Anglican Orthodox
Church sm
Worldwide Communion
Fourth Sunday in Advent
December 21, 2025 – Sunday Report
Sunday Next before Advent Propers:
The propers are special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single
thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of
England in the 1540’s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop
of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday.
The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various
Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading
from one of the Holy Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect
is said by the minister
as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated
reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel,
which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red-Letter Feast, that is one with propers
in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read
instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks
the titles are in red, are special days. Most
of the Red-Letter Feasts are dedicated to early
saint’s instrumental in the development of the church,
others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day
is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or
Lent. The Propers for today are found in the
Book of Common Prayer page 95-96.
The Advent Collect
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other
Collects in Advent, until Christmas Day..
ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we
may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now
in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us
in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his
glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life
immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever.
Amen.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Advent
O LORD, raise up, we
pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that
whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in
running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may
speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee
and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
Epistle for the Fourth Sunday in
Advent. Philippians iv.
1.
REJOICE in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The
Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.
The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday in Advent. St. John i. 19.
THIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but
confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?
And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said
they unto him, Who art thou? That we may give an answer to them that sent us.
What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And
they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto
him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither
that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth
one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred
before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were
done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
On Point
Happy Birthday Jesus – Merry Christmas to ALL!
Points to Ponder:
Anglican
Orthodox Church
OFFICE OF THE
PRESIDING BISHOP
P.O. Box 128
Statesville, N.C. 28687
Phone: 704-873-8365
Email: aocworldwide@anglicanorthodoxchurch.org
Website: www.aocinternational.org
Bishop’s Christmas Letter of 2025 - THE
CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
“And there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9And,
lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round
about them: and they were sore afraid. 10And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11 (KJV)
There
is a special Spirit of Love that seems all-pervasive at the season of
Christmas. Entering the dental office last week, I was greeted by five or six
patients waiting to undergo the skillful torture of the dentist’s art. But
instead of apprehension, I was greeted cordially by each occupant of the
office. “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire” was being played on the
background speaker, and it reminded those around me of something, of the warm
memories of Christmases past. Everyone was smiling and chatting with remarkable
familiarity. But suddenly, at the next musical piece, the atmosphere changed to
a more somber and reverent disposition - “O Come All Ye Faithful!” The
same joyful and congenial emotions prevailed, but they were accented by a more
profound truth heralded by that famous old Christmas Carol. That Spirit of Love
that could even be evoked by a secular ditty was more profoundly evidenced in
the hearing of that hymn of Christmas.
The
same Spirit prevailed at the Post Office and every other public forum I have
visited recently. The Spirit of the season can only be defined by something
greater than the day and month of the year. Though Charles Dickens’ A
Christmas Carol is not overtly a story of the Christ Child, it does arouse
that Spirit of Love that characterizes our feelings and emotions at Christmas.
Why? It is because it is all about love and caring. That is the Spirit of
Christ. Christ is the very essence of love, and our thoughts are more
concentrated on that powerful aspect of His nature at the Christmas Season.
Christmas
Day is simply a date on the calendar, but that Spirit of Love at Christmas
defines who we are as a people all year round. Why limit the warmth of His
Coming to a calendar date? Why not observe the same Christian love and
compassion every day of the year. The world would be a more joyful and happy
place if we all simply observed and practiced that peculiar Love we feel at
Christmas. The Love we evidence of God the Father, expressed in the Love of God
the Son, should exemplify our daily treatment of others - because the Love
imparted by the Father in sending His only Begotten Son to be born in a humble
stable yard of Ramah should dictate a mutual love for each other: “If a man
say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21And
this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother
also.” 1 John 4:20-21
The
Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Love, for God is Love, and His only
Begotten Son is Love Personified.
Let
us extend the Spirit of Christmas beyond its calendar limits to every day of
our lives. If so, we will better represent the Savior whom we claim to follow
and adore.
May
this Christmas be the beginning of the revival of that Spirit - which is
essentially the Spirit of Christ -in the hearts of all people and hence, make
us better disciples of our Lord - O Come all Ye Faithful!
Merry
Christmas This Season, and Every
Day and Season Of Our
Remaining Life.
In Christ Alone during Advent,
† Jerry Ogles, D.D Presiding Bishop
The Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide Communion
Chancellor, Faith Theological Seminary
Jerry Ogles,
Presiding Bishop – Metropolitan AOC Worldwide
We are fortunate
to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s you tube links, devotions on the Prayer of the
Collect and sermon notes.
