. Gone is the witness of John and Charles Wesley, who married evangelical religion to an ordered Church when Great Britain and the U.S. needed it most. The Book of Discipline has long been abandoned and a Methodist university has just changed its name because of its association with the founder of what used to be the largest Christian denominations in America. The flaming cross has been replaced in most cases with a rainbow flag - homosexuality is praised as "godly love" and "Christian" acceptance.
Presbyterianism maintains a facade of dignified worship and orderly church government but the "mainline" denomination long ago abandoned its foundational document "the Westminster Confession" for a watered-down version but also removed the requirement for clergy and elders to subscribe to the same. There are more than ten Presbyterian denominations in the United States at present - known as "the split "Ps" as each retains the moniker "Presbyterian" in the name. Even in Scotland - birthplace of the Kirk, there are now five different denominations, including the oxymoronic Church of Scotland, which now ordains sodomites. Long time opponents of Methodist theology, the Sunday services of Presbyterian congregations would be indistinguishable today.
Martin Luther would not recognize the American ELCA as in any way related to his tradition, were it not for his name in the title.
Gay marriages, transgender "pastors," support for abortion on demand are all part of the ELCA of today - far far cry from the Luther Catechism and the Schmalkald Articles, as well as the stern anti-Catholicism of historic Lutheranism. Remarkably, there are eighteen separate Lutheran denominations in the United States and virtually none are in communion with the others. Catholic vestments and ceremonial have returned to the conduct of Sunday services and there have been several attempts at reconciliation with the Pope - an approach rather different from their founder.
Anglicanism has become essentially an Old Catholic movement, i.e., Catholicism without the Pope. Many have already "swum the Tiber" and Rome has welcomed their long-lost (albeit misguided) brethren by creating a uniate sect (the Ordinariate) to guarantee their extinction in a generation. Most American Episcopalians believe that there are seven sacraments, not two, despite the fact that Thomas Cranmer was burned at the stake for his Reformed and Protestant belief. Most will address their priest as "Father" and attend "Mass" on Sunday, but have never read the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. There are six different Prayer Books in use in "Anglican" Churches today - and some don't use any. Bishops now wear pointed hats, embroidered drapery, and carry large sticks resembling shepherd's crooks designed by Andy Warhol. The Episcopal Church had fallen into such apostacy, the few remaining orthodox churchmen had to change the name but could only come up with "Anglican" to be sure the word caused people to think they were somehow "conservative." There are now more than twenty separate Anglican "jurisdictions" in North America, and only two would style themselves in any way to be Protestant. You now need a half-hour long lecture to describe exactly what sort of Anglican you are - except in Canada, where everyone who bears the name is an "Anglican!" I once encountered an elderly gentleman, at the ordination of a female deacon, who loudly proclaimed "O, I am NOT an Episcopalian, I'm an Anglican." He seemed to think that belonging was equivalent to believing.
And so the word remains the same as historically understood, but how far American Churches have changed their "reality" i.e., the doctrine, discipline, and worship, from anything that their founders would recognize. Many Roman Catholics cling to their "Catholic" identity, even though they no longer attend Mass, or obey the "ex cathedra" pronouncements of the Bishop of Rome as their parents did. How can anyone know what sort of Christianity their Church professes simply by the name on the church marquis? Such confusion must have an effect on future generations and will weaken the witness of ALL Churches, as Christianity divides like amoebas. We have kept the name "rose" but put it on a variety of flowers (and some weeds) which certainly do not smell as sweet. Quosque?[CC1]
†CEM
Jack Arnold
Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA
Education and Training Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
Church of
the Faithful Centurion
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction.
Consider the words of the Collect, “…give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command …”
The Collects often are repetitive, in that we pretty much ask the same thing week after week. Why are they so repetitive? Well we are imperfect creatures with free will which is a dangerous combination. And as such we find that we have the same failings week after week, so we find that we are in dire need of the repetition of the messages that the Collects contain.
We are praying for the increase of faith, hope and love, so we can maintain that course guidance. Just like Paul says, if we do not have these qualities in us, it is impossible for us to stay on course. We need to realize that we need to have some help if we are to have those three qualities. The help that I speak of is the help of the Holy Ghost. Without his help, we are doomed to fail. The Holy Ghost, if we let him, can also help us avoid succumbing to the temptations of the world and the flesh.
