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Sunday, March 27, 2022

AOC Sunday Report - Fourth Sunday in Lent

Happy Fourth Sunday in Lent!  The AOC Sunday Report is available RIGHT HERE!

This week we have really good sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as from Revs Jack and Bryan. Each one of them is significantly different, each one is very informative and enjoyable. Rev Jack's sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE.

There are always a lot of people who need your prayer, today is no exception. Please start with Jim and Tricia and Shamu and work out from there.

There is a lot going on this week, Rev Jack and I are flying to Dallas tomorrow for work, back on Wednesday.  We will be available by phone or email if you need us.

Are you having trouble understanding what good there is in the world? We often do, when that happens open your heart to the Holy Ghost and see if you can find some good, He's a big help there.

Have an EPIC week!

Godspeed,

Hap
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Rev Jack's sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!


Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 


Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved …

 

In the Collect, as is often to the case we acknowledge to God we have fallen way short of our goals He set for us. We are also acknowledging we deserve to be punished for our failures; by His Grace we are relieved of that punishment. Jesus accomplished that relieving by laying down His Life so we might be free of eternal damnation. 

                                                                                        

In order for us to enter heaven, we have to be accounted as perfect.  Most of us know we are so far away from perfect, it would not seem to be possible.  

 

How then can we get into heaven, if not by our own means?

 

The answer is simple. God has provided the Way, the one true Way, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we might have eternal life, and He also sent the Holy Ghost to help guide us. 

 

At that final judgment day, if we stay the course and follow God’s guidance, we can be accounted as perfect through the Grace of God’s Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Paul is right on point when he talks about the two sons of Abraham, one of the bond, one of the free.  Being adopted into the freewoman’s family requires us to follow Him and His guidance. This gift of eternal life is not free. It was paid for by Jesus’ death on the Cross and it requires us to actively follow and work for Him here on earth. 

 

The son of the bondwoman represents our state before Christ and those who refuse to follow Him.  They are stuck in bondage to their own sinful selves and can never exit that state, except they allow the Holy Ghost into their hearts and redeem themselves. It represents the state of all those who do not have the Holy Ghost within them and us before we let the Holy Ghost into our hearts to regenerate us.

 

The two are representative of the two covenants with God, the bond under The Law and the free under The New Covenant.  

 

The people of old are The People of The Law.  Six Hundred Thirteen Laws each of which they were to follow.  They really did not attempt to follow them, rather to avoid being seen to break them.  A very complex and even more difficult life to live, to comply and uphold those laws and failing. We still fail miserably at times, but we only have two laws, which we will hear about in a second. They are still hard to uphold, but if we manage to, easier to remember.  The big thing to remember about the 613 laws is they could not accomplish what Christ accomplished with His Sacrifice and establishing the New Covenant. The Holy Ghost helps us along the journey to this goal, to bring us to eternal life.

 

The New Covenant is so much less complex than the Old Covenant.  It is much easier to remember the ways of the New than the Old. However, we must remember that the Old Covenant had a purpose. The Old Covenant had to come first to get people’s hearts ready to follow the New Covenant.  For the New Covenant could not be introduced, or in other words, Jesus could not come to Earth until the people were ready for His Teachings. The Old Covenant was a stepping stone to the New Covenant. 

 

Remember this from Holy Communion:

 

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:

 

T

HOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

 

Under the New Covenant, we have only two laws with which we must comply.  But, there is a catch.  We are not to just avoid breaking those two laws, we must actually live them in our hearts, souls, minds AND bodies.  We must actualize them. It is the common theme of Action not just Diction, that appears in sermons past here. The only way in which we can follow these two laws is we have to put them into practice in our day to day lives, which requires Action and not just Diction. The New Covenant is not about following the Law perfectly, but it is about living the spirit of the Law to the best of our abilities.

 

This requires that we act based on what we can and should do, not what we want to do.  What we want to do will not get us the results that acting from following God’s word will.  The results may or not be obvious right away, but they will be soon enough. A hard principle to follow; but in the end, it is the easiest way and worth the struggle to trust God instead of worrying and or doing what we want to do. 

 

What we want to do is very rarely if ever in congruence with God’s Word. We have to realize this and shift our behaviors that are in line with God’s Word and Will.  We must recognize that what we want to do will not benefit us as well in the long run as what God wants us to do.  This is very hard, but it can be done with the help of the Holy Ghost. We just have to let Him into our hearts and provide us that guidance. Once we receive that guidance than we should act upon that guidance.

