Behold King Pismire – 31 May 2021, Anno Domini

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O to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.  (Proverbs 6:6-11)          

 

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HE ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.  (Proverbs 30:25)

 

          Napoleon Bonaparte was a tiny man by military standards – tiny in physical size, but a giant of military tactical and strategic genius. So was Beethoven small of stature but a giant in musical composition. Size is a matter of perspective. David was a small lad armed only with a sling and five smooth stones, yet he was victor over Goliath the Giant who was armed to the teeth.

 

            Perhaps my exalted title to this devotion has been given away by the two Bible texts from the Book of Proverbs. But the tiny ant (PISMIRE) deserves his title! For size and weight, the ant is the strongest known creature on the face of the earth. Some species can lift 100 times their weight. They possess a very advanced communications network and their armies are organized to a precision level. Some ants actually farm by planting seeds of a certain vine above their nests in the ground whose roots grow down into their passages and exude a sweet nectar which the ants devour. 

 

            The Army ant can kill large mammals and eat their bones clean. They even eat away the power poles in Kenya which I observed with my own eyes. When their armies are on the move, neither man nor beast in their path is safe. Strangely, the army ant cannot endure sunlight except for very brief moments of exposure; so, when crossing a sunlit trail, they form a tunnel of ants that rotate above and below as they cross the trail. They build living bridges with their bodies across streams or crevices.

 

            The leafcutter ant of Africa carries away leaves from trees and produces a kind of compost. The fire ant is the most aggressive ant whose combined stings can kill babies or cattle even. Then there are Carpenter ants that can destroy the walls of a home. Some ants even have slaves which often come from the hatched eggs of conquered enemies. I have read that there is a specie of ant in Africa that scares elephants away from certain trees and plants in which they live. In fact, there are stories told in Africa of ants killing elephants by entering their trunks where the flesh is tender and stinging the elephants into delirium.

 

            In his work, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon is quoted as saying, “Thou art no more than a pismire (ant); why wilt thou seek to provoke an elephant?”

 

            For what purpose does God point to the ant as an example of heroic proportion? Unlike many human beings who are lazy and remiss in labor, the ant is forever busy building for future survival. They possess an innate wisdom that compels them to labor during the green months so that food will be available during the months of winter. They do not require constant supervision in carrying out their duties. Contrast the wise and energetic ant with the one who constantly spends every extra cent of his welfare check and ends up begging bread at months end. The Bible contrasts the ant with the sluggard, “4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.” A sluggish mentality is often fostered by governments who grant a minimal living to those who will not work thus increasing their political support as they increase the dependency of their citizenry.

 

            The closest other example I can imagine of a sluggard would be that of the snail whose character is very much like the biblical definition of the sluggard man. “8 As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.” The snail cannot abide two common and everyday factors – one is salt, and the other is light. In that way, a snail is a perfect type of the wicked. He hides during the hours of sunlight and slithers toward the vegetable garden during hours of darkness to devour that for which he has not labored. But before the sun rises, he again begins his slow crawl back to the darkness of some nearby rock. Like a sinner, he leaves a track behind him. If placed in sunlight, he will melt away. If salt is sprinkled on the snail, he will also melt away. 

 

Moral

There’s a time for work and a time for play.

AOC Sunday Report -Trinity Sunday - Memorial Day

Happy Trinity Sunday!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

Today we have super sermons from our normal contributors, Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan. Somehow we all managed to get on the same lectionary today, you will really enjoy them.  Rev Jack's sermon is available on video RIGHT HERE.

There are a lot of people who need your prayers, please start with Shamu, the Lee family and those who have gone before us, particularly those who lost their lives in defense of our country and their families.

Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those members of our Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice, without whose sacrifice we would not be free.  This is not a day to thank a veteran, probably it is the only day of the year that it is not the day for that.  All veterans heard the country’s call and answered.  They were not those who would not hear.  But, those of us here today are the fortunate ones, for whatever reason we made it back.   In my case after 30 years and two weeks of military service with the Navy and Air Force, thirty percent of the people I flew with did not make it back one way or the other.  They are the ones we remember today, they paid the entire bill for our freedom.  Well, maybe not all the cost.

 

When we think of Memorial Day, we remember the young men and women who since the beginning of this great nation answered the call of freedom when our country was in peril, rode into battle and did not return.  We honor those who lost their lives in training, transit and combat.  But, we often forget the families they left behind; mothers, fathers, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters.  Each of them bore a portion of freedom’s terrible cost.  This cost is not a one shot deal.  Those who remain behind pay every day of their time left here on earth.  The cost of freedom is high, very high.  It is just cheaper than not being free.  But, it is payable on demand.  

