Bishop Jack’s sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE ->
Bishop Jack’s sermon looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come. We want to follow our own hearts, that is the unruly wills and affections of sinful men, which will lead us not to heaven but to hell if left unchecked. These unruly wills and affections of ours are what have caused the problems in the world. God is a Triune God; Father, Son, Holy Ghost. One of the Holy Ghost’s jobs is to open our souls, hearts and minds to God’s Will. One of His main functions to help us see where we are in error and how to fix those errors. We are God’s creatures, first among all His Creation with all the privileges (which we like) and all the responsibility (which we are not so keen on) which come with that status. All good comes from God, who is always with us; always the same; a true bearing in world in a constant state of flux. While the world may change, the Word will never change, no matter what happens in the world today. It all comes together.
The Propers for today are found on Page 174-175, with the Collect first:
The Fourth Sunday after Easter.
The Collect.
O |
ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This week’s Epistle came from the First Chapter of the Epistle of Saint James beginning at the Seventeenth Verse. James tells us we are the pinnacle of God’s creation, destined to be the stewards of His world. This position has its privileges, but even more important it has its responsibilities. Most of the time, we seem to concentrate on what we like, the privileges, and forget about those responsibilities which require work, putting off instant gratification, persistence and sometimes courage. As Saint Paul so often tells us, we must become new people, putting aside our old ways, considerate of what we should do and let ourselves become open to His Word:
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VERY good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
This week’s Holy Gospel came from the Sixteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the Fifth Verse.
You must recognize we are imperfect creatures with free will. For us to do God’s Will, not ours, we need help. We need that bit of good leaven, which will let our hearts rise to the occasion. We need the Holy Ghost in our hearts and souls. Listen as John tells us:
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ESUS said unto his disciples, Now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Jack Arnold
Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
Director of Education and Training
Bp Jack brings the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday. Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE ->
Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come. Easter, perhaps better referred to as the Day of the Resurrection is when the promise of eternal life is delivered.
Let’s start by reading the Collect for today:
The Fourth Sunday after Easter.
The Collect.
O |
ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter and the following four Sundays, through Rogation Sunday. This is a time we should work on centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found…
The very first phrase is critical to understanding the world and our place in it. We want to follow our own hearts, that is the unruly wills and affections of sinful men, which will lead us not to heaven but to hell if left unchecked. These unruly wills and affections of ours are what have caused the problems in the world. People wrongfully try and cast blame on God, but it is us that has caused the problems in the world and not God. If we did what God told us to do, the world would not have these problems. These problems all stem because of our natural inclination to not to want to listen to God. The Collect points out that we cannot order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men, as we are but imperfect creatures. Only God can do this and we have to rely on Him to help us get our unruly wills under control and back on the path towards righteousness.
In order to get back on the path towards righteousness, we have to internalize His commands into our hearts through listening and then through repetition, action. Like any other skill, repetition is key in order to get better with this. This is the only way we can follow His Commandments and show the World we follow Him. For all of the above to happen we have to let God into our hearts, souls, minds and bodies and let His Directions carry us through life. In order to be true believers, we have to actualize our stated beliefs. Actions show that we don’t just talk the talk, but that we walk the walk as well. This means we have to live out our Christian Faith and not just talk about it. This is easier said than done, but it is something that we must do our best to do as much as it lies within us. God can and will help us do this, but only if we let him into our hearts.
Our life will be better when we follow His directions and if we will allow God to rule us and desire His help, we will be able to attain the state of happiness we will then deserve. It may not be what seems to be easy at the time, but we have to trust that God knows that He is doing and that He knows what truly is good for us. And in the end it will be easier than if we went through the “easy” route and took shortcuts in life that aren’t really shortcuts. He knows what is right and what is wrong for us. He does not want us to lead so called puritanical lives with no fun allowed whatsoever, but we must have fun the right way and not the wrong way. The right way can lead to a lifetime of happiness, whereas the wrong way leads to a life time of misery. It is as St. Paul says moderation in all things. Too much of a good thing can end up becoming a very bad thing. Moderation in all things, as Paul so rightly notes. This is why God puts limits on us, not to punish us, but to help us live our lives in a spiritual and a physically healthier manner.
Many people think that God forbids things for us, because He does not want us to have fun. Nothing can be further from the truth. He forbids things harmful for our spiritual well being, and encourages us to have clean spiritual, joyous things in our life to develop our spiritual well being. God knows what can hurt our spiritual and physical and mental health and is advising us to avoid those things so we do not inflict unneeded harm upon our souls, bodies and minds. Those people confuse the things harmful for our spiritual well being with fun and think things actually helpful for our spiritual well being are not fun. When it is completely not the case. The Holy Spirit will help us to truly see what is harmful for us and what is not harmful for us.
We need God’s help (this is one of the places the Holy Ghost comes in) to be able to want for ourselves that which He Wants for us. Because clearly we are not capable of doing this on our own without His Help. The Collect asks us to allow God into our hearts to bend our will towards His Will and His Wants. If we can desire what He Wants, our ability to follow His Instructions will be much enhanced. And not only will they be much enhanced, but the more we follow His Instructions, the easier it will be for us to continue on that straight and narrow path towards heaven. It is like practicing any sort of learned skill, the more you practice at it the better you will get. Of course, we will never be fully perfect at it, but as long as we keep doing our best to get as close as we can to perfection, that is all that matters.
We are God’s creatures, first among all His Creation with all the privileges (which we like) and all the responsibility (which we are not so keen on) which come with that status. All good comes from God, who is always with us; always the same; a true bearing in world in a constant state of flux. While the world may change, the Word will never change, no matter what happens in the world today. His Word is a refreshing constant, in this world where nothing ever seems certain. The Ways of the World go to and fro, in a constant state of flux. However, God’s Word always stays the same; its meaning never changes, as God never changes. As God is truth, which by its nature cannot change, so should we never change in our beliefs towards Him.
So, how can we hear?
When Jesus got ready to leave this world for His, He told the disciples He would send them the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to keep them in Him and to help them understand what they had so far been unable to truly grasp. Unless we allow the Holy Ghost to enter into our hearts, we will never understand that which is from God. This is an important concept with messages that are not from God being bombarded across the world through principalities and powers of this world. Only the Holy Ghost can help us remain grounded within the truth. We need the Holy Ghost to enter into us that we might be able to hear the Word of God, and more important than just hearing the Word, we need the Holy Ghost to be able to act upon the Word. We must allow the Holy Ghost to enter in to our hearts and souls so we can understand what God has for us. It is that simple. Open your heart, pray for God to send Him into that open heart.
For with the Holy Ghost’s help, you can hear, understand and act on The Word.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
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