Hymns of the Church – Beautiful Savior – 5 February 2024, Anno Domini

 

 

M

Y beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl (Song 5:10-14)

 

. . . .  fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? (Song 6:10)

 

            I have written of this hymn before, but choose to do so again for its beauty as a rose unfolding with time. We may consider the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ to be fully comprehended in an instant of time, but with the passage of those moments, we see even more glorious and resplendent beauty in His magnificent Personage. I was reminded of this great old hymn by a dear friend recently, and could not resist a re-visitation.

 

            The hymn is known as the Crusader Hymn for it was sung by the children who, en masse, marched off to their demise to its notes on Crusade from Europe. All were captured and enslaved, or died, during the event.

 

            A fond memory written, in indelible love, on my heart was to hear this great hymn sung at breakfast time during retreat in north Alabama by the Samford University Acapella Choir under the able direction of the good Dr. L. Gene Black in 2002. The choir was comprised of some 200 members, and their harmonious singing of this hymn lifted us all to the very gates of Heaven. The most popular modern version of the hymn is entitled, Fairest Lord Jesus; but the original translation by Joseph A. Seiss – a Lutheran theologian – was entitled Beautiful Savior. It is Seiss’ translation I will comment on in this devotion. The lyrics of this hymn were written by Jesuit scholars (date unknown), and the tune is a Silesian folk tune called CRUSADER.

 

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation

 

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation

Son of God and Son of Man!

Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee,

Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.

 

Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands,

Robed in the flowers of blooming spring;

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,

He makes our sorrowing spirit sing.

 

Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,

Bright the sparkling stars on high;

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer

Than all the angels in the sky.

 

Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations,

Son of God and Son of Man!

Glory and honor, Praise, adoration

Now and forevermore be Thine!

 

            Beautiful Savior, King of Creation Son of God and Son of Man! Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Master Artist who drew out and flung the stars into their orbits at the early instant of Creation. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and thus the King of Creation itself since All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3 (KJV) He placed the sun and moon at their stations, and artfully fashioned the mountains, meadows, seas, vegetation, and you and me. When we view the multi-colored and beautiful sunrise, how much more of beauty must be the Artist who fashioned them! Our Lord Jesus Christ is both the Son of God, and also the Son of Man. Possessing both natures, He was able to relate to us the character of the Father, and to redeem us from our sins as the unblemished Lamb of God.

 

            Truly I’d love Thee, truly I’d serve Thee, Light of my soul, my joy, my crown. How can we truly love and adore a Lord of such high majesty and power? How could the sinner, over-burdened with guilt and the filthy rags of sin, presume to love One of such exalted Nature? We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (KJV) We could never have approached the Throne of Mercy and Grace had the scepter not been lowered to us. He is the Light of our souls and the Light of Life itself: In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4) Nothing of greater meaning or beauty can exist for us than the One who gave us life by the giving of His own Life; the One who became our Day Star of Light in a dark sky of sin.

 

            The Jordan River, like the life of our Lord, is a short river with its origins in the snowy heights of Mount Herman. As it flows south, it creates a beautiful band of green life on its way. It spills into the Sea of Galilee which teems with life. Emerging on the south tip of that Sea, it continues through the wilderness – down and down to the lowest place on earth – the Dead Sea. The Jordan dies in the desert Wilderness just as our Lord died in the desert Wilderness of our sins. The Dead Sea is dead because it surrenders not a drop of the Water of Life which it receives; but the Wilderness of sin could not hold the Water of Life that came down from Heaven, for He arose as victor over death and sin. Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands, Robed in the flowers of blooming spring; everywhere our Lord goes, He gives life and light to the wilderness darkness.