There is a super week ahead, look to the Holy Ghost to find it.

 

Godspeed,

Hap

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

United States of America

Trinity Sunday

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

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

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

 

Today’s sermon covers the basic concept of the Triune God, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and how they were introduced to us through time and the Bible in particular; it draws the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity…

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge there is a Triune God, that is to say there are three aspects of God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.  A Triune God means literally Three in One, not three separate Gods or godlets, but a single being with three aspects.  How does this work?

 

The honest answer is – WE DON’T KNOW.  We have not been told of how this Being operates. We just have been told that there are three and They are ONE. Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told.  It has not been deemed need to know for us.

 

However what we do know is:

 

·      God is I AM;

·      God the Father sent The Son to be our Savior, He was there at the beginning and created this world;

·  The Holy Ghost breathed life into the world, and brings understanding, comfort, strength, perseverance, courage, inspiration, patience;

·      They all have always been and always will be.

 

That is what we know; it leaves a lot we don’t know, but we can certainly be kept busy with what we do know.  What we do know is that what must be enough for now. The answer to any theological question, i.e how many angels can dance on the head of the pin can be best answered with how many God needs at the time.

 

All we have to understand is that He is I AM, there is God, there is the Son, there is the Holy Ghost and they all work together in their own way to be the one God of our faith. There is a reason for this even though we don’t know it, but it works out, so we do not have to wonder how it works, we just continue believing and acting!

 

But, what of later?  If we have eternal life, we have it now and later.  What comes later?  Heaven.  What is heaven?  In the epistle John attempts to describe to us what Heaven is like.  He attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily.  The main thing we can be certain of is that we will not be disappointed.  We speculate as to will this or that be in heaven?  When we get there, the answer will manifest itself and you will have no regrets.  John’s description should serve to tell us heaven will easily surpass all of our expectations. He is trying to convey Heaven is a destination truly worth our earthly toils. All that we need to know about heaven is is that it is a really wonderful place we should be aiming to go to when we die, through our belief and actions here on earth working together!

 

So, how do we get to the real world from these Shadowlands?  There is but one way, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins.[1]

 

Do not be fooled by “there are many paths to God” which seems to be the way of the world today, there is only one way into heaven.  All roads do not lead to heaven. Many lead to the pit, but out of the many roads, there is only one narrow uphill path which will get you to heaven. Doing good is good, so to speak; doing good without God is not good enough.  Only being accounted perfect will get you up the path and in the door.

 

One thing is clear, in order to traverse this narrow uphill trail we need help!  Lots of help as a matter of fact.  The first thing we need in our hearts is a new heart, a new and contrite heart.  This is what Jesus was telling Nicodemus in the Gospel. He was explaining how we need a new heart in order to continue to serve God.  The Pharisees could not or would not see that their hearts were not good enough on their own to serve Him, as ours are not if they are not regenerated. That is really hard, in fact, it is so hard it cannot be done by ourselves.  We need something like turning over a new leaf so to speak. There is a way as a matter of fact for us to do this.

 

We must be born of the spirit!  What spirit?  

 

The Holy Ghost.  We must accept we in and of ourselves will never be perfect.  Our hearts as they are will not lead us towards God, but away from God unless we have the help of the Holy Ghost! No one gets in to heaven unless they are accounted as perfect.  We will never be perfect in and of ourselves.  Should we quit trying?  No!  We are commanded to follow our Christ.  Will we fail?  Without question.  What is the solution?  To believe and follow the Christ.  To open our hearts to the Holy Ghost that we might believe in full and accept the help from the Christ that our imperfection needs to be His followers.

 

To follow God, we need Christ as our leader and the Holy Ghost as our compass. In short, we need all members of the Trinity’s influence in our lives if we are to arrive in the real world, that of Heaven.

 

There is but one way to heaven.

 

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost; use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

 

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] 1 St. John ii. 1, 2 and Book of Common Prayer, page 76

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[1] Catechism - a series of fixed questions, answers, or precepts used for instruction in other situations.

[2] This is Rev Jack Arnold’s term for summarizing, rearranging and expounding on the underlying text; kind of a descriptive and interesting way of putting it!

Sermon Notes - Trinity Sunday - In Flanders Fields - 30 May 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

Trinity Season marks the last half of the Christian Calendar Year. The first half, beginning with the Advent Season, define the great doctrines of the Church. The last half, Trinity, define our response to the works of Christ and our duties to God. 