Bishop Jerry creates videos on various subjects, they last just under
ten minutes and this week’s videos are listed below:
Bishop Ogles
Blog:
https://anglicanorthodoxchurch.blogspot.com
Bishop Ogles
You Tube Channel
that is free to subscribe: all of his videos at:
Sermon Notes for the Fourth Sunday in Advent
Make
straight the way of the Lord
The Prayer of
Collect for 4th Sunday in Advent
O LORD,
raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might
succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and
hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and
mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom,
with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
Just
as our Advent Season Collect calls us to cast of the powers of darkness and to
walk in that effulgent life of Christ, so our 4th Advent Collect
counsels us to walk in that power that has come among us in the birth of our
Lord Jesus Christ. That source of that power is not in ourselves but in God. He
is the source of all power through His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our own
frailty in the face of sin and temptation demands us to seek that greater power
made available in Him. Our plea for power is realized in that granted by God’s
grace. We are thereby made partakers in the Kingdom of God through His Son.
While
we were, at first, prepared in our walk with the Word gleaned by Prophet and
Law, we now have a new inward and spiritual power realized in the presence of
our Lord among us and His Holy Spirit to Guide and bring all thins in His Word
to Light.
The
believer can now walk in the full preparation of the Gospel for “except the
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh not in vain.” Our City of God is
our home in glory, and it is toward that City to which our focus is fixed in
the wilderness of sin and worldly attraction. We are pilgrims and walk as
pilgrims. “But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for
he hath prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews
11:16) We are pilgrims in a far country seeking a better city - not made with
hands. A pilgrim does not carry any burdens that would retard his progress in
reaching that City. He travels light and without all the allurement of the
world in his backpack. He may not wear silken attire, but the uniform of a
pilgrim for Christ of which he is not ashamed.
As
our epistle points out, we walk in a joy of which the world knows nothing. How
can our daily life be filled with joy? It is because we are in Christ, and we
are made joyful in doing His works. Even the condemnation we experience in the
world for our faith is an added source of joy. “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own:
but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you.” (John
15:19) I rejoice in the world’s hatred of me if it is because of my love and
faith in Christ. In spite of all hate and malice cast upon us by the world, we
have that promised peace of God, “which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Have we
let our moderation be known to all our friends, neighbors, daily associates?
Are we constant in our worship and study of Holy Scripture. Is our faith
visible in plain sight to the world? We wear not our faith on our shoulder, but
in our hearts.
It is no
secret that much of our Advent text have been about preparing the way of the
Lord, and that through His ambassador, John the Baptist who, like Isaac, also
came by miracle of birth to the aged Elizabeth. The preaching of John was
powerful and convicting in its effect. It was made more convincing for the lack
of physical and social embellishments that too often identify our modern
pulpits. He wore such plain garments as those made of camel hair. He attended
not great banquets or conventions - instead, he wandered the wilderness regions
of the Jordan preaching and proclaiming the coming of Christ.
John
witnessed in a day when travel was not as simple as hopping in a car and taking
a thirty minute drive. His parish was far removed from Jerusalem and required
hours of travel on rough and dusty roads to attend. But mulitudes streamed from
Jerusalem and all parts of Israel to hear John. Why? Because he taught with
authority that was purely seen in his demeanor. He was serious in his message,
and he meant what he said. No one had ever heard priest or Levite utter such
words of strength and truth. But even greater than all else was the hope he
preached of the coming Light. “He was not that
Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.” Truly as the Word proclaims, these people had sat in
darkness until now, but the bursting forth of Light gave new hope to souls who
had become forlorn of hope.
The
establishment clergy of the Old Testament Church desired to hold on to their
stringent adherence to the letter of the Law, but the message of John was of
One who would come to redeem from the penalty of that Law. They sought to find
error in his message just as they would even more fervently seek to do in the
ministry of our Lord. Remember, Satan always begins with a question - questions
to challenge our faith. “Who art thou?” “What then?” “Art thou Elias?” “Art
thou that prophet?” Did they really want to know if he was “that
prophet?” No, generally the questions of the opposition is never designed
to establish truth but rather to call it into contempt. “Why baptizest thou
then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?” Why
were these buggers so meddlesome about the baptisms of John? It was because it
challenged their status and opulence as rulers and respected men of the Temple.
John would face the same opposition from most clergymen of our own day -
believe it!
John’s
mission was to Make straight the Way
of the Lord. His was to prepare the hearts of the people for the
coming Light. He could, in no wise, be compared to the greater Person of
Christ, but was merely His messenger. He performed hi mission in humility and
faith. Should you and I do less?