 

Action will always benefit our spiritual state compared to inaction. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are compelled to act upon our faith. Perhaps not what we want right at the time, but certainly what we need then and in the eternal future.  In the middle of nowhere, two thousand years from the nearest McDonalds, the disciples looked to Jesus to fill the needs of their congregation.  Jesus took what they had and gave them what they needed; “for he himself knew what he would do.”  He acted to help them.  Do ye likewise:

 

ACT

 

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

 

The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon

The Propers for today are found on Page 130-132, with the Collect first:

 

The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:

 

The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY 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.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.

 

The Epistle for todaycame from the Fourth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Galatians beginning at the Twenty-First Verse.

 

Paul talks about the two sons of Abraham, one of the bond, one of the free.  These two, the bond under The Law and the free under The New Covenant.  The people of old are the people of The Law, 613 laws by which they must abide.  Perhaps more properly said in practice that they must work around or evade those 613. Yet, they cannot comply with all the laws nor even work around them.  They are doomed to failure with no help from God.  As people of The New Covenant, the original and real New Deal, we have only to comply with two laws or rules; To love the Lord with all our hearts and to love our neighbor.  Actually, those two are much harder to fully comply with than avoiding the 613 laws of The Law.  But, we have the key – Jesus Christ.  He came to earth not only to lead us to heaven, from the front; but to be a propitiation for our sins, to make us account as perfect to God to allow us to come into His Land.

 

T

ELL me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. 

 

This morning’s Gospel comes from the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John beginning at the First Verse. 

 

J

ESUS went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.


Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 


Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved …

 

In the Collect, as is often to the case we acknowledge to God we have fallen way short of our goals He set for us. We are also acknowledging we deserve to be punished for our failures; by His Grace we are relieved of that punishment. Jesus accomplished that relieving by laying down His Life so we might be free of eternal damnation. 

                                                                                        

In order for us to enter heaven, we have to be accounted as perfect.  Most of us know we are so far away from perfect, it would not seem to be possible.  

 

How then can we get into heaven, if not by our own means?

 

The answer is simple. God has provided the Way, the one true Way, by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so we might have eternal life, and He also sent the Holy Ghost to help guide us. 

 

At that final judgment day, if we stay the course and follow God’s guidance, we can be accounted as perfect through the Grace of God’s Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, Paul is right on point when he talks about the two sons of Abraham, one of the bond, one of the free.  Being adopted into the freewoman’s family requires us to follow Him and His guidance. This gift of eternal life is not free. It was paid for by Jesus’ death on the Cross and it requires us to actively follow and work for Him here on earth. 

 

The son of the bondwoman represents our state before Christ and those who refuse to follow Him.  They are stuck in bondage to their own sinful selves and can never exit that state, except they allow the Holy Ghost into their hearts and redeem themselves. It represents the state of all those who do not have the Holy Ghost within them and us before we let the Holy Ghost into our hearts to regenerate us.

 

The two are representative of the two covenants with God, the bond under The Law and the free under The New Covenant.  

 

The people of old are The People of The Law.  Six Hundred Thirteen Laws each of which they were to follow.  They really did not attempt to follow them, rather to avoid being seen to break them.  A very complex and even more difficult life to live, to comply and uphold those laws and failing. We still fail miserably at times, but we only have two laws, which we will hear about in a second. They are still hard to uphold, but if we manage to, easier to remember.  The big thing to remember about the 613 laws is they could not accomplish what Christ accomplished with His Sacrifice and establishing the New Covenant. The Holy Ghost helps us along the journey to this goal, to bring us to eternal life.

 

The New Covenant is so much less complex than the Old Covenant.  It is much easier to remember the ways of the New than the Old. However, we must remember that the Old Covenant had a purpose. The Old Covenant had to come first to get people’s hearts ready to follow the New Covenant.  For the New Covenant could not be introduced, or in other words, Jesus could not come to Earth until the people were ready for His Teachings. The Old Covenant was a stepping stone to the New Covenant. 