 

            Our Lord places a melody in our hearts, and a burning Light in our souls. Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, He makes our sorrowing spirit sing. The song He gives us a divine and heavenly one: Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the LORD, to the mighty One of Israel. And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. (Isaiah 30:29-30)

 

            Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight, Bright the sparkling stars on high; The sunshine, the moonlight, and the sparkling stars are things of great beauty; but these are simply the icing on the cake of Creation. What of the sons and daughters of God? Since these things were made for our comfort, must not our Lord consider us to be of even greater beauty in His Crown? When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. (Psalm 8:3-5) The crowning achievement of God’s Creation is the man and woman which He created in the Garden eastward at Eden. Though many souls have been misappropriated by the serpent of that Garden, the Lord knows, and shall reclaim, His own from among them: And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. (Mal 3:17)

 

            Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels in the sky. Jesus does, indeed, shine brighter and purer because He is the Personification of Light. Without Him, all is darkness and there could be no light to shine. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12) Some have questioned this as a contradiction of Matthew 5:14 in which our Lord tells His people Ye are the light of the world.  This is to be viewed in the same sense as we consider the light of the moon. Any elementary astronomy knows that the moon has no light except that which it receives from the Sun. Likewise, no Christian has any light except that Light which it receives from the sun of righteousness and the Day Star of our salvation.

 

            The last verse is a benediction to all that precedes it: Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, Praise, adoration Now and forevermore be Thine! Can you imagine anything more beautiful than the strong and Everlasting Arm that reaches down to pull your drowning soul from the swirling waters of the sea of sin? He is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords – of ALL kings, and of all LORDS.  We cannot honor, praise, and adore Him enough. But that of which we are capable – our ALL – is due Him. And that will be enough. If we are crowned with the Ensign of Love, if we are called and chosen according to His purpose, if we love as we are loved, we shall not suffer shame or damnation. The River we cross at last shall be a glorious Jordan whose far banks are lit continually with the Light of our Beautiful Savior.

AOC Sunday Report – Third Sunday in Lent

 

Happy Third Sunday in Lent.
 
The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.

 

We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry, Roy, Dennis and Jack, as well as Rev Bryan.  Bishop Jack brings the propers together.  His sermon can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/iOgSnCwhhQY

 

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 are about half way through Lent, a season of preparation.  In the Collect, we ask God look in to our hearts, and see our desire to be His children and defend us against evil. Paul tells us in order to live out our faith, we need to make our actions match our stated desires.  One man cannot serve two masters. Remember where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We can easily tell who is for Him and who is against Him. It is simple, who holds to the principles of Scripture is for Him. They who do not hold to them are not with Him. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

 

Bishop Jerry also provided this lovely video presentation, Salt – Who we are to be as a people - https://youtu.be/nKLhP3jgqmE

 

I cannot recommend this video enough.  You will really really enjoy it.

As always, we have a lot of people who desire your prayers. I know that seems to never change, that is because it doesn’t ever change. Today we ask you start with Alan Ridenour’s father who is been in ICU for well over a month now with Covid then work your way through Shamu, Tricia, Laurie, and continue from there when you have time.

 

As we are over halfway working our way through Lent, season of preparation for the coming of the Lord amongst other things, we all need to see if we are really opening our heart to God’s guidance in the form of the Holy Ghost. If we’re not, and I doubt any of us really are as much as we could, we need to try harder and harder to do that. It is very difficult to follow God’s instructions if you don’t listen to them.

 

May you see the epic week ahead.

 

Godspeed,

 

Hap Arnold

Bishop Coadjutor

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

Sermon Notes - Third Sunday in Lent - House Divided - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide - 3 March 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 
Bishop Ogles’ Sermon

Presiding Bishop

Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.  Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.  

Bishop Jerry also provided this lovely video presentation, Salt – Who we are to be as a people - https://youtu.be/nKLhP3jgqmE

 

I cannot recommend this video enough.  You will really really enjoy it.

 

The Third Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

W

 

E beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Gospel

Luke 11:14-27

 

A

ND he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. ¹⁵ But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. ¹⁶ And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. ¹⁸ If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. ¹⁹ And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. ²⁰ But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: ²² But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. ²³ He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. ²⁴ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. ²⁵ And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. ²⁶ Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  ²⁷ And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. ²⁸ But he said, Yea rather, blessed arethey that hear the word of God, and keep it.

 

Christ presents to our hearts, minds, and eyes a very stark lesson on the power of sin, darkness and death.

 

 

A

ND he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

 

A person is possessed of a devil, or evil spirit. This person has all his faculties of speech and communication, but the presence of an invited and evil guest into his heart has deprived him of the ability to use his God-given powers to speak and to communicate. It happened 2,000 years ago, and it has been happening in all intervening times to include the modern day.

