Sunday next before Advent - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon – With Video

  

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/HkDLbffnPpE

 

The Collect, Epistle and Gospel tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message ultimately. This Sunday is commonly known as Stir up Sunday. This is from the first two words of the Collect.  Incidentally, in England, this is the Sunday that the Christmas fruit cake is commonly made.  The Collect asks God increase in us a desire to do His work. The scripture which serves as an official as the Epistle is a reading from the Book of Jeremiah, which foretells Jesus’ entry into the world. The Gospel is the feeding of five thousand with five barley loves and two small fishes. I think you’ll enjoy the manner in which all of this comes together.

The propers for the Sunday next before Advent can be found on Page 225-226:

 

The Sunday next before Advent

The Collect.

S

 

TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Epistle for today came from the Book of Jeremiah, the Twenty-Third Chapter, beginning at the Fifth Verse.   Foretelling the arrival of Jesus, Jeremiah prophesied, “I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  He prophesied the New Covenant, moving reference of the Lord from Egypt to Israel and the return to one people of those driven out of their homeland across the world. 

 

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EHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. 

 

The Holy Gospel for today came from the  Gospel according to Saint John, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the  Fifth Verse.  John relates one of the feeding the masses in the wilderness events.  This forshadows the arrival of the Christ at Christmas coming to feed our spiritual needs in the wilderness of this world.

 

With five thousand men with them looking for food in the wilderness, “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…”  Reminding us that if the Son of God gave thanks to God for His food, so ought we, “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.’”

 

Compare to saving our souls and feeding the inner hunger we have for God’s love, feeding a mere 5,000 men is child’s play, but then Jesus said we should accept God and His love through Him as the children do.  So perhaps it really is child’s play. 

 

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HEN 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 - Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/HkDLbffnPpE

 

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday. 

 

The Sunday next before Advent

The Collect.

S

TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

 

As is oft the case, today’s propers are all tied together.  As is usual, they call for action not just thoughts.  In fact, the collect is among the most direct, asking God to stir our hearts that we might ACT in a manner which will result in good things! The collect is asking for God to inspire us to ACT to produce those good works that will please Him. It is asking for God to assist us in our actions here on Earth to produce good fruits. And through those good fruits, God will reward us with gifts that are better than we could possibly imagine.

 

Jeremiah prophesies the coming of Jesus out of the branch of David that He might unite God’s people as one under a New Covenant.  Christ is the key piece to the puzzle of the Old Testament prophecies. He is the answer to all of the prophecies the Old Testament contains about our savior. John tells us Jesus comes to fill both our spiritual and physical hunger. Our spiritual hunger in that by His Coming, we will have the Word as our spiritual bread and drink. And our physical hunger by the fact if we follow what He says and do our best, we should have no problems getting food to eat. The collect is calling us to action, to perform good works to advance the cause of the Gospel.

 

The collect is asking us to allow God into our hearts so that we can go forth and do good works that the Good News might be spread. It is asking God to stir up our wills that we might go forth and do good works for Him and effect positive change for us and members of our community on Earth If we do that, the collect assures us that we will be rewarded very well. First we have to let Him int our hearts in order for Him to stir up our wil and incline us to perform the good works.m. Then through these actions we will truly get our just reward. Our wills are naturally inclined towards not following Him; we need to have our wills reset towards following Him. 

 

We have to throw off our old man, to quote Saint Paul and to put on the new armor and helmet of the new man. We have to shed our old like a lizard sheds his skin and grow the new armor and helmet. Then We have to let the Holy Ghost into us and cleanse us of our old sinful selves. In order for all of this to happen, we have to willingly let the Holy Ghost into our hearts, souls and minds and have him guide our actions. For without the Holy Ghost’s influence, we cannot truly be able to willing follow Him and act for Him on our own intuition. Our own natural intuition will lead us astray. We must follow God rather than look to ourselves to renew our hearts souls and minds. 

 

Nothing else in this world will satisfy us like God and the Word of God can. He is the answer to the missing hole in so many people’s hearts and lives.  There is so much evidence of this missing hole in people’s lives today. The sad part is that the missing hole is obvious, but to those who will not believe it is not obvious at all. They keep searching for things to fill that broken hole, but nothing they will find will come close to filling the hole as God can.