Speaking of the temptations of the world and the flesh, Paul lists out the actions that are the works of those who are still under the influence of this world or the flesh, ie fornication, heresies, strife, envying etc. If we are truly people of God, then we will not have those qualities and will do our best to quell them. These are qualities that will draw us towards the wide downhill road towards the pit and away from the narrow uphill trail towards the summit of heaven. Those are all qualities that make us worse human beings and draw us further away from God and not nearer to Him. Then he lists out the qualities of those who are of the spirit, long suffering, peacefulness, good faith, gentleness meekness etc. These are the qualities that if we let the Holy Ghost into our hearts we will have.
It is only by having the qualities of faith, hope and charity that we are able to follow God and to do His Will. Without the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we will be unable to follow God and as a result we would have less happier lives. We have to make the effort to let the Holy Ghost in and shine his light in our hearts and drive out the bad qualities and let the good qualities in. The good qualities will not only help us to serve God, but make us a lot more pleasant to be around. As hard as it is to admit, we all have bad qualities as well as good qualities and we need to have the Holy Ghost assist us in driving out our bad qualities while enhancing our good qualities.
These qualities will improve not just our spiritual but our physical lives immensely. The bad qualities can take a toll on our physical body not just our spiritual selves. The good qualities will do the opposite, will have a positive effect on our physical body and spiritual selves. These good qualities will have a rejuvenation effect on us. It is in our best interest to do our best to follow God, and we will not only help Him by doing so, but helping our selves at the same time.
In order to perform action actions to serve Him, we need the Holy Ghost. However, the question is who will listen to the Holy Ghost? The only people who listen are those who are in need, hurt, pain and despair. Often it is because they, or one of their loved ones, are ill or injured, perhaps near death. Or one of their loved ones have recently passed away and it has turned the world as they know it upside down. Perhaps they are unemployed or undergoing some family upheaval. Their situation is less than perfect. They need help and they know it. In their own mind, they are the Samaritans of this world. It is no accident Jesus’ parables and stories center on actions, not words, thoughts and meditations. We need to retrain ourselves to ask for His Help before we are in need, pain or despair. The Holy Ghost can help us retrain ourselves, if we will but let Him in. Actions show who you truly are. Actions show the world who you follow, God or Mammon. You are not truly be a believer if you don’t act for Him. Without action, there is nothing. The key driving principle behind his parables are actions for Him, are those of goodness, not of evil. Those who believe on me keep my commandments.
Actions!
Yet, those who turn to God in “need” are no different than each of us. To quote Paul, “None are perfect, all fall short.” We, each and every one of us, need God’s help. Perhaps some need it more, none need it less.
When Luke tells us of Jesus and the ten lepers whom He heals and only one expresses thanks, do you think he is only telling of lepers? It is a metaphor for us. When things go wrong, we often blame God. When things go right, oh weren’t we so clever? All too often, when God assists us, we do not turn back to Him in thanks, but merely go on our way and credit ourselves for being so smart. One of the lessons is that when God helps us in our lives, we should always take the time to give thanks to Him who helped us and created us.
Through our Lord, God is there for each of us if we will accept His help. When He gives that help, how do we react? Frankly most of us just think it our due. We oft fail to give thanks for all that He gives us.
When we get an answer we don’t expect, do we thank Him? What if we get an answer? Do we thank Him?
Like the lepers only one in ten will show thanks for the mercy and help given them. Rarely do people give thanks for large efforts done to help them. We must endeavor to be grateful for Him and for all of those who strive hard to help us out in our times of need. In the case of the lepers, it was the Samaritan[1], showing that fancy dress and rules are not as important as doing what is right and being grateful for what we are given.
Are you part of that 10 percent?
Remember, it is Please and Thank You that are the magic words, not Please and I don’t have time for you.
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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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.
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
Haven’t we heard these things before? Haven’t we all at one time or another brushed these words off as if they had no bearing upon us? If you are a regenerated soul in Christ, then the truthful answer is a resounding “Yes”, for we all in times past have enjoyed our sins and were reluctant to release them to God in Christ. As Pastor Roger Ellsworth once noted, “The tragedy of our day is, we want to bemoan the evil we see all around us while we refuse to deal with our own evil hearts. We want to criticize God for evil while clasping it tightly to our breasts.”