 

Trinity Sunday is the day that links the two halves together. Both the offer of free grace made available in Christ by the acts of the first half are equally important to our response to that grace through faith unto good works required by the teaching of the second half. We begin the Church year by the promise of God the Father. The Father has promised to send unto us His only Begotten Son that the Advent Season heralds. The Christmas Season is the consummation of that promise. God the Father sent God the Son to us at Christmas. On Whitsunday, we observe the consummation of the Trinity (Triune God) by the gift and coming of the Holy Ghost. So, Trinity Sunday recognizes the fullness of God's presence with His people by the sending of the Holy Ghost of Pentecost. 

 

            Grace is a gift of God made available through the life and sacrifice of Christ. ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace. A gift does not assume value until it has been received. The means by which the gift is received is by FAITH. The evidence of our salvation BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH is GOOD WORKS. Good works cannot save. It is by grace through faith that saves and makes us yearn to do good. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:8-10) There are three prepositions that seals the whole: BY grace are we saved, THROUGH faith, UNTO good works. "..... by the confession of a true faith" Any works, good or bad, by the unsaved are without any merit whatsoever.  An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. (Prov 21:4)

 

            ". . . . to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity." It is the gift of grace by way of faith that compels us to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity - the fullness of God in His Triune nature. ". . . . and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity." To what 'Unity' does our worship apply? To the same Unity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost that are ONE in nature and of which we, too, must be ONE in nature with the Church and with the Trinity. Jesus prayed that we would be One with Him just as He was One with the Father. If that be so, we will be One with each other so that no division of the Body of Christ is possible. If we are divided and fragmented by non-essential matters such as carpet color, type of pews, or personality differences, we are not One with Christ.

 

            Just as we cannot boast of our good works, neither can we boast of the free, unmerited grace that saves us; nor of the faith that brought us to receive that grace from God. We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith. It is the power of God that keeps us secure in faith. When God shut the door on Noah and his family, He made them secure in their salvation. Noah was secure in the salvation of the Ark. He could not fall from the Ark because He was shut in. So the truly chosen and elect of God can not fall from the strong and secure hand of his Savior (Ark).

 

            We have no self-defense against such a powerful enemy as Satan. It is Christ who defeated that old Serpent and won our salvation. If we are in Christ, we are defended against the wiles of the devil. ". . . . and evermore defend us from all adversities" Christ is our Tower, our Bulwark, and our everlasting Defense - the very Rock of our Salvation that is immovable.

 

            The last line of the  Collect sums the whole of Trinity - One God, in Trinity! ". . . . who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. God is forever alive and He reigns in power and glory. How would we ever presume to come before Him with indifference or irreverence. If Moses was told to remove His shoes before the glorious appearing of God, why are we less respectful. We must approach God with reverential worship, silence before He speaks, and humility of person. Do we observe this reverence before, during, and after worship each service of the Church?

 

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HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ² The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? ⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? ¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:1-16)

 

Today, we observe Trinity Sunday – the day on which we observe the fullness of the Godhead expressed in the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We also remember the valiant soldiers of our Country who died that we might live in Liberty. 

 

In a way, those who gave their lives for our liberty are lesser types and shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ whose dying on the cross assured us all the privilege of Liberty who believe and receive Him.

 

During the arduous battles of World War One, a beautiful tribute was written to memorialize our fallen heroes in Flanders, France. The name of the poem is “In Flanders Fields.” The author, too, later died in that War:

 

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) 

Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow 

Between the crosses row on row, 

That mark our place; and in the sky 

The larks, still bravely singing, fly 

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead. 

 

Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields.

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch; be yours to hold it high. 

 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields. 

 

This poem was written to honor a friend of Dr. MCrae who was killed and buried on the Field of Flanders where poppies grew over their graves, yet it came to symbolize all soldiers who have perished in the fight to defend our liberties.

 

But this poem can also have spiritual implications on the manner in which we honor and remember those who have given their lives in the cause of Christ. 

 

Remember and Honor them. We do, as well, honor Christ and take up the Gospel Torch in doing battle against the legions of Satan which are armed with hate, malice, deceit, and cruelty.

 

Returning to today’s text, let us study together to glean all we possibly can glean from what God is telling us in thes passages. Remember that it is God who speaks to us and not the imagination of your pastor.

 

Christ was often quite harsh and frank in condemning the hypocritical Pharisees.  But He treated them with disdain because of the hardness of their hearts, but there were others among the Pharisees with whom Christ was very kind and forgiving – those who honestly sought to know the Truth. One such Pharisee, a member of the powerful Sanhedrin, was Nicodemus.