The
water baptism of John was unto the truth of His Promised coming; but the
baptism of Christ was one of the Spirit. The baptism of Christ is not merely an
outward show, but an outward sign of an inward and invisible grace. It is done
by fire of His word and Spirit in faith. Baptism is not regenerative in itself,
but is witness and evidence of regeneration. May we all have had that baptism.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. Amen
† Jerry Ogles
Sermon - Bishop Jack Arnold
Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States
Diocese of the West
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California
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 as we complete the period of preparation for the coming
of our Lord and Savior. Let us start by reading today’s collect:
The Fourth Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among
us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and
wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before
us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and
glory, world without end. Amen. The Collect for the
First Sunday in Advent is on Page 90:
The First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
LMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of
darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal
life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in
the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both
the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who
liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶ This
Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent, until
Christmas Day.
As is oft the case, today’s propers all tie together
to reinforce a point and build our understanding of what God wants and expects
from each of us. The Collect asks for
God’s help for us to accept His Help and do it His Way. We are asking this because as the collect
points out that through our natural condition of being sinful and wicked, we
are very much hindered in running the race that is set before us, that is to
climb the narrow and uphill path towards heaven.
This is a thought that is constantly resonating
throughout the Collects and not only them but all of Scriptures. That is
because it is a constant truth that without the help of the Lord, we are doomed
to fail to follow Him. We need His Help if we are to succeed in the race of
life! This truth is constant through history. Whenever a group of people have
strayed from doing what God asks, they have never prospered in the end. And
groups of people will always stray from doing what God asks as that is in our
nature. Then they naturally blame God rather than ourselves, which is where the
real blame should fall. We need to continue to let the Holy Ghost into our
hearts and allow Him to direct and guide our steps, then we can avoid the
possibility of backsliding and being like the aforementioned groups of people.
It is oft supposed Christians are dour souls, with no
sense of happiness or humor. Perhaps
this thought comes from those who have heard from others what the Bible says,
but have never actually taken the time to read it and understand it. This is
unfortunately a very common misconception these days. For if they understood it
then they would not be thinking that we are dour at all! People tend to misinterpret Scripture as they
only look for verses that tend to support their point of view and do not take
Scripture as a whole, as it is meant to be taken.
After all, the one said to be the dourest of all,
Paul, tells us to be happy. In his Epistle he mentioned rejoicing in the Lord
always. Not just happy, but to REJOICE.
REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS and AGAIN I say REJOICE! How much more fun can you have? However, at the same time though Paul
cautions us to be moderate in everything we do, no excesses, an even keel. He
is calling for moderation as that is the true way to enjoy life. If you have
excesses in everything you do, you are going to find that you are going to have
a lot of problems. Being moderate in everything you do, you will be less likely
to have issues. This is why Paul is big on us being moderate in all things.
In the Gospel John recounts John the Baptist’s role in
preparing the way for Jesus. The
Pharisees were troubled with the simplicity of his message. They were looking for something more complex,
less straightforward, something more like themselves. This is much like many
people in the world today who dismiss Christianity as being too simplistic and
that would prefer something more complex, something they can get around. It is
the human nature at work here, humans in general will always try and find
loopholes around what we are supposed to do.
The Pharisees were much like modern day lawyers and
liberals, always searching for a loophole in the law so they can do what they
want to do without following the law. They failed to realize that there is no
loophole behind loving God and loving your neighbor as thyself. They could not
comprehend of this. They feared what they couldn’t understand and that is why
they wanted Jesus to be put to death. They didn’t understand God’s plan for
Jesus and His Ministry. There are too
many people today like them who seek to avoid doing what is right so they can
do what they want to do. We need God’s help so we do not become like those
people!
If the world would do what God asked, our lives would
be so much better, we would all be living together in happiness. Doing what God
asks would solve all of the problems facing us today on earth. Peace on earth
will not be possible until the world accepts Him into their hearts. This is the
perfect season for those who haven’t yet, to accept Him, to acknowledge Him at
His first true appearance amongst us, at His Birth. Up until the end of our
time here on earth, there is always time to accept Him, but do not wait until
it is too late to do so!
When Saint John is recording the actions of
John the Baptist, he tells us when the Jews sent priests and Levites from
Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? They got an answer they neither expected nor
really understood, he said, I am the
voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as
said the prophet Esaias … I baptize
with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who
coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to
unloose. They had no clue what he was talking about. All they could see was what they expected, a
king of this world. Yet, John the
Baptist knew the kingdom was not of this world, for the King was not of this World, but the Eternal King of
Eternity. John the Baptist later says He must increase, but I must decrease.
(John 3:30) This is true of us,
also. We must let Jesus permeate us and
become the dominant force in us. But, it
does not happen in the twinkling of the
eye. Jack Lewis tells us, We are
doing well enough if the slow process of being more in Christ and less in
ourselves has made a decent beginning in a long life (it will be completed only
in the next world). Jack Lewis suggests you try his plan; I pray ‘Lord, show me just so much (neither more nor less) about myself
as I need for doing thy will now.’