 

Our broken society is a reflection of the missing gigantic God shaped hole. Yet nobody wishes to acknowledge or recognize this hole. The church sadly has been complicit in this by allowing the devil to enter into the church. No house divided against itself shall stand and sadly that is what is happening with the modern church.  We have found that no art or work of mammon can come even close to the pure satisfaction following God provides. Yet because so many people have been blinded by Satan, they won’t see this. This is the only possible way we can truly be satisfied, everything else is a shadow of true happiness and satisfaction. God is the only way in which we can truly be happy, for everything else is worthless to our wellbeing, except for the joy of following Him.

 

If we follow our own heart and guidance, we will seek the things of this world and will be hopelessly lost. But if we follow God’s guidance then we will not be lost but will be on course and on path towards heaven. If we stumble off from time to time, we just have to recover and get back on the path towards heaven with the help of God and the Holy Ghost. 

 

Events happening in this country today show that we are not truly capable of satisfying ourselves, only Jesus and the Holy Spirit can fill the hole. We cannot replace God with man as some liberal minded folk in this country are so apt to think. This is why we truly need the Holy Ghost acting in our hearts and cleansing us of these impure thoughts. Otherwise we risk becoming like many in this country today, unhappy and angry people that do not understand that true happiness is not found in mammon but serving God and spreading the Good News to all nations.

 

As we are nearing the beginning of Advent, let us think ahead to the joy of Christmas, the birth of Christ, His entry into this world, the joy of Epiphany, His revealing to the world.  Then look ahead at the horror, pain and sadness of Good Friday.  This lets us see the joy of eternal life He gave us, came at a very heavy price. Jesus gave His Own Life so we might have eternal happiness and not only that but he had to go down into hell and do battle with the devil. 

 

The World is constantly changing things to suit its sinful desires.  However, those of us who follow God do not change from the truth. This is why we will never be fully satisfied with things of this world, but we will be satisfied with what God provides for us.

 

He asks of us nothing special; but just to do our very best, not just say it. It is something I am striving to work on more and more every day. As we are not perfect, we will stubmle on this but as long as we get back on track and follow the Holy Ghost back to the course we are supposed to be on , then all will be well.

 

We must keep learning and following His Word. It is a hard concept for many of us to follow, including myself, but we must all strive more and more every day to do our very best. If we study Scriptures diligently and work hard to follow them to the best of our abilities, then we will, with the Holy Spirit’s help, be charted on an excellent course. 

 

Interestingly, He tells the disciples to “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”  It seems He is talking about the sheep that He tends to, He wishes to “gather up the fragments that remain”, meaning the people apart from His flock, that “nothing be lost”, meaning that their souls may not be lost for eternity. Think about that and take what it is offered before it is no longer on the menu! And be thankful for All His Blessings in our lives, for our friends and our family that He has placed in our lives.   

 

We are blessed and should be grateful we are in a spiritually rich group (The Anglican Orthodox Church) and in communion with some very good men and women across the Earth in the AOC Worldwide Church, who hold true to the principles of Scripture. God has blessed us all by bringing us together. I am thankful for each and every person in the AOC Church and my family and friends.  At Thanksgiving, we should be thankful most of all for God sending His Son to die for us, that we might have eternal life and happiness instead of the eternal misery that comes from the separation from God.

 

Actions speak louder than words, when we actually use that inspiration of the Holy Ghost and a couple well thought out words with actions, we can do many marvelous things in the lives of people around us, through His Spirit and Word and we will help to fill people’s spiritual hunger, through acting through His Word, in thought, word and deed.

 

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

Sermon Notes - Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity - Sunday next before Advent - Abundance of Bread - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide - 20 November 2022, Anno Domini

 

The Sunday next before Advent

The Collect.

S

TIR up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

 

W

HEREFORE I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Tim 1:6-9)

 

            A strong counsel for the Christian of any time of persecution, and of those who live, as we do, in a world of watered-down faith and easy-believism. Regardless the number of Sundays in Trinity Season, this COLLECT must always be the COLLECT of choice on the Sunday next before Advent Season. (See rubric following the Gospel for 24^th Sunday after Trinity in 1928 BCP, or following the Gospel for 25^th Sunday in the 1662 English BoCP). The title referenced above was not used by Cranmer but was restored to its ancient title by the 1892 American Prayer Book (from the Sarum Missal). The Collect was famous for its beginning words – “Stir up” – so much so that the Sunday of its use was popularly labeled, “Stir Up Sunday”!