Examine, if you will, the works of the flesh as found in our epistle lesson for today: 19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like of which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).
Consider also a similar message as found in the apostle’s first epistle to the Thessalonians wherein he warned: 2For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour... 7For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit (4:2-3, 7-8).
It should be clear that walking in Spirit requires us to be proactive in the faith. Examine the apostle’s message in II St. Timothy: ... 21If a man therefore purge himself from these (iniquities), he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work (2:21). And why? The apostle supplies the answer in his first epistle to the Corinthians: 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are (3:16-17). And our Lord’s testimony affirmed that understanding which the apostle set forth when he said, 23If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our abode with him. (St. John 14:23).
St. Paul called on the Ephesians to, put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (4:17-32). And a necessary part of putting off the old man requires us to have a proper Bible understanding of good and evil for as the prophet Isaiah once warned: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness... (5:20).
Sadly, the aforementioned points of doctrine are not being taught today in many church denominations. Modern Christendom is about tolerance for sin and not condemnation of it. Where are the jeremiads of our time? They are found, for the most part, outside of the mainline denominations. And this situation is entirely biblical.
The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians in his first epistle: …9Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (6:9-10). These sorts of behaviors were present in his time just as they are today. And his prognosis? Get ready for more. 1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; 5having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (II St. Timothy 3:1-5).
In Revelation 3:14-22 is an apt description of an unfaithful church. 14And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked... (vv. 14-17). And the modern version of the Laodicean church possesses a similar understanding of itself. Its membership largely does not believe that they are in need of any thing. Well, our Lord reminded the Laodiceans that in his sight, they were not rich at all. On the contrary, he viewed them as wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked souls who were in need of the richness of God’s grace. What they needed was the oil of the Holy Spirit. What they needed was the limitless riches of salvation. What they needed was their sight restored so that they could see their wretched state and seek after Christ so that through him their sins and trespasses would be forgiven and then clothe themselves in white raiment, pure and clean which is the garb of all who are washed in the blood of God’s Lamb.
Now in order to receive those gifts, true confession must be made. The Bible contains a list of sinful behaviors that are unacceptable to God. These we must reject and afterwards confess unto the Father in the name of Christ if we expect to be forgiven of the Father. God would rather we engage in self-discipline and self-judgment so that he does not have to chasten us for our unconfessed sins. He would also have us in Christian love warn our fellows of their need to come clean and be saved.
So then indeed walk in the Spirit and live your life in Christ every day. You will not regret it and you will rejoice in God’s kingdom for his free gift that made your salvation possible.
Let us pray,
Father, aid us as we walk the pilgrim path of this life; that our works, words and witness will influence others to turn and be saved that they too might rejoice with us in thy coming kingdom; and these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a blessed week,
Bryan+
Saint Paul's Anglican
Church
Diocese of the Midwest Anglican
Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity Sermon
St. Matthew the Apostle - MP
Psalm 119:1-16; First lesson: 1Kings 19:15-16,19-21; Second lesson: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Collect for St. Matthew’s Day
O ALMIGHTY God, who by thy blessed Son didst call Matthew from the receipt of custom to be an Apostle and Evangelist; Grant us grace to forsake all covetous desires, and inordinate love of riches, and to follow the same thy Son Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
Hymns: # 464, 441, 609
Preparation and Service; a calling to all believers.
Please take the time to go back over the three selections of scripture listed for today, the day set aside to commemorate St. Matthew. Each selection delves into the concept of service. What is service? We ask the Lord to use us in his kingdom at the conclusion of Holy Communion: O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
Each of the passages of scripture set aside today speak to that work or service. Let us think of the service of St. Matthew, a man who had been all about serving himself, as a greedy tax-collector, to a man who will eventually lose his life in the service of Christ, his Savior.
