The Open Door - 6 January 2021, Anno Domini

 

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ND Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. (1 Kings 18:21)

 

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HUS saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.  (Jeremiah 6:16-17)

 

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 KNOW thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.  (Revelation 3:8)

 

By virtue of the oath of my ordination as a minister, it falls my lot to warn and to remind our people of America of their grave danger in disregarding the warnings of God against spiritual complacency and unholy living. We have now established a long history of disregarding the counsel of God and gone into licentious living and hedonism of thought and practice. God gave us a time of reprieve over the past four years – a time in which God was again honored and the Name of Christ exalted among our people. Perhaps it was a test to see if we would respond any differently than the Children of Israel at the warnings of Elijah and Jeremiah in our leading texts cited above.  If so, we have failed that test just as did those of many centuries past, and we shall pay a hard punishment for taking the Word of God as a light and unimportant utterance. This is not my OPINION, but the COUNSEL proclaimed throughout the Word of God. Should I be remiss in preaching these truths and, in failing to proclaim them with a loud voice, I would be subject to answering to my Sovereign Lord and Redeemer for that lapse of responsibility! Hear the warning of God given by the prophet Ezekiel:

 

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GAIN the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: 3 If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; 4 Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. 6 But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.  (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

 

            May I suggest the sword hangs above the heads of our people in like manner of that of Damocles! The thin and gossamer thread that holds it from fatally falling is worn even more thin by our long-abiding disobedience to our God. Now we have made for ourselves a golden calf in defiance of the Word of God and His prophets. We have collected our national treasure and placed it in the hands of idolaters and brigands who have burned that treasure into the fires of ungodliness and immorality on the altar of Mammon. The emerging image is one that has been raised to be worshipped more than the God of Heaven. Our Godly heritage has been sacrificed in the fires of greed and caprice, instead of righteous law, and have divided the nation bringing us to the brink of Constitutional ruin. Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  (Romans 1:32)

 

            But I must divide the wicked usurpers of power by a thin line from those who profess Christ as Savior. In fact, there remains little division between evil and those who do not resist that evil. The days when the Church might have stood strong with little opposition Church could have stood strongly and with little opposition against decadent Justices who have ruled the Bible and Prayer out of our schools, who have given official sanction to the murder of innocents more horrendous than Herod’s murder at Bethlehem, and given the dignity of law to the perversion of the Holy Estate of Matrimony are long gone. Now a triple measure of courage will be required to stand against a maelstrom of evil grown large over a complacent Christian nation.

 

Even as I write, patriotic Americans are demonstrating on the steps of the Capital against the subversion of the Constitutional Republic by treasonous globalists. Though I do not approve of the tactics of forcefully invading the corridors of power until the destruction of our freedoms become more profound, I can understand the consternation of decent and honest citizens who realize that their vote has been violated and the election of a president brazenly stolen. 

 

            Unless the righteous indignation of the American people is not assuaged soon, I fear even more serious violence and opposition to arise.

 

            There is certainly overwhelming evidence of widespread fraud and dishonesty on the part of election officials during our Presidential election of November 3^rd.  The rights and concerns of the people have been flagrantly ignored by a judicial system that refuses even to hear the massive amount of evidence attesting to the fraud. What resort do the people have? I fear the principles delineated in our Founding Document, the Declaration of Independence, may result in more forceful measures on the part of citizens. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. - Declaration of Independence. If the people are aroused to take the steps outlined, the results would be more horrific than the Civil War. Let us pray that God will provide the same Providential guidance to His remnant people of America that He imparted to our Founding Fathers in order to avoid tragedy. May justice be forthcoming before the bars of the gates are torn down.

 

            We, the American people, have placed these dishonest politicians in office. We share in the blame for the wicked policies we hear being proclaimed from the ramparts of power today. We have turned a deaf ear to the Voice of God on matters of moral living and righteous national discourse. What have we left as a heritage and legacy for our dear children?