 

            The words, “Stir up,” summarizes the fullness of the Gospel preached in its entirety.  It relates to that most powerful aspect of the human nature – the WILL! If it is the will of a man or woman to become rich in the material riches of this world, it is very likely that he or she shall surely become wealthy if that will is strong enough – even to the detriment of character and virtue! The WILL is that overt and compelling manifestation of what is hidden in the heart. The heart that belongs to Christ may, indeed, become wealthy in giving and caring, but wealth is never the superseding goal of such a heart. The problem with the rich young ruler was not his wealth, but that he allowed his wealth to blind his eyes to his duty to God. (see Mark 10 & Luke 18) When we take all virtue, all godliness, all compassion, all love, et all., that we have been granted in Christ, we need to ‘stir-up’ these qualities and devotions from time to time in order to bring them back up from the depths of forgetfulness and revive them to a fresh and lively currency.

 

            The will of the sinner, while free of the godly restraints of righteousness, is a completely free will. However, when a heart is given over to Christ as Lord and Savior, it is that Mind and Will of Christ that takes possession of that former will of the world and transforms the heart to godliness. Do not preach to me of Calvin or Arminius – but only of Christ and His Word. Both these men were stellar scholars. Each ‘got it right’ at some point, but those moments of correct interpretation only followed learning of truth gained from Holy Scripture. So why not, instead of quoting some good man, go to the Fountain of Truth Itself rather than drinking downstream?

 

            You may ask: “How do we ‘stir up’ our Godly wills of faithfulness to God?” We do not, but God DOES! He does so through the preaching and hearing of the Word! So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17) But wait! Suppose you have already heard the glorious Gospel and yet sleep? One of my favorite means to allow God to ‘stir up’ my faith is through the singing of hymns – whether alone of with family, or friends. Nothing touches my soul more than scripturally-based classical hymns. (You may keep your Gospel songs filled with pabulum, thank you!) But suppose my heart is closed to every means of being stirred up by conscious rebellion? How will God elect to ‘stir up’ my faith? But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.  But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. (Romans 10:18-19) I personally prefer the more gentle stirring of love and remembrance than to be stirred up by jealousy and anger. But God will use whatever mechanism He deems useful to stir us up.

 

            Though God may use the wills of evil nations in bringing judgment, He only stirs up the wills of faithful people in service to Him. With what result does God stir up our hearts? With the results that our faith again becomes foremost in our daily living, and our fruits of righteousness and good works are multiplied over and over again. Such fruits are not ours, but belong to the Sower who sowed the Seed in our hearts at the beginning. When we are a useful vessel to God, He will use us more and more as a favored vessel in His Hand just as a loving mother may have an old iron skillet or stone bowl that she treasures above even more expensive and beautiful vessels in her kitchen. If we, as Christians, are able to hold our ‘heat of the Spirit’ as the heavy iron skillet holds its heat from the oven, God will be more disposed to use such a proven and useful vessel. Moreover, He will reward such a vessel by placing it is a favored place in the cabinet of Heaven. He will often clean and polish it even more for future use. Personally, I would rather be an old, blackened iron skillet than a beautiful, French porcelain vase on the mantle. If God will use me to prepare food for His Children, how much greater honor can I have?

 

           We have a mere four more Sundays before the blessed observance of Christmas. The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as a precious baby at Bethlehem stirred the hearts of kings, rulers, wise men, and shepherds. Christ always stirs our hearts!

 

            When God stirs up the wills of His faithful people, such a stirring can only result in greater production of fruit somewhat as life-giving rain on a parched field planted with wholesome seed. If we produce plentifully in good works, this gives the Father the opportunity to reward us with even more Rain of Blessing. Is there a smell of rain in your heart today, dear Reader?

The Holy Gospel

John 6:4-14

 

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HEN 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.

