251102 AOC Sunday Report

 

Anglican Orthodox Church _sm

Worldwide Communion

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

November 2, 2025 - Sunday Report

 

Twentieth  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 217-218.

 

 

The Collect for Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 The Epistle for Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. Ephesians v. 15.

SEE then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

 The Gospel for Twentieth Sunday after Trinity. St. Matthew xxii. 1.

JESUS said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.

 

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:

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:4-5

Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid that shall not be known.
St. Matthew 10:26

If any speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
I Corinthians 14:27

Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
II St. Timothy 4:2

Every fresh act of sin lessens fear and remorse, hardens our hearts, blunts the edge of our conscience, and increases our evil inclination!
The Most Rev. J. C. Ryle

With every morning’s dawn, lift up your notes of thanksgiving, and let every setting sun be followed with your song. Girdle the earth with your praises; surround it with an atmosphere of melody, and God himself will hearken from heaven and accept your music.
Charles Spurgeon – (Morning Evening, p. 548).

The right ways of God to those that are good are, and will be, a savor of life unto life. The just shall walk in them, The transgressors shall fall not only in their own wrong ways, but even in the right ways of the Lord.
The Rev. Matthew Henry

Rules of faith derived from Scripture were never intended to express every element and aspect of the truth, and Creeds are not so much what we are to believe as what we do believe... A Creed has been well described as... a landmark, not a goal, a term of communion rather than a statement of truth in its entirety. When this is understood there need be no hesitation in the use of Creeds.
The Rev. W. H. Griffith Thomas – (The Principles of Theology: An Introduction To The Thirty-Nine Articles, p. 152).

Man is a land-borne creature. His mind is weak and his resolutions are never sure. He cannot see with his physical eyes the glorious prospects of Heaven. His imagination of the Divine is clouded with the mundane desires and offerings of a physical Universe. But Christ came to offer sight to the blind and light to those who have sat in darkness so that their spiritual eyes can grasp a glimpse of that beauty and magnificent grandeur that lies just beyond the frontiers of man’s imagination. “The people that walked in darkness have see a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shines.” (Isaiah 9:2)
Bishop Jerry Ogles,  The Five Solas: Solus Christus (Part One) p. 33-34

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

 

Tuesday Evening Chat: Death Valley Days

Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/10/death-valley-days.html

 You Tube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHWjf3wFcIk

 

  

 Friday Meditation

 AOC Bishop’s Blog: https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com/2025/10/reformation-day.html?spref=fb

 You Tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYipkci7Dq4

 

   20^th Sunday after Trinity – November 2^nd

First Lesson: Malachi 2:14-17

Second (Gospel) Lesson: Matthew 19:3-9a, 13-15

 

The Prayer of Collect. 

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

             Certainly, God is full of goodness for He is all-in-all, and there is no imperfection our impurity in Him. Therefore, His goodness is bountiful! Every good and perfect gift comes down from God. (James 1:17) James does not say, ‘some, or ‘most’, but ALL good gifts! These gifts include life, joy, love, friends, family, church, and health. If it is GOOD, it is from GOD!

            This Gelasian collect was modified somewhat by Archbishop Cranmer to avoid any seeming allusion to the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation.  He, therefore, substituted “of thy bountiful goodness” in lieu of the term, “being propitiated.”  The latter would imply an on-going sacrifice which the Romans believe they do by the sacrifice of the Mass. We, and the Reformers, denounce such a doctrine as wholly error. If the Roman church sacrifices Christ anew in every Mass, they are renouncing the singular worthiness of Christ’s sacrifice for us at Calvary. O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us, or, as the Roman Church would phrase the second part – thy on-going propitiation (sacrifice)!

The Roman Church irreverently leaves the Lord Jesus Christ perpetually on the cross (crucifix). For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit (1Peter 3:18)  Please observe how the Roman doctrine rejects the clear Word of God with their doctrine of transubstantiation:  ²⁴For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:  ²⁵Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  ²⁶For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  ²⁷And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  ²⁸So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:24-28) As you can clearly see, Christ made that full and complete sacrifice once and for all – for those past sins, as well as those future.  If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrew 6:6) Even a too frequent observance of Holy Communion reduces the reverence and solemnity of that memorial which we make in the spiritual Presence of our Lord in the Communion Service. The notion that a weekly Communion must be observed is an error taken from Romish practice meaning that we need a very frequent observance to cover our sins – this was never the intention of Christ in instituting the Supper of the Lord.