 

            Let us heed the words of Elijah: . . . . if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. What did our churches say when the Bible was removed from schools in which it had held an honored presence from our founding of a nation? or when children were deprived the right and benefit of prayer? Where was your voice in those days were you to have lived at that time? Where were you when nine hypocritical justices of the US Supreme Court over-ruled the Supreme Law of the Land (the US Constitution) and legalized the slaughter of innocent blood? Do you answer not a word?

 

            Have we disregarded the counsel God gave through Jeremiah? 16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Is this the sorry and immoral point we have arrived as a nation? Unlike a nation of the heroic courage of our Founders, have we become a nation of cowering scoundrels whose voices are stopped by effeminate fear?

 

            God has, time and again, placed an open door before our faces in guiding us in the right way. We have ignored the door that leads to mercy and blessing, and have chosen the way of doom and hard tribulation. What of our children – what of our children? If my sad commentary of our predicament lacks the power of awaking salts, perhaps you will heed the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: 

 

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AUGHTERS of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?  (Luke 23:28-31)

Hymns of the Church - Children of the Heavenly King – 5 January 2021, Anno Domini

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HEN Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also . . . . .  16 ¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.  (Matthew 2:7, 16-18)

 

            Here is a fitting hymn for the Epiphany. Among other things, it points out the innocence of the children who were madly massacred by Herod’s army. I will apply the points in this hymn to the Holy Innocents. But points of reference are important in establishing perceptions. In the perceptions of the world, a child remains so until achieving the age of carnal knowledge; however, in the eyes of God our Father, the childhood of His elect is never-ending. Regardless of our advanced age, we are still too green in life (compared with God’s eternity) to be considered old. We are all children of God.

 

            The slaughtered male children of Bethlehem of two years age and under – based on the calculation of the maximum presumed age of Christ based on when the Star appeared to the Wise Men. (vs 7 above). The hymn was composed by John Cennick in 1742. There are two different tunes presented in the 1940 Hymnal – that of Johann Christian Kittell, BRASTED,  (1790); and the other, PLEYEL’S or GERMAN HYMN, by Ignaz Pleyel (1782). I strongly prefer the latter tune. 

 

Children of the Heavenly King

 

Children of the heavenly King, 

As we journey, sweetly sing; 

Sing your Saviour's worthy praise, 

Glorious in his works and ways

 

We are traveling home to God, 

In the way the Fathers trod; 

They are happy now, and we 

Soon their happiness shall see. 

 

Lift your eyes, ye sons of light, 

Zion's city is in sight;

There our endless home shall be, 

There our Lord we soon shall see. 

 

Lord, obediently we go, 

Gladly leaving all below; 

Only thou our Leader be,

And we still will follow thee. Amen.

 

            1.⁠ Children of the heavenly King,  As we journey, sweetly sing; Sing your Saviour's worthy praise, Glorious in his works and ways. The infants of Bethlehem, in a sense, were honored and blessed by this event though horrific to the mothers. They died that Christ might live to become their Redeemer through His own vicarious and atoning death and resurrection. The whole of their lives was spent in innocent infancy. They did not walk the cruel road of life very long before going home to the Father.

 

            2.⁠  We are traveling home to God, In the way the Fathers trod; They are happy now, and we Soon their happiness shall see. God is the eternal home of every member of His family – and there are only two families on earth, the elect and the lost. There can be no greater ecstasy than to be with our Lord. It is perhaps so, as Wordsworth points out, that our memories are not fully devoid of our recent coming from the Gates of Splendor while yet in our infancy. These infants gave up their spirits to be returned to the Giver of Life – Our Lord Jesus Christ. There comes a day in all of our futures when, at the discretion of our Lord, the curtain of our lives shall descend. We shall awaken as if after the twinkling of the eye, and find ourselves bathed in the brilliant light of His presence; and gathered all around will be those who have preceded us (including the infants of Bethlehem).

