The beauty of a belief in God

Bishop Jerry shares this excellent article written by a good friend in Birmingham, Alabama - Bucky Wood:

"I present the following thoughts, not as a trite and inept attempt at a sermon, but as an example of the benefits of faith, the beauty of a belief in God, and the consequences of that belief. Even most non-believers recognize that a culture of faith and belief in God adds value to society. Kids are (perhaps) raised better, people in general understand better the differences between good and bad behaviors, and those in such an environment see that "doing for others" leads to a happier life. It nurtures a fellowship also, and that adds value to one's life.

Shouldn't the primary reason to believe in God, and a risen Christ as His Son, is that it is the truth? Shouldn't that fact, alone, be sufficient as a motivation for our faith? While it is an engaging prospect that such a belief allows for, and entitles us to, an everlasting life, that benefit should perhaps not be the only reason for one's belief. It is certainly a beautiful consequence of a commitment today to turn our life over to Him. And that eventuality can ameliorate many feelings of hopelessness one might have today. For many, that hope for an everlasting future adds the value we need to live a more fulfilling life.

Richard Simmons is the founder of The Center for Executive Leadership in Homewood. That is the location of a large number of Bible Study groups, and one that I attend. Richard had this editorial last week entitled The Hope of Easter in the Over the Mountain Journal. In it he discusses the nature of, and origin of true happiness and joy. He begins with an observation that there are some terrible things happening that portend poorly for America, including suicide and drug overdoses in the young. He relates it to a sense of hopelessness pervading our country. He then points out that this "baby-boomer" generation may also be affected as we near the end of our lives. This prospect can be a source of great fear for sure.

But one remedy for this, he observes, is found in the belief of an eternal life, and he cites many examples of this. He quotes someone that... "hope is the engine that drives your life", and this may indeed be true. Those without hope are hopeless. Those without the belief in a salvation gifted to us by God, through His Son Jesus Christ, may... "drift from life's great foundation and begin to feel we do not need God and can do fine without Him". The bottom line to Richard is that "We need hope".

His best example is described by him as an American POW camp in a German prison. They lived with great despair. They had no idea what the future held, nor what was happening in the outside world. Would they ever see their families again? But a few engineers were able to put together a make-shift radio and started getting news. They heard that the allies had moved across Europe, were coming into Germany and then that the Germans had surrendered. The German guards did not even know this yet, but the prisoners began to rejoice in celebration, laughing and singing, sharing jokes over meals. So their circumstances haven't changed a bit. They were still in prison, eating the same grub, sleeping in the same beds, abused by the same guards, but the knowledge of a better future created incredible joy for all of them. The guards were perplexed at this behavior.

Richard Simmons' conclusion is hard to dispute. God intends for His people to live their lives with great joy as we anticipate the future, because He has told us what the final outcome is and what our final destiny is going to be. This is how we should live each day. Both because of that glory, but also because it is the truth.

It prompted me to consider examples of things that bring joy, even absent the expectation of eternal life and salvation. The recall of happy events is one, as is the satisfaction of an achievement. The completion of a hard workout, e.g., or finishing a project, or getting a good score in a game or in the classroom. There are many future events that bring us joy in anticipation. Think about the joy of planning for a future trip or adventure! What about the joy when you get good news about a close relative or friend. Even good news about a world event such as a war ending. All of these bring joy, even without the invocation of religion. But only as long as the absence of religion does not create a hopelessness that we see so often today. Reflection on a life well spent, the experiences and successes that it nourished brings joy to the present, as does the feeling after running a personal best in a race, or hiking a favorite trail. 

All of this brings me back to the original point, which was the joy inherent in the knowledge that there is a reward awaiting us following this life. In an ironic way, this is almost a given to most Christians, in fact we run the risk of taking it for granted. Indeed, I do not think I know of a Christian who is not already certain of his acceptance by God into his Kingdom. So that thought may not bring immediate joy to him because the opposite thought, of no salvation, rarely even occurs to him. We are secure in our beliefs and confident that God is aware of them and accepts us into his embrace. 