I believe that it was for the above reasons that our courageous founding Bishop, James Parker Dees, refrained from weekly Communions.

The Collect then petitions God to keep us from all things that may hurt us. These are not past sins, but present ones, and other dangers. “…….keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us” If Christ is the Captain and Pilot of your ship, He will never steer you into the shoals and reefs. 

            “….that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; In order to be ready in both body and soul, we must be conformed to that Mind which was in Christ. The only liberty known to man is made available only in Christ. The lost are not at liberty at all. They are under the bondage of sin. We must have faith, but that faith must be in the Lord and not our own might, or that of men. The faith must not be small. As our faith grows in Christ after our coming to Him, it increases with our continual sanctification. It is then that all things commanded by the Lord become a joy to perform, and are possible through Him.

            Too often, men remember those inferior and meaningless laws and traditions of men, rather than the clear intent of Christ in obeying only those things He has commanded.  ⁷Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.  ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. ⁹And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. (Mark 7:7-9) If we practice traditions from polluted sources, our worship will, likewise, be polluted with the commandments of men and not of God. Which do you practice?

Both lessons for today relate to the high regard our Lord has for the Holy Estate of Matrimony. Any perversion of that first institution of God in Genesis 2 will be met with a fiery judgment. According to the Word of God, marriage is an estate between one man and one woman only – and its duration is for “so long as ye both shall live.” I believe the love of the man for his wife is reciprocated in the heart of the wife for her husband. An unloving husband will not expect an overwhelming love from the wife.

The one passage that most clearly defines that love is found in Ephesians 5:25-29 –²⁵Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. ²⁹For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.

If a husband loves his wife enough to lay down his life for her, I believe the natural fabric of a woman’s heart will never fell to respond in kind to that degree of love. The marriage estate fits perfectly that second institution of God which is the Church (His Bride).

I recently read a very moving account of a marriage relationship that I include below:

“I once knew a very old married couple who radiated a tremendous happiness. The wife especially, who was almost unable to move because of old age and illness and in whose kind old face the joys and sufferings of many years had etched a hundred lines, was filled with such a gratitude for life that I was touched to the quick. Involuntarily, I asked myself what could possibly be the source of this kindly person's radiance. In every other respect they were common people, and their room indicated only the most modest comfort. But suddenly I knew where it all came from, for I saw those two speaking to each other, and their eyes hanging upon each other. All at once it became clear to me that this woman was dearly loved.

“It was not because she was a cheerful and pleasant person that she was loved by her husband all those years. It was the other way around. Because she was so loved she became the person I saw before me.” ~ Helmut Thielicke, How the World Began

Malachi pulls no punches in describing marriage as a permanent relationship between a man and a woman – it is a covenant relationship that is precisely the same as that covenant relationship between Christ and the Church. The blush of youth may be based on factors other than love and character, but when age becomes a factor, love and character are all that remains worthy of mention.

A few years ago, a very godly woman suggested that I write a letter to her daughter encouraging her to divorce what the mother thought was a worthless husband. It took some serious convincing to persuade her that the role of the Church was not to split asunder the marriage vows, but to discourage any separation. That was many years past, but today, the husband and wife of that marriage are getting on spendidly and the mother’s concerns were unwarranted.

We fall out of favor of God when we play fast and loose with marriage. Malachi chapter one warns of this in his 17^th verse: “…Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? Another important warning is given by Isaiah “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20) How woefully is that counsel being rejected in our day to the detriment of our children and society at large!

In our Gospel text from Matthew 19, our Lord Jesus Christ is confronted by queries from the Pharisees that reveal a deep-seated intent and evil concept of marriage. The questions are more rhetorical than meaningful. They reveal a lack of understanding, or perhaps a complete rejection, of God’s counsel on marriage. But Jesus, as usual, fields the questions with alacrity. When God made one man for one woman, it was a permanent arrangement. The two grow together more and more until they become one in every inward characteristic. The same is true of the Church and Christ. In His last prayers in Gethsemane, He prayed that God would make us one with Him, as He was One with the Father. That is the fruitful result of marriage as well as the true Church.

