AOC Sunday Report - Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Happy Twelfth Sunday after Trinity as the seeming endless Green Season marches on!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE or by clicking on the picture above.

There are great sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  They are considerably different, though, with the exception of Roy, they cover the same scripture.  I enjoyed each of them, though I found Jack's quite telling.  Perhaps that is because I got to hear it from him and read it, rather than just read it.  I urge you to take the time to read these exceptional pieces.

There are a lot of people who desire your prayer, please start with Jim Flanagan, Shamu, Bob and Bill's family, work out from there.  I know there are a lot of people asking for help, please heed their pleas.   Please pray for those in our South whose lives have been impacted by the recent hurricane.  Please also take time to pray for our various countries as they face the Covid crisis, both the disease and the government reaction; the disease is real, the reaction is calculated.

There is a truly exceptional week in the offing, yet you will not come close to finding what God has in store for you without His Help in the form of that Third God Guy, the Holy Ghost.

May you enjoy the week ahead.

Godspeed, 

Hap

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

The United States of America

Sermon Notes - Twelfth Sunday after Trinity - Saint Andrew’s Anglican Orthodox Church - 30 August 2020, Anno Domini

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

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ND again, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. 32 And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. 33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; 34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 35 And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; 37 And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. (Mark 7:31-37)

Two Spirits Drive the Christian

The Seeking Spirit

            Our text opens today following the visit of Christ to the coast of Tyre and Sidon where, we are told in Verse 24, “He could not be hid.” Because He was SOUGHT out by a Syro-Phenecian woman who had HEARD of Him, came and fell at His feet pleading that He cast out an unclean spirit from her precious little daughter, her prayer was answered. This Christ did. The lesson, of course, is this: Christ can in no wise be hidden from those who seek Him. How may the Light of the World be concealed in the desert night? Moreover, He delights at being found by those who seek Him. As our Prayer of Collect says: He is “always more ready to hear than we to ask.” So Christ deliberately desires to give us that for which we ask – as long as we ask for those things it is His will to grant. One of the characteristics of the spirit of a Christian is that of a SEEKER. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.  (Matt 7:7-8)

            No man comes to Christ if he has not sought Him out. So first and foremost, we must have a Seeker spirit. There must have been a great guilt that has impinged upon our consciences at some point, evoked by the Holy Spirit, to cause us to feel and know our absolute depravity and sin.  Even a dying child, or a dreadful disease, may awaken us to our great need – ‘the soul’s sincere desire.’ Some, like the lost sheep, know not where to seek; so they bleat and scurry to and fro in the wilderness rocks until their cries are heard by the Good Shepherd who comes to them in their loneliness and fright. Shouldn’t we, if able, be like those Greeks who came to Philip at Bethsaida, and desired of him, inquiring: Sir, we would see Jesus!  (John 12:21) But, like the lost sheep of the parable, are not able to go to Him, so they cry out where they are. Some are blind, cannot see, and are BROUGHT to Christ so that the scales may be removed from their eyes and they may see. How does such faith come? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Romans 10:17) Have you both heard and believed from the Word of God? Someone must have TOLD you. Have you told others?

            Now, in order to share good news, one must be the recipient of Good News – the Good News that is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ! Knowing a truth of imponderable benefit to others must compel us to speak out. Have we remembered the Lord’s very last prayer before His ascension?  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matt 28:19-20) Have you gone to those who have not heard, who cannot see to come to Christ?

Now Jesus returns the shore of the Galilean Sea – to Decapolis. We are told that, without the news of His coming being published in the newspapers or broadcast on radio, men brought a fellow to Christ who could neither see nor speak. How did they know that Christ was coming? Perhaps bad news does travel rapidly, but Good News travels with the speed of light – the Light of the World. Every place that Christ went, healing and doing good, the witnesses heralded his name and movements everywhere. The news was simply too good to keep silence. It is impossible to know Christ and keep silent. There are no secret Christians! 

The Missionary Spirit

            Once we have seen, heard, and known Christ, there is a second spirit that must evince itself – the MISSIONARY SPIRIT! So how is Christ greeted on His arrival at Decapolis on the coasts of Galilee? Men bring to Him a friend who was both deaf and had a speech impediment. Such impediments of speech are common to those who have not, and cannot, hear. All who have not heard the Gospel are also handicapped from speaking it to others. These men who brought this deaf man to Christ had already heard of Him and knew that He was able to heal. So they put feet to their faith and brought a man who could not have heard of Christ. Faith is like a newborn babe – it cannot lie still. It must exercise itself and cry out and, thereby, GROW! Our own faith is increased when we share that faith with others and observe the resulting miracle!