The world is extremely complex; it is full of
problems, temptations and difficulties.
It is full of obstacles for us, yet all Christianity offers is a few
simple solutions. We often hear there
are no simple answers to complex questions.
Actually, that is not true. There
are simple answers to complex problems, they are the only ones which can and
will work. The problem is they are not
the answers people want. Most people do
not want to know what they are supposed to do, lest they have to do it. They want to be told what they want to do is
at least okay, even though it is clearly not okay. But we need to know what we
are doing is actually “Okay”, not what Joe on the corner claims is Okay. To do
that, we have to read the Scriptures and listen to what God says is Okay,
because He really does know the best in this matter for us.
Once again, when you think about being a Christian,
think a bit about these quotes from GK Chesterton:
·
Christianity has
not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.
·
The word good has many meanings. For example, if
a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should
call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.
·
The Bible tells
us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because
generally they are the same people.
·
Tolerance is the
virtue of the man without convictions.
·
A dead thing can
go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.
G. K.
Chesterton (1874-1936)
We are called to a new and different life, we ask the
Lord to both lead us and follow us, to keep us always. Our goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid
613 laws. To do what is right and be humble.
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
+Bishop Jack
Arnold
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s AOC Vicksburg, Mississippi
We are fortunate
to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon.
If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth,
espouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend
it to your careful reading.
Fourth Sunday in Advent
In his epistle to the Philippians (4:4-7), the apostle
Paul encouraged his readers to rejoice in the Lord always with thanksgiving.
But in today’s world, many do not rejoice in the Lord at all and that includes
many who call themselves Christians. There any number of reasons for this for
often times their focus is on the ills and difficulties of their lives instead
of giving God the glory for what they have already received. There is an old
expression that was made into a hymn entitled Count your many blessings, see
what God has done and it should stir us all to action in giving God the glory
for all that he has done for us.
The Scriptures are our guide to a life of fellowship
with the LORD. In Leviticus 23:40 we read, ye shall rejoice before the LORD
your God... In Deuteronomy 26:11 we learn that we should, ...rejoice in
every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee... In Psalm
5:11 we learn of God’s expectation for us: But let all those that put their
trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest
them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
In St. Luke 6:23, our Lord spoke the following words
of comfort to all who would suffer on account of their faith: Rejoice ye in
that day and leap for joy: for, behold your reward is great in heaven... He
also spoke of rejoicing because our names are written in heaven (St. Luke
10:20). And we are to rejoice because as Christians, we have an invitation to
the greatest feast ever as noted in Revelation 19:7, Let us be glad and
rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come...
The true worshipers of God will willingly rejoice in
the free gift of salvation which comes by means of the shed blood of Jesus
Christ. Those who are his will not question his grace. They will not stand
skeptically, at a distance, examining with clinical coldness the gift that has
been given. Only those who have not received the gift in their hearts will
question its validity because as St. Paul noted in I Corinthians 2:14, But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
And while it is natural for us to rejoice when our
enemies run into trouble. We are warned not to do so. Examine Proverbs 24:17: Rejoice
not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he
stumbleth. God knows who are his now as well as those who will come to him
in the future. But we have not been given to know such things. In that light,
we should not cheer at the downfall of an enemy today because tomorrow, if God
wills, he or she might become a brother or a sister in Christ. It is better to
let God judge. For if, in his judgment, they fall and we are preserved it
should be enough for us. His will and pleasure has no rival as he is sovereign.
For if those who meant us harm are eventually regenerated, then it would be
sinful on our part to either wish them ill or rejoice over their errors and
misfortunes.
Truly God desires that we rejoice when one has turned
from evil and become a brother or a sister in Christ. God is merciful and not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (II
St. Peter 3:9). As our Lord said, I say unto you that likewise joy shall be
in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than the ninety and nine just
persons, which need no repentance (St. Luke 15:7).
St. Luke recorded in his gospel account that following
our Lord’s ascension into heaven the disciples worshiped him and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: and were in the temple, praising and blessing God (24:52-53).
Later, in the Book of Acts, he wrote about the day of Pentecost where the
flaming tongues descended upon the disciples and they began preaching the
gospel to all who were in Jerusalem (2:1-11).
Hear now the words of St. Peter as he was moved to
speak by the Holy Ghost: For David speaketh concerning [Jesus Christ], I
foresaw the Lord always before my face...26therefore did my heart
rejoice and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27Because
thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to
see corruption. 28Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou
shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. (Acts 2:14-36).