The irony is that these are thoughts that, once expressed in this email, and put to paper, bring me a certain additional amount of joy also. As does the anticipation of another weekly gathering of fellowship to share our thoughts at The Center.

All the best,

Bucky

AOC Sunday Report – Easter Sunday

 

Happy Easter Sunday!  The Day of the Resurrection!  Not bunnies, eggs, flowers and chocolates.

 

The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.

 

We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry, Roy, Yves and Jack, as well as Rev Bryan.  Given Easter is the central event of the Christian year, you might expect a little more attention given to the sermons today. You would be right. Each of them is a bit longer than usual and in line with the importance of the subject probably even better than usual. They are all very easy reads, each is well worth your time.

 

Jack’s sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/aZmK8kjCpPc

 

This really is one of Bishop Jack’s very best sermons.  It looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  This Day of the Resurrection is when the promise of eternal life is delivered.  Those who condemned him on the Friday morning now left on the ash heap of history. There was a reason God set Easter, as well as the Passover, in the springtime.  It is important to think about Jesus’ example before we do what we want to do.  We must remember His Example when times get harder and more difficult as it becomes closer to the end of this world and the beginning of our eternity with God. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

 

As always, we have a lot of people who desire your prayers. I know that seems to never change, that is because the need is always there.  Today we ask you start with the Richards family; Rachel Richards and her daughter, Lydia, were just in a very bad car accident. They are the wife and daughter of Rev Joshua Richards. Rachel is in intensive care in one hospital and Lydia was treated and released from another hospital.  Rachel’s injuries are severe.  More details in the report.

 

Today, Easter is, in Spanish La Resurreccion, in English The Resurrection, The Return to Life of Jesus, Christ of God, who returned from death, from Hell, to deliver His promise of eternal life in person!

 

As we witness the miracle of our Lord’s return, are we following up with action on our part?  We all need to see if we are really opening our heart to God’s guidance in the form of the Holy Ghost. If we’re not, and I doubt any of us really are as much as we could, we need to try harder and harder to do that. It is very difficult to follow God’s instructions if you don’t listen to them.

 

May you set your course on the constant North Star of our Lord.

 

Godspeed,

Hap Arnold

Bishop Coadjutor

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

Easter Sunday - But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee - Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide - 31 March 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

Jerry Ogles - Presiding Bishop - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

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

Also, from time to time, Bishop Jerry records short devotionals and passes them on, in this one he talks about the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus and also explains just what is a Parable.

 

https://youtu.be/7bYEhgvIyYA

 

Easter Sunday

But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

31 March 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

Easter Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout Easter Week.

 

 

A

ND  when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid. 9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. (Mark 16:1-13) 

 

It is pitiful to observe how afraid and fearful were the women who found an empty Tomb. It is absolutely the most beautiful thing that has ever happened for the benefit of man – that the Tomb of Jesus was empty! How often do we observe the wonder of the God’s work and mistake it for a thing fearful and sad. Fear locks our mouth and stops our testimony. Is it not a wonderful thing to find an empty Tomb and a Risen Lord in lieu of a dead and lifeless body? Perhaps it was their fear and momentary loss of faith that prevented Christ from immediately appearing to them. But can we fault these courageous ladies very much? They lingered at the foot of the cross with John when many others of the disciples were in hiding. They were the ones who followed the body to the Garden Tomb (on loan from Joseph of Arimathaea) and watched there until the Tomb was made sure. 61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. (Matt 27:61) Perhaps it was AMAZEMENT more than anything else that caused their reaction. How can we proclaim such an overwhelmingly marvelous thing? 