            32 “And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.” Men, who were able to know of Christ by HEARING of Him, now bring one to Christ who had no such benefit. I love the spirit of love and compassion that is generated in a heart full of faith. Please note that these men ask nothing that would be shocking of Christ. They do not make demands in their prayer such as the modern church advocates. They besought (pleaded) only that Christ “put His hand upon” the deaf and dumb man. Why were they not more specific? Do our prayers have to be specific in detail? Not at all! In the Lord’s Prayer, we simply ask that His will be done. If the will of Christ is done in our lives, it will be enough! These men could not demand that Christ restore the man’s tongue and loose his ears. So, they knew that the mercy of Christ would do all things needful. We never inquire or suggest the means by which Christ should answer our prayers, we should settle always for the happy result and not the means. We might properly remember that “His ways are not OUR ways, and our ways are not His ways.”

            There is no secret formula or incantation whereby the miraculous works of God are produced. The simple and mysterious manner in which Christ healed this man could be replicated precisely a thousand times by mere men with no such result. The power was not in the MEANS, but in the LORD! 33 “And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue.”  The example here is one of intimacy. We would sooner drink from the same glass as our child than that of another’s. When we are healed, it is a matter between the one being healed and the healer. So, Christ took the man away from the multitude. Our greatest healing from sin is ALWAYS a matter of our coming face to face with Christ and apart from the multitudes. Christ touched the man by placing His fingers in his ears, and spit and touched His tongue. The man was not repelled by this intimate touch. His great need was to speak and hear – not to worry about the means, and this means was the only way the man could intimately know Jesus through his mouth and ears which were blocked. Many of my own prayers have been answered in amazing and surprising ways – almost never the way I expected. Jesus is a Lord of surprises. He will answer our prayers in ways that will result in our greatest benefit and in ways that we could never have imagined. When we pray, we must expect to be touched by Him, and we must expect to receive Him into our innermost being.

            Christ did all things in perfect fellowship with the Father. When we undertake to serve God with a great work, even though our intentions may be commendable, we must first look to God. 34 “And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” Even our Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten of the Father, looked to His Father in all of His works and miracles. He did so because, first, He wished to have His Father’s concurrence in all things; and, secondly, He desired to glorify the Father in all that He did. So must we! Do we boast of our success at organizing a worship service that attracts man, or our success at Bible studies that attract many? The glory is not ours, but belongs to God. In healing, Jesus ALWAYS took compassion on the person who sought it. The Good Samaritan was the only one who took compassion on the poor Jew who lay dying on the Road to Jericho. He felt the pain of the Jew. Jesus feels our pain as if it were His own. He makes Himself One with whomever He touches to heal and forgive.

            What was the results of the Lord’s command of “Ephphatha!”?   35 “And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.” When Christ speaks a single word to our hearts, the response is immediate – just as immediate as Paul’s being struck down on the road to Damascus.  The mystery of god is at work in opening eyes that they may see, or even in blinding the eyes that we may KNOW Him as Paul was blinded on that Road. Once our eyes have been opened to the beauty of the Lord, our tongues shall also speak plainly of Him -  “….the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”

            The counsel of our Lord in the next verse may seem a bit strange, but it has a great lesson secreted in its heart. 36 “And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.” Please tell me: was this not a bit improbable that a man could be healed of speech and hearing and should remain silent about it? Do you really believe that Jesus intended that they MUST not tell anyone? Remember the young man, blind from birth, whose sight Jesus restored and commanded to tell no one? Or do you remember the leper that Christ healed whom He commanded, “Tell no man!” What profound truth was Christ conveying with such counsel? I believe the answer to that question is apparent based on what I know of the loving Lord. How can a man who has been unable to speak keep silence after having his speech restored? It is natural and irresistible that the first thing such a man will do is practice his speech, and tell every soul how he recovered it. The same with the blind man who was healed. How can he go home to his parents and not tell them the obvious – that once he was blind, but now he sees? Or the leper, who was forced to separate himself from friends and family, not tell all that he no longer has leprosy and why?

            Jesus is making this point: Once the power of god has worked a marvelous work and a wonder in your soul, how can you keep silence even if commanded by God Himself! Jesus is saying to us, “Though I command your silence from telling others all that I have done in healing your guilty soul and your body, you cannot bear to keep silence.” Once you have known Christ and His Gospel, it will be IMPOSSIBLE for you to keep that secret! You must proclaim the good news from the roof tops.