St. Matthew completely changes direction, in a matter of only a few lines of scripture, Matthew leaves one profession to enter another. He makes a diametrically momentous change which involves going from a man of wealth to a man on the streets, roads, and byways of life, what a great biography. Matthew did have a template to follow. Let’s look at our Old Testament lesson: 15And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.(1 Kings 19:15-16)
Elijah passes the mantle of service and ministry on to Elisha. 19So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. Immediately Elisha accepts the mantle, turns back to sacrifice the oxen that were pulling his plow, fed those left behind and then followed Elijah. 21And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him. (1 Kings 19:19 & 21) Notice something else. Elisha burns the plows, hitches, anything to do with his former vocation, he is moving on to the next calling. He has no intention of going back to the fields after accepting the call. Talk about service.
In Psalm 119:1-16 the psalmist speaks to preparation, meditation, walking in the way of the Lord. Each aspect of what the psalmist is doing is making a way for the reader as well as the author to do right in the sight of the Lord. “11thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Notice the verbs and adjectives used to describe the actions that the psalmist is taking to make sure he is following the commands of the Lord. “...7I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, ...10O let me not wander from thy commandments,...13With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth,...14I have rejoiced,..15I will meditate,...6have respect,...16will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”
All this preparation to follow the Lord? How much time do we spend in the Word of the Lord each day? Do we meditate on the Word, do we rejoice, have delight, have respect, and most importantly do not forget the Word?
Now to the meat of the message today (1 Timothy 6:6-19). As I have shared before, Jesus was not angry at the rich who knew what to do with their wealth. As long as the wealth was obtained in a legal fashion, (read the parables of the talents) and was used in a righteous fashion, Jesus did not condemn. His anger at wealthy folk was focused on those who did not help in the spreading of the gospel. Notice what St. Paul writes in his second letter to his adopted son Timothy.
Paul notes “.6.godliness with contentment is great gain.” The next verse is used in the opening of the service for the burial of the dead. 7..for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The reality is we have a temporal blessing, if we are rich, here on earth, how do we deal with that concept, wealth?
First off, do not become entangled in the idea that ones wealth is the end all and be all of our life. ...10for the love of money is the root of all evil... Notice it reads LOVE of money, not money is the root of all evil. We need money to function in this temporal world, we need money to do things for the Lord, we need money to be part of the society we live in.
In a word, Paul is telling all believers, rich, not so rich and everyone else, to make sure of their priorities. Do not become ensnared by this false dreams of wealth or fame, fortune or what not; do ...12fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, where unto thou art also called and hast professed a good profession (witness) before many witnesses.
And now the best argument against the ‘wealth-bashers’; ...17charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Notice several things about these last couple of verses. No where in them is there a call for the rich to divest themselves of their wealth. They are to do good works in the Lord, they are to do good, they should be ready to distribute wealth and willing to communicate. And the most important aspect of this set of verses: 19laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. That by far is the most important aspect of living for Christ.
The warnings that Paul writes about can be applied to anyone, it just happens more often, because of how we judge our fellows, wealth or being rich lead a believer into false hopes or trusting in something that can be gone in a matter of moments. If you think of the great financial disasters that have struck from time to time, you may have wealth today and tomorrow be destitute. The great evangelical Anglican bishop, John Charles Ryle, was born into a family of great wealth. He had all the advantages of that great wealth. As he related in his conversion story, his family went to bed wealthy and woke the next morning in poverty. His father’s wealth evaporated in a financial disaster that struck Great Britain in the 1840s. The good that came of that, Ryle went into the ministry by way of the Church of England. He would go on to write many papers dealing with the day to day issues of faith of the common man. His books still resonate today some 140 years after having been first penned.
In conclusion, let us all inspect our lives, making sure we are using the riches God has given us to the furtherance of the Gospel and the Kingdom. Let us remember what David wrote. “....I will not forget thy word...” (Psalm 119:16)
Let us reflect on the life of St. Matthew, who’s life of holy service, we commemorate this Sunday. We can learn by example. Daily shall we praise Him, daily shall we read his Word, daily shall we do that which pleases our Lord and Savior.
