Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 194-194, with the Collect first:

Fourth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O

GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle, which came from the Eight Chapter of St. Paul‘s Letter to the Romans, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse. Paul tells us that walking God’s path, though it may seem hard at the time, is nothing compared to the reward we receive in heaven for following God’s will. God gave us free will, which if we exercise it properly, that is the will to overcome temptation. What at first seems like a constrained way of living, once actually lived is really perfect freedom. If we overcome temptation to do what we want and do what God wants, we will receive the gift of eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. For until Christ, there was no delivery from the pain of worldly existence; through Christ there is redemption of our souls and our resulting bodily resurrection.

I

RECKON that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Gospel started in the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Thirty-Sixth Verse. This is a simple message, yet often misunderstood, with majestic language that brings the message to a point of incredible sharpness. “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give and it shall be given unto you… …Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?” “… why beholdest thou the mote that is in the brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? …How canst thou say to thy brother, Brother let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest no the beam that is in thine own eye?” This is often quoted, but the following sentence is left out, “Cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the more that is in thy brother’s eye.”

Only when we first take care of our own spiritual health, look to our own relationship to God and evaluate and improve how we follow His Word, we will be able to effectively spread the Word of His love for us.

B

E ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

Sermon – Time and Action

Today’s sermon discussed both the Epistle and Gospel. God helps them who want help and act accordingly. He created us with free will, imperfect selfish creatures with a mind of their own. What was He thinking? Don’t you ever wonder?

With this free will, we can choose to have a “great time” like Pinocchio on Donkey Island or we can choose to follow the instruction He left us in the Bible and have a really great time forever. It is our choice. We must make it. If we make the right choice, we get the right result; eternal life, body and soul. Starting the instant we make the choice, not when we die. For, we will never die if we have The Right Stuff[1].

If we want to effectively follow our Lord, we need to make a constant comparison of what we are doing compared to what we should be doing. An OODA Loop. The OODA loop (for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) is a concept originally applied to the combat operations process, developed by Colonel John Boyd, USAF. If we operate in a vacuum and do not compare what we are doing with what we should be doing, we often find it easy to note the fault in others. While we are busy noting their faults, they are likewise busy noting we are not doing what our Lord told us to do. When they note that, they are likely to find little compelling in Christianity. So, spend your first time working on your faults so you can be a good example, rather than a bad one, to others.

Try not to be the Mote in God’s Eye!

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[1] That would be our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who need the hint!