 

3.⁠  Lift your eyes, ye sons of light, Zion's city is in sight; There our endless home shall be, There our Lord we soon shall see. You will recall that the Wise Men (Magi) ceased to follow the Star when they crossed the Jordan Waters and drew near to Jerusalem. They ceased to follow the Heavenly Light and took up following the ‘will o’ the Wisp’ lights of mortal man. They reasoned that the coming King of Kings should be born in the capital city and in the palace of the king, so they sought the child out at the palace of Herod. Not having their inquiries satisfied, they departed the city. As soon as they got beyond the gates of the city, they again saw the Star and followed it to the unlikely (to them) place of nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ at sleepy Bethlehem. Christ is our Sun of Righteousness – our Day Star – and wherever He is, there is resplendent light. The proper abode for the Sons and Daughters of Light should be the City of Light where New Jerusalem is kept in earnest for the reward of the elect. 

 

4.⁠. Lord, obediently we go, Gladly leaving all below; Only thou our Leader be, And we still will follow thee. Amen. Our Lord Jesus Christ was obedient in all things to the Father – even the death of the cross. He has commanded us, as well, to follow Him, to take up our crosses daily in that service. He suffered for His redeemed on the cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb, He arose from that tomb on the third day and ascended to the Father as He was received by a cloud. Obediently, we too go gladly leaving all below following that brilliant Light of Christ. His steps may lead to suffering and deprivation. They may lead to a martyr’s death even. But we continue the march despite the false signals and bugle calls of the enemy and follow that Light of Christ on the Way, the Truth, and the Life of His Gospel. His steps will always lead through the wilderness to the great Gates of Heaven.

AOC Sunday Report - Second Sunday after Christmas

Happy Second Sunday after Christmas!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

There are wonderful sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as from Revs Jack and Bryan; each is even more different than usual, so you really should take the time to read them.

I know there are always a lot of people who desire your prayer, certainly today is no exception.  Consider, if you will, Shamu who has had 27 abdominal surgeries and just got released from Johns Hopkins having driven two blood infections out and had her port changed and is still fighting off one more blood infection or Mrs. Kay who has been on dialysis for 17 years and is facing numerous organ shortfalls all the while keeping her faith in God and a positive outlook. Start with Shamu, Mrs. Kay, Bob, Jim and work out from there.  Do not forget to pray for our various countries under siege not only from Covid, but their governments.

There is an amazing week ahead, even in this time of turmoil, but you will never find it without God's help.  That is why He sent that Third God Guy, the Holy Ghost.

Godspeed,

Hap

Church of the Faithful Centurion 

Descanso, California

United States of America

Second Sunday after Christmas

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon ties together the propers, that is to say the prayer and readings for this week.  Due to calendar considerations, we do not oft get to celebrate the Second Sunday after Christmas as there are only 12 days in Christmastide, but this is one of those years!

 

Consider these words from the Collect, “…God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives…”

First, note God has given us the New Light of Jesus Christ in the world and in our lives as the Word Incarnate, or the Word in the Flesh.  We did not earn it He gave it to us!  Gave, as in we did nothing to deserve it. It is a gift of God’s wonderful Grace!  However, once we have it, to show we really do have it. we must do something with the Word, hence the second part that His Word might shine in our lives. We must let the Word spur us into action! We are asking for the light of the Word will take root in our hearts and shine forth as action in our lives.  That is to say our lives will act as an open window to the Word, not a closed door. We want the window to show our lives have been renewed by Christ’s presence to encourage others to follow Him as well. In order for that to be so, we have to act upon the Scriptures and Christ’s teachings, and do our very best, and not just say it, to follow Him.

 

The reading used for the Epistle is not an Epistle as such, but a portion of the Book of Isaiah, one of the Old Testament books filled with New Testament ideas and thoughts.  Isaiah is pointing out what God will do for us, if we will but allow Him in. He will break us from the prison known as sin and bring us to true freedom. 

 

In the reading, Isaiah says what we should all be saying, The Lord has selected us to pass on His Good Tidings to all, to tell the world the Good News of the Lord Jesus!  To comfort those in need, to bring happiness where there is heaviness, to talk of the Glory of God!  Good News indeed for those of us who live in a fallen world where there is very little Good news, especially these days! Jesus proclaims liberty to us, the former captives of the sin that would otherwise bring us to a final death. Instead of death, He proclaims light and light to all the hearts who accept Him. 