Let us pray:
O Lord, we join our unfeigned thanks for all thy mercies; for our being, our reason, and all other endowments and faculties of soul and body; for our health, friends, food, and raiment, and all the other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore thy mercy in sending thy only Son into the world, to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and in giving us the knowledge and sense of our duty towards thee. We bless thee for thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provo-cations; for all the directions, assistances, and comforts of thy Holy Spirit; for thy continual care and watchful providence over us through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day; beseeching thee to continue these thy blessings to us, and to give us grace to show our thankfulness in a sincere obedience to his laws, through whose merits and intercession we received them all, thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, whose loving hand hath given us all that we possess; Grant us grace that we may honour thee with our substance, and remembering the account which we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
DIRECT us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting life; 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
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office
e are grateful to have this sermon today from the Rev Don Fultz from St. Peter's AOC, Statesville, NC
Sermon Luke 17: 11-19
In the Gospel reading this morning, we have an account of Jesus healing of 10 lepers. This miraculous healing is only recorded in the Gospel of Luke. It is the second time in this Gospel that Jesus heals someone from Leprosy. In Luke 5;12-16, Jesus heals a leper with just a touch of his hand. In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals the 10 Lepers without even touching them.
Leprosy was one of the most feared and most misunderstood disease during Jesus’ time. It was a chronic communicable disease characterized by nodular skin lesions and the progressive destruction of tissue. It was a deadly disease. There was no known cure for it at the time. The Jews believed that one was afflicted with Leprosy as a punishment for committing a certain sin and was a mark made on them by God showing his displeasure. Lepers were thus considered unclean by the Jews. They were isolated and segregated from other non-Leper people in fear of contacting this disease. In essence they were considered out casts from society. Lepers were forced to live in remote isolated areas. In addition, they were supposed to dress and act as follows when being approached by a non-Leper. “And the Leper in whom the plaque is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, “Unclean, unclean” (Lev. 13:45 )
The Lepers described in this passage appear to have been very sensitive to their miserable condition. In addition, the Jewish Law required them to keep their distances from other non-lepers. Thus, we are told they stood “afar off” when they saw Jesus.
However, as we are told in verse 13, they did not stand idly doing nothing: Instead of crying out “Unclean, Unclean”. “they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” The Lepers did not ask Jesus for a cure of their Leprosy but just to “have mercy” on them. They could have asked to be healed but didn’t. They were appealing to the compassion of Jesus.
They may have heard of Jesus’s other miracles, especially the healing of another Leper in Luke 5, and how he always had showed compassion. This most likely was the motivation for their appeal. Their sense of need was urgent and they all joined in on the cry of mercy when they saw a chance of relief from their dreadful disease as they may never get another opportunity. Also; note they addressed Jesus as their “Master.” Those that expect help from Christ must take Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He then becomes their “Master”.
We can all learn a lesson from the conduct of the ten lepers. It sheds a light on the most important subject in Christianity that many don’t understand too well…that is Prayer.
Prayer is the most important way to communicate with Jesus. He told his disciples in John 14:13: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus was preparing his disciples for the day He would no longer be physically with them. But they could always petition Him in prayer.
In Luke 11:1, When Jesus was praying in a certain place, one of his disciples asked Jesus to teach his disciples how to pray. Jesus taught them and us the Lord’s prayer which begins “Our Father who art in Heaven.” In the Old Testament, God the Father was more of a National God, He was often referred to as the God of Israel.
In Old Testament times, God communicated to the people mainly through Prophets or High Priest.
Through Jesus redemption work for us on the Cross, as Christians we can have a personal relationship with God. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and put our faith in Him, we become sons of God through the righteousness of Christ. We now can partition God directly in prayer.
When we stop to consider everything, our Lord has done for us, and How He has changed our lives, it should motivate us to go to Him in prayer.
The Bible tells us many things about Prayer.
· Did you know that prayer is a command? Jesus told us in St. Luke’s Gospel: Luke 18:1, “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”
· Prayer Is Also A Duty: Paul told Timothy: 1 Tim. 2:1-3, “1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”
· Prayer Is A Gift: Hebrews 4:15-16, “15For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
· Prayer Is A Promise: As we hear God say in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
As Christians, we should always make prayer a priority in our lives. We have much to pray about, and we have a God Who invites us to come to Him in prayer.