 

It is true we often disregard even the counsel of angels in our fears. The great Angel spoke to them and, as usual, prefaced his words with “Be not affrighted.” There was no cause for fear, but there WAS great cause for joy. Sometimes we tend to mix our emotions in the wrong way. When God’s Hand moves to the healing of His people, should our hearts not brim with love and joy! But the circumstances simply overwhelmed the women. As my mother used to say, “They were beside themselves.” NEVER did they expect to see what they found:

 

First

The Stone was rolled back. It would take many strong men to perform that task. Fortunately, there were guards there to insure no man’s hand broke the Roman seal. But the great Angel rolled away the Stone with little effort.  

 

Second

The women entered a Tomb not yet completely empty – there was an Angel there to greet their fears. 

 

Third

The Angel spoke kind words to allay their foreboding fear. Fourthly, the Angel told them that Christ was risen. Should we not believe an Angel when all evidence supports his claim? He even showed them the place where Christ had laid.

 

Fourth

The Angel told them something that demonstrated the sweet graces of the Balm of Gilead. You will recall that Peter has suffered for these three days the awful pain of having renounced the Lord his God before the court of the Sanhedrin. 56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. 57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not. 58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. 59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean. 60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. 61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. 62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:56-62) The look of Christ was not one of reproach, but of deep disappointment – that disappointment one feels when his best friend has ruthlessly betrayed him. How this look had plagued poor Peter. How he despised himself, and ached in the depths of his heart. If he could only take his words back! The Angel told the women: But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. Did you catch the grace-laden meaning of this comment, friends? …tell his disciples and Peter… Though His hands of mercy were driven through with iron spikes, His feet nailed to the cross, a crown of thorns for a crown, and the ridicule of the multitudes to welcome His gaze, the Lord knew the agony of Peter, and addressed it with love and forgiveness. The angel did not send news to the disciples ONLY, but specifically to Peter – the only name mentioned for the sake of emphasis. 

 

            Though we should be pained by our sins, Christ addressed our failings on the cross in the same way that He sent word to the suffering Peter – “you have not been renounced by ME, though I was renounced by you. My heart is too great to harbor vengeance against one who loves me and hurts me out of fear.” Though we know and love Christ, our sinful nature may often cause us to renounce Him through our weakened flesh. We carelessly may recite the Lord’s Prayer and not mean a word of it. We may enter church as a social feast rather than as an occasion to worship in reverence for the One who bled and died for us.

 

            Our Roman friends have come to the Tomb in the same way the women came. They seek and worship a dead body on the cross. But He is not there. He is risen! They erroneously believe that Christ must be sacrificed anew at every Mass they celebrate.. But the Lord’s Table is not an altar, but the Table of the Lord whereby we are fed in the glorious elements of Bread and Wine to signify His spiritual presence in His Body and Blood. The great truth that may escape our understanding is that we, too, are a portion of His Body broken for the Kingdom. Both the Old, and New, Testament Church are the Body of Christ nourished by that Blood shed for us more than two thousand years ago. Abraham knew it, Isaac illustrated it, and all others who looked forward to the promise (as we look back to the accomplished fact) constitute the Body of Christ.

 

            The Gospel ends today a bit awkwardly leaving the women fearful on Easter morning, the. But, thanks be to God, the narrative continues in the next several verses: 

 

9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:9-20)

 

            I added these verses for a purpose. First, because these verses alleviate our fears and give us hope in the sure knowledge of the resurrection of Christ; and, secondly, because, if you are using one of the phony new translations such as the NIV, those last nine verses are enclosed in parentheses. The authors of these errant bibles then stipulate, falsely, in the footnote that these verses do not appear in the more ancient and reliable manuscripts.  They refer, of course, to the Sinaiticus and Vaticanus which do not even agree in many points with each other and which leave entire passages blank on the manuscript page. These constitute only 5% of manuscript evidence while the Textus Receptus of the Reformation agree in all points and constitute 95% of all manuscript evidence. The Thirty-Nine Articles require the commonly received text upon which the KJV, the Geneva Bible, and all Reformed Bibles are based. Let us use the Bible with a true history and testimony in lieu of the watered down, politically correct Bible of our day.