 

On the surface, in the Gospel, Matthew is just relating the historical fact of Joseph being told to go back into Israel with Mary and Jesus, that all was safe for the time being.  Yet, there is more.  The verses also recall the threat to Jesus’ life from Herod and sends Joseph and his family to take up residence in Nazareth in fulfillment of the prophecy that the King of Kings would be called a Nazarene.

 

So, what of us?  How do we fit in to all this?

 

We are to spread the light unto the world, to be beacons, directing the people of the World to follow Christ and not the World. We are lamp bearers, torch bearers, bringing the light of Scripture unto the darkest places. We are like the light of Galadriel given to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, that it might be a light “unto the darkest places.” Indeed, this world is dark, a lot like the world of Mordor, also from Lord of the Rings. Even when we despair and all seems hopeless, with Christ and the Holy Ghost in our hearts, we can ride out amidst the darkness of the world and triumph over what seems like overwhelming odds, when the evil folk outnumber the good folk. With this rallying to our King, we can defeat anything evil throws at us. We know in the end our side wins for all eternity. We have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us in difficult times and the wonderful guide of Scripture to guide us.

 

So too shall Scripture be a light for us and others in the darkest times and places on this planet. Christ is the great guiding star, like the North Star for sailors of old to navigate by. So too shall we navigate by Christ as our great guiding star. If we hold the light up, we shall never fall and stumble.  Without light we will fall and stumble. So, the obvious solution to our problems when we are troubled is to turn back and hold up the light to light our way.

 

That is to say, to return to the Scriptures and His Word and consult Him for guidance and not look for true guidance from the heart of man. Christ will show us the way.  But, for us to find The Way, we must allow it to take root in our hearts and then act upon The Way. This is the one true Way we must follow. If we allow the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we will find this Way. He will give us guidance on how and where to act, we just need to listen.  

 

In order to listen, we need to allow the Holy Ghost to enter in our hearts and open us to change our ways to God’s ways. We have to be ready, willing and able to receive Him and to spread His Word, to have a true solid, Christian faith. Only then can we go forth and spread the Good News as God has instructed us. We can’t go forth and spread the Good News, if we do not have it within us via the Holy Ghost. 

 

In order to be of help to others who would come to Christ, we must walk the walk besides talking the talk; we must not be as hypocrites, saying one thing but doing another. We do not want to be like the Pharisees of old, with their lavish prayers and gestures in the public. But we must be like the publican who would not so much as lift His eyes up onto the heavens. We must have a humble, hearty and contrite spirit, to spread the Word of the Lord to those who need to hear it most.

 

The time has come to show the light unto the world. The time has come to choose God or Satan. The choice is like those in the Lord of the Rings[1]. Do we choose the Light, like the Men of the West and Aragorn of Gondor, or do we choose the forces of Darkness, of Mordor and their allies? Who shall we choose? Our actions shall show our hearts. “For where your heart is, there shall your treasure be also.”

 

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

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[1] No so surprising a comparison as you might think if you knew little of literature. The great fantasy and children’s writers, John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien, Clive Stapleton (CS) Lewis and Gilbert Keith (GK) Chesterton were all friends and more importantly, devoted well educated Christians.   While they are famous for their apparently secular fantasy writings, there is a Christian theme woven through each of their works.

Sermon Notes - Second Sunday after Christmas - Given at St. Andrews Anglican Church (AOC) - Enterprise, Alabama - 3 January 2021, Anno Domini (in the Year of Our Lord)

The Second Sunday after Christmas Day.

The Collect.

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LMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Epistle

Isaiah lxi. 1.

 

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HE Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

 

The Gospel 


Matthew 2:19-23

 

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UT when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

 

            As our Prayer of Collect attests, God, at Christmas, has poured out into our Cups of

Faith the “new Light of His Incarnate Word” – so much so that our cups runneth over. The Light was eternally the same unchanging Light of Christ that existed before the worlds and heavens were made; yet, it came down to us to share in our same pains and sufferings – and more. We can know God the Father because we have seen and heard God the Son. 