 

Note the approach of Nicodemus:

 

1.     He came under cover of darkness. Actually, we all are just like Nicodemus. We begin our search in the darkness of our sins, but, invoked by the urgings of the Holy Spirit, we cautiously (at first) seek to know more of Christ. (¹  There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: ² The same came to Jesus by night)

 

2.     Nicodemus had an elementary knowledge of Jesus. He had heard of the condemnation of Christ by His fellow Pharisees, but he had also hear of the amazing miracles Christ had performed (an may have even witnessed some of those miracles), and he had heard of the beautiful doctrines Christ had proclaimed. He wondered at His goodness, and he wondered how could such a one be evil? (and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.)

a.     The important thing about Nicodemus was that is: He did not allow his mind to be blocked from learning truth for himself)

 

3.     He was told a mystery by Christ which he could not comprehend: Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? This was an honest question, unlike those asked by the Pharisees who tried always to find fault in Christ. Even though Nicodemus could scarcely understand the depths of the mystery of which Christ spoke, he nevertheless kept his mind in pursuit of Truth.

 

4.     Jesus keeps on the mystery and even broadens it. A keen intellect (which Nicodemus possessed) often needs greater challenge for understanding: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (natural birth)  and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. ⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

 

5.     Do we understand this? Can we see the wind? Do we know that there is a force called ‘wind’ even if we cannot see it? It is not necessary to visibly observe a phenomenon to know that it exists. We cannot see heat or cold, but we certainly understand it. We cannot see darkness, but we can see light and contrast the two.

 

6.     Nicodemus, though he is an infant to these mysteries, presses on for more truth. He does not give up and quit the search! . ⁹ Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus loves honesty and simple faith.

 

7.     The response of Christ to the seeker of truth: ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? ¹¹ Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. ¹² If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you ofheavenly things?(This is the reason Christ spoke in Parables)  ¹³ And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.(This clearly refutes the notion that has been the subject of recent books, that someone has visited heaven and returned to tell us about it. This is the height of arrogancy) ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (Numbers 21: ⁵ And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. ⁶ And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. ⁷ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. ⁹ And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.  The comparison is perfect. WE, being dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) need only look to the Cross of Calvary for our healing. He who was without sin, became sin for us on the Cross. He bore our VERY sins. ¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  

 

8.     The change that happened to Nicodemus:? 

a.     He publicly defended Christ before the Sanhedrin: John 7:50 -  ⁵⁰ Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) ⁵¹ Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? ⁵² They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. 

b.    He publicly came to beg the body of Christ for burial (in the face of all the enemies of Christ) John 19: ³⁴ But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. ³⁵ And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. ³⁶ For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. ³⁷ And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. ³⁸ And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. ³⁹ And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 

 

Conclusion:

 

1.     Nicodemus came with some basic understanding, but he also came with doubts. Just as we may have first came to Christ.

2.     Nicodemus persevered to understand the mystery of Salvation just as you and I may have done.

3.     Nicodemus was not afraid to ask questions, and neither should we be.

4.     Though he came in darkness, he left in the Light of Christ – just as the beginning of Creation happened in darkness, there was Light in the morning!

5.     Nicodemus was associated with the wrong crowd. Some of you may be as well.

6.     Nicodemus turned his back on fear and on his former faithless associates on the Sanhedrin. So should we.

7.     Nicodemus BELIEVED Christ! And so should we!

8.     Nicodemus left a changed man, and so should we.

9.     Nicodemus defended the Gospel of Christ, and so should we.

10.  Nicodemus, in the end, had great courage for Christ. Do we have that courage?

The Hero – 30 May 2021, Anno Domini

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HEREFORE take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;    (Ephesians 6:13-14)

 

            There are times and circumstances that require great courage to stand and not shrink in the face of some danger. It is a thing common to the human condition. We may know to do the right thing, and even desire to do so, but are intimidated by the challenge to ‘stand’ that faces us. But when convictions reign so strongly in the heart that compromise is not possible, it is that moment that the heroism of faith comes to light resulting in something that seems beyond human ability to understand. Such heroism is not relegated to only the physically strong, but is sparingly stamped on the character of rich and poor, young or old, and the privileged as well as the unprivileged alike. Heroism is a God-like feature that distinguishes an individual from all others often only on one particular occasion.

