Sermon Notes - The Rich Man and Lazarus - First Sunday after Trinity - 19 June 2022, Anno Domini

Sermon - The Rich Man and Lazarus

            How many of us will live long enough to face death? Let’s see – ALL! Then what?

 

Today’s text is about two men of opposite characters. In actuality, it is about three men – the Rich Man, Lazarus, and Abraham. Only the names of two are mentioned – Abraham and Lazarus – because they are the only names of eternal worth transcribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Rich Man has no need of a name in Hell.

 

            Though this parable (and perhaps a real event in reality) is meant for all of us, Jesus primarily aimed it at the rich and powerful preachers of His day who coveted MONEY. Do you believe any nature of man’s heart has changed from that day to this! Jesus had just told a parable about another rich steward who used his money to satisfy mammon by sharing the wealth. The Pharisees stood about and jeered Him: ¹⁴  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. (Luke 16:14) So Jesus related this parable. How many churches can you enter today without hearing an over-abundant plea for MONEY?

 

`The Holy Bible has much to say about riches, and Jesus Christ, who is the Word Incarnate, adds to the volume of commentary on riches:

 

L

AY not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: ²⁰ But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: ²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.   (Matthew 6:19-21)

 

R

EMOVE far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: ⁹ Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.  (Proverbs 30:8-9)

 

V

ERILY I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. ²⁵ When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? ²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:23-26)

 

            In describing another rich man, Christ refers to Zaccheus: And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. ² And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. (Luke 19:1-2)  But Zaccheus also was saved in his riches while Dives (the Rich man in today’s text) was condemned.

 

            Our Sermon text for today comes from the 16^th chapter of the Gospel of St Luke, beginning at the 16^th verse, giving us a picture of the reward of those who consider only riches of worth, and a poor beggar who places his trust in God alone; however, the chapter begins with another rich man:

 

A

ND he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.  (Luke 16:1)

 

T

HERE was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: ²⁰ And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, ²¹ And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; ²³ And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. ²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. ²⁷ Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: ²⁸ For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. ²⁹ Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. ³⁰ And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. ³¹ And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.  (Luke 16:19-31)

 

            Christ paints a real life scene of two different lifestyles on the same canvas:

 

1.     He first sketches the contrast between Dives and Lazarus in life, a contrast the more impressive because the painter does not bring his two figures together from the opposite ends of the earth, or even from east and west of the same city only. Lazarus gasping in the shadow of the gateway, and the purple drapery of Dives moving behind the blossom and leafage of the courtyard in the hall beyond, might have been seen by the passer-by from the same point of view; so it is no outburst of eccentric idealism that leads the painter to put two such figures on one canvas.

 

2.     Christ now paints another contrast, a contrast dealing not with the things that are seen and temporal, but with the things that are unseen and eternal. The contrast is resumed beyond the grave, but the figures are transposed. The next world has its contrasts as well as this.

 

3.     A contrast of character underlies this picture. Little is told us of the beggar beyond the contrast in character implied in the name chosen to describe him; Lazarus or 'God my helper'. The rich man's life was turned away from God, and turned towards himself; the beggar's was turned away from himself and turned towards God.

 

Note the truths illustrated herein:

 

1.     A common experience awaits all – rich and poor – the experience of death!

 

2.     When death takes us from this life, we carry no riches or acclaim.

 

3.     A difference in destinies awaits the a) lost and b) those who trust in God.

 

4.     Our Names (or identities) are only important in God.

 

5.     There is a difference in honor and love of those who die in Christ

 

6.     We all are aware of our conditions in the afterlife.

 

7.     Those in heaven cannot see Hell.

 

8.     Those in Hell can see Heaven

 

9.     There can be no conveyance between Heaven and Hell.

 

10.  If we believe not the full counsel of God, we cannot come to God.

 

What lessons do we learn from this Parable of our Lord?

 

1.     What seems most valuable in this life may be the least valuable, or of no value at all.

 

2.     We must love one another:

 

T

HOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.   (Matthew 22:36-39)

 

A

 NEW commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. ³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13)

 

3.     We can take no riches from this world.

 

4.     We must deposit our riches in love, obedience, and Godliness in God’s Bank.

 

5.     We must make our salvation certain while life remains. John 6:  ¹ We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. ² (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

 

6.     Miracles are not what convinces: “….though one return from the dead…”

 

7.     Failure to decide this day and hour, we may be lost as the rich man and find our graves in hell.

 

C

ome unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  (Matthew 11:28-30)

 

When? NOW!