Of course, one of the greatest benefits of marriage is the issue of children. Love in marriage must exceed the love a man has for his parents, for he must leave his parents and cleave unto his wife. The result of that love bond is, if the Lord blesses, little children. Children possess the whole heart of our Lord. While they are young and unaware of the filthiness of sin, they are sweet and beautiful to behold. But they must be brought up in the nurture of a Godly household for they have become partners in the covenant of grace when raised under such conditions. Never withhold godly counsel from a little child, and never offend them with any ungodly and perverse notions; else, the penalty will be as severe as the hottest fires of Hell.

The people who brought little children to Christ in the latter passage of Matthew did so out of love and a desire for them to be blessed by the Lord. He was eager to comply with their request, and He laid hands on them and blessed them. This was a gateway to the covenant relationship that a parent can instill in a child.

“¹³Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.”

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

         † Jerry Ogles

 

 

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.

 

 20^th Sunday after Trinity

In our gospel lesson today, our Lord spoke in a parable where he likened the kingdom of heaven to a marriage feast which a king put on for his son (St. Matthew 22:1-14). Part and parcel of this message is our Lord’s invitation for all to come and be received into his kingdom (v.9). The parable noted that the king’s servants did as they were commanded and found a goodly number of folks both bad and good (v.10). Our Lord also spoke of the king seeing a man there who did not have on a wedding garment (v.11). The king then enquired of the man why he came not wearing the proper attire to which he was speechless (v.12). The king then ordered that he be bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (v.13). Then our Lord concluded his tale with these words: For many are called, but few are chosen. (v.14).

There is not a single parable recorded in the gospel accounts which could be regarded as spurious or for mere entertainment of the listener. Jesus was deadly serious in all his presentations of what he considered to be bad behavior and its attendant consequences. In this parable he was talking about the presentation of the gospel message. For with the preaching of the gospel, the only way to salvation will be made plain to the unregenerate as they would have not learned of God’s saving grace otherwise.

At the front end of this parable, our Lord warned those of his brethren who had rejected him as their Messiah that there would be a terrible price exacted on account of such (vv. 2-7). Historically speaking, we have the destruction of Jerusalem and the carting away of the people from the city into faraway lands as well as the leveling of the Temple itself as a testimony to the veracity of this parable. But our focus today will be on the second portion of this parable.

⁸Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. ⁹Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. (vv.8-9). The gospel message is for all regardless of who they are— whether they be sinners of one kind or another— as all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). The king’s servants could not perceive the spiritual makeup of those called as they were not empowered look into their inward parts (v.10). Their job was to call all who would come to the feast not evaluate the secret places of their hearts.

Only after those who were bidden had come in did the king himself enter the room to find one of those bidden without a proper garment (v.11). Why would someone come to a wedding without dressing for the occasion? What disrespect would such a one show to him who had called him? Matthew Henry noted that we should not blame the servants of the king as they had done what they had been instructed to do.

Now let us get into the fundamentals of the gospel. God has called upon people everywhere to repent and accept his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as their Saviour and Lord. And in that cause, he has called them to a baptism of the Holy Ghost. Matthew Henry noted concerning this passage (St. Matthew 22:11) that, “The wedding garment is an inward thing” and that is why the king did not rebuke his servants for letting the man into the feast. The fault was with the man himself for presuming that no one would know his heart.

And if you think of this passage as being too harsh, consider how often people come to church with their hearts set on things other than the gospel? How many come to salve their consciences by simply being seen in church? How many believe that the Bible is factual in but a few places, rather than the truth in every place? How many come bearing a mask of righteousness and feigning a humble nature via a false piety? How many come to church with an inclination to disbelieve rather than to believe the fundamentals of the Christian faith? How many come seeking to turn the faithful away from the truth of God’s word written so that they will be turned unto fables? How many readily accept any contradiction to those messages which the Bible proclaims as truth? How many have come into the body of Christ expressing their love for Christ all the while denying God’s word written which affirms him as Saviour and Lord? How many do not recognize that the Jesus Christ is Lord of all aspects of their lives? How many have partaken of the sacraments without faith and without a care as to what they were doing other than ingratiating themselves to their fellows within the body of Christ? How many come precisely because their particular church body has been turned from truth to error?

The ministers of God may not readily see the false professors as they are, but our Lord does. And what does he call for regarding such persons? Does he give them a pass? Does he overlook their shortcomings? This parable is not about a cruel and heartless God who harshly judges the offenses of those who did not know better upon hearing the gospel of truth. No, this is about rooting out deception. This is about dealing with liars and fraudsters. This is about God’s righteousness being proclaimed and that his omniscience renders every heart an open book. Our Lord said, For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. (St. Luke 12:2).