 

            The heroic person is even credited with having godly strength and courage in the word’s origin and application.  The etymology of the word ‘hero’ lends understanding. The word derives from the Latin, heroe and the Greek, heros. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the original meaning came from legend and mythology to describe a man of “divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.” While the inspiration to perform courageous exploits may generally be inspired of God, such deeds of bravery do not often come from the strongest, or the ones considered the most courageous among us, but from the ordinary common man who is strong in his convictions of God and Country. Gideon of the Bible is an example of one imbued with courage by God Himself. Two other such heroes come to mind – Audy Murphy (the most decorated soldier of World War II) was rejected for military service for being underweight. He was later accepted when he lied about his age (16 years old). He received, in addition to many other citations for bravery, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Another nondescript hero of World War II was a young soldier named Rodger Young (5 feet 2 inches tall) who gave his life deliberately to save his fellow soldiers (also a Congressional Medal of Honor awardee). Many others, unknown to their country, have perished in heroic battle on some dismal jungle or bloody battlefield. 

 

            There are many unrecognized heroes who have died unsung and unheralded – men and women who spent their entire lives in the depravations and hazards of the mission field far from home and with sparce resources. One example would be Mary Slessor of Calabar who ventured into the wilds of Africa where no white man had gone and had come out alive. She became one with the village tribes, and finally made them one with herself, and with Christ, in Christian faith. Her heart is buried in Africa. God was her constant companion.

 

            Heroism is born of adversity, but the ‘hero spirit’ is dampened during times of plenty and tranquility. It is the rigors of basic training that result in a courageous soldier of the line, and it is the rigors of life with its attendant trials and struggles that result in the heroic characters that arise from the common virtues of the soul. 

 

There is yet another Hero that dwarfs all others of the historical Record – Jesus Christ. He is One who was wealthy beyond all measure in the opulent mansions of His Father, but surrendered all to take upon Himself the flesh and human condition of man in order to save us from our sins. He lived a life of deprivation and rejection in order to teach us and lead us in the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He freely subjected Himself to ridicule, torture, beatings, and a shameful death in redeeming us from the curse of sin. He could have, at any moment, called upon the angelic host to relieve Him of those miseries, but He resolved to submit Himself to awful sufferings so that we could forego the pains of death and Hell. He was the Hero to put all others to shame. 

 

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OR even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.  (1 Peter 2:21-25)

 

 If Christ be not our Bishop, we have no bishop. 

Trinity Sunday - Propers with explanation - Rev Jack's Sermon

The Propers for today are found on Page 186-188, with the Collect first:

 

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

This morning’s Epistle was written in the Fourth Chapter of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine beginning at the First Verse.  John attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily: 

 

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FTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. And the first was like a lion, and the second like a calf, and the third had a face as a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.

 

Today’s Gospel came from the Third Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the First Verse: 

 

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HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 

 

The Exhortation

While it can be read every time before Holy Communion, three times a year the Exhortation is mandatory; the rubric says: That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday.   The word exhortation means - an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.  In this case, it urges each of us to consider precisely what we are doing when we come forward to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion.  First, think about the term Holy Commuion, that is two words put together.  Holy – Set aside   Communion – Joined together.  Interesting.  We are set aside from the world and joined together with God and our fellow Christians in this sacrament.  

 

At this point, we should consider what the Catechism[1] has to say about sacraments:

 

        Question     What do you mean by this word Sacrament?

          Answer     I mean by this word Sacrament an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us; ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive this grace, and a pledge to assure us thereof.

        Question     How many parts are there in a Sacrament?

          Answer     There are two parts in a Sacrament; the out- ward and visible sign, and the inward and spiritual grace.

 

        Question     Why was the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper ordained?

          Answer     The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was ordained for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.

        Question     What is the outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper?

          Answer     The outward part or sign of the Lord’s Sup- per is, Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.

        Question     What is the inward part, or thing signified?

          Answer     The inward part, or thing signified, is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper.

        Question     What are the benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper?

          Answer     The benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper are the strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as our bodies are strengthened and refreshed by the Bread and Wine.

        Question     What is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper?

          Answer     It is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper to examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, with stedfast purpose to lead a new life; to have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and to be in charity with all men.

Now when you read or listen to The Exhortation, you will see it is really nothing more than a fancy regurgitation[2] of the Catechism. 

 

THE EXHORTATIONS.

¶      At the time of the Celebration of the Communion, after the prayer for the whole state of Christ’s Church, the Priest may say this Exhortation. And Note, That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday. 