 

Why? REST!

 

What? Eternal Life!– Our Holy Communion in Art:

 

V

ERILY, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. ⁵⁸ This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. ⁵⁹ These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.  (John 6:53)

 

Whose bread do you eat? The Bread of Heaven, or the molded and decayed bread the world offers?

 

Now is the Time.

---

[1] When queried, we often think of our strength and resources as those within us, forgetting those available to us if we call upon them.  We can call upon the resources and strengths of our team, family, friends and, if we are on His Team, those of God.  His strength will always prevail in the end.  And, you cannot be beaten if you don’t give up.

First Sunday after Trinity– 19 June 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

 

First Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

 

O

 GOD, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers; and because, through the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

We can do no good

            God is absolute Light, and where there is no light, there remains only darkness – an absolute lack of light!  God is Life, and where God is absent there remains only death. God is Strength, and where God is absent, there remains only weakness and absence of any strength at all.  

 

            A father once stood at the patio window observing his four year old son try to remove a very large rock from his sandbox. The boy strained and labored. He could barely slide the rock along the sand, but he could not begin to lift it to clear the bordering beams that enclosed the sandbox. After a time of struggle and frustration, the boy began to cry. The father went outside to comfort the boy. "Why are you crying Jimmy?" the father asked. "Because this large rock keeps getting in the way, and I do not have enough strength to lift it out." Have you used all of your strength available?[1]" asked the father. "Sure I have," replied Jimmy. "No, you have not!" said the father - you have my strength as well to add to your own," and with that, the father easily lifted the rock from the sand box. 

 

How often do we struggle and labor in frustration by attempting to defeat our giants alone when we could simply call upon the strength of God, our Father to vanquish every Goliath and crush every serpent? But we cannot call upon the strength of God if we have not put our trust in Him: O GOD, the strength of all those who put their trust in thee. Archbishop Cranmer substituted 'trust' for the older word 'hope' that appeared in the original taken from the Gregorian Sacramentary.

 

            One truth must be made clear in our hearts up front: God is not obligated to us for anything. He is Sovereign and Lord. If we are seeking His face in prayer under the terms and obligations of the Law, He will never hear our prayer. We must appeal to His Mercy and Grace when we pray. Such prayers are offered out of a humble heart and will most often be consistent with what God wills to grant to us. Mercifully accept our prayers. All prayers are answered through Mercy and not constraint.

 

            Man has no real strength at all. Even his next breath depends upon the mercy and grace of God. Weakness is a mark of our mortal natures. ". . . . and because through the weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee," We are incapable of doing anything good. How long will it take us in our Christian studies to realize this simple fact. Since our fallen natures are sinful, all that we imagine and act upon is sinful. But the soul that is surrendered to Christ will act according to the Mind and strength of the Lord. The resulting works will be righteous because they belong to Christ, and not us, who works and moves in our spirits. ". . .  grant us the help of thy grace." Our imputed righteousness is, above all, a grant of Grace!

 

            WITHOUT Christ, we can do nothing - WITH Christ, we can do all things because He is all-powerful! I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Phil 4:13) Christ cannot be manipulated. He must remain the Lord of our lives if He is to strengthen us.

 

            ". . . that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee, both in will and in deed." Do you believe the Commandments of God are a thing of the past and worth nothing? You would be in great error so to believe. Obedience to God is an act that pleases Him very well. Obedience of God's Commandments is simply complying with His perfect will. You will note the precise order of words next: both in will and in deed. This is exactly the order of imputed righteousness - first, we WILL to obey; secondly, we ACT to obey. The will must ALWAYS precede the deed for a righteous deed performed without a heart dedicated to God is still sin. If we take pride in our righteousness, we have thereby lost the favor of God: An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin. (Prov 21:4)

 

            All our prayers, all our thoughts, all our actions, must be determined by our faith in, and dependency upon, the Lord Jesus Christ: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

---

[1] When queried, we often think of our strength and resources as those within us, forgetting those available to us if we call upon them.  We can call upon the resources and strengths of our team, family, friends and, if we are on His Team, those of God.  His strength will always prevail in the end.  And, you cannot be beaten if you don’t give up.