 

            It is a mystery known only to God that only the meek and humble of heart can hear and understand the Voice of the Spirit that speaks the Gospel that heals, that frees, that cheers and that liberates from our self-imposed prison captivity. As our Epistle proclaims, we are, as well, to proclaim – the acceptable year of our Lord. That Year has been published in our calendars ever since His birth. It was 2014 years ago (Anno Domini) since that momentous fulfillment of the Word. Despite all efforts to erase the meaning of that date, it is recognized by the world, in spite of themselves, as the division of time for our computation of the time scale in years.  Those who would extinguish the fires of truth by re-naming the calendar dates with such ridiculous labels as CE (Common ERA to supplant Christ Birth of AF) and BCE. (Before the Common Error to blur the distinction of BC – before Christ) are hard-pressed to explain WHY they must use the zero year (Christ birth) as a starting point. Why not allow the great truth of history to prevail and simply admit that the coming of Christ was such a climactic event as to divide our time scale in half? How imbecilic is THAT!

 

            Now we come to the Gospel text for the day. Please note how seamless are the lines that join the Prayer of Collect, the Epistle, and the Gospel together.  The traditional lectionary has been the greatest tool in our Church Year to teach the whole storyline of Christ and His Church.

 

            Herod, the evil king who had slaughtered the children of Bethlehem (2 years of age and younger) in his insane attempt to destroy Christ, has died. According to the Jewish historian, Josephus, his death was one of extreme suffering. But that is not a concern of the Gospel. All men come to a day of dying, even kings and rulers – so Herod died the eternal death and is paying the wages for his sins. 

 

            Joseph has fled into Egypt with the Child Jesus with His mother, Mary.  He was warned of the danger of Herod by the Angel of the Lord following the visit by the Wise Men. “And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” (Matt 2:13) It is worthy of comment that kings, rulers, and governments have always tried to destroy the Person of Jesus and any remembrance of His Name. There was no room for Christ in a suitable lodging of Bethlehem, and there is no room for Him in Judah either. The sword lurks in the hills and wilderness areas of that land in search of a small child to destroy Him. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.” Long years (perhaps six) Joseph and the mother of Jesus tarried in Egypt awaiting the counsel of the Lord to return home. They never complained or pressed God, but patiently waited during that sojourn for the Word of the Lord and His directing Light. Just as the Wise Men had patiently followed the Light of the Star, so must we patiently bear exile and danger until the Lord gives us His Will and Word. 

 

            “Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.” The precise wording of this verse is quite illuminating. You will note that the angel did not say “take your Son and His mother.”  The reason is that Joseph was not the father of Jesus. The Father of Jesus was God the Father.  Notice the insidious scheme to undermine this truth in new bible versions. In the Received Text bibles we read from Luke 2:33 – “And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.”  Now hear the great lie propagated by the NIV in the same verse: “The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” Jesus had no earthly father! 

 

            So Joseph and Mary waited upon the Lord for those long years in Egypt. How often do we rush matters according to our own schedule and disregard the patience that God would have us practice? “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14)  “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” (Psalm 123:2)  “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) This wise counsel is repeated in a plethora of other Scripture verses as well. When it is the Lord’s Time, it is the RIGHT time!

 

            Once the Lord has spoken, there should be no lingering procrastination – we must be up, and at the doing of His will. 21 “And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.” There was no questioning of what awaited in Israel – simply prompt obedience on the part of Joseph. A Godly woman will ALWAYS follow the spiritual leadership of a Godly man.  I lay the fault of almost every failed marriage at the feet of the man who does not follow the Will of God in loving his wife and providing spiritual leadership. Mary immediately went with Joseph though the Angel had not spoken directly to her. 