And what is God’s just punishment for this deception? As Matthew Henry reminded his readers concerning the errant guest, “He is condemned to be manacled and shackled. Damned sinners are bound hand and foot by an irreversible sentence. They can neither resist nor overrun their punish-ment...Hypocrites are taken away from the king and the kingdom... Hypocrites go by the light of the gospel down to utter darkness.”

Hell is a place of torment and rage. Grant Jeffrey has noted that, “We have all heard people foolishly joke that when they die and go to Hell, they will hold a great party because all their friends will be there as well. These careless jokes reflect the almost total absence of belief in the reality and horror of an eternity in Hell... Consider for a moment the companions who will share Hell with those who stubbornly resist God’s mercy to the very end... Hell will be filled forever with untold billions of angry sinners who will still possess bodies that can feel pain, but can never die. In their pain and rage against God’s justice, these angry sinners will curse God and each other...” And D. James Kennedy offered the following concerning Hell: “When you have been in hell a hundred billion trillion eons of centuries, you will not have one less second to be there... You will be in utter darkness, fleeing this way and that...”

How horrid! Nevertheless, that is the reality of being separated from God, but such a future is entirely avoidable.

Beloved in Christ, be straight and truthful with God in your devotions and confessions. If you truly believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord then you have nothing to fear of perdition. A wonderful new world awaits you wherein righteousness dwells. There will be such joys in heaven which our earthly minds cannot fathom. The Bible tells us that eye hath not seen nor ear heard what the Lord has in store for those that love him and keep his commandments (see Isaiah 64:4 and I Corinthians 2:9).

If you are truly in Christ Jesus then you already have a proper wedding garment and God can see it on you! But while others may not see it, they will necessarily see your fruits along with your witness. Therefore be obedient to the will of our Lord and Saviour. Pray in the Spirit. Uphold righteousness in your daily life and work. Proclaim God’s graciousness to those around you as the Spirit gives you leave to do. Call upon all to come to the feast, but warn them also to come properly attired having the blood of Christ upon them. Only then will they be accepted into the beloved as faithful members of Christ’s body. The gospel message is timeless and is in vogue regardless of a person’s age or condition, but it is limited to the living. Once death has overtaken a person, the offer to come to God in Christ will have expired. Don’t be caught unawares. Come to Christ today, for truly many are called, but few are chosen. Make sure you are one of them by accepting Christ and then living the Christian life.

Let us pray,

Father, assist us with thy most holy Spirit to proclaim the good news of salvation to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; that they too might turn from their sins and trespasses and become new creatures in Christ our Lord; and these things we ask in his most holy name. Amen.

 

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

 

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity Sermon - MP

  

Holy Communion

  The Epistle: Ephesians 5:15-21; The Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

 O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

        In today’s Epistle and Gospel reading we find some hard sayings; sayings and precepts that have many times been taken out of context. Why don’t we unpack them at this time and see what is being discussed by St Paul in his letter the church at Ephesus and Jesus as recorded by St. Matthew.

      St Paul is writing to the church at Ephesus, where great commercial activity took place, a wealthy city in the eastern part of the Roman Empire, and yet a thriving Christian enclave existed. The church here had both Gentile and Jewish believers, so Paul was reviewing what characteristics should be seen by the unbelievers in the city. 

     A circumspect people, using time wisely, not given to wine, that is drunk with wine, and notice how he ties that into a spiritual sense of living.  “…be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit...”    He is saying don’t let the spirit of wine rule you, let the Holy Spirit of God rule you instead. And how do you nourish that wisdom and understanding of the will of the Lord? You speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, and here is the neatest part of that nourishing nature....  “....singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord...”

¹⁵See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, ¹⁶Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; ¹⁹Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

      I remember, as a young boy growing up overseas, we had a lady who worked for us several times a week. Her main job on Monday was ironing the freshly washed laundry.  Gwen would come to our house about 8 o clock in the morning, she would gather up all the ironing {before the days of perma-press} and begin to sprinkle water on the clothes in preparation to do the ironing. All the while Gwen would be humming or singing gospel songs and hymns. I remember how positive she was, didn’t matter if her bus was late, or it was raining or if it was super hot, she was singing and making melody in her heart to the Lord.