 

Remember this from Holy Communion:

 

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:

 

T

HOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

 

Under the New Covenant, we have only two laws with which we must comply.  But, there is a catch.  We are not to just avoid breaking those two laws, we must actually live them in our hearts, souls, minds AND bodies.  We must actualize them. It is the common theme of Action not just Diction, that appears in sermons past here. The only way in which we can follow these two laws is we have to put them into practice in our day to day lives, which requires Action and not just Diction. The New Covenant is not about following the Law perfectly, but it is about living the spirit of the Law to the best of our abilities.

 

This requires that we act based on what we can and should do, not what we want to do.  What we want to do will not get us the results that acting from following God’s word will.  The results may or not be obvious right away, but they will be soon enough. A hard principle to follow; but in the end, it is the easiest way and worth the struggle to trust God instead of worrying and or doing what we want to do. 

 

What we want to do is very rarely if ever in congruence with God’s Word. We have to realize this and shift our behaviors that are in line with God’s Word and Will.  We must recognize that what we want to do will not benefit us as well in the long run as what God wants us to do.  This is very hard, but it can be done with the help of the Holy Ghost. We just have to let Him into our hearts and provide us that guidance. Once we receive that guidance than we should act upon that guidance.

 

Action will always benefit our spiritual state compared to inaction. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are compelled to act upon our faith. Perhaps not what we want right at the time, but certainly what we need then and in the eternal future.  In the middle of nowhere, two thousand years from the nearest McDonalds, the disciples looked to Jesus to fill the needs of their congregation.  Jesus took what they had and gave them what they needed; “for he himself knew what he would do.”  He acted to help them.  Do ye likewise:

 

ACT

 

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

 

Lent 04 Collect – 27 March 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

A

S it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10)

 

 

F

OR all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

 

 

            We must have learned long ago in our childhood Bible school there is not anything we must do to go to Hell. Hell is where we are headed the moment we are born into the world. If we simply do nothing, then we shall surely wind up in the fires of Hell. Similarly, there is nothing we can do to earn eternal life – it is a gift of God to those who believe. If you have believed upon the name of Jesus Christ, then you have responded to God’s call as His chosen and elect. Our good works will not keep us from Hell, nor earn for us an entrance into Heaven.  But faith, responding to the Grace of God, will, indeed, gain for us such an entrance to Heaven.

 

            All comfort and all grace is from God. It is never earned, but comes ‘paid on arrival.’ It is, as the Collect avers, a grant and not a wage. Thankfully, we are not paid wages for our wages would result in a loss of grace. “For the wages of sin is death;” (sin ALL have sinned, I prefer to forgo the wages to which I am entitled, don’t you?)….  “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) It is so clear and simple, isn’t it? We have all earned our suite in Hell, but God has made a free provision for us in His mansions on High. 

 

            This prayer of Collect comes from the Gregorian Sacramentary.

 

            GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved Please note the quality that triggers grace – it is MERCY. We have seen many clergy come and go in our church and in others that are within our purview. The single thing that distinguishes a true minister of God from all others, regardless of a parchment attesting by man’s hand that they are ministers, is the single quality of that Compassion and Mercy that was in Christ. It matters not how hard they labor, how long their hours, how accomplished their sermons, or how broad their experience; if they have not the Compassion of Christ for the little children, for the widows and orphans, for their fellow men and women in all walks of life, then they are not true ministers of God. If their concern is more for personal reward than for the additions to the family of God, they are without hope as ministers. Are we judgmental against others? Remember that same judgment will be levied against you. 

 

            Being in the midst of the Lenten Season, we may be feeling overwhelmed by the sense of our sinful unworthiness, but bear in mind that even our unworthiness cannot compare with the altogether worthiness of Christ to redeem us. Just as on the mountain two thousand years ago, He is still able to spread a table before us in the wilderness of our sins.

 

            How is it that the Grace of God is a comfort? When we know that it is the Grace of God that has saved us, and not any personal merit we may boast of, then we are comforted in not wondering always if we have done quite enough to earn our salvation. We are comforted as a little child in knowing that, though we have displeased our parents today, their love for us has not diminished. We are as love in our disobedience as we were loved in our times of favor. But the child, like the Christian, must learn through parental discipline, to improve on his incorrigible behaviors under the father’s counsel and discipline. If you are recipient of the grace and call of God, He will not turn you lose for childish misadventures.  Did He not tell us: “….I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb 13:5) As far as I know, Christ has never lost any that belonged to Him for as He prayed the night of His betrayal in the Upper Room: While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12) Of course, the son of perdition – Judas Iscariot – was never a follower of Christ, for the Scriptures tell us that he was a devil. (see John 6:70)

 

            I hope we will know with certainty at the conclusion of this devotion we deserve to die for our sins, but Christ Himself died in our stead.  Now we are blessed to have a Heavenly comforter to strengthen us through the feeding of the Bread of Heaven just as that ancient multitude was fed, nourished, and comforted on the mountain slope overlooking the Galilean Waters.  Have you enjoyed that comfort and strength today?