If your prayers are going unanswered, maybe you are not approaching God in the correct manner. Maybe you have an unrighteous request. St. James warns of this in James 4:3 which says: “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” Or maybe, you have an uncompassionate spirit when approaching God in prayer. Proverbs 21:13 tells us “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. “Or maybe, you have some unresolved conflict in your life, Jesus tells us in St. Mark 11: Verses 25 and 26: “25And when you stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Or maybe, you have some unconfessed sin in your life. Psalm 66:18 says “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Always, humbly confess and repent any sins and get back into good grace with God….remember He hates and despises sin!
So, what did Jesus say after he heard the cry of mercy from the Lepers? In verse 14 we are told: “And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.”
First, we note in this passage that Jesus was obeying the Jewish Law regarding sending the Lepers to the priests. They were specially appointed by God to be the judges of all leprous cases, and to decide whether the leper was clean or unclean, cured or uncured.
This Law went back to the time of Moses and can be found in the 13 and 14th chapters of Leviticus.
A Jewish Leper would doubtless be cognizant of our Lord’s direction “Go shew yourselves unto the priests” and accept it as a hint that he would hear good things on showing himself to them. However, there is some question whether the Samarian’s religion had the same laws. There is no clear proof that the Samarian Priests undertook the decision of leprous cases.
We also have in this passage a lesson in obedience. Just by obeying Jesus’s words of command to shew themselves to the priests, they were cleansed of their Leprosy.
An act like this is doubtless intended to teach us knowledge. It does not behoove us to stand still and doubt when our Master’s commands are plain and unmistakable. If the lepers had acted in this manner, they would never have been healed. We must read the scriptures diligently. We must pray. We must display the grace of God that has been given to us as Christians. All of these are duties which Christ requires of us.
It is just in the path of unhesitating obedience that Christ will meet and bless us. And as Jesus tells us in John chapter 7, verse 17: “If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine.…”
Last of all, we see in these verses what a rare thing is thankfulness. Let’s take a look at Luke chapter 17 verses 15 through 19 which say: “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.” “17And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19And he said unto him, arise, go thy way: thy faith has made thee whole.”
According to Matthew Henry commentary on Jesus text “thy faith has made thee whole”, “The rest were made whole by the power of Christ, and in answer to their prayer, but he (the Samaritan) was made whole by his faith, by which Christ saw him distinguished from the rest. Temporal mercies are then doubled and sweetened to us when they are brought by the prayers of faith, and returned by the praises of faith.”
St. Luke once again shows the extension of the Kingdom of God beyond the bounds of Israel. The leper who gave thanks like the man who acted as the good neighbor was a Samaritan. Jews despised the Samaritans for their differences from orthodox Judaism. But the leper and the traveler showed by their actions that they understood more of the Kingdom than the Jews themselves.
St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 5, verse 20 says: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes, it is difficult to draw a line between praise of God and thanking God. The characteristic praise of God in the Old Testament book of the Bible is thanking him for what He has done for us. Psalm 117 and 118, and Ephesians 1:3-10 are good examples.
In the New Testament, the praises of God are especially thanking Him for what he has done for us through Christ. St. Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 9:15: “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” We should thank God too for what He has done for us in creation as well as redemption.
However, we are told that 9 out of the 10 lepers did not go back to Jesus and thank him. They were nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, many people today are just like these 9 lepers.
They are more inclined to ask God to fulfill their needs and desires rather than to thank Him for what they already have. We are all probably guilty of this one time or another. It really shows a lack of humility. St Peter warns us about this in 1st Peter, chapter 5 and verse 6: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.”
We should always be humble in our prayers to the Lord. Just remember Jesus’s Parable of the prayer between the Pharisee and the Publican. The one that prayed in a humble manner went home exalted according to Jesus. It was the Publican! What was his prayer? “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
We should always pray with a thankful spirit. It is the spirit which God loves and delights to honor.
We must make our requests known to God not only with prayer and supplication, but with thanksgiving. Just like St. Paul tells us in Philippian’s 4:6: “Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Finally, let us pray for a deeper feeling of our own sinfulness and unworthiness. This after all is the true spirit of thankfulness. Most of all, let us thank God in our prayers for his loving and compassionate Grace and the sacrifice of his only begotten Son that saves us so we will not perish but have eternal life.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen
Rev. David McMillan
AOC Minister at Large
Alabama
We are Fortunate today to have a Memorial from Rev. David McMillian
Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Does it hurt God if we keep sinning?