            When Christ has forgiven your sins and received you by adoption into the family of God, all people will see the change and wonder of that marvelous work come over you.  37 “And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.” When Christ works a miracle in your life, it is seldom solitary – it is a healing of all ills the first of which is your deadly disease of sin. He practices ‘triage’ in addressing our most serious affliction first – and that most serious affliction is always sin, for its end is eternal death and darkness. 

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity - Propers, Explanation and Rev Jack's Sermon

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

A

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen

The Epistle for today came from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Third Chapter beginning at the Fourth Verse.  Paul reminds  us through the Grace of God we can be able ministers of the new testament, on our own we can be in the end no good.  If we are able to completely follow the Law, with good intent, we can through that please God, but inasmuch as that is impossible we fall short.  The letter of the Law, which cannot be complied with is death.  But following the spirit of the Law gives life.  That is Jesus’ message, for in the Law is death and in the spirit life.  For if there is glory in administering the Law, how much more glory is there in the spirit of the Law, which is Jesus’ message?

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UCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

Today’s Holy Gospel began in the Seventh Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark, beginning at the Thirty-First Verse. Jesus came in to the coast of Decapolis[3].   The people brought unto him a deaf mute. Jesus examined the man, put his fingers in his ears, touched his tongue and said “Ephphatha”[4], that is, “Be opened.”  What Jesus did here for the deaf mute physically is what he does for each of us spiritually.  Through Jesus, we hear the Word of God and are given the ability to speak it.  Conversely, there are none so deaf as those who will not hear and none so blind as those who will not see.  It is up to each of us to choose if we will remain blind, deaf and dumb or open our eyes to see, hear and speak the Word of God.  When we receive the gift of sight, hearing and speech we embark on a new life of freedom.

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ESUS, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

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.

Consider the words of the Collect, wherein we ask God who is … more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask …

For the first time in a long time, this collect acknowledges we are continually pray to God, asking Him for what WE want.  Yet, how oft do we listen to Him when He responds with what we need?[1]  If we will listen to Him and DO what He asks, He will give us more than we have need of, more than we ask for and more than we can even desire. The point of the collect is that He has unlimited resources for this and also able to forgive us for things of which are bearing on our conscience. Yet, it requires us to listen to Him, then ACT[2] on what we are told.  When we ask His forgiveness, when He gives it, we need to accept it and live it; if we live in the past, we never will benefit. We have to accept it in the present. The present is the only realm of time in which we have complete control of our actions and thoughts and can influence people around us.  We cannot influence things in the past or in the future, we can only do our part in the here and now. The Line of Time stretches from the unfathomable past, back to The Beginning, all the way to the unknowable future, all the way to The End.  God is in all places all the time, thus He knows The Beginning, as well as The End.  But, where God’s finger touches that line lies The Present.  Right now; where we live; the only place we, as humans, can live.

As we all know the past has already happened; it is unchangeable. It is set in stone. The future has not yet happened, but can only be influenced through our actions in the present. This is why worrying about the future and past is pointless. We cannot influence things that have already happen and things that are undetermined to happen, We can only influence things in the present. Which is the only place where we can act directly for Him.. We just need to remember the past for our future actions; if there was any bad we did in the past, we just need to not repeat it. We need to remember the lessons learned there and then move on. The key is moving on. If we don’t move on, we will never learn the lessons we are intended to learn.  It is better for our physical and mental health if we do move on and learn what we are intended to learn. Trust in God and dread naught.

How do we learn? Luckily for us God gives us guidance to learn through the Holy Ghost, if we will but accept it.  He gives us the power to act in the spirit of The Law.  The Law or actually 613 little laws turned out to be in of itself a death sentence.  The Jews could not, or would not, comply with the 613 Mosaic Laws, which brought them death.  The Law brought Death, but the New Testament of Jesus Christ brought to us Life, true everlasting life. 

Too many Jews only cared about not violating the Law, not about the spirit of the Law which was intended. Following the letter of the Law does not save an individual, following the spirit of the Law is what counts. If you follow the spirit of the Law, you are following what the Law was meant for.  Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of the Law. As the embodiment of the Law, He gave us the important bits of the law, when He gave us the Summary of The Law, which through Him would bring life, everlasting life and happiness here on earth:

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

Only two laws to comply with, which though simpler, are harder:

1.     Love God

2.     Love your neighbor like yourself

There is no getting around these two moral laws; no loopholes in these two laws, they are very plain and very clear.  If you follow those two laws, there is not much other guidance. The Ten Commandments themselves spring from these two laws as a moral base. Loving God and loving your neighbor like yourself will greatly improve your life and others around if you consistently follow it.  The Summary of the Law is the spirit of the New Testament, which is we are to love God and love our neighbors. These are both things seemingly contrary to our sinful nature, but with the help of the Holy Ghost, they can be overcome. And they are also both things that will greatly improve our lives here on Earth. If not in a monetary sense, most certainly our lives will be improved spiritually if we follow the Summary of the Law. If you understand the Big Picture, you know what to do on your part of the Little Picture to make your world line up with His World. Our problem is that like the Jews  we cannot perfectly line up our world with His. Because we come from the same common ancestor, Adam, we have the curse of free will. Luckily for us, we have the Holy Ghost. He can be so useful for us, inputting change of course corrections to us. We just need to listen to His input and then act upon it accordingly. 