 

           What a wonderful Season of the Church Year is Advent. All good things in the lives of men – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Apostles, and us – begins with the Coming of Christ, both spiritually and physically, to us. Having longed to see the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Seed of Promise, Abraham hoped in the Gospel of Christ and was blessed to see His Coming. Christ comes to us that we may be enabled to come to Him. We see this truth enacted in today’s Gospel sermon text. Those who hunger for Christ will find Him if even on the mountain heights of the Galilean coasts. Those who hunger for Christ will:

 

1.     Discover (through the Word and Spirit) where He may be found; 

2.     They will leave the place where that are presently (sin and error) and GO to Him; 

3.     They will not give thought of what the morrow may bring, but trust in Him to provide their every need;

4.     They shall be fed with the Bread of Heaven.

 

            When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him This is most prophetic of that company of souls that will come, over the expanse of centuries and millennia, to Him in faith and trust.  They shall come seeking that Bread of Life which will satisfy eternally and not temporarily. They shall, on the day of God’s own choosing – and not that of greedy spiritual speculators – come to meet Him in the air, and not a mountain, on His glorious Second Coming. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:16-17)

 

            Christ often challenges the faith of His chosen vessels just as He tests that of Philip. Knowing the mind of Philip in His spiritual growth, Jesus asks: Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?  A lesser prophet than Christ once asked the same question of God in the Wilderness: Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. (Num 11:13) It is certain that Christ wants us to know that a greater prophet than Moses stands before us. Without the presence and power of Christ, the world is in constant worry about this matter sustenance. Shall we have bread to eat and raiment to wear? Of course, the world takes the matter a step further: How can we enjoy the most opulent of cuisine and the most fashionable and elegant raiment – delicacies and raiment that will set us apart from the common people and that will exalt us in our pride? The starving child on the backstreets of Calcutta does not wish for delicacies, but only a morsel of bread to appease his gnawing hunger. It is so because the starving child knows not of delicacies or of elegant silken robes, but only his desperate NEED. So the sinner (rich or poor), when he comes face-to-face with his depravity, can recognize no righteousness at all in his feeble works, but starves for the Redemption made available in Christ. Rather than the bread of wheat, he starves for the Bread of Heaven. This Bread cannot be bought with money, so Christ gives Philip a thought to nourish his soul. 

 

            Philip’s mind has not progressed to that perfection of understanding, as yet, that might be expected from so close a disciple! Clearly, under the terms of the world, a small fortune would be required to buy sufficient bread to feed so many. There were many more than five thousand present for there were five thousand men alone, plus women and children. Has Philip forgotten that He who provides food and lodging for the sparrows of the field is in his presence? Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. Two hundred pennyworth of bread would cost two hundred days of wages - And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard (Matt 20:2) And even at such an expense, there would certainly be no leftovers for each would only “take a little.” All of our labors and wages from our birth until now will not purchase a single morsel of that Bread from Heaven. The combined wealth of the world would not do so. It is a gift of pure Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

            There was one disciple among the lot who accepted that there was a mystery in the Person of Christ that enabled Him to provide plenty from little of nothing. He knew not the manner in which might do it, but he nonetheless believed that the mystery would be realized even in a meager amount. God takes our talents and multiplies them when we are willing to share them. 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? What are five barley loaves among a multitude so great, yet, Andrew suspected that Christ would use even a small amount to supply a great need – and He did! Now, we must recognize the innocence of youth in this circumstance. The little lad had labored to bring his two fishes and five loaves over a great distance and even up the slopes of the mountain. Were he a mature man of wisdom, he probably would have refused to share so little claiming that it would not suffice so many hungers and, moreover, he had the foresight to bring them for himself and it would be consumed by him. But the little child has a heart that is closer to the Kingdom of Heaven and has not grown calloused by the world. The child willingly shared his small treat with the Lord. Though we have little, if we share what we have, the Lord will multiply the gift an hundredfold, or more!