AOC Sunday Report - Trinity Sunday

 Happy Trinity Sunday!

The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE

We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Rev Bryan. Rev Jack is on travel today, so you get a sermon from me which can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE.

There are always people that need your prayers, this is no exception. Please start with Jim who is now in the hospital getting his pacemaker diagnosed, Tricia, Shamu, Lourie and Laurie, work out from there.

Trinity Sunday seems like a very good day to remind you to open your heart to the Holy Ghost so that you can see the good that God has planned for you.

Have an epic week!

Godspeed,

Hap 

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

United States of America

Trinity Sunday

 

Sermon – Reverend Hap Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Rev Hap's sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!  https://youtu.be/nXz14dcfSiw

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 there are three and They are ONE.  We have some knowledge and scriptural guidance on how parts of the thing work, but not all.  Saint Paul told the people of Corinth, 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)One of the basic principles of classified information is it is only to be revealed to those who have an actual NEED TO KNOW, not just the curious.  Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told.  

 

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 we have must be enough for the here and now. It should enough for us to operate on His Word with our simple and limited understanding of the Trinity. We must be content with what we read in Scripture, all the other stuff we wonder about Him are just extraneous details, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  So much theological discussion is captured in that term.  So, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  Whatever the number, the answer from our standpoint is so very simple; As many as God determines the circumstances require.  Note, as God requires!  Not you, not me.  God.  Trying to think about those intricate details that we do not know or understand only serves as a distraction from following God and doing what He asks. He does not want us to speculate on how the Three in One concept works, but rather just understand it is and go forth and follow Him to the best of our abilities.

 

We must put aside the thoughts of who and what God is, and just understand 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!  Why do we feel the need for details when Jesus just asks to believe, 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 18:2-3)

 

You don’t need to know how may angels can dance on the head of the pin, just that a sufficient number can and will at the right time,

 

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. Heaven is the real world, where things are bright, not dull and dark as though looking through a glass.  Rest assured, we will see for ourselves what it is like one day, all we need to know 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!

 

As to the details of heaven, think about the angels dancing on the head of a pin.  The only detail I can give you with complete certainty is you will not be disappointed, nothing will be lacking,  there will be no disappointment.  

 

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

---

[1] 1 St. John ii. 1, 2 and Book of Common Prayer, page 76

Trinity Sunday - Propers with explanation – Rev Hap’s Sermon

The Propers for today are found on Page 186-188, with the Collect first:

 

Trinity Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

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.

 

The text which serves as this morning’s Epistle comes from 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: 

 

A

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: 

 

T

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. 

 

Sermon – Reverend Hap Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

Rev Hap's sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!  https://youtu.be/nXz14dcfSiw

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 there are three and They are ONE.  We have some knowledge and scriptural guidance on how parts of the thing work, but not all.  Saint Paul told the people of Corinth, 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)One of the basic principles of classified information is it is only to be revealed to those who have an actual NEED TO KNOW, not just the curious.  Like many secrets, we don’t really have a need to know, so we have not been told.  

 

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 we have must be enough for the here and now. It should enough for us to operate on His Word with our simple and limited understanding of the Trinity. We must be content with what we read in Scripture, all the other stuff we wonder about Him are just extraneous details, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  So much theological discussion is captured in that term.  So, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?  Whatever the number, the answer from our standpoint is so very simple; As many as God determines the circumstances require.  Note, as God requires!  Not you, not me.  God.  Trying to think about those intricate details that we do not know or understand only serves as a distraction from following God and doing what He asks. He does not want us to speculate on how the Three in One concept works, but rather just understand it is and go forth and follow Him to the best of our abilities.

 

We must put aside the thoughts of who and what God is, and just understand 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!  Why do we feel the need for details when Jesus just asks to believe, 2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 18:2-3)

 

You don’t need to know how may angels can dance on the head of the pin, just that a sufficient number can and will at the right time,

 

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. Heaven is the real world, where things are bright, not dull and dark as though looking through a glass.  Rest assured, we will see for ourselves what it is like one day, all we need to know 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!

 

As to the details of heaven, think about the angels dancing on the head of a pin.  The only detail I can give you with complete certainty is you will not be disappointed, nothing will be lacking,  there will be no disappointment.  

 

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

---

[1] 1 St. John ii. 1, 2 and Book of Common Prayer, page 76