 

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EARLY beloved in the Lord, ye who mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, must consider how Saint Paul exhorteth all persons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they presume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy Sacrament; so is the danger great, if we receive the same unworthily. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your sins past; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men; so shall ye be meet partakers of those holy mysteries. And above all things ye must give most humble and hearty thanks to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for the redemption of the world by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man; who did humble himself, even to the death upon the Cross, for us, miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death; that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life. And to the end that we should always remember the exceeding great love of our Master, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious blood-shedding he hath obtained for us; he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, let us give, as we are most bounden, continual thanks; submitting ourselves wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen.

 

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

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

 

Today’s sermon covers the basic concept of the Triune God, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and how they were introduced to us through time and the Bible in particular; it draws the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity…

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge there is a Triune God, that is to say there are three aspects of God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.  A Triune God means literally Three in One, not three separate Gods or godlets, but a single being with three aspects.  How does this work?

 

The honest answer is – WE DON’T KNOW.  We have not been told of how this Being operates. We just have been told that there are three and They are ONE. Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told.  It has not been deemed need to know for us.

 

However what we do know is:

 

·      God is I AM;

·      God the Father sent The Son to be our Savior, He was there at the beginning and created this world;

·  The Holy Ghost breathed life into the world, and brings understanding, comfort, strength, perseverance, courage, inspiration, patience;

·      They all have always been and always will be.

 

That is what we know; it leaves a lot we don’t know, but we can certainly be kept busy with what we do know.  What we do know is that what must be enough for now. The answer to any theological question, i.e how many angels can dance on the head of the pin can be best answered with how many God needs at the time.

 

All we have to understand is that He is I AM, there is God, there is the Son, there is the Holy Ghost and they all work together in their own way to be the one God of our faith. There is a reason for this even though we don’t know it, but it works out, so we do not have to wonder how it works, we just continue believing and acting!

 

But, what of later?  If we have eternal life, we have it now and later.  What comes later?  Heaven.  What is heaven?  In the epistle John attempts to describe to us what Heaven is like.  He attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words.  The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily.  The main thing we can be certain of is that we will not be disappointed.  We speculate as to will this or that be in heaven?  When we get there, the answer will manifest itself and you will have no regrets.  John’s description should serve to tell us heaven will easily surpass all of our expectations. He is trying to convey Heaven is a destination truly worth our earthly toils. All that we need to know about heaven is is that it is a really wonderful place we should be aiming to go to when we die, through our belief and actions here on earth working together!

 

So, how do we get to the real world from these Shadowlands?  There is but one way, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins.[1]

 

Do not be fooled by “there are many paths to God” which seems to be the way of the world today, there is only one way into heaven.  All roads do not lead to heaven. Many lead to the pit, but out of the many roads, there is only one narrow uphill path which will get you to heaven. Doing good is good, so to speak; doing good without God is not good enough.  Only being accounted perfect will get you up the path and in the door.

 

One thing is clear, in order to traverse this narrow uphill trail we need help!  Lots of help as a matter of fact.  The first thing we need in our hearts is a new heart, a new and contrite heart.  This is what Jesus was telling Nicodemus in the Gospel. He was explaining how we need a new heart in order to continue to serve God.  The Pharisees could not or would not see that their hearts were not good enough on their own to serve Him, as ours are not if they are not regenerated. That is really hard, in fact, it is so hard it cannot be done by ourselves.  We need something like turning over a new leaf so to speak. There is a way as a matter of fact for us to do this.

 

We must be born of the spirit!  What spirit?  

 

The Holy Ghost.  We must accept we in and of ourselves will never be perfect.  Our hearts as they are will not lead us towards God, but away from God unless we have the help of the Holy Ghost! No one gets in to heaven unless they are accounted as perfect.  We will never be perfect in and of ourselves.  Should we quit trying?  No!  We are commanded to follow our Christ.  Will we fail?  Without question.  What is the solution?  To believe and follow the Christ.  To open our hearts to the Holy Ghost that we might believe in full and accept the help from the Christ that our imperfection needs to be His followers.

 

To follow God, we need Christ as our leader and the Holy Ghost as our compass. In short, we need all members of the Trinity’s influence in our lives if we are to arrive in the real world, that of Heaven.

 

There is but one way to heaven.

 

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost; use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

 

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] 1 St. John ii. 1, 2 and Book of Common Prayer, page 76

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[1] Catechism - a series of fixed questions, answers, or precepts used for instruction in other situations.

[2] This is Rev Jack Arnold’s term for summarizing, rearranging and expounding on the underlying text; kind of a descriptive and interesting way of putting it!