 

Note the wonder of the people at the restoration to health of the formerly possessed person. The world is always surprised and misinterprets the works of God.

 

When we hide the Word of God in our hearts, we are strengthened against the ArchEnemy of our Souls – the Devil! 

 

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Ps 119:11)

 

However, when we have a divided heart to admit even a small and cherished sin to remain in our hearts, it will grow and take possession of the whole organ.

 

Allowed sin always masters a man in time. The man may loathe his master, yet he obeys him; he may fear his master, yet still he does his hateful bidding.

 

Light always overcomes darkness because light is a positive value. Darkness has no real force. It is the absence of virtue – of righteousness. Even a tiny candle will dispel a roomful of darkness.  But we must light the candle!

 

God has given us His Word to light our way and illumine our dark hearts.

 

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Ps 119:105 )

 

¹⁵ But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. ¹⁶ And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.

 

The modern church seeks signs and wonders! They must have always some present wonder and presumed miraculous sign to legitimize their faith, but what saith Christ?

 

¹ The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. ²  He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. ³ And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. 

 

We have been provided enough evidence for our faith and more in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – a well-documented historical event of history.

 

The doubters accused Christ of using the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils.

 

What does this term, BEELZEBUB, mean? Lord of the flies – another word for DEVIL. 

 

When a dead body, or even excrement, is exposed to the light of day, flies cover it and lay their eggs thereon. Later, maggots appear on the dead. 

 

These unbelieving and wicked observers accuse Christ of bringing a lower form of life from filth. But Christ never resurrected maggots, but totally restored and healthy human beings. His power was the Creative Power that created man in the first occasion in Eden.

 

Beelzebub

The Lord of the Flies is a book by British novelist William Golding and, for some reason, is required reading in most American schools.

 

William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. 

 

The story is set during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact.  

 

However, the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies.

  

Beelzebub has a central role in the story as he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans. 

  

The Beast cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty because mankind is sick.

  

The destruction of mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this novel. He establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that drives them to destroy and maim. (a perfect description of Satan as well as the sinful nature in all men and women born upon this earth)

  

Simon – loner who knows that the evil in every man’s heart can only be fought by reason and virtue. Murdered sadistically by all the others.

  

This book is an unhealthy book for one primary reason: 

  

It ignores the God Equation and offers a human, rather than a spiritual, remedy.

  

. ¹⁷ But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. ¹⁸ If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

  

Christ knows our hearts. He sees our nakedness always. Nothing is hidden from Him – even our thoughts and motives are revealed as a book written.

Christ says: “…..a house divided against a house falleth”

  

If you ask the average historian who said this, they would tell you, Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln was simply paraphrasing the Bible.

  

It is ridiculous to allege that good can result from the spirit of evil.

  

¹⁹ And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

  

I was once involved with a local Korean minister who desperately wanted to acquire a new building for the church, but he did not want to inform the people of the plan. He knew, since they were paying for the building, they might object to the cost. I advised him to inform the people and conduct prayer services to determine the Will of the Lord in the matter and to enlist the support of the people.

  

He became upset with me and later told a mutual friend: “That brother Jerry is good man, but He too much Bible!”

  

No one has ever, before, or after, paid me such an unintended compliment.

  

When you launch out courageously into the deep waters of God’s Word, there will always be the nay-sayers who gather to condemn you and impute false motive to your seeking. But, just as Father Noah did, keep building the Ark of Hope and Faith.

  

 ²⁰ But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. ²¹ When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: ²² But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. ²³ He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 

  

Compare with Luke 9:49-50:

49. And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. ⁵⁰ And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. 

  

If a Roman priest stands and condemns homosexual marriage and abortion of innocents, will we today stone him for being Roman Catholic?

  

This might be Christ response to the book, Lord of the Flies -

  

²⁴ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. ²⁵ And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.²⁶ Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 

 

We are unable to clean and garnish our own hearts. This is the work of God, through His Word, and the working of the Holy Spirit.

 

If we renounce our sin of lust and greed, and remove them from our repertoire of sins, soon a greater and more wicked bag of sins will inhabit the place left vacant. 

 

God’s Word, being Light, is necessary to dispel the darkness from our hearts. We are unable of our own strength and merit.