 

            And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. The rubrics of the Prayer Book indicate when we are to kneel, stand, or sit, and we must comply with each and every rubric of the Prayer Book if we are able. The Lord expects all things to be done in good order and, here, He is about to feed the multitudes with His Bread. The Bread of the Prayer Book is the Sermon delivered from the Lectionary appointed for the day. So the people sit to hear the Word preached. It is the means by which faith is received and increased. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Contrary to the Romanist approach, preaching takes precedence over every other act of worship including Communion for, without the Word, Communion is meaningless. So Christ asks that the men be seated to receive His blessing of Bread. When men receive from the Lord, they do not stand in their own power as if they contribute to His miracle. “Stop your labors, have a seat, and see the works of the Lord!”

 

            The Lord will always comfort our needs in green pastures - He maketh me to lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2) Now there was much grass in the place (vv 10), So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Obedience before the Lord comes most surely when men realize their need. These men were hungry and were expectant that Jesus could, indeed, feed them. They obeyed Him.

 

            And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks Here, Jesus gives us the perfect example to follow in returning thanks for the blessings of Heaven. He never failed to thank His Father in Heaven for every blessing of food and drink. Do we do so, Friends? “….he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” Please observe a stark lesson here for us. We do not serve ourselves at the Communion Rail, but kneel reverently (according to the Prayer Book form of worship – and the Holy Bible) to be served the Cup and the Bread. We do not innovate and do according to what seems right in our own eyes, but serve according to the good order required. The Lord allows His servants to have a hand in assisting in His important work. They serve the bread, but the Bread is given by Christ – it is not their own. We, as ministers, preach the Word, but the Word is His and not OURS! Note also, that each person on the grassy slopes received as much as they wanted of the bread and fish. The cupboard of the Lord has no bottom of blessings. There will always be more than enough to satisfy our hunger. We must return to the Bread Table daily for our “Daily Bread.”

 

            When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.Notice that all were FILLED! You never come to the Lord hungry and go away hungry. He fills you with the desperate need of your heart. Another important lesson in this verse is the one of stewardship. We are to be good a faithful stewards in the economy of resources with which God has blessed us. We are to use His blessings of talents we receive in satisfying the hunger of those God has placed in our hands (parents included) but we are to waste nothing! When we travel field and forest to gather souls for Christ, our efforts do not end at the early confession of faith – we must continue to teach and nourish the soul in the Word so that the convert will grow strong spiritual bones and muscles. We must not lose a single flower from the bouquet….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. Let us count the balance sheet of the Lord here: there were a mere five loaves at the start. Now the remnants taken up fill TWELVE BASKETS! Do you believe this is too amazing? Do you believe that the Creation of the stars in the expanse of space too amazing, or the earth with all of its wondrous beauty too amazing, or billions of people – all with different faces and features – amazing? What is so amazing that the Word which created all that has been created could multiply a few morsels of bread into such an immense supply? He is able to likewise multiply the smallest mite of the widow’s heart when given out of her need to Christ! He is able to multiply that love scattered abroad from that heart brimming over with the love of God so that the residue is always of plenty.

 

            What is the result of receiving the blessed Bread of Heaven? How should our hearts respond to so mighty a miracle as salvation, forgiveness, grace, and faith? 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. Faith is confirmed from pillar to post when we have tasted the Bread of Heaven. The multitude recognized that Christ was a prophet of even greater miraculous power and virtue than Moses – their greatest prophet beforehand. The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken (Deut 18:15)Christ is, indeed, that Prophet! In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men…… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:1-4,14)Friend, believest thou this?

Trinity 23 Collect - a Devotion for 20 November 2022, Anno Domini

 

The Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity

The Collect.

 

 

O

 GOD, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness; Be ready we beseech thee to hear the devout prayers of the Church; and grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

G

OD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2.Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3.Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4.There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5.God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.  (Psalm 46:1-5)

 

            The inspirational power of this COLLECT is best represented in the five verses above taken from the 46^th Psalm, and also from that great Reformation Hymn by Luther;  A Mighty Fortress is our God. The consistent testimony of faith is demonstrated between the Psalmist of old and the latter-day Reformer in observing these two works. The Ramparts of God are sound and strong and not subject to penetration. In fact, the bulwark and rampart are the early strong defense built outside and beyond the walls of the fortress as an early defense against the enemy. Isn’t that early defense precisely what we need most in defending our souls against the wiles of the devil? If we spare our defense until the enemy is ramming the gates of the fortress, have we not taken the chance of waiting too late to defend the soul within the fortress? When we open our hearts to risky temptation, have we not disregarded that early defense that God offers? If we never allow the enemy to draw near enough the Fortress of our Souls as to seduce us with enfilading maneuvers, we shall bear a far greater security than by depending upon our own desultory fires of defense from a weakened position. This COLLECT calls to our remembrance the continual security we may enjoy in God by living prayerful faith and living.