    I know one day I will see Gwen again. She lived, breathed and exuded her faith every day. In her every day life she was doing what Paul was instructing the church at Ephesus to do.

 

²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

 

 Let us now see what Jesus was teaching from the parable of the wedding feast.

 

       The parable of the wedding feast is a direct indictment of the rejection of Messiah by the Jews. The king is God, the Son is Jesus, the wedding is the consummation of the ages in the body of believers are finally brought to reconciliation with their Creator. All this is in the process of being worked out in the three and a half years of Christ earthly ministry. The preparation of the Wedding Feast of Eternity was being planned and presented to the original chosen race, the Hebrew peoples.

  Time and again Jesus would present himself to the Children of Israel, time and again they would reject him. It would be individuals, disciples, followers, those healed, those forgiven; they would believer Jesus and his message.  

    But those who thought they knew better, they had the Scripture, they had the Law, they had Tradition; they knew that this couldn’t be the One.  

 Why? Because the god of this world had blinded them to the prophecies, the types and shadows which predicted the coming of the Messiah. Those who rejected God and his Son would abuse, ridicule or even murder the messengers who were sent to call God’s chosen to him. In light of that, God then turned to others, he sent out the message to the rest of the world, calling all who would come, to join the feast. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

     Now notice that both bad and good were called, then bad would be culled out ... “....when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment.”   The king (God) has him removed from the feast. Here is another hard saying. After the guest who wasn’t prepared was removed and cast into outer darkness, now comes the saying: many are called but few are chosen. This and similar sayings from the Scripture should give warning, that there is not a universal salvation. Not everyone is going to heaven.   

 Yes I know that is a hard saying. 

 I don’t determine who is going to heaven. If you go back to the middle of the parable you notice that many were called, THEY rejected God’s calling. 

 From the human viewpoint, they made a choice. They told God by their actions that they did not believe or did not care that God was calling them.  So, the saying “...Many are called but few are chosen..” can take on an entirely different meaning. We do not determine the mind of God.  

        When we read of Jesus Parables we should understand that he is teaching us both by story and by example, as to what we should do as believers. 

 I ask you to re-read the passage from Ephesians, that is what we are to do, the passage from Matthew is why we are to do it.

       As believers we are to live our lives as an example to the dying world. We are to show the way, the truth and the life wherein all are to be saved.  

  The determination is how someone acts upon those warnings and teachings that they have heard, seen or experienced.

Let us pray:

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

 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.

 O God, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom; Defend us Thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in Thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of 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

 We are grateful to have this sermon today from the Rev. Don Fultz from Statesville, NC .

  

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity

The MARRIAGE OF THE KING’S SON

SERMON:  MATTHEW   22:  1 – 14

The parable in the Gospel reading this morning was spoken by Jesus  in Jerusalem during the last week of his life.  It is commonly referred to as “The Marriage of the King’s  son”   It was directed at the Jewish leaders gathered in the Temple court yards and points to their severe discourtesy in offending their Sovereign as well as the rejection of their great privileges.

It was also a final warning to the Nation of Israel for the rejection of Christ as their Messiah and the offering of His Gospel of salvation and admission to the Kingdom of Heaven to all Gentiles.

Although, its first application is directed to the Jews, it contains heart-searching lessons for all of us whom the Gospel is preached.   It is a spiritual picture which speaks to us even to this day, if we have an ear to hear.

In this Parable, we see that the salvation of the Gospel and the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a marriage feast.  The Lord Jesus tells us that “the kingdom of heaven is like unto a “a certain king which made a marriage for his son.”

What are the real Gospel representations of this parable spoken by Jesus?   They are represented by a Feast which a King made at the marriage for his son.  It is a provision made for the saving of souls in and by the new Covenant in Christ.   Salvation is offered by the Grace of God through Faith in Christ.  

The design of the Gospel is to gather souls to Christ; not just for the children of Israel but for all of the children of God scattered abroad as we are told in St. John verses 10:16 and 11:52.