 

The book which I mentioned, obviates this principle and would leave men more destitute of virtue than before the attempted amendment.

 

If we have not yet surrendered our souls, unconditionally, to Christ, we are set for a fall to a lower point than before our feeble resolution to better ourselves.

 

Human reason is not the answer. We need God in our lives. We need His Word in our hearts. We need the old heart regime to be filled with goodness – not simply devoid of evil.

 

A vacuum always draws on the environment. It always seeks to be filled. If we presumably empty our hearts of evil, we cannot keep them empty. Something will force its way in and occupy by force our Soul’s bastion. But if Christ resides there, there will be no room for the devil.

 

²⁷ And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. ²⁸ But he said, Yea rather, blessed arethey that hear the word of God, and keep it.

 

Christ is not interested in elevating our human image – He seeks to alter it completely – to restore it to His own intents and purposes evidenced in the Garden at Eden.

 

Hearing and knowing God’s Word is not enough for as James has said:  ¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? James 

 

Saving Faith will always be reflected in our daily lives – the things we say and do, the manner in which we love and respond to those in great distress.

 

Remember the Love of Christ was not simply a fondness, but a sacrificial, compassionate love that always expressed itself in action. When He saw, He had compassion.

 

Third Sunday in Lent - Propers with explanation – Bishop Jack’s Sermon – With Video

 

Bishop Jack brings the propers together.  His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/iOgSnCwhhQY

 

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 are about half way through Lent, a season of preparation.  In the Collect, we ask God look in to our hearts, and see our desire to be His children and defend us against evil. Paul tells us in order to live out our faith, we need to make our actions match our stated desires.  One man cannot serve two masters. Remember where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We can easily tell who is for Him and who is against Him. It is simple, who holds to the principles of Scripture is for Him. They who do not hold to them are not with Him. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

The Propers for today are found on Page 128-130, with the Collect first:

 

The Third Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

W

 

E beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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 today came from the Fifth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning at the First Verse. He echoes the  advice of St. James in his general epistle to be Christians, not just claim to be followers of Christ, when James wrote, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

 

B

E ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

 

This morning’s Gospel comes from the Eleventh Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke beginning at the Fourteenth Verse. 

 

J

ESUS was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Bishop Jack Arnold

Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States

Training and Education Department

Diocese of the West

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

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 ->https://youtu.be/iOgSnCwhhQY

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 are about half way through Len
t, a season of preparation.  Let us start by reading today’s Collect:

 

The Third Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

W

 

E beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies …

 

In the Collect, we ask God look in to our hearts, and see our desire to be His children and defend us against evil.  That also means we are looking for His Help which comes in the form of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost will assist us in the process of changing of our hearts to actually have “hearty desires” to do His Will and to be “humble servants”, not our usual and customary self-centered selves.  Quite a combination of thoughts in a small bit of verbiage!  It is amazing how much we can put in a short sentence if we use words to their best advantage! If we will be follow Him, He will defend us in all assaults of our enemies. [1]  If we will not accept His Help, He will not force it on us.  Back to that old, “Thy will be done.”  The question arises once again, from whose mouth does it proceed, ours or God’s? 

 

Today’s Epistle and Gospel share the same theme. This theme is centered around action. In order to be a Christian, you have to act as a Christian and not just say we are. And we cannot try and please both man and God, we have to pick which master we are to serve God, or Satan/man/mammon. I know who I want to serve, do you? Faith without the actions to back it up is a false and meaningless faith. Sadly there are too many people in this world today who call themselves Christians who do not truly act like Christians. We must strive to not be like those people, but strive to be Christian not just in name only but in deed as well. 

 

In light of this, there are two phrases particularly worth remembering, “a house divided against a house falleth” and “He that is not with me is against me.”  Middle ground exists, but it is quicksand.  Eventually one has to choose a side.  Everybody has to make that choice sooner or later. It is very clear to us what side we should choose. The only rational side to take is that of God, the side that will lead us to eternal life not that of eternal death.

 

And, we cannot keep with the opposition.  It is the natural part of the history of the Bible and of life. We have to choose to follow God, as there is no other reasonable option, which will give us the result following God will result in. We must decide who we will follow. We do not have true faith if we do not act upon the words that our lips speak, of believing in Christ and His Father. We must emulate the example that Christ Himself set for us in His ministry of action. 