 

            Prayer is, to the Fortress of the Church, the same as the communications and intelligence resource of an Army. Through prayer, we call in the power of God on the enemy lines, and also reveal to Him our present position. Our logistical needs and provisions are conveyed by prayer, and we await the response from that Higher Headquarters as to its supply. If the Church is true to God, it will be a Fortress in a world of wickedness. Please observe how small is a Fortress as contrasted with the world for size. Those who seek safety will run to the fortress as danger approaches. Those who seek only to spoil and plunder will also run to the fortress to gain entrance by force of fire and intrigue. God is a SURE defense against every evil seduction. When we depart from the security of constant prayer, we are defenseless before the enemy.  Jesus says: Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luke 21:33-36) Pray ALWAYS! How is that possible? Jesus means that not only with our lips, but with our lives, we must pray. Our living testimony is lie unto a prayer. We seek the will of God for all that we do – that is an ALWAYS prayer for the Christian.

 

            O GOD, our refuge and strength, who art the author of all godliness Yes, God is our refuge and strength, but also the author of ‘godliness’ or righteousness. All that God has every said, thought, or done has been altogether righteous and just. We sometimes must remind ourselves that God’s justice makes no distinction of persons. But there is an apparent exception to this rule (and it is apparent ONLY): those sinners whose condemnation is given over to Christ through their election and calling in Him are forgiven and exonerated of their sins. But what, may you ask, of the justice of God? It holds sure and constant, for God has allowed His son to receive that judgment that was due to us through His redemptive sacrifice at Calvary.

 

            Be ready, we beseech thee, to hear the devout prayers of thy Church It is a certain thing that God is ALWAYS ready to hear the prayers of the devout. Prayers offered in Communion of the Church are multiplied in their earnestness by the numbers of devout souls praying. If the whole Church pleads a case with God, it is all the more likely that the petition will be one which the Lord is disposed to grant. It is a simply thing for the Christian to pray alone and in the privacy of his closet, but how much more convincing of righteousness when the whole Church comes together in prayer for the common need. God is very pleased to hear those prayers of the Church and to grant them favor.

 

            Grant that those things which we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually It is possible to pray with great faith for a blessing which it is not the Lord’s will to grant. How is this possible? Because we see, now, through a glass darkly, and do not know what danger may await at the end of the road which we pray to follow. God does know, indeed, and may forbid our travel on that road (plan). But praying faithfully for those things which are clearly righteous and God’s desire to grant will result in answered prayer in the grant of our request. Once prayer has been answered according to our will, AND the will of God, we must receive the grant effectually. If we have suffered great financial hardship and pray our father for a gift of cash to cover our hardship, how wrong of us to take that gift and squander on the cheap treasures of the world! When God answers our prayers, we must act with sincerity and devotion upon the favor granted. That is obtaining effectually. We must use His gifts precisely in accordance with the will of the grantor.

 

            Finally, all that we ask of God, we ask through, and on the behalf, of the One who bought us with His own blood – the Lord Jesus Christ. If even Christ Himself prayed that not His will, but the Father’s, be done, how much more should we pray in the same spirit? Do you always make your prayers subject to the will of God the Father?

AOC Sunday Report - Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

  

Happy 22nd Sunday after Trinity. The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE! Today we have outstanding sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as from Revs Jack and Bryan.  Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/bZ-slxitSpQ

The Collect, Epistle and Gospel tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message ultimately. The Collect asks God’s help to keep the church on track, following Him, and not deviating, that we might serve Him. The Epistle is Saint Paul writing to the church in Philippia, Paul sends his greetings letting them know he has been praying for them constantly. He tells them that the good work God has begun in them will surely continue until Christ returns to them. Paul tells them he prays that they will find more and more joy in following the will of God. Continually reminding people of the joy of being born a new person, Paul prays that their “love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”  The Gospel is the story of the forgiven servant, the one who will not himself forgive.  See how all this ties together.