Easter Sunday - Propers with explanation – Bishop Jack’s Sermon – With Video

Bishop Jack’s sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE ->https://youtu.be/aZmK8kjCpPc

 

This really is one of Bishop Jack’s very best sermons.  It looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  This Day of the Resurrection is when the promise of eternal life is delivered.  Those who condemned him on the Friday morning now left on the ash heap of history. There was a reason God set Easter, as well as the Passover, in the springtime.  It is important to think about Jesus’ example before we do what we want to do.  We must remember His Example when times get harder and more difficult as it becomes closer to the end of this world and the beginning of our eternity with God. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

The Propers for today are found on Page 163-164, with the Collect first:

 

Easter Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout Easter Week.

 

The Epistle came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Colossians, the Third Chapter, beginning at the First Verse: 

 

I

F ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.  

 

As usual, Paul is exhorting us to be the New Man, to put away the trappings of the old and go forward.  He asks us to do what anyone who is successful does, hang around with those you want to be like in the end and to emulate their actions.  In this case rather that earthly success, Paul is helping prepare us for eternal success through salvation.

 

The Holy Gospel came from the Gospel of Saint John, Twentieth Chapter, beginning at the First Verse.  It is the straightforward accounting of the discovery by Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter and John that the Lord was risen indeed. 

 

T

HE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Jack Arnold

Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA

Education and Training

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

Bp Jack brings the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday.   Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE ->https://youtu.be/ioLPSMynTsA

 

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  This Day of the Resurrection is when the promise of eternal life is delivered.  Those who condemned him on the Friday morning now left on the ash heap of history.

Today is Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The central event of not only the Christian Year; but of Christianity and the entire world.  Witness the terms AD and BC.  Anno Domini (the year of our Lord) and Before Christ.  Even the politically correct BCE - CE (that is to say, Before Common Era and Common Era) divides time at the birth of our Lord.  Even those who fall in that trap must recognize Him!

 

When you google images for the term Easter, you find 95 percent of the images, eggs, bunnies and chocolates.  That is NOT our celebration. That is NOT what Easter is about. Easter is not about finding goodies inside plastic shells. It is not about the end of Winter and the coming of Spring.  What it is about is the beginning of a new life for those who will accept it.

 

The Christian Year has four main celebrations:

 

1.     Christmas celebrates the incarnation or human birth of Jesus, the Christ of God.

 

2.     Epiphany celebrates His revealing to the Gentiles, that would be us!

 

3.     Good Friday observes or remembers, the word celebrate hardly fits here, the one time sacrifice for all mankind for all time by our Lord and Savior (that is where the word savior comes in) that we might be accounted as perfect when we stand before Him at the final judgment day. 

4.     Today, Easter is, in Spanish La Resurreccion, in English The Resurrection, The Return to Life of Jesus, Christ of God, who returned from death, from Hell, to deliver His promise of eternal life in person!

Let us start by reading today’s Collect:

Easter Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout Easter Week.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect…

 

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  We no longer our bound to the rules of the Old Covenant whereby animal sacrifices were required. These sacrifices have never worked, as they could not provide what Christ provided in His Sacrifice. He provided a body free and unblemished from the tarnishes of sin. He was truly the perfect Lamb without blemish or spot. This would allow Him to stand in our place. He truly took our place upon the cross of sin literally and figuratively. By Jesus Christ overcoming death, we through Him, are no longer under the threat of death of our eternal soul in the Pit.  No longer can anyone condemn us to death, they may destroy our bodies, but we live on in Him and through Him in Heaven.  This is truly worth celebrating, With an acknowledgement of the fact God sent His Son to be our Savior giving us eternal life, we go on to ask His Help so our hearts might desire good and with that Help put those desires into action so that we might accept that eternal life offered us by that same Jesus Christ.  That is what that preventing is all about.  Today we think of the word as meaning stopping something, but it also means going before one, as in this case God’s special or particular grace preparing the way for us by changing our hearts to desire what is good for us rather than things we often want that are bad for us in the end.  Because if we are to follow that narrow uphill path towards heaven, we need God’s grace to go before us and prepare the way if we are to make it.

