The Propers for today are found on Page 186-188, with the Collect first:
Trinity Sunday.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.
This morning’s Epistle was written in the Fourth Chapter of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine beginning at the First Verse. John attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words. The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily:
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FTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. And the first was like a lion, and the second like a calf, and the third had a face as a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.
Today’s Gospel came from the Third Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the First Verse:
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HERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
The Exhortation
While it can be read every time before Holy Communion, three times a year the Exhortation is mandatory; the rubric says: That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday. The word exhortation means - an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something. In this case, it urges each of us to consider precisely what we are doing when we come forward to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion. First, think about the term Holy Commuion, that is two words put together. Holy – Set aside Communion – Joined together. Interesting. We are set aside from the world and joined together with God and our fellow Christians in this sacrament.
At this point, we should consider what the Catechism[1] has to say about sacraments:
Question What do you mean by this word Sacrament?
Answer I mean by this word Sacrament an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us; ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive this grace, and a pledge to assure us thereof.
Question How many parts are there in a Sacrament?
Answer There are two parts in a Sacrament; the out- ward and visible sign, and the inward and spiritual grace.
Question Why was the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper ordained?
Answer The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was ordained for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby.
Question What is the outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper?
Answer The outward part or sign of the Lord’s Sup- per is, Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.
Question What is the inward part, or thing signified?
Answer The inward part, or thing signified, is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper.
Question What are the benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper?
Answer The benefits whereof we are partakers in the Lord’s Supper are the strengthening and refreshing of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as our bodies are strengthened and refreshed by the Bread and Wine.
Question What is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper?
Answer It is required of those who come to the Lord’s Supper to examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins, with stedfast purpose to lead a new life; to have a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of his death; and to be in charity with all men.
Now when you read or listen to The Exhortation, you will see it is really nothing more than a fancy regurgitation[2] of the Catechism.
THE EXHORTATIONS.
¶ At the time of the Celebration of the Communion, after the prayer for the whole state of Christ’s Church, the Priest may say this Exhortation. And Note, That the Exhortation shall be said on the First Sunday in Advent, the First Sunday in Lent, and Trinity Sunday.
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EARLY beloved in the Lord, ye who mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, must consider how Saint Paul exhorteth all persons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they presume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart and lively faith we receive that holy Sacrament; so is the danger great, if we receive the same unworthily. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your sins past; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men; so shall ye be meet partakers of those holy mysteries. And above all things ye must give most humble and hearty thanks to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for the redemption of the world by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and man; who did humble himself, even to the death upon the Cross, for us, miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death; that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life. And to the end that we should always remember the exceeding great love of our Master, and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious blood-shedding he hath obtained for us; he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries, as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, let us give, as we are most bounden, continual thanks; submitting ourselves wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen.
Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Today’s sermon covers the basic concept of the Triune God, that is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost and how they were introduced to us through time and the Bible in particular; it draws the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Consider these words from the Collect:
… acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity…
In the Collect, we acknowledge there is a Triune God, that is to say there are three aspects of God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. A Triune God means literally Three in One, not three separate Gods or godlets, but a single being with three aspects. How does this work?
The honest answer is – WE DON’T KNOW. We have not been told of how this Being operates. We just have been told that there are three and They are ONE. Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told. It has not been deemed need to know for us.
However what we do know is:
· God is I AM;
· God the Father sent The Son to be our Savior, He was there at the beginning and created this world;
· The Holy Ghost breathed life into the world, and brings understanding, comfort, strength, perseverance, courage, inspiration, patience;
· They all have always been and always will be.
That is what we know; it leaves a lot we don’t know, but we can certainly be kept busy with what we do know. What we do know is that what must be enough for now. The answer to any theological question, i.e how many angels can dance on the head of the pin can be best answered with how many God needs at the time.
All we have to understand is that He is I AM, there is God, there is the Son, there is the Holy Ghost and they all work together in their own way to be the one God of our faith. There is a reason for this even though we don’t know it, but it works out, so we do not have to wonder how it works, we just continue believing and acting!
But, what of later? If we have eternal life, we have it now and later. What comes later? Heaven. What is heaven? In the epistle John attempts to describe to us what Heaven is like. He attempts to show us the majesty and glory of heaven using words. The picture he paints is intended to be awe inspiring and seems to meet that goal handily. The main thing we can be certain of is that we will not be disappointed. We speculate as to will this or that be in heaven? When we get there, the answer will manifest itself and you will have no regrets. John’s description should serve to tell us heaven will easily surpass all of our expectations. He is trying to convey Heaven is a destination truly worth our earthly toils. All that we need to know about heaven is is that it is a really wonderful place we should be aiming to go to when we die, through our belief and actions here on earth working together!
So, how do we get to the real world from these Shadowlands? There is but one way, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins.[1]
Do not be fooled by “there are many paths to God” which seems to be the way of the world today, there is only one way into heaven. All roads do not lead to heaven. Many lead to the pit, but out of the many roads, there is only one narrow uphill path which will get you to heaven. Doing good is good, so to speak; doing good without God is not good enough. Only being accounted perfect will get you up the path and in the door.
One thing is clear, in order to traverse this narrow uphill trail we need help! Lots of help as a matter of fact. The first thing we need in our hearts is a new heart, a new and contrite heart. This is what Jesus was telling Nicodemus in the Gospel. He was explaining how we need a new heart in order to continue to serve God. The Pharisees could not or would not see that their hearts were not good enough on their own to serve Him, as ours are not if they are not regenerated. That is really hard, in fact, it is so hard it cannot be done by ourselves. We need something like turning over a new leaf so to speak. There is a way as a matter of fact for us to do this.
We must be born of the spirit! What spirit?
The Holy Ghost. We must accept we in and of ourselves will never be perfect. Our hearts as they are will not lead us towards God, but away from God unless we have the help of the Holy Ghost! No one gets in to heaven unless they are accounted as perfect. We will never be perfect in and of ourselves. Should we quit trying? No! We are commanded to follow our Christ. Will we fail? Without question. What is the solution? To believe and follow the Christ. To open our hearts to the Holy Ghost that we might believe in full and accept the help from the Christ that our imperfection needs to be His followers.
To follow God, we need Christ as our leader and the Holy Ghost as our compass. In short, we need all members of the Trinity’s influence in our lives if we are to arrive in the real world, that of Heaven.
There is but one way to heaven.
That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits. Open your heart to the Holy Ghost; use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.
Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