To fully realize the joy of God, we must order our
lives around his teachings. As St. Paul instructed Timothy, If a man
therefore purge himself from [iniquity], he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified, and meet for the master's use and prepared for every good work.
(II St. Timothy 2:21)
As we leave the season of Advent and enter the season
of Christmas, count your blessings and be thankful, giving God the glory, and
rejoicing always for his gift of grace to us through Jesus Christ. As the
apostle said then, so now I also say: Rejoice alway. Again I say Rejoice! (Philippians
4:4)
Let us pray,
O Merciful and loving God, we rejoice with
thanksgiving for thy most wonderful gift of thine all-sufficient grace; we also
pray that through the work of the Holy Ghost we would be empowered in our
witness to others that they too might come to know Jesus Christ as their
personal Saviour; and these things we ask in his most holy name. Amen.
Have a Blessed Week,
Bryan+
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor
Saint Paul's Anglican Church - Diocese of the Midwest Anglican
Orthodox Church
Suffragan Bishop of the AOC
Fourth
Sunday in Advent
Morning
Prayer - Psalm 33; First lesson: Isaiah 42:1-16; Second
lesson: 1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
The Advent Collect
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other
Collects in Advent, until Christmas Day.
ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we
may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now
in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us
in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his
glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life
immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now
and ever. Amen.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Advent
O LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with
great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are
sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful
grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without
end. Amen.
The Music of the Ages
Jesus Christ is coming again. This is the
ultimate theme of the Fourth Sunday in Advent. His first coming or Advent was
revealed in the previous ages, the time of the prophets and prophet-kings. His
first Advent was fulfilled in the dusty little town of Bethlehem so many years
ago.
Thirty-three and a half years later, at the Mt of
Olives, when Christ is taken into heaven, his second Advent is announced once
again: “9And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld,
he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10And
while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel; 11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts
1:9-11)
In the verses just before this passage
from the first chapter of Acts of the Apostles, {Acts} we read this gentle
reminder: “6When they therefore were come together, they asked of
him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7And
he said unto them, It is not for you to know the
times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” (Acts
1:6-7)
I marvel at
the ‘tele-evangelist’, the ‘name it and claim it’ preachers, and the myriad of
‘prophetic word’ preachers who boldly predict the second coming of Christ. Why
do they not diligently read the Word of God for the truth? Sadly the
answer is because of an ulterior motive, usually concerning personal gain. Yes,
these “wise” folk are preaching for profit, not as prophets, but because they
are trying to gain temporal fame and fortune. If Christ Jesus told those
who were with him for his whole earthly ministry that they would not know
Christ’s second coming, then why, pray tell, would someone in the latter days
know? Defies true logic.
One fact is certain. The two angelic beings who informed the disciples
that warm spring day on the Mount of Olives, that He, Christ Jesus, will
return, ONE DAY, to the same location, were making an important announcement,
that Christ will return, in God’s timing, NOT ours!
Now how about that music? As we
read in the 33rd Psalm, music is an integral part of worshiping the
Lord. Harps, some type of ten stringed instrument, and of course the
ultimate musical instrument, the voice. Our voices raised in songs of praise; “…1for
praise is comely for the upright.” It is the right thing to do. Songs of
praise, singing the same, all in all we praise the LORD. And in doing so we
rejoice in the LORD.
10Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the
end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the
isles, and the inhabitants thereof. (Isaiah 42:10) Isaiah the prophet now takes up the
music theme. In this passage from the 42nd chapter of Isaiah we read about a
future time and blessing that will come upon the Gentiles. How?, why?,
when?. Not so fast. All in due time. God’s time.
In these sixteen verses of the 42bd
chapter of Isaiah, the whole of Christ’s ministry is profiled. “Behold my
servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; …1I
have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.”
Then in the next eight verses Isaiah gives a straight forward description of
Christ’s ministry on earth. Jesus was firm but gentle in his essential
ministry. He called the guided those called into righteousness by the Lord, he
brought forth judgement in truth by his parables and signs and wonders
(miracles). And most importantly, he was/is a light to the Gentiles.{most of
the rest of mankind. The spiritual blind were given sight, those in
spiritual prison were set free, those in spiritual prisons of darkness were led
to the light; all in all we see the positive forward movement of the Kingdom of
God.
8I am the LORD: that is my name:
and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
LORD, that is my name, his glory is not given to any one else or does his
praise go to any idol or graven image. He is the great I AM. And then just to
certify his total being, the LORD makes this following statement:
9Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new
things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. We must understand this as Christ’s
second coming, His Second Advent. The very one that was foretold time and again
by Christ Jesus and once more stated there on Mt of Olives. We are told that He
will come again “….9before they spring forth I tell you of them....”