 

When God sent His Son to be our Savior, the Creator, Lord and Master of the Universe sent His only Son to not only live amongst us and minister and guide us, but to give His earthly life as a one time sacrifice for our sin that we might be accounted as perfect in our final accounting, the resurrection. Today is the day of His Resurrection, where we celebrate His triumphant return from his descent into Hell after he died on the Cross and battled Satan for our souls. Not a lot of people think about the suffering Christ endured on our behalf after His painful death upon the cross. When HE died His sufferings had only just begun as He descended into darkness itself, Satan’s dominion, to do battle with Satan for our souls. We will never know about the particular details of that battle, but it is good enough for us to know that He triumphed and won our eternal freedom. He freed us from the shackles of Death.  God valued His Son exceedingly, but consider then how much He loves us in turn to allow His Precious Only Begotten Son to die a painful death and to do battle with the Devil for our eternity.

 

 

Jesus set an example of humility and patience, both exceedingly rare qualities in us.  He has set for us the ultimate example to follow in regards to both qualities. That example is extremely difficult for us to follow without God’s help.  However it is our duty as Christians to do our best and not just say it to follow Jesus’s example. This is the reason God sent the Holy Ghost to be here with us. With Jesus’ sacrifice and the help of the Holy Ghost to follow Him, turning our backs on this world, we can renew our minds and transform ourselves into the New Man 2.0.  The resurrection itself sets a pattern that we should follow. We must first die, that is to stop our sinning, then rise again, that is to live, with humility and patience like the example Jesus set for us. Jesus set the ultimate standard for action and we must do our very best to follow that standard. His whole ministry consisted of actions. He didn’t just speak very kind words, He lived and breathed those words through His Actions. It is clear that we must do likewise if we truly profess to be Christians.

 

There was a reason God set Easter, as well as the Passover, in the springtime. Not only was the time of His death and rising again, but it came at a time where the flowers bloomed anew, having been dead in winter, as Christ had been dead, and rose again, just as those flowers bloom again. This is truly symbolic of His Death and Resurrection and it is no coincidence Easter happened during this time. 

 

 

If you think doing our best to following Jesus’s standard is too hard to accomplish, stop and think about what Jesus went through, is it as hard as His Trials and Death and Battling Satan? No matter who you are, the answer is never going to be yes. In the end, the path we must follow will still be easier than if we refuse to follow Him and try and forge our own path. We have to remind ourselves that we will be far happier if we follow His example and lead a righteous and steadfast life, full of grace and humility, as well as patience. 

 

In our lives, it is important to think about Jesus’ example before we do what we want to do.  Is what you are wanting in line with Jesus’ message? Think about the answer.  Think about what He would do in a given situation. Don’t let your natural inclinations dictate your decisions but stop and let the Holy Ghost into your heart to help decide. If you let the Holy Ghost in to your heart you will know the answer; you will know what you are supposed to do.  You may not like it, but you will know it. Which is more comforting than the World’s way, which seems to go off in every which direction, and they are never certain about anything. However, we can be certain about what we know, what believe and we can translate that certainty into our actions. This is because we follow the ultimate unwavering source of truth, God Himself.

 

Jesus knew what was coming, how much it would hurt both His Body and Soul as He went through with the crucifixion and subsequent descent in to Hell and the battle that awaited Him for our souls.   Yet, He also knew this was God’s Will that we might live.  If He did this for you, how can you not follow Him wherever His Will takes you? If He was willing to do that for all of us, then how can we not repay Him? His Sacrifice demands that we repay Him to the best of our ability, by the sheer nature of it; his perfection being offered in place of our imperfection. He set the ultimate standard for following God’s Will even if it leads to bodily injury/pain and or death. We must strive to emulate that standard as much as we are able to. 