In the Gospel, Jesus helped a deaf man with an impediment of speech. It is a parable in of itself. The deaf man is a stand in for us. We who cannot seemingly hear God’s commands, or won’t. Our speech impediment is that we have sin and that sin causes us to utter offensive or wrong things in our day to day lives. We are asking for Him to heal us of both spiritual impediments. Without His help, we cannot be cleared of our spiritual deafness and uncleanliness.  If we will allow Him into our hearts, Jesus Christ will remove that spiritual block that causes the spiritual deafness and uncleanliness. The key phrase here is that we have to allow Him into our hearts.  He won’t come in uninvited; we have to on our own will, willingly invite Him in. Only then can He start the cleansing process.

The Holy Ghost is a large part of our spiritual lives. Without Him, we could not be considered one of Christ’s sheep. We have to let Him into our hearts and lead the transforming and renewal of our minds. Without His help, we cannot adequately follow Him. In other words, we are doomed without the help of the Holy Ghost, which will give us His guidance and advice in conducting our church, professional and personal lives. 

When Jesus opened the ears and mouth of the deaf mute, He did for him what the Holy Ghost will do for us, if we will but let Him open first our ears to hear, then our mouths to testify, communicate and direct.  We must lead people to God, not try to push them.  Thus, we need to strive, each of us, to follow God more closely so we can pull on the lead rope.  Leading requires being in front of the people you are attempting to lead, having them follow your example towards an objective.  Study Jesus’ life, He is a perfect example of a leader.  We cannot ever be perfect, but we can strive for that perfection in our actions.

Action counts.  For by their actions ye shall know them. 

                                              

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

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[1] Herein lies another problem.  If we pray, it seems we continually pray for what we want and we oft want things that are contrary to our actual needs.  Imperfect creatures with free will, a bad combination in itself, we continually use and understand in our hearts two words: need and want, to mean the same thing; when in fact they often mean two diametrically opposed things.  Thus, amongst other things and perhaps before, we need to pray for the Holy Ghost to help us to understand the difference and ask for what we need.

[2] Here we are again, back to the old Action, not Diction, is what counts!

[3] Decapolis - ten cities=deka, ten, and polis, a city, a district on the east and south-east of the Sea of Galilee containing "ten cities, " which were chiefly inhabited by Greeks. It included a portion of Bashan and Gilead, and is mentioned three times in the New Testament (Matt. 4: 25; Mark 5: 20; 7: 31). These cities were Scythopolis, i. e., "city of the Scythians", (ancient Bethshean, the only one of the ten cities on the west of Jordan), Hippos, Gadara, Pella (to which the Christians fled just before the destruction of Jerusalem), Philadelphia (ancient Rabbath-ammon), Gerasa, Dion, Canatha, Raphana, and Damascus. When the Romans conquered Syria (B. C. 65) they rebuilt, and endowed with certain privileges, these "ten cities, " and the province connected with them they called "Decapolis. "

[4] Ephphatha the Greek form of a Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic word, meaning "Be opened", uttered by Christ when healing the man who was deaf and dumb (Mark 7: 34). It is one of the characteristics of Mark that he uses the very Aramaic words which fell from our Lord's lips. (See 3: 17; 5: 41; 7: 11; 14: 36; 15: 34)

The Crucial Question – 28 August 2020, Anno Domini

 

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E ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.  (II Corinthians 6:14-18)

            There is a glaring and profoundly crucial question facing the Church in America as well as the Church around the world; the social contract in the western nations as well as those around the globe. That question is one of simple meaning but complex application – ‘Who do we serve in this life, God or mammon?’