Every week we have a long list of people who desire your prayer, this is no different than any other week except maybe there are more people.  Please start with Shamu, Tricia, Laurie and Jim, work out from there.

There is a really amazing and inspiring week ahead.  If you are having difficulty visualizing it, perhaps you should open your heart further to that Third God Guy, the Holy Ghost. 

Have an epic week!

Godspeed,

Hap
Church of the faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America.

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

  

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/bZ-slxitSpQ

 

The Collect, Epistle and Gospel tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message ultimately. The Collect asks God’s help to keep the church on track, following Him, and not deviating, that we might serve Him. The Epistle is Saint Paul writing to the church in Philippia, Paul sends his greetings letting them know he has been praying for them constantly. He tells them that the good work God has begun in them will surely continue until Christ returns to them. Paul tells them he prays that they will find more and more joy in following the will of God. Continually reminding people of the joy of being born a new person, Paul prays that their “love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”  The Gospel is the story of the forgiven servant, the one who will not himself forgive.  See how all this ties together.

The propers for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity can be found on Page 220-222:

 

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity

The Collect.

 

L

ORD we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

The Epistle for today came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians beginning at the Third Verse of the First Chapter.  Writing to the church in Philippia, Paul sends his greetings letting them know he has been praying for them constantly.  He tells them that the good work God has begun in them will surely continue until Christ returns to them.  Paul tells them he prays that they will find more and more joy in following the will of God.  Continually reminding people of the joy of being born a new person, Paul prays that their “love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”

 

I

 THANK my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

 

The Holy Gospel came from the Eighteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Twenty-First Verse.  On the subject of confession, repentance and forgiveness, knowing the rabbis had ordained forgiving one’s transgressors three times Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”  Knowing Jesus as he did, Peter no doubt expected Jesus to say more times than three, but 490 may have been somewhat more than he expected.  In one of the more important stories in the Bible concerning God’s forgiveness of us and our obligation to forgive others, Jesus went on to liken the kingdom of heaven to a king, who was balancing his accounts.  He found a servant who owed him, in today’s terms, a million dollars.  The man had no money, but promised to pay and begged for mercy rather than have himself and his family sold into slavery as the law allowed to repay the debt.  The king forgave him the debt and set him free.  Upon release, the man being reminded of his debts, began to attempt to collect from those who owed him.  The first debtor he came across owed him $10.00 and had it not.  The one who had been forgiven cast the $10.00 debtor into prison.  The king found out and bye, bye.

 

The quote is - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Not – Do unto others before they do unto you.

 

T

HEN came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? ²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. ²³ Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. ²⁴ And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. ²⁵ But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. ²⁶ The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ²⁷ Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. ²⁸ But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. ²⁹ And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. ³⁰ And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. ³¹ So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. ³² Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: ³³ Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? ³⁴ And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. ³⁵ So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/bZ-slxitSpQ

 

Today’s sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and talked, as is oft the case, of the need for action, not simply diction and are all tied together.  Today’s propers really put to lie the concept of the hermit Christian.  When we talk about them, look how the Collect talks about the Household of God, what Bishop Cranmer styles as the Church, and how Paul speaks of the benefits of fellowship and joint prayer.  If that were not enough, see how Jesus reminds us of the need for forgiveness and patience, things you only need if you interface with others.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name …

 

In the Collect we ask the Lord to keep His household, (that would be the Church or us) in continual godliness (that is to keep Him as our leader and follow Him and the principles of Scripture), so that with His Help we can have as smooth a path as practical and serve Him in happiness. It also says through His protection we might be free from all adversities and to do good works for Him. By being free of adversities, it means in times of adversity God might give us the guidance needed to soar through these adversities and do good for Him. If the Church is not in continual godliness as many of the Churches are now then they will not have God’s guidance to get them through these adversities  and thus they will stumble and fall. Another reason we should be following God constantly instead of the world. The world cannot give us the perfect guidance God can and their advice will only lead us to ruin. So let us turn to God and follow His Lead that we might be devoutly given to serve Him with good work.