We culminate this part of the idea of the Second Advent with this final passage
from our Isaiah reading: "16And I will bring the blind by a
way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I
will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things
will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”
What a wonderful promise. He will not
forsake us. With all the chaos and confusion that seems to permeate our daily
lives, here we read this promise of protection and light in a spiritually dark
world. Wow. You talk about the words of great joy, you speak of the
light of the world, you see this light depicted by candles, strings of electric
lights, bright manger scenes and glowing angels on high, yes, even in the
darkest of times, the Light of the World, the Light of Eternity, the Light of
Salvation shines into the darkness to make the darkness light. Praise God.
Let us read what St. Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonika:
7Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all
our affliction and distress by your faith: 8For now we live, if ye
stand fast in the Lord. 9For what thanks can we render to God again
for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; 10Night
and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that
which is lacking in your faith? 11Now God himself and our Father,
and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. 12And the Lord
make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men,
even as we do toward you: 13To the end he may stablish your hearts
unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ with all his saints. A great part of our worship of
God is in music. Let us not forget that important facet of our weekly and
even daily praise of God, music is most important. Make a great noise! (1Thessalonians 3:7-13)
It is interesting that this particular Fourth
Sunday in Advent falls on the first day of winter. In the northern hemisphere
tonight is the longest night and the shortest day. The really promising
aspect of this is in less than a week you will begin to see more light in the
morning and a longer sunset in the evening. Yes, the days are getting
brighter, by a few minutes each day, until we reach that longest day, the
Summer Solstice in June. So in a real sense we have physical evidence of
light increasing. We can also tie that into the first 14 verses of the first
chapter of the Gospel of John, as he writes about the Light of the World, Jesus
Christ, he who spoke light into existence, he who created all that was created.
The Light of Light, Jesus, the only begotten Son of God..
Let us
pray:
O GOD, who in thy providence hast appointed to every
man his work; Remove, we humbly beseech thee, from those who are now at
variance, all spirit of strife and all occasion of bitterness, that, seeking
only what is just and equal, they may live and work together in brotherly union
and concord, to their own well-being, and the prosperity of their country;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY Father, who didst send thine only Son that
through him all men might be saved; Enable those who teach so to consecrate
their lives that, being themselves led of thee, they may lead thy children in
the paths of everlasting life; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
O HEAVENLY Father in whom we live and move and have
our being; We humbly pray thee so to guide and govern us by thy Holy Spirit,
that in all the cares and occupations of our daily life we may never forget
thee, but remember that we are ever walking in thy sight; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
+ Bishop Roy Morales-Kuhn
The Rev. Don Fultz
Rector of St. Peter’s AOC located in the AOC National Office
We are grateful to
have the Christmas Story sermon from the Rev. Don Fultz of St. Peter’s AOC.,
Statesville, NC
Second
Sunday in Advent – Holy Communion
Sermon Luke
2:1-20, The Christmas Story
The story of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Savior is the greatest story ever told.
You will find two accounts of His birth, the Gospel text this morning
Luke 2;1-20 and St. Matthew 1:18-02:23. It was dark times in Israel as the whole
country was occupied by Rome at the time of Jesus birth. But His birth brought a bright light and hope
to the Jewish people and to the world.
Today’s Gospel text is about the night when God’s promise to send his
Redeemer into the world was fulfilled.
As we look in on the events of that special night 2,000 years ago, we
can learn something about how God provided His only begotten son to die for our
sins.
The
first seven verses of the gospel this are very matter-of-fact. Luke simply
records the circumstances that brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, and how
the baby Jesus ended up in a manger.
Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome issues a
decree that all his subjects should be taxed.
And in order to administer this tax, they needed a census. They had to
count all the people in the Roman Empire. And to do this people went to
register in their hometowns. And since Joseph was a descendent of King David,
he went to Bethlehem—the city of David—to be registered. And he took his
pregnant, virgin wife Mary with him.
These ordinary circumstances with God’s providence brought about the
fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem some
700 years before. (Micah 5:2)
And
while they were there, she gave birth to the child. As there was no room in the Inn. The best place they found to lay him in was
in a manger, a feeding trough used to feed animals. Most likely in some type of stable or open
cave. I do not believe that it was accidental that Jesus who called himself the
“Bread
of Life” (John 6:35) was born in a stable and laid in a feeding
trough! He came to satisfy the hungry
souls of dying men. Therefore, it was appropriate that Jesus was born in
Bethlehem, which means “The house of bread” and that He was
laid in a manger!