 

These days people have forgotten how special Jesus’s Death and Resurrection is to us. It is a sign of the times, perhaps maybe even close to the end times that Churches have fallen into apostasy and are even actively denying His Ministry, His Death and His Resurrection. We must not follow those Churches into the Pit, but follow the Holy Ghost on the narrow uphill path towards heaven. Jesus commanded us to always remember His Death and Passion, that we might be partakers of His Heavenly Kingdom. We do not yet know if this is the End Times but we would be wise to treat it as if it is and live as if every day could be our last day here on Earth.

 

If we do not remember His Death and Passion, can we truly be partakers of His Heavenly Kingdom?

 

How can we?  

 

He is asking us to act and if we do not choose to act for Him then we cannot be truly on His Side. It is not enough just to ‘have’ faith, we need to back our faith up with actions and choose to act For Him, to remember His Ministry, Death and Resurrection and do our best with the help of the Holy Ghost to follow the standard He set.

 

Jesus set an example difficult to follow even with the help of the Holy Ghost, but impossible to follow without the help of the Holy Ghost.  Our eternal life does not come to us for free. It was paid with the blood of God’s only begotten Son. We have a debt to Him we cannot even close to repaying, but we can start by choosing to follow Him each and every day. Where we fall short, we get back up the next day and do better than the previous day.

 

We must remember His Example when times get harder and more difficult as it becomes closer to the end of this world and the beginning of our eternity with God. Let us act for Him and make it known that we reject mammon and embrace the example of Jesus Christ. We may lose friends and even family as a result of standing with God; the consequences for not standing with God are far worse than losing shallow people in your life.

 

By the way, did you notice when John and Simon Peter came to the empty tomb they saw the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself?  Why were the linen clothes simply discarded, but the napkin that had been around His head neatly folded?  Like a guest getting up from the table for a bit, He folded His napkin because He would return.

 

When the time comes, how will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

Easter, 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord) Bishop’s Letter

 

F

OR even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7)

 

         According to Juliet in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo & Juliet,What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. (Act 2, Scene 2)

 

I disagree with Shakespeare at least insofar as Easter is concerned. Names are important in their allusions to things of great import. Christ is the Lamb of God sacrificed from before the foundation of the world. As such, He became our Passover by means of His sacrifice at Calvary. The Scriptures clearly point to that sacrifice as our Passover, and I prefer that term to any made-up term we find in Bible translations – even the King James Version. 

 

The word ‘Easter’ only occurs once in the King James Bible[1] (Acts 12:4). The Greek term from which the word is translated is clearly Passover (Pesach) and is so translated in every other place it appears in Scripture. The Geneva Bible does translate the word properly as Passover. The symbolic meaning is profound and should not be muddled with any substitute term. When we learn that Jesus was our Passover, and the Lamb of God sacrificed for us, we know that His title as our Passover is a sacred title. It clearly defines His death and resurrection as our Passover which was typified in Goshen of Egypt by the Passover lamb whose blood was smeared on the door posts and lintels of the houses of the Israelites. When the Angel of Death saw the blood of those lambs, he passed over that home. It is true today that when the Angel of death sees that we are covered by the blood of the Lamb of God, we will not taste spiritual death.  I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  (John 11:25-26)

 

I am not insisting that we should avoid the use of the substitute term that has come to mean the Passover for the Christian Church, but I hope that we will all recognize its full meaning of that observance called the Lord’s Passover from the days of the bondage of Israel in Egypt. We must guard against any dilution of meanings in our days of Biblical observance. Christmas is not Xmas, or winter break. We should insist on original terms that are biblically proved. In every classical commentary I consulted, including Matthew Henry, John Gill, Barnes, Clark, JFB, Abbott, Robertson, and even Schofield, each insists that the proper term is not Easter, but Passover. So does the underlying Textus Receptus so state.

 

In our day, there is a frontal assault on our faith. Political correctness is attempting to change our vocabulary which undermines our accuracy of speech and feeling. Easter has come to mean the traditional celebration of that one Passover of Christ – and that is precisely what we celebrate in the recurring Communion Service. As long as we realize what the day is really all about, we shall be on good ground, whether we call it Easter or the Passover of the Lord.