 

Devoutly serving hi with good works is only possible if we listen to the Scriptures and apply them with the help of the Holy Ghost.  Without the help of the Holy Ghost, we cannot have His Protection and will not be able to keep on the straight and narrow uphill path towards heaven.

 

Saint Paul follows this same thought in his Epistle when he thanks the Philippians for their fellowship and talks about how their bond through Christ have strengthened his faith as a result which enabled him to continue doing good works for the Lord. He expresses his wishes for the Philippians to do the same and to keep growing in heart, soul and spirit, with their judgement and knowledge increasing as they allow the Holy Ghost in their hearts more and more.

 

Paul also wishes the Phillipians would approve of godly things and their holiness would increase as they walk more and more with God. He is basically wishing for them to continually grow in wisdom through reading of the Holy Scriptures and then applying them in their day to day actions. It ties in nicely with the collect asking for God to keep the Church in continual godliness. Our Lord accomplishes this by having our bonds strong in the church, He keeps us in that continual godliness. The more we love the Lord, the more it will show through in our actions and our judgment.  So, let us keep loving the Lord, so our actions and judgment will align His! Paul’s wishes not only are good for the Phillipians but they are good for us to consider in our day to day lives as well, especially his wish that we might grow in wisdom through reading Holy Scriptures and applying them in our day to day lives. He also calls us to be sincere in all of our dealings and being kind to our fellow believers.

 

Which brings us to the point of the Gospel, in which Christ tells Peter about forgiveness and how we must be ever patient with our fellow humans, and if they are repentant, grant them that forgiveness, no matter how many times they might err and vex us.  It doesn’t matter if we want to or not, if they are truly repentant then we must forgive them, regardless of how we want to do otherwise. This is important as if we hold the evil of non-forgiveness in our hearts, it is to our own detriment.  We would not be following the words of the collect of staying in godliness if we were to not forgive. For as God forgives, so must we forgive those who are truly sorry. 

 

Holding non-forgiveness in our hearts is as bad for us as holding a grudge against an individual. It acts as like cancer to our soul, eating away out our soul turning it from bright white to a dark black. We must not allow this to occur and if somebody is truly sorry for their misdeeds, we must forgive them. Else we will not only hurt them by not forgiving them but we will also hurt ourselves. It is best for both parties involved if we can forgive them.

 

We can only forgive those sins against us, for those that are against God, only God can forgive. Remember, we can forgive them for personal trespasses against us, but through God’s power, only He can grant absolution of our sins, not us.  Nowhere in Scripture does Christ tell Peter humans have the power to forgive sins, as the Roman Catholics claim they have, but rather God must forgive sins, but we can tell others God has forgiven them. 

The parable illustrates what happens to those who are forgiven, but yet turn around and do not forgive their neighbor (in this case, a debtee) for their sins and have thus abused their forgiveness from Our Lord. If we follow this person’s path, we will find ourselves in a poor spot in eternal life; not only the eternal life, but our temporary life here on earth would be made more miserable by our abusing of the forgiveness. Let us not be like that fellow, but let us forgive our neighbor, if he is truly sorry and willing to repent and re-start the friendship, and turning a new leaf so to speak. 

If God has been so good to forgive us, why should we not inform others God can and will forgive them of any sins against Him or us for that matter? It would be truly selfish not to do so and to go against what He has commanded us to do, in spreading the Word to all nations. This is why the Gospel is called the Good News, because God has forgiven us for our sins and sent His Son to die for us, that we might have eternal life instead of eternal damnation. This is the ultimate forgiveness, accounting us as perfect, when we are anything but.  

 

Today’s propers speak of the power of Our Lord in forgiveness and how we must remember our bond with our fellow Christians in Christ, especially in times of great sorrow or trouble and use that to strengthen us in our day to day lives. We must always remember there are others in our heavenly family who are struggling along with us. With the help of the Holy Ghost and our bond with Christ, we shall not fail.

The Collect’s prayer, Epistle and Gospel tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message, ultimately.  We have to be willing to forgive others, tell them about God’s forgiveness, and not turn around and commit the grave error of not forgiving others as God has forgiven us for our sins. We have to act more like God each day, though we are not and never will be perfect. If we try our utmost best, that is all we can do.

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