The creator of the universe appeared in human
flesh, but there were no remarkable signs in Bethlehem. “Only the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.
“The eternal God took his first human breath, and then he cried just like every
other human baby. His face doesn’t give off any miraculous and divine
light. He just looks like an ordinary
human baby born in very lowly humble conditions.
But
out in the field, we are told it’s a different story. An angel of the Lord came upon the
shepherds. This is where God’s glory shone visibly that night. And it wasn’t
comforting—not at first. The angel appeared. The glory of God shone around the
shepherds. And the result was fear. This is already the third time in The
Gospel According to Luke when an angel appears to a human (1:11; 1:28; 2:9). And all three times the angel has to say,
“Fear not” (1:13; 1:30; 2;10). Now, why
do angels always have to tell people to not be afraid? From what we learn in Scripture, some angels
can be terrifying beings. There are
different kinds of angels, and the Bible describes the appearance of some of
them, and they don’t all look like humans with wings.
But
their physical characteristics isn’t really the most frightening thing about
them. Angels can be terrifying beings
because they reflect the glory of God.
In heaven these angels behold the face of God.
And
when they come to earth, a fraction of that glory is reflected around
them. A few miles away in the city of
Bethlehem, God himself is laying in a manger. But his glory is not visibly
seen, because the Godhead is veiled in human flesh. He looks humble. But out in the field, it’s a different
story. There is no veil over the angel.
This angel who beheld the face of God in heaven now radiates a fraction
of that glory on earth. And it is overwhelming.
So the shepherds are afraid.
At
first only one angel appears. But that is enough. The glory of the Lord shone
round about the shepherds. And their reaction was fear. You would fear too if
you saw a glimpse of the glory of God.
Suddenly, all our sins would be revealed by the penetrating light of
God’s glory. We would have no excuse.
And we would have no place to hide.
But
the angel does not come to frighten or destroy. The angel comes to give a
message and it is a good one at that.
After all, that’s what angels are created to do. The word angel simply means, “Messenger.” They
are messengers from God. And here, an
angel of the Lord comes from God to make the most joyous announcement.
So
it begins, “Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which
shall be to all people.”
(2:10). “Good tidings. Great joy. All people”.
This
is how we know this good news is for us. The first audience for this wonderful
message was the shepherds. And it was definitely a message of good news for
them. But the angel knew these words
would be remembered forever. They would be repeated by the shepherds (2:17),
written down by Luke, heard all over the world every time someone goes to a
Christmas Eve service, These words would
be heard all over the world for thousands of years.
So
the angel specifically states that this is good news for all people. The
angel is making an announcement for the entire world. And we know that this message is for all of us and each of us, because the
angel says so. When he says, “Unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
(2:11).
Notice
there are three terms the angel gives for this child: Savior, Christ, and Lord. And each of these terms carries a
special meaning:
First, the meaning of savior, “He
will save his people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). This is what the angel had spoken to Joseph
in The Gospel According to Matthew.
This child is a Savior—a Deliverer—a Rescuer. He has come to rescue us from the
things we are unable to save ourselves from.
He is born to deliver us from our sins, from death, and from the power
of satan. These are our three greatest enemies, and we are powerless against
them. Without someone to come and deliver us, we would be lost for all
eternity. Our sins separate us from
God. But Jesus is the bridge between us
and God! He is also “ the
propitiation for our sins.” (1 John
4:10) Under Mosaic law, the Jews offered ongoing sacrifices for their
sins. Yet Christ provided the only
sufficient payment once for all, to cover the sins of the world.
The
second term the angel gives for Jesus is Christ. This is the same as the
Hebrew term Messiah. It means, “Anointed One.” He is anointed by God and
sent into the world. He is the one the
prophets spoke of, and he is the one the entire Old Testament looks forward to
and waits for. Jesus is the Christ.
And
the third term the angel gives for Jesus is the most surprising: Lord.
This refers to the Hebrew name Yahweh.
Yahweh is the name God uses to identify himself in the Old Testament. And that
is what the angel calls Jesus.
Jesus
is not merely someone sent from God to be the Savior. Jesus is God. God the Son is sent by God the
Father. God himself has come down to
save us, and he has veiled himself in the flesh of humanity—born as a baby
through the Virgin Mary by the mystery of incarnation. As we know from earlier
in the book of Luke that Mary was a virgin, the Holy Spirit came down upon her
and that which was conceived in her was the work of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:28-35)
Jesus
was God Incarnate. He was both God and
Human 100% simultaneously. John 1:14
says, “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among u , ( and we beheld his
glory as the only begotten of the Father,) full of Grace and truth.” 1 Timothy 3:16 , Paul said, “And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory”.