Sermon Notes - Have we no bread? - Fourth Sunday in Lent - Saint Andrews Church - 27 March 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

The Fourth Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

 

G

RANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            The Collect for today confesses we are all sinners apart from the saving Grace of God and deserve no mercy - though we have received mercy. The only comfort we can take, as Children of God, is not in our good works, but His mercy and Grace alone.

 

And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:

 

The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY 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.

 

 This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.

 

The Epistle

 

T

ELL me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.  (Galatians iv. 21-31)

 


            This Epistle should allay any growing fears that God's people are chosen because of the blood in their veins, but rather the hope and faith that is in their hearts. Ishmael was the first born son of Abraham and, according to Hebrew law, should have inherited the blessings of Abraham, but not according to God's Law.  God had promised Sarah and Abraham a son which would be the son of Promise. Though Sarah and Abraham attempted to accomplish the work of God by their own hands (through Sarah's innocent mistress – Hagar), God took umbrage at their lack of faith. The Seed of Promise came exactly according to the promises of God. Isaac was born to Sarah in her old age and his birth was much like the coming of the True Seed of Promise in Jesus Christ who also came by miraculous birth. Christ offered what the Law could not – Mercy and Grace. Ishmael was born under the law and can only offer condemnation. His seed today are the Muslims of Arabia who have not known a decade of peace since the passing of Ishmael.

 

The Gospel

 

A

FTER things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. (John 6:1-14)

 

            Today’s Gospel has a great relationship to the Lord's Supper, only offered to the multitudes that would later be left in the care and oversight of the Apostles. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand men (and, additionally, women and children) was a precursor to the Lord's Supper which Jesus would institute on the night of His betrayal.

 

            I believe that we will all agree that bread itself is an important staple to nourish and sustain the body. In a broad sense, and in the way that it figures in today's text, bread was the paramount nourishment for the disciples on that mountaintop by the Galilean Sea. Even a morsel of bread, which comes from God, was important to the Syros-Phoenician woman who pleaded only for the bread crumbs that fell from the Master's Table.  Bread, and its thousands of crushed grains (Archbishop Cranmer), represents the body of Christ on earth today. We consider always that Christ is present when we partake of the Bread from His Table, It brings us near to Him as we contemplate His promises: For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them(Matt 18:20)  I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world(Matt 28:20) The Bread which Christ broke at the Supper in the Upper Room represents His complete Body – even the multitudes that are drawn to Him on this mountain. It is not simply for those who are appointed as clergy and apostles.  His Real Presence is not in the grains of wheat, but in the hearts of His people that make up His earthly Body – the Temple of God. That true Bread of Heaven opens our eyes to the mystery of Communion with Christ just as the eyes of the two men on the Road to Emmaus were opened at the moment Christ broke, and offered, Bread.

 

            It may be true today crowds follow Christian ministers for the wrong reasons, just as the Galilean crowds had done, yet, if they receive the true Bread of Heaven, they shall be healed in more than body and mind. We are told that the multitudes followed Christ because of the healing miracles He had wrought on them. It may be true that the work of God must proceed from the labors of witnesses in feeding the hungry, healing the sick and despondent, and living among the people by facing all of the heartaches and hardships that they face in order to make them know the love of God is in our hearts. It is then that their hearts will be moved to learn of the great Savior who has instilled in us a love that surpasses their common understanding. It is to be hoped that the multitudes went away with more than a full stomach after the miraculous feeding – a heart that has been changed by the Love of God! 1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

 

            John the Baptist, the baptizer of Christ, has just been beheaded. This news must have hurt the tender heart of our Lord. He was tired. He was weary of travel. He must have been sad. So he sought a place of quiet and solace, yet, the multitude followed on. His Heart of such loving compassion could not disregard the needs of those who followed after Him even if their motives were amiss. Does our AOC church not face the same circumstances daily? Many abroad, hurting for bread and sustenance, follow us on the web and then appeal for funds even if they do not know the Savior we serve.