The certain King referred to in the Parable is God, the Father, the king of all kings, who has sovereign authority over the entire universe.  The king’s son, the bridegroom is Jesus Christ, our Lord and savior (John 3:29).  The bride is God’s church joined by the King’s son by marriage through the mystery of incarnation which is the embodiment of God in the human form of Jesus.   (Rev. 19—Marriage of the lamb)

Gospel calls and offers are represented by invitations  to this marriage feast.  Those first invited to the marriage were the Jews who refused the invitation to accept our Lord Jesus as the true Messiah.   The first servants who called them to the wedding were God’s Prophets and priests of the Old Testament but their messages were refused and rejected.  The other King’s servants represent John the Baptist, Early Deacons and other Godly servants who continually invited the children of Abraham to the wedding of God’s son but were rejected and even slain.

The city destroyed by the King’s armies in the Parable represents Jerusalem which was under sieged by the Roman Legions for four years and eventually destroyed in 70 AD. 

The King’s servants described as going out into the streets and highways to bring any guests to the wedding including Gentiles represent the twelve Apostles, St. Paul, Members of the early church and all ministers ever since extending the invitation to everyone good and bad. 

The final quests at the wedding feast represent those at the end of time....living and dead who will be judged by the Almighty Heavenly King.   Those faithful followers who have accepted God‘s free gift of grace and salvation will be all wearing the wedding -garments. 

The man who was speechless signifies those who lived their entire lives under the offer of grace and salvation but who rejected them and never put on the wedding garments.

There is in this Gospel parable a complete provision for all the wants of man’s soul.  There is a supply of  everything that can be required to relieve spiritual hunger and spiritual thirst just as Jesus tells us in St. John 6:35:  “I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Peace of conscience with God and glory in the world to come, are all set before us in rich abundance.  All this provision is owing to the love of  God  and his Son,  Jesus Christ our Lord.  He offers to pardon our sins, take us into union with Himself, to restore us to the family of God as dear children, to clothe us with His own righteousness, to give us a place in His kingdom, and to present us faultless before His Father’s throne at the last day.

The Gospel, in short, is an offer of food to the hungry, joy to the mourner, a home to the outcast, a loving friend to the lost.    It is glad tidings.  God offers, through His dear Son, to be at one with sinful man.  Let us not forget this  St John 4:10 tells us :  “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”   

Secondly, we notice that the invitations of the Gospel are wide, full, and unlimited.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:11 “That many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”  We are told in the parable that the King’s servants said to those who were bidden, “all things are ready:  come unto the marriage.” There is nothing wanting on God’s part for the salvation of sinners’ souls.  No one will ever be able to say on the last day that it was God’s fault, if he is not saved.  God sent his only begotten Son , Jesus into this world to die on the cross for our sins.  His Son is ready to forgive and wash our sins away.  The Holy Spirit is ready to sanctify and renew. 

Angels in heaven are ready to rejoice over the returning lost sinner.    Grace is ready to assist him.  The Bible is ready to instruct him.  Heaven is ready to be his everlasting home.  One thing only is needed, and that is, that the sinner be willing to repent his sins and accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour. 

The Gospel places an open door before all mankind.   No one is excluded from the range of its offers good or bad.  Though only a few will enter the strait gate of Heaven, all are invited to come in. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy burden, and I will give you rest” says Jesus in Matthew 11:28.   Matthew Henry says: “Jesus will give rest to those weary souls that come by faith to Him”.  Rest from the terror of sin. And a rest in God, in His love “

Thirdly, let us notice, that the salvation of the Gospel is rejected by many to whom it is offered.  The Lord Jesus tells us, that those whom the kings’ servants bade to the wedding, “made light of it, and went their way.” There are many hearers of the Gospel who derive no benefit from it whatsoever.   They may listen to it every Sunday but do not have a receptive heart, and thus do not believe to the saving of the soul.  They are too caught up in the world.  They like other things far better.  Their money, their lands, their business, or their pleasures, are all far more interesting subjects to them than their souls.  St. Matthew 16:26 tells us “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”       

Lastly, let us notice that all false professors of religion will be detected, exposed and eternally condemned at the last day. 

The Lord Jesus tells us, that when the wedding was at last furnished with guests, the king came into see them and “saw a man which had not on a wedding- garment.”  He asked him, “Friend, how camest thou in hither not  having a wedding-garment?” “And he was speechless.  “He then commanded the servants to “bind him hand and foot and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There will always be some false professors in the Church of Christ, as long as the world stands.  Jesus warns us about these in Matthew 7:15:  “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”

In this parable, the man exposed by the King without the wedding-garment represents all of the false prophets and pretenders on the final day of Judgement.  The man with no wedding-garment is a warning and a reminder that not all who seem to come to God truly believe.  Just like the Chief Pharisees and Scribes that were getting ready to condemn Jesus and sentence Him to death.   They believed their own self-righteousness and keeping of the Mosaic laws and strict rules and regulations would get them to Heaven.   However, we are told by the Prophet Isaiah in 64: 6 that our righteousness are not more than “filthy rags that will fade as a leaf.” St. Paul tells us in Romans 3:10, “there is none righteous, no, not one”.