            The ancient culture that was once known as ‘western culture’ influenced the whole world in its impact. It was so because that culture was informed by an early acceptance and adherence to the Christian Faith. Today, that culture is less geographically defined since the Christian Faith has been preached and accepted by large numbers of believers in every corner of the earth. What was once considered western culture was merely the influence of the Christian Faith on the lives of the people of Europe and the New World. Now that belief has influenced and blessed every nation, tribe, and tongue around the world so that it is no longer defined as western culture, but the redeeming and efficacious influence of Christ on all peoples. Unfortunately, many of the western nations who had been purveyors and propagators of that faith have, themselves, abandoned it. There are many people in other parts of the world who are stronger proponents of biblical truth than those of the west. That is unfortunate, to say the least.

            How did the western nations lose the strength of character and faith that had made them discover many cures for disease, explore the Ocean Seas, develop the fundamentals of the varied sciences and to share the blessings of God-given liberty to many peoples abroad? That is the crucial question, isn’t it?

            Our Lord Jesus Christ states two immutable facts in the Gospel of St. Matthew:

1.     Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men;  (Matt 5:13)

2.     Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matt 5:14-16)

            These two texts provide an excellent exposition on what happened to the nations of Europe and America who abandoned the Ancient Landmark of their faith and launched out into the unchartered waters of worldly perversion and moral turpitude. In the olden days, the eyes of the west were fixed on Christ who lifted Europe and England out of the depths of superstition and bondage. But with the coming of industrialization and wealth, their eyes were distracted by mammon and the dark angel of greed and ungodly desire. We have a perfect example of such a loss of spiritual bearings in the account of Peter who desired the Lord to beckon him forth from the ship and onto the turbid waters of Galilee: 

            25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  First of all, Peter could never have walked, even the short space, on the water without the Lord’s beckon. He trusted in the Lord enough to abandon the security of the ship and walk on the threatening waters of the sea. So, why did Peter sink? Because he took his mind off the Lord Jesus Christ and focused his attention on the windswept waves of the sea. He cried out to the Lord with one of the shortest prayers in Scripture – Lord, save me!

            The Church is intended to be the salt of the earth. Salt is essential for life, but it is used sparingly. We do not apply the whole salt-shaker of salt to our morning eggs else it will taste terrible and not be healthy either. Like the Word of God, it must be shared in proper measure. 9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:9-13 If the salt is placed too long on the ground, the sodium will finally begin to separate from the chlorine and join itself to other elements of the earth (world) just as a Christian who is too long associated with the unsavory elements of the world will lose attraction for the Lord his Maker and be attracted those unsavory elements of the world. The salt of the Spirit will have lost its savor. 

            Western culture has lost its sense and memory of from what high point in the favor of God it has fallen. Adopting ungodly lifestyles and perversions, adapting arts of a demonic nature, and failing to teach its children the glorious truths of the Bible the West has lost all track of who it was in the past, and the reprobate social values it has come to embrace. The West has taken its eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ and focused on the world and its depraved ‘values.’ 

            The mainline western churches have ceased to share the Light of the World with that world that it encounters. Instead of going out into the world and influencing its society to accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the church has opened her doors to the world and is, instead, changed to become like the world itself.  If the Church can be compared to a ship, we can understand that a ship is constructed for the navigation of the seas. A ship is worthless if it is not in the sea transporting its valued cargo to all parts of the world. It belongs in the sea! But suppose the sea gets into the ship? Tragedy is certain. The world has gotten into the Ark of Christ instead of those waters being abated by the sweet influences of the Christian faith.

            To the unseasoned sailor, the sea can be a treacherous environment to navigate. The gales and billows of the sea present a formidable threat to the seaman. When they grow to such intensity as to threaten the ship, the seaman searches the dark horizon for any sign of rescue. Suddenly, his troubled eyes spot a gleam of light sweeping the thunderous waves at regular intervals. He knows this to beckon to safe haven. As long as he is able to navigate to that great light beam, he knows he will be safe. The light house, the source of the beam of light, represents the Gospel of Christ searching the waters for the lost, the perishing, and the trusting. It attracts every vessel within its range to safe harbor. The Church is the Lighthouse of the world. The Church proclaims the word of god to a dying world and those who perish in sin and reprobation. But when any material objects such as wealth or the sins of the flesh block that Light or cause its generation to fail, there will be a complete loss of hope. 

            The Light of the Church has grown dim in the West, but has enjoyed an amazing birth in many foreign lands where once darkness prevailed. The day may come, and now is, when the West could prosper from missionaries from countries it once evangelized coming to our shores and reminding us of that old path wherein our fathers walked and to return to it.  That Christian culture that once strongly ruled the Western Powers has been reborn in lands formerly untaught and who now bear the banner and Ensign of Christ. To the true Christian, there is no native culture except that born of Christ.