 

            The next verse seems parenthetical, but I do not believe it is: 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. John felt it necessary to add this particular detail. He says no more, but there is obviously meaning attached to the fact of the Passover. It was the same event that the Lord celebrated in the Upper Room. In fact, Jesus Himself became our PASSOVER! So, on the eve of the Passover, Jesus here again will offer Bread to the people.

 

            I would imagine that Jesus had a slight gleam in His eye when He asked the next question: 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would doHere Jesus and His disciples are gathered on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. There are not nearby bakeries of places that sell foodstuffs. So Jesus presents a testing challenge to His disciples. It was a great company, in fact far more than five thousand, that approached. It appeared to the disciples as a gathering army. How could they possible find food for so many; and, even if they found a source, where would they find the enormous amount of money required for the purchase?

 

            We find in the response to Jesus’ query, three distinct responses: the first is in the response of Philip who was counting on the meagerness of available provision. He was counting on the LEAST of provisions.  7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. The people of God often count the lack of provision rather than the abundance in Christ. Even the crumbs are enough, why believe that crumbs cannot be made a feast in the hands of the Lord! We must despise no blessing because of its size. The second response is that of the disciples: 35 And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: 36 Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat  (Mark 6:35-36) When the obligation seems to great to reach the lost, the church often simply desires to wash their hands of these troubling poor by sending them away.

 

The third response is that of Andrew who is always seeking others for Christ. You will recall that it was Andrew who, being called by Jesus, went first to find his brother Peter to come and see Christ. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone(John 1:39-42) We named our little church in Enterprise, Alabama, Saint Andrews because we are to be seekers for Christ. As rector, I brought none to the church – the youth went out and invited their friends who came and stayed to hear about Jesus. I loved them. So, Andrew, true to form, goes on a search the moment he realizes the need for bread. He is not the kind of fellow to be discouraged at the meager proportions for he knows that even crumbs, with the Lo9rd, will be made a sufficient supply. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

 

            Now there is a fourth type of person in the crowd not described above. It is this one response that melts my heart – the little lad who had only five barley loaves and two fishes, but was willing to share that small provision with such an immense number. He must have had a heart touched by the loving hand of God from his mother's womb.  This innocent young knew his bread and fishes would only be a drop in the bucket to feed so many. He also knew that there would be scarcely a crumb left for his own hunger; yet, he had seen and heard Jesus. He placed his innocent confidence in this warm and compassionate Teacher. So he offered ALL that he had to satisfy the immense crowd who surrounded Christ. This is the kind of son every parent should long to have.

 

            Without a further thought, upon hearing of the small provision available, Christ took action: 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus does not make us anxious in feeding us. He prefers that we be comforted always by His Bread. He has the men sit down as guest do in any home. He also expects that those about to receive the Bread of Life should do so in good order, thus we observe a liturgical form of worship. There was a mixture of men, boys, women and children present, yet there were five thousand men in all plus those other persons. The Word of God is able to feed all who will come to be served without limit. 

 

Do you remember our Lord was baptized in like manner that we should be? In all, we should follow Him. He also gave thanks for the provision given by the Hand of His Father in Heaven. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. Herein lies an important lesson. That which God has given you, you must also share with others. Jesus gives us the privilege and high honor to be His servants to the people. Not masters, but SERVANTS. All clergy are servants to God's people. When they cease to be servants, they cease to be ministers. Note also that from the small provision, every one of the thousands seated about took as much as they wanted. God's Word is always sufficient for thee. "….My grace is sufficient for thee …." (2 Cor 12:9)

 

            Quite often, that which comes at no cost to us is easily wasted, but the Bread of Life comes at an immense cost to God the Father – it cost Him the life of His only Begotten Son! None of the Lord's provision should be wasted. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Every soul is precious to God. He will have us lose nothing that He places in our hand. This is the security we have in Christ. If our hearts belong to Him, He will never lose them. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Have you ever gone out and befriended some hungered stranger? Have you noticed that you may have approached the fellow with a reluctant love? But do you remember the heart, brimming with love, with which you departed from him after answering the needs of his soul. That is the LOVE of God. The more you serve, the greater the reservoir remaining. This defies the law of physics, doesn't it; but this is not a natural, but a spiritual, law.