Our righteousness is only through the work of Christ on the Cross as Paul tells us in Romans 5:17 “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

The wedding-garments in the parable are a symbol of the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ.  When you come to faith in Christ, God does two things.  First, He gives you the perfect righteousness of Jesus, so that when you come before Him, He sees Jesus’ righteousness instead of your sin. This is called the “imputed righteousness” of Christ. (Rom. 4:6)   It is not your righteousness;  it’s Jesus’ righteousness, but God treats you as it were your own. And then, God not only gives you Jesus righteousness, but he also begins to make you righteous yourself.  He gives you the Holy Ghost and helps you to grow in righteousness as a believer.

This is the “imparted righteousness” of Christ. It is Jesus’s righteousness as it begins to work its way into your life through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Let us learn from the Gospel message of this morning’s parable and accept the free grace of Salvation in Christ to make our calling and election sure. It is up to us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ , and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the Lust thereof” as  St. Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 and “make our calling and election sure” as St. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:10.

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 sermon from Rev. David McMillian

20^th Sunday after Trinity

All of us have relatives or friends who do not accept Christianity or the Scriptures. We have prayed and tried to convince them. There are a couple of verses that have been very helpful to me in this process of seeing others come to faith. Of course, we know as the Scriptures teach that none can come apart from the Holy Spirit giving them a new heart. (The theological term for that is regeneration which precedes faith)  

"²⁴And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, ²⁵In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; ²⁶And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."  2 Timothy 2: 24

Peter also talks about this "¹⁴But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; ¹⁵But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:" I Peter 3:15

This reminds me of the JW faith or as we know them Jehovah's Witnesses. Usually, I just try and not talk to them, but the other day I said to myself, "Let me try another approach."  I had them sit outside the house on the porch chairs, and I gave them some bottles of water as it was a hot day. Then I tried to listen and not interrupt them too much. Of course, I told them I had three years of Greek in seminary, but they were not swayed. As they left we parted amicably. I think I got more across by being open to what they had to say. Moreover, I was polite, but we had a lot of agreement as I found. They accept the OT more than the new for some reason. That was an eye-opener for me. However, they are confused about the person of the God-Man, Jesus Christ who is divine and human.  

Do we have a need to listen to others stories before we try and convince them they are in error? I believe we should re-look how we engage others. We should as some have said create a friendly space where others feel free to share their own stories. Too often we run ahead of what they need at that moment.  

God has a plan, but we can be barriers instead of being conduits to the message of eternal life and belief in Jesus Christ.

I am wondering if we should re-look our approach to those who are without faith. Some have need of a listening ear first.  I am going to try this with my family as well. As I grow olde,r I realize I don't have all the answers. We know God does, and we should let Him guide us in discusing the things of God with our friends and neighbors.

 David D. Mc Millan,

Pastor, & Chaplain
(Major) US Army, ret.

 

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:

Linda – Recovery from car accident that totaled her car – not her fault

Ophelia – crippling arthritis pain

Effie – recent discharge from hospital following pneumonia and possible CHF

Kamil – pray for successful – Chemotherapy

Donna – has passed into the arms of the Lord, please pray for her husband Troy who is grieving.

Paul Meier – throat cancer- radiation treatment successful

Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer

Pastor Glen Shoals – Skin Cancer

Marilee – Mastectomy Update – completed chemo, she has a month break before radiation begins

Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery

Jim - scheduling surgery for a heart ablation

 

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, Jan Jessup-neuro dementia, AOC USA, AOC Missions, Harper-IBS ,
Jim Sevier- God’s Peace, Linda – multiple myeloma, Aftereffects of car accident, Marianne, Betsey - Dementia Donna-chemotherapy, Alicia-caregiver, Sophie,
Colin and Lori Beall – cancer, Toni – cancer, Donna  - cancer, Malou – cancer, Archie,
Eloise, Janice, Dakota, Katie, Finley, Mike & Gayle