The Little Big Man – 27 August 2020, Anno Domini

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ND Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

(Luke 19:1)

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EITHER be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:10-11)

            Even the Christian believer is sometimes surprised at the manner in which the Lord brings His will to pass. But the results of His will being done is always far better than any plan we could have imagined. Since His ways are not our ways, all our logic and reason are tainted by a failure to understand the deeper aspects of life. But He sees and knows all things.

            We cannot judge a book by its cover. It is likely that Napoleon Bonaparte (5’6) was often referred to as ‘shorty’ in his growing up days, but certainly not during the time he rode ahead of the mightiest massed land force in Europe. It is not physical stature, but character, that is the measure of a man. 

            The first astronaut to travel into space was Yuri Gagarin who stood at 5 foot 2 inches. Beethoven was 5 foot 3 inches. James Madison was the shortest President of the United States and Father of the US Constitution. He stood at 5 foot 4 inches. Genghis Khan measured 5 foot 1 inch, yet the whole of Eurasia trembled before him. Alexander the Great and Sir Isaac Newton were both 5 foot 6 inches. I do not believe the vertical stature of these men contributed at all to their character. Each, for better or worse, contributed a large slice to the annals of history.

            The most decrepit man may be God’s most glorious saint. We cannot see the heart of man, but every nook and cranny of the human heart is an open book to the Eyes of God.

            Our Lord Jesus Christ never did anything by happenstance. Every village to which He traveled; every illness that He cured; every life that He restored; every sinner He forgave (or forgives) – all were conceived in the Council of Heaven before the foundation of the world, even your own sins, friend.

            At the birth of our Lord, there was a long and imperceptible shadow that fell across the wooden manger in which His precious soul made its first repose. That shadow followed Him from that first night in Bethlehem to that terrible day in Jerusalem some thirty-three years later when He was crucified on another wooden instrument called a cross outside the gates of the city. In the opening text from Luke 19:1, Jesus now resolves to return to Jerusalem where He is fully aware of His coming Passion. 31Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. But He never hesitated in going to that destiny, and never looked back. 

Yet, there remained, even at that late hour, more work of His Father which must be attended to even on route to that terrible event. There was a certain blind man sitting by the roadside at Jericho whose only hope was that the Lord would have mercy upon him.  The Lord had known the man from before the worlds were formed and was aware of his suffering day-in and day-out. Though the disciples tried to prevent the man from calling out to the Lord, our Lord would have none of it. He healed the man by restoring his vision. Many proud Christians who may be closest to Christ today also stand in the way of sinners coming to Christ out of an attitude of self-righteousness. But the Lord had another man who was appointed to be seen who may not yet even know of His coming – a short little man named Zacchaeus at Jericho.

It is likely that Zacchaeus had little intimate knowledge of Christ other than rumors he had heard; but, unknown to him was the tug of the Holy Ghost at his heart to bring him to the predetermined appointment that day.

Zacchaeus was wealthy. He had taken in much treasure for the Roman government as a tax collector. Much of that money went into the pockets of Zacchaeus. He was hated and scorned in Israel. 

That Spring day 2,000 years ago, Zacchaeus awoke to a day of the same sunny beauty as most other Spring days in Israel. He was not expectant of any special summons to meet a Person of such high dignity as the Lord. Yes, he had heard of Jesus and the miracles He had performed. But to Zacchaeus, this was merely a matter of curiosity any man feels to witness the extraordinary. There was no spiritual appeal in the conscious mind of Zacchaeus that needed satisfying. There was, however, a cause which tugged at his heart planted there by the Holy Spirit.

When it was rumored about the streets Jesus of Nazareth was approaching the city, Zacchaeus was moved by curiosity and a strange compulsion which escaped his understanding. But when he saw the crowds gathering along the roadsides, he ran to get a glimpse of this famed Personage. While it is true that Zacchaeus was shorter than the men surrounding Jesus, it is also true that ‘might and main’ may make up the difference by way of strategems. Once, when a soldier of Alexander the Great complained that the Macedonia sword was shorter than the Persian sword whom they were to face in battle, Alexander simply said, If your sword is too short, add a step to it. That is basically what Zacchaeus did.

Zacchaeus RAN to see Jesus without even knowing the outcome. The men surrounding the Lord prevented him from getting a passing glimpse. So, Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed up a sycamore tree which commonly lines the streets in the Middle East. Surely, the Lord Jesus would pass just below and Zacchaeus would get as good a look at the man as any attending the event. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. (Luke 19:5) What an amazing development this was. The Lord stopped beneath the tree and Zacchaeus may have felt a bit awkward when He looked up at him – as if caught with his hand in the cookie jar. But the more amazing part was the fact that Jesus knew the NAME of Zacchaeus. He commanded Zacchaeus to hurry and come down, for that day Jesus would abide in his house (not visit, but ABIDE).