 

            The Christian is never without dangers and challenges. Though Herod is dead, his son, Archelaus, now ruled in his stead.  We never reach a point of absolute physical security in a world that is ruled by the enemies of God. We are Soldiers of the Cross – Christian men, women, and children. We wear our uniforms openly and fly the banner of Christ before us. But the wicked ‘Sniper on the Hill’ is forever vigilant to destroy us if we unwittingly expose ourselves to his aim. We must be gentle as lambs in our dealings with others, but wise as serpents to counter the threat of the enemy. “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.“ (Matt 10:16)

 

            Once we have Christ, we often must leave the place of our accustomed living never to return. Joseph did not feel safe in returning to Judah, but God never leads half-way. Just as God had counseled Joseph to leave Egypt, He also warned him to avoid Judah. 22 “But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee.” It is amazing to me how every step Joseph took from Nazareth to Bethlehem to Egypt to Galilee was dictated so precisely by God. Joseph had keen ears to hear the voice of the Lord, and he heard that Voice. We, too, must avoid the mad rages of public society and get to a quiet place where we can have a keen ear to hear the Voice of God. 

 

            Of what significance is this little village to which Jesus was carried called ‘Nazareth?’ The Hebrew root for the name seems to derive from Isaiah 11:1 – “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” (Isaiah 11:1) The word for Branch (or twig) given here in the Hebrew is ‘(Netser’. Jesus is the Branch that comes forth out of the stem of Jesse and, eventually, King David. But He also has the title of the “Anointed One of the Lord” (separated).  In the Greek, the word is ‘Nazwrai'oß Nazoraios – one separated. Nazareth was as insignificant as it was small. It was located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee – about equidistant from both.  It was like nothing more than a twig of the land of Israel – small and unimportant. The little town of Bethlehem was not very important either until it became the birthplace of Christ – now it is remembered forever. Neither was the crude manger important until it held the Baby Jesus – now everyone knows about the blessed manger. But Nazareth, though unknown for its insignificance beforehand, would now become known for all time and eternity for the blessed Lord who had lived there. In the mind of man, nothing good, or important, could come from such a remote little hamlet; but in the Providence of God, something of supreme importance came out of Nazareth. “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” (John 1:46) The voice of the Lord may seem unimportant to us until we have stopped to listen and to heed that Voice….then it becomes the most important Voice we have ever heard. 

 

Have you heard that Voice?

 

Come and See!

Second Sunday after Christmas Day - Propers with explanation - Rev Jack's Sermon

The propers for today are found on Page 106-107, with the Collect first:

 

The Second Sunday after Christmas Day.

The Collect.

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LMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The reading for the Epistle comes from the Book of Isaiah, the Sixty-First Chapter beginning at the First Verse:

 

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HE Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Here endeth the Epistle

 

The Holy Gospel comes from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the Second Chapter beginning at the Nineteenth Verse:

 

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HEN Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judæa in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon ties together the propers, that is to say the prayer and readings for this week.  Due to calendar considerations, we do not oft get to celebrate the Second Sunday after Christmas as there are only 12 days in Christmastide, but this is one of those years!

 

Consider these words from the Collect, “…God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives…”

 

First, note God has given us the New Light of Jesus Christ in the world and in our lives as the Word Incarnate, or the Word in the Flesh.  We did not earn it He gave it to us!  Gave, as in we did nothing to deserve it. It is a gift of God’s wonderful Grace!  However, once we have it, to show we really do have it. we must do something with the Word, hence the second part that His Word might shine in our lives. We must let the Word spur us into action! We are asking for the light of the Word will take root in our hearts and shine forth as action in our lives.  That is to say that our lives will act as an open window to the Word, not a closed door. We want the window to show our lives have been renewed by Christ’s presence to encourage others to follow Him as well. In order for that to be so, we have to act upon the Scriptures and Christ’s teachings, and do our very best, and not just say it, to follow Him.

 

The reading used for the Epistle is not an Epistle as such, but a portion of the Book of Isaiah, one of the Old Testament books filled with New Testament ideas and thoughts.  Isaiah is pointing out what God will do for us, if we will but allow Him in. He will break us from the prison known as sin and bring us to true freedom. 