 

By raising this issue, I do not intend to cause anyone to feel uncomfortable using the term, Easter, but I do hope we will know the special meaning it represents in Scripture.

 

Our best wishes for all our brothers and sisters in Christ this coming celebration of Easter, or Passover. God bless you and may you be courageous in the faith.

 

A Blessed Passover and Happy Easter!

Jerry L. Ogles

Presiding Bishop

Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 

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[1] And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Good Friday

 

Good Friday was the day in which Jesus was tried by the Jews, tried by Pilate, condemned, crucified, died and was buried[1].  Except in hindsight, this was not a Good Friday at all. 

 

In the early hours before sunup, Jesus is betrayed by the “Judas Kiss” and arrested. At sunrise, he is disowned by Peter thrice before the cock croweth. When brought before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise from death after three days.

 

They hand him over to the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or Jesus? The crowd chooses Barabas and Jesus is sentenced to death. Pilate’s actions made famous the line, “I wash my hands of this.” While he might have attempted to wash the guilt for the murder of the world’s one truly innocent man on to the Jews, he remains the one who condemned him to death.  Pilate was nothing if not a politician and bureaucrat.  The condemnation was to him the simplest solution to the problem of a Jewish hierarchy’s manufactured crowd’s anger.  What was the death of one Jew to him?  Yet he was worried enough to attempt to wash his hands of the guilt.

 

Jesus is brought to Calvary, where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs between the Bad Thief and the Good Thief, whom he blesses. On the “sixth hour” (noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, hast Thou forsaken Me? ”

 

After drinking wine, he commits his spirit to his Father and dies. Matthew reports an earthquake that destroys the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is taken down and anointed. He is buried in a new tomb donated by Joseph of Arimethea. This is the first day of death.

 

The Collect for Good Friday

 

O

 MERCIFUL God, who hast made all men, and hatest nothing that thou hast made, nor desirest the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live; Have mercy upon all who know thee not as thou art re- vealed in the Gospel of thy Son. Take from them all ig- norance, hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word; and so fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy fold, that they may be made one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

The Epistle for Good Friday comes from the Tenth Chapter of Saint Paul’s letter to the Hebrews beginning at the First Verse. 

 

T

HE law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices, which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt-offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God: he taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from hence-forth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; then saith he, And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

Much like the Gospel for Palm Sunday, if you imagine yourself there it will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up at points.  The Gospel came from the Nineteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the First Verse:

 

P

ILATE therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him. Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man! When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cæsar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment-seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cæsar. Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midAnd Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every sol-dier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirNow there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghoThe Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.

 

Sermon – Time and Action

Good Friday’s sermon is contained in the BC strip below.  It pretty much covers the meaning of Good Friday.  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 3.16

 

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[1] The tomb was a new one which had been hewn for Joseph of Arimathea.  Joseph, a native of Arimathea, was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin an "honourable counsellor, who waited (or "was searching") for the kingdom of God", according to John, he was secretly a disciple of Jesus. As soon as he heard the news of Jesus' death, he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus." Pilate, reassured by a centurion that the death had really taken place, allowed Joseph's requeJoseph immediately purchased fine linen and went to Golgotha to take the body down from the cross. There, assisted by Nicodemus, he took the body and wrapped it in the fine linen, sprinkling it with the myrrh and aloes that Nicodemus had brought. The body was then conveyed to the new tomb in rock in his garden nearby. There they laid it, in the presence of Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, and rolled a great stone to the entrance, and departed. This was done speedily, "for the Sabbath was drawing on". Joseph of Arimathea appears in some early New Testament apocrypha.

 

Although there are no written records until the fifth century, tradition holds Joseph of Arimethea, who provided the tomb for the burial of Jesus Christ, brought Christianity and the Holy Grail to England in 37 AD and built a church in Glastonbury in Somerset.