Well, what could Zacchaeus do but obey, and obey he did with joy. Zacchaeus came down to meet Christ as we all must come down from our proud towers to commune with the Lord of all Creation.

Now, friends, you and I were represented in the crowd standing about. We looked with derision upon the Lord’s reception of Zacchaeus. Who did this tax collector think he was communing with the Lord of righteousness? We felt that only WE had that privilege. How dare any of our company commune with known sinners! But of course, it was for sinners alone that Christ came, else you and I would have no salvation.

Zacchaeus made confession of his sins and of his intent to make amends where possible. To this the Lord responded, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:5)  Please note the covenantal relationship implied by our Lord – it was not simply Zacchaeus that had found salvation, but his whole house. It will be the same with us if we raise up our children in the fear and nurture of the Lord.

We are all short in one way or another. We may compensate by finding a spiritual sycamore tree to climb, or dedicated study of scripture if we are short in wisdom and knowledge. It is far better to be physically short and long on prayer and faith, that gigantic in stature and short of faith. Even the giant, Goliath, was no match for the young man who came out to meet him with five smooth river-bottom stones

The Blessed Servant – 26 August 2020, Anno Domini

 

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ATCH therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (Matthew 24:42-46)

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ERE is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (Revelations 14:12-13)

            I have heard many well-meaning Christian refer to themselves as ‘slaves’ of the Lord. Nothing could be further from the truth. A slave serves by force – a servant serves from loyalty, reward, and affection. We began our walk perhaps as servants to the Lord, but He has elevated our standing to that of ‘FRIENDS.’ 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. (John 15:15-17) A friend acts solely out of love and not out of compulsion. But in a larger sense, the servant is not greater than his Master, and the Lord is both our Master and our Friend. Are we any less than both servants and friends to Him? 

            Christ is the Supreme Servant of His Father as well as Son most Beloved. 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Chris t is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.(Philippians 2:6-11)

            The Lord Jesus Christ is our Friend, our Master, Our Lord, our King, our Savior, and our Redeemer. 24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) Christ is our very BEST Friend. His friendship is a bond that exceeds every other of blood or fellowship. He is a Friend whose friendship never fades or wavers.   But how can a Friend be closer than a brother?

            A brother comes by means of natural family selection. We do not choose our brothers, but we do choose our friends. Sometimes, a Friend will choose us for reasons we may not understand.  Our Lord chose us for His own discreet purpose. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you. There are man things of which we would not speak with a brother, but we may share with a close friend. Well, our Lord Jesus Christ is both Friend and Brother in whom we can confide our most sensitive secrets.

            He has not called us to be servant and friend without setting the ultimate example. He came as a lowly servant and executed His ministry in humble language and demeanor. He traveled the dusty roads of Judaea and Galilee without rest. He never complained but continued to serve with compassion. What a Friend! He not only showed us the Way to the Celestial Gate, but was the very Way and Door Himself.

            The Lord is our Friend because He loves us for our Persons and not our parents; but He is also our Brother because we enjoy a Blood relation with Him that is stronger than any that exists between parent and child, or brother and sister. It is the Blood of the new birth which He shed at Calvary. 

            At birth, we inherited the sin-tainted blood of Adam. It is part of our DNA! Sin is an ugly blood-disease like leprosy; it is a deadly disease that begins as a small blemish but grows into an incapacitating sore. There is no cure for that blood disease short of a total blood transfusion. How do we obtain that transfusion? We receive that blood covering for our sins when we are drawn to Christ by the mercy and grace of the Holy Spirit. We are made whole and are immunized against that disease of sin. When it arises in our souls, the Holy antibodies of our spiritual immunity rush to encounter and overcome the infection.

Our Divine Friend and Brother served us the Water of Life, the Wine of Redemption, the Bread of Heaven – He served us His Passover on the night of His betrayal, and He washed our feet. Who else has done these services before shedding His life’s blood for us?

            It was our sins, as well as the sins of the world, that drove the nails into His beneficent hands. It was our cruelty and thoughtless irreverence that pounded the crown of thorns down upon His brow. It was our sins for which He received the stripes in Pilate’s paddock.

            Our Lord has not asked of us our livelihood. He only requires our hearts which symbolizes our whole persons. He has borne the burden of our sins. He asks that we place our burdens on Him for He is able to bear them. He asks that we take His yoke upon us for it is light and easy to be borne. In fact, it is our Lord who bears that yoke of His on our shoulders. WE have our REST (sabbath) in Christ for it is He who works in and through the Christian believer. He is also our Passover which is the perfection thereof and it is eternal – once and for all. 