 

In the reading, Isaiah says what we should all be saying, The Lord has selected us to pass on His Good Tidings to all, to tell the world the Good News of the Lord Jesus!  To comfort those in need, to bring happiness where there is heaviness, to talk of the Glory of God!  Good News indeed for those of us who live in a fallen world where there is very little Good news, especially these days! Jesus will be proclaiming liberty to us, the former captives of the sin that would bring us to a final death. Instead of death, He proclaims light and light to all the hearts who accept Him. 

 

On the surface, in the Gospel, Matthew is just relating the historical fact of Joseph being told to go back into Israel with Mary and Jesus, that all was safe for the time being.  Yet, there is more.  The verses also recall the threat to Jesus’ life from Herod and sends Joseph and his family to take up residence in Nazareth in fulfillment of the prophecy that the King of Kings would be called a Nazarene.

 

So what of us?  How do we fit in to all this?

 

We are to spread the light unto the world, to be beacons, directing the people of the World to follow Christ and not the World. We are the lamp bearers, the torch bearers, bringing the light of Scripture unto the darkest places. We are like the light of Galadriel, which was given to Frodo in Lord of the Rings, that it might be a light “unto the darkest places.” Indeed this world is dark, a lot like the world of Mordor, also from Lord of the Rings. Even when we despair and all seems hopeless, with Christ and the Holy Ghost in our hearts, we can ride out amidst the darkness of the world and triumph over what seems like overwhelming odds, when the evil folk outnumber the good folk. With this rallying to our King, we can defeat anything that evil throws at us. We know in the end our side wins for all eternity. We have the Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us in difficult times and the wonderful guide of Scripture to guide us.

 

So too shall Scripture be a light for us and others in the darkest times and places on this planet. Christ is the great guiding star, like the North Star for sailors of old to navigate by. So too shall we navigate by Christ as our great guiding star. If we hold the light up, we shall never fall and stumble. But if we do not hold it up, we will fall and stumble. So the obvious solution to our problems when we are troubled is to turn back and hold up the light to light our way.

 

That is to say, to return to the Scriptures and His Word and consult Him for guidance and not look for true guidance from the heart of man. Christ will show us the way.  But, for us to find The Way, we must allow it to take root in our hearts and then act upon The Way. This is the one true Way we must follow. If we allow the Holy Spirit into our hearts, we will find this Way. He will give us guidance on how and where to act, we just need to listen.  

 

In order to listen, we need to allow the Holy Ghost to enter in our hearts and open us to change our ways to God’s ways. We have to be ready, willing and able to receive Him and to spread His Word, to have a true solid, Christian faith. Only then can we go forth and spread the Good News as God has instructed us. We can’t go forth and spread the Good News, if we do not have it within us via the Holy Ghost. 

 

In order to be of help to others who would come to Christ, we must walk the walk besides talking the talk; we must not be as hypocrites, saying one thing but doing another. We do not want to be like the Pharisees of old, with their lavish prayers and gestures in the public. But we must be like the publican who would not so much as lift His eyes up onto the heavens. We must have a humble, hearty and contrite spirit, to spread the Word of the Lord to those who need to hear it most.

 

The time has come to show the light unto the world. The time has come to choose God or Satan. The choice is like those in the Lord of the Rings[1]. Do we choose the Light, like the Men of the West and Aragorn of Gondor, or do we choose the forces of Darkness, of Mordor and their allies? Who shall we choose? Our actions shall show our hearts. “For where your heart is, there shall your treasure be also.”

 

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

 

 

 

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[1] No so surprising a comparison as you might think if you knew little of literature. The great fantasy and children’s writers, John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien, Clive Stapleton (CS) Lewis and Gilbert Keith (GK) Chesterton were all friends and more importantly, devoted well educated Christians.   While they are famous for their apparently secular fantasy writings, there is a Christian theme woven through each of their works.