 

            What result does the labors of Christ and His servants have upon the hearts of men? 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. That is the result! Faith! When people see what Jesus is able to do through your own life, they will know Him to be "that prophet that should come!"

 

            Though we may take good counsel from the examples given of the disciple Philip, those other disciples about Jesus, and of Andrew who sought when the need was revealed, the greater lesson – in my view – is from the little boy who gave all in spite of hunger, to Jesus for the feeding of others. He surrendered fully His all. And he did not go away hungry for, when you give your all to Christ, you cannot lose. Have you done?

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Anna Song (OAK Pun ie) of Korea – 25 March 2022, Anno Domini

I don't often write about things like this, but considering the times of materialism in which we live, I thought it might be fitting to remember a brave girl who found beauty and comfort in a cold harsh world.

 

During the late Choson era many of the Korean people lived in abject poverty, subsisting on the crops they were able to harvest each year and having little money for anything else. If they did manage to save a little money they were often quickly relieved of it through the squeezing taxes of the Yangban (nobility). Often the harvests failed and as a result, many people starved to death. Others, out of desperation, sold themselves or members of their family as slaves. It is difficult for us to understand but sometimes slavery in Korea was preferable to freedom. A slave was fed, clothed and sheltered by the slave's owner, but a free person was often left to fend for himself and sometimes starved to death during years of famine.

 

Ok Pun-ie was born in 1892. Her family, most likely farmers, was extremely poor, who barely eked out a living. They tried to provide for Pun-ie and her younger siblings the best that they could, but despite their best efforts; the children's lives were filled with hunger and cold. As time went by, the family's situation became more desperate until it probably climaxed in the great famine of 1901. Food was scarce and to the distraught parents it soon became obvious that unless something drastic was done, they would all perish. As was all too common in the past, the parents, in great sorrow, sold Pun-ie into slavery to a wealthy family for a quantity of food which they used to feed Pun-ie's siblings. She never saw her family again.

 

It is tragic to note that slavery had actually been abolished several times in the past. The last time slavery was abolished was during constitutional changes in the Korean government in the fall of 1895. According to Resolution 9, “male and female slavery, whether private or official, was to be abolished.'' However, laws are useless unless enforced, and the law that was designed to protect Puni-ie, failed her.

 

Pun-ie's life as a slave was not a good one. Even though she was a small girl she was forced to work long hours in the elements, fed too little and beat too often. This continued until the winter of 1905 when on one cold day her life changed. For hours she had been exposed to the cold with little clothing and her hands and feet became frostbitten, yet she was given no medical attention. Days passed into weeks and the condition of her hands and feet grew worse, the pain intensified and eventually developed into gangrene, and though she tried, she was no longer able to work.

 

Her owners took her to one of the foreign hospitals in Seoul and explained to her that the foreign doctor would make her ``well as soon as possible so that you can be of some use.'' The prognosis was bad, and the owners left her, no longer concerned about her fate. For eight months the young girl fought for her life, her days passed in fever induced states of delirium broken only by the horrific pain in her limbs, or after being anesthetized for surgery, sleeping in relative comfort. Remarkably Pun-ie often asked about her owners during her lucid moments but she was always told that they would not come and get her for a long time.

 

Pun-ie's final operation was completed in September 1906. The gangrene had been so severe the doctors had no other choice but to amputate both of her hands and one foot. Over the next months she was left to recuperate and become accustomed to her new life. Though she had only been a slave in the eyes of many, to the Western doctors and nurses of the hospital she soon became an inspiration.

 

During the Christmas season of 1906, Pun-ie noticed nurse Minerva Guthapfel writing a letter to her friends in the United States. Pun-ie asked the nurse to please include a greeting from her: ``the happiest girl in Korea.'' Nurse Guthapfel could not believe that this poor child could possibly think of herself as ``the happiest girl in Korea,'' and asked her to explain why she felt that way.

 

Pun-ie gave six reasons. First, the doctors had taken away all of her pain. Second, she had not been beaten once since she had arrived at the hospital. Third, she no longer felt the pangs of intense hunger. Fourth, she was never going back to her owners but was instead to live the rest of her life in the hospital. Fifth, the small Christmas tree in the hospital was the first that she had ever seen, and she thought it was beautiful though it was nearly bare of ornaments. Finally, she had found God.