 

Speaking of His ministry, Jesus set the ultimate example for us to follow for action.  Saying we are Christians and actually being Christians are two different states of being. It is like the difference between saying we are going to the grocery store and actually getting in the car and driving to the grocery store. It is quite easy to say we are Christians, it is quite another to act like we are. Acting like Christians is a lot harder than just saying we are but it is something we must strive to do if we are to be more like Christ. This will be something that we work on for the rest of our earthly lives.

 

In his Epistle, Paul tells us in order to live out our faith, we need to make our actions match our stated desires, very much in line with the thought above. Paul calls us to avoid those actions that are unbecoming of Christians and we need to walk in the light and not the dark. Given our fallen nature it can be a difficult task sometimes, but with the help of the Holy Ghost, it will be easier. We need the Holy Ghost to enter into our hearts and listen to His advice to stay on the trail of the light and not fall into the pit of darkness.   He talks about uncouth behavior of those who are of this world and not of God. He says that those folks have no inheritance in the kingdom of God, so let us strive not to be like them. He is warning us not to let our natural desires overcome us, but let the Holy Ghost in so we can desire what is good for us, versus what is not good for us as our natural tendency is. This can be a hard thing, but it is something that we must do all the same. We need the Holy Ghost’s help to fight our natural tendency of wanting bad things. We should be doing our best to emulate Christ’s example as much as we are able.

 

As we have discussed many times, action is the central theme of the Christian faith, which was first shown with Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection. He came to act for us, not just to talk or meditate; His great plan involved action, though it was painful, it was His action which released us from the wages of sin. We have to follow His Example that He set for us and live our lives in a manner that reflects we believe the Gospel. 

 

Think about the Gospel.

 

It is very important to be unified in our worship and maintain mutual support; a team always beats individuals.  That is not to take away from individuality, but rather to note we need to remember whose side we are on and work together with our teammates. If we are not working together, then we are not truly united under Christ’s banner. And if we are not truly united, then we will not get anywhere in spreading the Gospel for all to hear, learn and understand.

 

We might have individual personality differences, but as long as we all believe on Christ and His Death and Resurrection and Gospel, then those differences we might have with others are minor and not worth arguing or fighting over. We must cast aside our personal feelings about the minor differences and focus on how we can work together with our fellow Christians to further His Mission here on Earth. 

 

Christ himself came not to unite the world, but to divide it, father against son.  In Matthew 10:32-34 He says “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” He is saying here He has not come to unite the World, for the World is not on our side. But to clearly divide the world to show who is with God and who is against God.  He came to highlight who is for Him and who is against Him.

 

For as earlier explained, one man cannot serve two masters. And also the saying of where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. In this life by reading through Scripture we can easily tell who is for Him and who is against Him. It is simple, who holds to the principles of Scripture is for Him. They who do not hold to them are not with Him. 

 

You must keep constant vigilance against backsliding, for a fallen Christian is in worse shape than one who was never exposed to The Word. In order to maintain the constant vigilance you have to always act upon your faith. The Epistle and Gospel both talk about the curious dichotomy; you are saved by faith, Jesus’s faith, and your faith alone saves you, not what you do; yet if you have faith, you must act on that faith. To maintain your Christian course, you must truly turn a new leaf, and not slip back into the old man. This is one of the most difficult challenges as a Christian, but with the help of the Holy Ghost, we each can do it. 

 

You must receive the Word, hear it, and act upon it and spread it joyously to others, in order for your faith to have any meaning at all. Otherwise we will have been for the worse than if we never had heard the Good News. It is not a gift to selfishly lock up, but to share and give to others. That is the true joy of the Good News. It is most certainly more blessed to give than to receive in this case.

 

You must grasp your acceptance of Jesus Christ as your savior and your repentance is the beginning of your life as a New Man in Jesus.  

