Happy Fourth Sunday in Lent.
The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.
We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry, Roy and Dennis; inasmuch as Jack is in Madrid, you get one from me, as well as Rev Bryan. My brings the propers together. and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/W3ngvin9dO0
My sermon looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we near the end of Lent, a season of preparation. In the Collect, as is often to the case we acknowledge to God we have fallen way short of our goals He set for us; the Collect goes on to provide an accounting irregularity to solve our problem. Paul is right on point when he talks about the two sons of Abraham, one of the bond, one of the free. Before we accepted Christ and the Holy Spirit we were like the son of the bondwoman and enslaved to sin. Once we accepted Christ and the Holy Spirit and have made an effort to transform our lives from our old sinful selves as the son of the bond, to the better selves, we are now sons of the freewoman. John tells the story of the feeding of the five thousand. In the middle of nowhere, two thousand years from the nearest McDonalds, the disciples looked to Jesus to fill the needs of their congregation. Jesus took what they had and gave them what they needed; “for he himself knew what he would do.” He acted to help them. Do ye likewise. 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 it doesn’t ever change. Today we ask you start with Alan Ridenour’s father who has just been released to him after two months on a ventilator in ICU with Covid then work your way through Shamu, Tricia, Laurie, and continue from there when you have time.
As we near the end of Lent, season of preparation for the coming of the Lord into Jerusalem amongst other things, 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 see the epic week ahead.
Godspeed,
Hap Arnold
Bishop Coadjutor
Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
PS – The pictures are in no particular order, I am not that good. But, next week there will be captions and everything,