 

Over the next couple of years Pun-ie improved and always maintained her insistence that she was the happiest girl in Korea. Many people could not understand how she could remain so cheerful. One Korean woman even wondered why the doctors ``didn't take the knife they used to cut off her hands, and put it through her heart.'' It would have saved ``lots of trouble and lots of expense.'' They couldn't understand that Pun-ie gave something back in return _ she gave inspiration.

 

She became baptized and was no longer known as Pun-ie but as Anna Song. She learned to write with a pencil tied to the stumps of her hands, and though it was a laborious process, she wrote letters to the nurses that had befriended her and returned to the United States. Her story became known in the States and one woman, whose daughter had recovered from a severe illness, sent a wheelchair to Korea for Anna's use. She also served as an interpreter for the hospital and reminded others that their pains and sorrows were not as bad as they believed. There is always hope.

 

It's important that we think about those around us and the trials they face, and not concentrate so much upon our own, because often ours pale in comparison.

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Lonely Encounter at Night – 24 March 2022

            I just wanted to relate an incident that happened to me almost 60 years ago which I shall never forget.

 

            One Friday night in the Fall of 1961, I had a date with a really nice and pretty young lady to go to a ball game in Copper Hill, Tennessee. I was a high school student and didn't really know my way around much - but thought that I did. I borrowed my mother's car and picked up my date.

 

            We had to drive about 50 mile through the mountains of East Tennessee to get to the game. It was a really lonely and desolate drive, the moon was out in its brilliance and reflected off the waters of Lake Ocoee as we drove. The mountains stood brooding and joyless on the opposite side of the road.

 

            When we reached the halfway point in our travels, I had a flat tire. No problem. I went to the trunk to get the spare and there WAS no spare. Later I learned that my mother had left it at a service station for repair and forgot to pick it up. An automobile would pass by only about every 10 minutes. I did not know what to do, and I was also concerned for my date.

 

            Finally, I began to signal any car that came by for help. At last a pickup truck stopped full of hunters. I offered $20.00 to them to take me the 20 miles to Copper Hill to get the tire repaired (it was all I had). They declined saying that they had been away from home for 3 days and wanted to get back to their families - as if 40 minutes more would have made a difference.

 

            They acted sad to leave us - but they did! After a few more minutes I saw a car coming around the mountain slopes in the distance. He was really driving fast, but in desperation I signaled him to stop. It was a rough, older model car. The occupants were two of the roughest looking men I had ever seen. They had long sideburns (which was unusual at that time -1961 - in East Tennessee) and several days growth of beards. They were dirty to boot. Now I wished I had not stopped them. They asked gruffly, "What's the problem, boy?"

 

            I asked if they would take me to Copper Hill, Tennessee (about 20 miles) to fix the flat. I offered again the $20 bill if they would take me. They looked gruffly at each other and said, "Get in!" I asked if my fiancée could go, as I was afraid to leave her on the desolate road. They shook their heads affirmatively.

 

            I felt very uncomfortable as we began to drive off. I was fearful that they might just kill me outright and rape my fiancée. All sorts of possibilities filled my young imagination. Then as they began driving 70+ miles an hour around the mountain roads I began to be concerned less about them and more about being killed by plunging headlong down the mountainside.

 

            Finally we arrived at a service station in Copper Hill. They got the tire from the trunk for me and had it repaired, for which THEY paid. They bought my date and me a coke. And we headed back.

 

            Arriving back at my mother's car, they replaced the tire onto the wheel themselves and waited to see if the car battery was not drained from the flashing caution lights we had left on. The car started and I got out to pay the two rough-riders for their trouble. When I offered the money, they looked at each other and the driver said, "No. You keep your money, son. Our reward will come when you find someone who needs help and you give it." That was all. They drove off to see their own families that had been waiting one month to see them at Gatlinburg. They were big, strong railroad workers and came home only once each month. They also had very BIG hearts.

 

            I learned a really valuable lesson that night - angels can be bright and shiny, but they can also appear as dirty, grimy workmen, and . . . you can't judge a book by its cover!

 

            These two taught me early in life to stop and help when someone needs it regardless of my own schedule.

 

            Thanks for reading my true story.

 

©Jerry Ogles, 1998 and 2016