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URGE out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:7-8)

            Our Lord was prefigured in the innocent animal (lamb) whom the Lord killed to make a covering for the nakedness (sins) of Adam and Eve at Eden. He was prefigured in Isaac and the Ram whose horns were caught in the briar bush at Mt. Moriah. He was prefigured in the first Passover Lamb in Egypt symbolizing all who are under His blood will not experience the second death.

            Do you have such a Friend – one who will lay down His life for those who spat on Him, publicly disrobed Him, and nailed Him to a cross? The Roman centurion acknowledged Him as the Son of God. Have YOU?

Hymns of the Church – Hymn 241 – Jesus, tender Shepherd, Hear me – 25 August 2020, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

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 CRIED unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: 19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. 20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me. (Psalm 66:17-20)

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HEN shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13)



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OW we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. (John 9:31)

            The tender beauty of this hymn reflects the mother’s heart who composed it for her children. Mrs. Mary Lundie Duncan of Scotland composed this child’s hymn in December 1839 shortly before taking ill with a chill at the end of December and passing on to her Lord on 5 January 1840. She wrote more hymns, but all were for the benefit of her blessed children. Do not be put off by the child-like appeal of this hymn since we are all as little children before God – or should be. It is suited for Evening Prayer. There are two tunes presented in the Hymnal – the first by John Stainer (1898) and the second by Charlotte A. Barnard (1868). 

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me,

Bless Thy little lamb tonight;

Through the darkness be Thou near me,

Watch my sleep till morning light.

All this day Thy hand has led me,

And I thank Thee for Thy care;

Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me,

Listen to my evening prayer.

Let my sins be all forgiven,

Bless the friends I love so well;

Take me, when I die, to heaven,

Happy there with Thee to dwell.

            1 Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me, Bless Thy little lamb tonight; Through the darkness be Thou near me, Watch my sleep till morning light. There are nights of sunset to sun-up, and others of sunset to Son-Rise. The latter is that night to which the aged saint looks forward with comfort and security; yet, the heathen with great fear and panic. Our full trust is placed in the hands of God and under His watchful Eye during our earthly nights of sleep. It is no different when at the curtains fall on earth, we continue to place our souls in the Mighty Hand that will guide us over Jordan Banks and its turbid waters. The hours of darkness seem interminable to a child, or to any other whose dread of illness or want are untempered by the distraction of the day’s labor. Sorrow, like fever, usually mounts as the shadows grow; however, our long, dark nights are ended by the joyful appearance of the rainbow colors of the sunrise at dawn. “2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. 3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:2-5)

            2 All this day Thy hand has led me, And I thank Thee for Thy care; Thou hast clothed me, warmed and fed me, Listen to my evening prayer. The choice time of the saint is during the hours of light. “4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.” The Word of our Lord is our guide and compass on the Narrow Way: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) Not only does His Word reveal every step we must take, but also points out the longer path ahead. The believer never lacks bread for the journey nor raiment for his comfort. The EVENING Prayer is just as important as the morning prayer. It is the same when saying grace before meals – should we not as well return thanks at the conclusion of the meal for the blessings God has extended? The Morning Prayer is most often a prayer of praise and adoration of the Lord and the coming day, while the Evening prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings of the day and protection during the hours of darkness.

            3 Let my sins be all forgiven, Bless the friends I love so well; Take me, when I die, to heaven, Happy there with Thee to dwell. All sins of which we repent are forgiven, but how many of us remember every single sin we have committed? That is why in our Anglican Prayer Book, we repeat the General Confession which includes every sin of which we are heartily sorry – those of commission and those of omission. Our general prayers should not be so self-centered as to omit those we know and love. We pray for those and for our countrymen and nation as well. The Christian already has the assurance of being with the Lord at death; however, like a child, we need reassurance from time to time. This comes through prayer and study of God’s Word. It is the word which is our Bread of Heaven and which is the physical manifestation of our Lord for He is the WORD and the Bread of Heaven.

Below is a prayer of the famous writer of children’s classics, Robert Louis Stephenson, entitled Evening Prayer (Written at his Vila Vailima, Samoan Islands):

Lord, see our family gathered here.

We thank you for this place in which we live,

for the love that unites us,

for the peace accorded to us this day,

for the hope with which we expect the morrow;

for the health, the work, the food and the bright skies

that make our lives delightful;

for our friends in all parts of the earth.

      Amen.

–Robert Louis Stevenson