I have been looking at a series of questions that many ask. The last one was about, "why do all these things happen in the world that are not good"? We answered that in the mackirk. blogspot.com link for Sep. 11 that talked about God working all things for our good and His glory despite what we see (Romans 8:28 is the key verse for this). Loss is not in our plan, but God does have a plan. When we sin we hurt ourselves. We also hurt God, and that should be an incentive to live and better godly lives in the power of His strength. I had never thought of it that way before.
We should first redefine what sin is. Some see it as not hitting the mark as the arrow that misses the bullseye. Sin keeps us apart from God. Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." One of the best Confessions of Faith says "sin is any want of conformity unto or transgres-sion of the law of God." (Westminster Catechism & also in the Childen's Catechism: https://reformed.
org/historic-confessions/the-childrens-catechism/) Personally, I have found that the Children's Catechism is more helpful than the longer one , as it boils things down for us.
Secondly we could almost say that talking about God in this way makes no sense to us. How can we hurt God by sinning? He is not able to be hurt we think. We certainly do not control God. If we did, then we would not have a very powerful God. The Scriptures portray God as infinite, eternal, and with Kingly power to do His pleasure. But if we see sin as hurting our relationship with God, that may say it more clearly. We certainly hurt ourselves and others if we act without Him and His Will in our lives.
I have kept coming back to the story Jesus told in Luke 15 about the lost son, as I have thought about sin and our relationship with God. We may see it as the forgiving Father. The Father embraces the son with compassion when he returns back to his home. He has "…wasted his substance with riotous living." (Luke 15:13)
While the son was away the father must have been very hurt and sad that his son had left home. He has already taken the part of the inheritance before he was due it. I don't think we really understand how much God does actually grieve the loss of people, who ignore Him and don't love Him in all their ways. that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. In talking about prayer for all men, I Timothy 2 reminds us,"3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
Lastly I came across a good quote from Arthur Pink one of my favorite thinkers, "Fallen man can neither perceive his desperate need of salvation , nor come to Christ for it , till he has been renewed by the Holy Spirit." It seems a contradiction from the last verse about I Timothy 2 that he desires all come to the knowledge of the truth. If God wills then my eyes can be opened.
I remember that was the case in my life. I had come to a place of despair many many years ago at college. I had no saving faith. It took going to hear a wonderful speaker at the Maritime Chapel many times before I begin to realize that I had never truly believed. We can fool ourselves by our good behavior and moral living that we are part of God's kingdom, but unless we enter in by faith in His Son alone, we are not.
Don't try and reconcile the deep theological things that seem to be a contradiction. That is the point. God is not to be grasped but in faith. His ways are above ours. Isaiah 55 : 7-9 are the key verses for this," 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
God is God. We are not. As we began we cannot understand why things happen in the world that seem cruel and unexplainable. We can be encouraged that this life is the way to the life beyond through the One Door. That is the Door of the Good Shepherd, the only Son of God, the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ. Even our Christian lives can dip into sin and disrepair apart from following His path as best we can. Holiness is not optional for the people of God.
Sin does hurt our own lives and our light does not shine as it should. It also hurts God. Remember this before we take action we will regret later. He does receive us as the story in Luke 15 reminds us, but we have neither earned it or deserved it. His love is of His grace and not our merit.
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
Donna – Brain Cancer that returned
Paul Meier – throat cancer- radiation treatment ongoing
Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer
Pastor Glen Shoals – Skin Cancer
Steve Williams – recovery Hip Replacement
Heather – healthy pregnancy and delivery
Rachel – Health Pregancy and delivery
Marilee – Mastectomy Update – pray for successful – chemotherapy
Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery
Jerry – recovery from after effects of car accident
Jim - scheduling surgery for a heart ablation
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
Families of Charlie Kirk and Iryna Zarutska - Mourning
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,
[1] Samaritan - Of or pertaining to Samaria, in Palestine. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Samaria; also, the language of Samaria. [1913 Webster]
Samaritans were descendants of those who had stayed behind during the Captivity and had been separated for many years from the body of Judaism. They had not developed, nor did they subscribe to them, all the rules the Jews managed to invent during their separation. The main body of Jews viewed them as lesser peoples, not really Jews.
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