Sermon for 20th Sunday after Trinity, 2 November 2025, Morning Prayer
The Prayer of Collect.
O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Certainly, God is full of goodness for He is all-in-all, and there is no imperfection or impurity in Him. Therefore, His goodness is bountiful! Every good and perfect gift comes down from God. (James 1:17) James does not say, ‘some, or ‘most’, but ALL good gifts! These gifts include life, joy, love, friends, family, church, and health. If it is GOOD, it is from GOD!
This Gelasian collect was modified somewhat by Archbishop Cranmer to avoid any seeming allusion to the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation. He, therefore, substituted “of thy bountiful goodness” instead of the term “being propitiated.” The latter would imply an ongoing sacrifice which the Romans believe they do by the sacrifice of the Mass. We, and the Reformers, denounce such a doctrine as wholly erroneous. If the Roman church sacrifices Christ anew in every Mass, they are renouncing the singular worthiness of Christ’s sacrifice for us at Calvary. O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us, or, as the Roman Church would phrase the second part – thy on-going propitiation (sacrifice)!
The Roman Church irreverently leaves the Lord Jesus Christ perpetually on the cross (crucifix). For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit (1Peter 3:18) Please observe how the Roman doctrine rejects the clear Word of God with their doctrine of transubstantiation: For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:24-28) As you can clearly see, Christ made that full and complete sacrifice once and for all – for those past sins, as well as those future. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrew 6:6) Even a too frequent observance of Holy Communion reduces the reverence and solemnity of that memorial which we make in the spiritual Presence of our Lord in the Communion Service. The notion that a weekly Communion must be observed is an error taken from Romish practice meaning that we need a very frequent observance to cover our sins – this was never the intention of Christ in instituting the Supper of the Lord.
I believe that it was for the above reasons that our courageous founding Bishop, James Parker Dees, refrained from weekly Communions.
The Collect then petitions God to keep us from all things that may hurt us. These are not past sins, but present ones, and other dangers. “…….keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us” If Christ is the Captain and Pilot of your ship, He will never steer you into the shoals and reefs.
“….that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest In order to be ready in both body and soul, we must be conformed to that Mind which was in Christ. The only liberty known to man is made available only in Christ. The lost are not at liberty at all. They are under the bondage of sin. We must have faith, but that faith must be in the Lord and not our own might, or that of men. The faith must not be small. As our faith grows in Christ after our coming to Him, it increases with our continual sanctification. It is then that all things commanded by the Lord become a joy to perform, and are possible through Him.
Too often, men remember those inferior and meaningless laws and traditions of men, rather than the clear intent of Christ in obeying only those things He has commanded. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
(Mark 7:7-9) If we practice traditions from polluted sources, our worship will, likewise, be polluted with the commandments of men and not of God. Which do you practice?
Both lessons for today relate to the high regard our Lord has for the Holy Estate of Matrimony. Any perversion of that first institution of God in Genesis 2 will be met with a fiery judgment. According to the Word of God, marriage is an estate between one man and one woman only – and its duration is for “so long as ye both shall live.” I believe the love of the man for his wife is reciprocated in the heart of the wife for her husband. An unloving husband will not expect an overwhelming love from his wife.
The one passage that most clearly defines that love is found in Ephesians 5:25-29 – “25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.”
If a husband loves his wife enough to lay down his life for her, I believe the natural fabric of a woman’s heart will never fail to respond in kind to that degree of love. The marriage estate fits perfectly the second institution of God which is the Church (His Bride).
I recently read a very moving account of a marriage relationship that I include below:
“I once knew a very old married couple who radiated a tremendous happiness. The wife especially, who was almost unable to move because of old age and illness and in whose kind old face the joys and sufferings of many years had etched a hundred lines, was filled with such a gratitude for life that I was touched to the quick. Involuntarily, I asked myself what could possibly be the source of this kindly person's radiance. In every other respect they were common people, and their room indicated only the most modest comfort. But suddenly I knew where it all came from, for I saw those two speaking to each other, and their eyes hanging upon each other. All at once it became clear to me that this woman was dearly loved.
“It was not because she was a cheerful and pleasant person that she was loved by her husband all those years. It was the other way around. Because she was so loved she became the person I saw before me.”
~ Helmut Thielicke, How the World Began
Malachi pulls no punches in describing marriage as a permanent relationship between a man and a woman – it is a covenant relationship that is precisely the same as that covenant relationship between Christ and the Church. The blush of youth may be based on factors other than love and character, but when age becomes a factor, love and character are all that remain worthy of mention.
A few years ago, a very godly woman suggested that I write a letter to her daughter encouraging her to divorce what the mother thought was a worthless husband. It took some serious convincing to persuade her that the role of the Church was not to split asunder the marriage vows, but to discourage any separation. That was many years past, but today, the husband and wife of that marriage are getting on splendidly and the mother’s concerns were unwarranted.
We fall out of favor of God when we play fast and loose with marriage. Malachi warns of this in his 17th verse: “Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment? Another important warning is given by Isaiah “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 How woefully is that counsel being rejected in our day to the detriment of our children and society at large!
In our Gospel text from Matthew 19, our Lord Jesus Christ is confronted by queries from the Pharisees that reveal a deep-seated intent and evil concept of marriage. The questions are more rhetorical than meaningful. They reveal a lack of understanding, or perhaps a complete rejection, of God’s counsel on marriage. But Jesus, as usual, fields the questions with alacrity. When God made one man for one woman, it was a permanent arrangement. The two grow together more and more until they become one in every inward characteristic. The same is true of the Church and Christ. In His last prayers in Gethsemane, He prayed that God would make us one with Him, as He was One with the Father. That is the fruitful result of marriage as well as the true Church.
Of course, one of the greatest benefits of marriage is the issue of children. Love in marriage must exceed the love a man has for his parents, for h must leave his parents and cleave unto his wife. The result of that love bond is, if the Lord blesses, little children. Children possess the whole heart of our Lord. While they are young and unaware of the filthiness of sin, they are sweet and beautiful to behold. But they must be brought up in the nurture of a Godly household for they have become partners in the covenant of grace when raised under such conditions. Never withhold godly counsel from a little child, and never offend them with any ungodly and perverse notions; else, the penalty will be as severe as the hottest fires of Hell.
The people who brought little children to Christ in the latter passage of Matthew did so out of love and a desire for them to be blessed by the Lord. He was eager to comply with their request, and He laid hands on them and blessed them. This was a gateway to the covenant relationship that a parent can instill in a child.
“Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.”
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen
In Christ Alone during TRINITY SEASON,
Bishop's Blog
† Jerry Ogles
Presiding Bishop.