Hebrew 4:15 says “For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.”
If Jesus had just been Human his sacrifice would have no power and He
would have been just another martyr just like thousands of others. If He was just God, His sacrifice would
have been most likely unconvincing! But
He was Human and He was God. Therefore,
He was someone we all could relate to.
He lived and suffered the ups and downs of this world , and was tempted
like us but lived a sinless life to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins.
And
just as the Angel announces: The good
news is this, God himself has come down from heaven to be our Savior. “Unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
This
was the message from Heaven that earth had been waiting to hear for thousands
of years. He tells them that a Savior has been born. He tells them that the
Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One, for Whom the world has waited since God
made his promise (Gen. 3:15), has arrived.
He tells them that the Lord has been born in Bethlehem! He also tells them where to find the child
and how to recognize Him when they arrived where He was. What an announcement!
The wait is over! Salvation will be accomplished, just as God had promised it
would! And the announcement was made not
to priests or rulers but to those lowly shepherds going about the ordinary
business of life!
And
then the angel gives the shepherds a sign. “This shall be a sign unto you: You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling
clothes, lying in a manger.” (2:10-12).
As
soon as this angel finishes delivering Heaven’s message to the shepherds, he is
joined by a great multitude of angels who sing praises to God and declare the
truth that the message is indeed for all men!
After
the Shepherds hear the news of the Savior’s birth, they immediately leave their
sheep on the hillsides and run into the town of Bethlehem to find the Lord
Jesus. When they arrive, they find everything to be just as the angel had said.
What a picture of grace! Regardless of a person’s past or position in life
there is still hope in Jesus for them.
The Lord turns none away, but invites all who will come to meet Him and
be saved by the grace of God! Jesus
tells us in John 6:37 “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out.”
As
soon as the shepherds realize the magnitude of the things they have
experienced, they begin to share the news with all they meet. They tell
everyone about the Baby in the manger who is Christ the Lord. We are
told those that heard the news from the Shepherds, wondered at the things that
were told them.
One
of the blessings of the Gospel is that it is too good to keep quiet about. As
soon as you experience its power, you want others to experience it also. In
fact, those who know the good news of salvation through Jesus are under divine
obligation to share that good news with everyone they meet as they pass through
life, (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8.)
just as Jesus instructed his disciples to do before his departure from
this earth!
The
Savior, Christ the Lord, has come in humility. There is no place in all the
city of Bethlehem for him, but a feeding trough for animals. He is rejected at
his birth, and he will be rejected at his death. And at his death, there will
be no place for him but a criminal’s cross outside the city gates of
Jerusalem. He was born in humility, and
he died in humility.
Therefore,
the manger is the sign of his humility. He did not come to be ministered
unto. It is certainly good for us to
worship and praise him. And one day, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” (Phil
2:10) But that is not why He came as a humble infant. He came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister,
and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28) The sole purpose
for which he came was to die. He did this to pay for our sins. And he rose from the dead to open eternal
life forever for all of us! He took the
sting out of death as St. Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 15:55, “O death where is thy sting.
“Christ’s resurrection conquered sin and death!
As
we celebrate the birth of the Christ child this Christmas, let us remember his
humility. Also, let us remember what he came to do. He was born for us. He was crucified for us and He rose from the
dead for us so we “might have life and might have it more abundantly.” (John
10:10) All we have to do is confess and repent our sins and accept HIM by
faith!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. Amen.
The Rev.
Don Fultz+
AOC
Worldwide Prayer List –
I have received updates from a few and those
will be the first added to the list. Please send all prayer requests and
updates to aocworldwide@gmail.com for future reports. If you would like to be
removed from list just respond with remove in the subject line.
Prayer Needed:
Sandy – broken Femur
Ophelia – crippling arthritis pain
Dennis
Potrikus - fall with bad knees – recovering his
rehab
Paul
Meier – throat
cancer- radiation treatment successful
Richard Bailey – Brain Cancer
Joyce Barnes – Skin Cancer – all went well, pray for continued recovery
Marilee – Mastectomy Update – raditional Treatment
Donna – ongoing radiation and Chemotherapy. Pray for successful remission
Roy – Bulging disc – upcoming surgery
Michelle – metasticized lung cancer – treatment ongoing
Extended Issues need continued
prayer;
Laurie
with long Covid Symptoms - Extreme exhaustion, heart palpitations,
breathing problems and unstable blood pressures are constant worries causing
depression to settle in.
Malcom
Allred – Cancer Treatment
Betsey
Lane – Betsy passed into the arms of her Lord this past week,
please pray for Marianne, her daughter and family & friends.
Keep Praying for the following:
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