The Circumcision of Christ - 1 January 2021, Anno Domini

 

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HEREFORE remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:11-22)

 

            According to the Jewish historian, Josephus, among other historical references, we are told of a wall that divided the outer court of the Temple as a trespass limit for Gentiles – the Court of the Gentiles. Each chamber of the Temple was considered more Holy as you approached the Holy of Holies. So, the Gentiles were limited in their access by that wall or partition from the greater Temple grounds. “14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” Ephesians 2:14-16 Some have taken this passage, especially verse 15, to mean that our Lord annulled the Commandments given at Sinai. This is unadulterated nonsense since God, unlike man, is unchangeable and Immutable! Not a single jot nor tittle of the Law has been abolished being just as pertinent today as when written by the very finger of God. 

 

God has not changed His mind or His Way in His revulsion of sin. But God the Father has indeed provided an open gate to the sheepfold through the imputed merits and righteousness of His only Begotten Son. The ‘law of commandments contained in ordinances’ were ordinances that were outside the Ten Commandments and were offered as a shadow of better things to come in Christ. Once such ordinance was circumcision. Like baptism, circumcision was an outward sign of an inward grace that separated the people of God from the world. The ordinance of circumcision was fulfilled in Christ, and the sacrament of baptism has become the full expression designating those who belong to Christ and His Church.

 

I invite the reader’s attention to a lithograph copy of a painting by Otto A. Stemler (1872-1953) – a devout Christian artist most of whose art was applied to a Christian interpretive style. The painting is titled, ‘Christ and the Children.’ Please peruse this lithograph carefully, and before proceeding to read my own interpretation thereof with a view to defining the principle the artist is attempting to convey.

 

            You will note that Christ is surrounded by six children of different races – all of whom are touching our Lord, except ONE – an African child. Christ seems to be looking intently at the African boy. What message does this convey? I can tell you for certain that Stemler is not making the case that the African is less welcome than the others; so, what is the message? It is a perfect illustration of the leading text of this devotion. 

 

            At the time of Stemler’s painting this piece, the evangelical inroads into what was called the Dark Continent had barely just begun. Indeed, there were yet parts of Africa where neither explorer nor missionary had set foot. It is my view that Stemler is illustrating the fact that, though the continent of Africa had yet to fully receive the Gospel, the time was drawing near when the sheep of Africa would also be added to His Fold. His expression is inviting to the little black lad with what almost seems a trace of longing. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

 

            Since that painting was published, Africa has truly been evangelized. Though it may not be true of the clerical superstructure of the Church in Africa, it certainly is true of the humble and lowly people of the bush country to whom I had the privilege to share the Gospel a few years ago. Their firm belief in the “faith once delivered to the saints’ was unshakeable. They are becoming more steadfast today in their faith than the nations who first sent Missionaries to teach them. They refuse to abandon the old paths of Holy Scripture and embrace the ‘willy-nilly gospel’ of the new age pseudo-church.

 

            Bear in mind that Christ did not come to a people wholly His own in the Hebrew race. There were people of Israel who embraced the promise made to Abraham and were, indeed, children of Abraham. But the greater portion of Israel had become secular in their faith. They worship the nation-state rather than the King of Kings.  There were others who had not been granted the privilege of hearing or knowing of that promise who must be brought into the fold as believing children of Abraham – that is, made one with true Israel. “And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.” The Jews of that day were nigh, yet the Gentiles were far off. Those of faith must be made one of both parties. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  (Galatians 3:26-29)

 

            The sacrament of baptism has replaced the foreshadowing ordinance of circumcision in designating that fulness in Christ spoken of both of prophets, law, and Gospel. I grow weary of hearing an earthly nation referred to ‘God’s Chosen People’ who deny His Lordship and redemption; who still cling to the hope of resuming animal sacrifices in rejection of that once-and-for-all sacrifice made by a Lord – a full and sufficient sacrifice. Can the Christin professor who yearns to see the Temple at Jerusalem resume animal sacrifices have any clue about that sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ? I think not, for how would he describe those truths presented by Paul in the Book of Hebrews (and other passages)? 

 

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OR the 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. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. 8 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; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.   (Hebrews 10:1-12)

 

The simplicity of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ overwhelms the vain, copious and unending arguments of the scribes and Pharisees of our day . . .  and His. 

 

Simply read and believe.