 

Will you slip?  Without doubt.  But, when you do, will you again repent and continue to do your best to follow the Word of God, the Light and the Truth?  All that matters is you get up and do your best not to do what you did to slip. Life is a continuous learning process. Indeed, if you are a Christian that is what you must do.  We will always slip up in our lives, that is in our fallen nature. But we have to get up and get back on track, using the Holy Gospel to guide us like the instruments in an aircraft.  We cannot trust our feeling, but only our instruments (God’s gift of Holy Scripture).  You are called to believe and act on those beliefs to the best of your ability.  If you do not, then prepared as you were for life, you will so be prepared for the pit.  As you read Luke, remember the second half of the Book of Luke is The ACTS of the Apostles, not thoughts, wishes, prayers or meditations. 

 

For, “blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”

 

ACT

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

 

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[1] A Collect for Peace – 1928 Book of Common Prayer Page 17

Lent 03 Collect – 3 March 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

The Third Sunday in Lent.

The Collect.

W

 

E beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

            Those who wear their religion on their sleeve need not appeal to God for defense. Their defense against the spiritual powers of darkness, great though those powers be, will remain the arm of withering flesh. Pride is its own reward and can never be coupled with our prayers for God's protection and grace. Humility is a rare commodity in today's world. After all, do we not all need a positive self-image? What good will that false self-image be in the grave of worms and decay? We even train our youth to believe that they must have a good opinion of themselves. Good opinions of our own worth will scarce purchase a drop of water in the fires of hell. It is only when we realize that without humble love we are "nothing worth" (as stated in the Collect for Quinquagesima)  can we be worth a glance of grace from heaven.  This is another Gregorian Collect that was composed when the enemies were at the gate. The Roman Church at the time of the original writing of this Collect was not yet so `full of itself.' It was not lifted up in pride, but prayed daily for the preservation of body and soul from those monsters without the gate, and the demons from within the gate. Is it any different today except that the Church is too asleep to know?

 

            WE beseech thee Here is another vivid portrayal that our prayers in public worship are communal – that is, these prayers are timeless and worthy of being lifted to God with hearts united in the faith we profess. The prayer following can be uttered in the heart of every worshipper to good profit. This is one of the strengths of Prayer Book worship. Individual prayers of extemporaneous nature may contain elements unrelated to the other worshippers, or may even contain appeals to things contrary to our doctrine and faith. But all of the prayers of the Prayer Book are based on sound biblical principles and truths. To whom should our prayers be directed? To Almighty God! 

 

            "… look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants…" What are hearty desires except those desires that have been filtered by love and faith in the most intimate chambers of our hearts? Can a proud and boastful suppliant have such hearty desires? I doubt that they can have. Their desires are based on a proud mind and flesh, not a humble heart.  How does God view pride? Not very highly, I'm afraid. It is pride itself that separates us from the grace of God: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (Psalms 10:4) The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. (Prov 8:13) Space does not afford the luxury of quoting many more verses of God's condemnation of pride, but those already provided are sufficient to the point. Just remember, the mighty Lucifer fell as a result of pride.

 

            "….and stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty." Truly this is the Right Hand of Supreme, Sovereign Authority. I may swear an oath with my right hand uplifted, or sign a bank note with my right hand of authority; but my right hand is limited to the feeble power of man alone. The right hand of a king has serious implications, but the Right Hand of the King of Kings seals every truth and judgment. If God stretches forth His Right Hand, you may be sure that Heaven and earth may be shaken.

 

            "…..to be our defence against all our enemies…" God's defense is not a limited defense, but will defend against ALL enemies. While we all were once enemies of God, those who have been received by grace may now appeal for that powerful arm of defense in the Almighty. What defense do we need always? It has a direct bearing on a defense from the spiritual powers of darkness that assail us daily; and it has a relevance to the Gospel text for this Sunday from Luke 11:14-28. If we may consider the world a jungle (and it is definitely so from a spiritual perspective), we pass through that jungle with a thousand hungry eyes watching our every move. At the first stumble (at sin) those eyes inform vicious claws and teeth to attack. That is the devil's way, and it has not changed an iota since that Old Red Dragon fell from Heaven as lightning. He has never, and WILL never, be anything other than the mortal enemy of your soul. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8) If it pleases you to sin, just be ready for the devouring lion. As God said to Job from out of the whirlwind (regarding that dragon, Leviathan): Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. (Job 41:8) The same is true of Satan – his power is beyond that of man to oppose. Only God can win the battle against such a vicious creature.