Verse of the Day

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity


The Propers for today are found on Page 215-217, with the Collect first:

The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O
 GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the  Ephesians beginning at the Seventeenth Verse of the Fourth Chapter.  Typical of Paul, he uses a spiral argument with a seemingly confusing structure to further instruct the people on how to become the New Man.  Our nature is not good, but rather straying from good.  We have to work at good, by ourselves good is not attainable, but through Christ, we can attain good.  Paul asks us to lie no more, particularly to ourselves, but rather to “speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.”  If we are angry, we must “let not the sun go down upon our wrath.”  We should not live off others, but rather, “labour, working with our hands the thing which is good, that we may have to give to him that needeth.”  Speak good, speak that others might learn.  Put away ill feeling, give in to God and be “kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”  God wants us to be happy, to be good and to enjoy life.  If you find this no other place, listen to the words of St. Paul.

T
HIS I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel came from the Fourth Chapter of  the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the First Verse.  Jesus came upon “a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”  Present were scribes of the temple.  They thought to themselves., “This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house.  Sometimes we are tempted to view the troubles of this world as the only issues we have to confront.  Surely the trouble we have here pales to that we have if we make the wrong choices here and end up in the pit.  Many can heal the palsy; only through Jesus can our sins be forgiven.  In this case, the sins were forgiven and the problems of this earth resolved.  The power of Jesus was again made manifest.

J
esus entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Sermon – Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.  

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
Bishop Jerry provided his sermon notes for yesterday.  I thought them incredibly interesting, I always enjoy them, but there was something about this one that was more than usual.  I am certain you will find them very enjoyable.  As always, I cannot commend it to you enough.

19th Sunday after Trinity 30 October 2011 Anno Domini

"1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk.12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day." (John 5:1-16)
Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem at the feast of the Jews. This feast is considered, by most traditional Bible scholars, to have been the Passover.  I concur in the view of these. That feast must surely have been the Passover.  It is very appropriate that He be present at EVERY Passover, for He has become our Great Passover and the Lamb Without Blemish slain on the Eve of His last Passover on earth.  The sheep market was just outside the gate of the Sheep Gate referred to in Nehemiah 3:1. It is altogether appropriate that Christ should come to that Gate on the eastern walls of Jerusalem for He is our Lamb of Sacrifice and the Sun of righteousness which shall arise (from the East) with "Healing in His wings." (Malachi 4:2) Moreover, it is a lovely place to which He has come (the Pool of Bethesda) which, interpreted, means House of Mercy. Christ, thanks be to God, is our Bethesda – our House and Ark of Mercy. When we come to this pool for the healing of our souls, the moment of our visitation and healing is altogether dependent on the discretion of Heaven and not our own. We patiently await the movement of God in the things we need for His timing will always be the perfect moment to answer our prayers.
"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." Christ "went up to Jerusalem" to this Passover. If we will go up to the Passover of our souls, we must arise from our common labors and be about – not our own devices and pleasures – but the work of our Father in Heaven.  The direction to the Narrow Gate is always upward.
"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." The Lamb of God comes to this sheep market place. You and I were these sheep without a shepherd until that Lamb came to us, knowing our hurts and needs as One like unto us, and became the Great Shepherd of His sheep. We waited alone in the market place, being bought and sold by men, until Christ came and laid claim to His sheep. There at the Sheep Gate, though a place of barter of souls, yet there is also a House of Mercy (Bethesda) into which we may run as shelter from having our souls sold out by the world. But we enter that House on the terms of God and not on those of our own making. "…whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." Do you not find great consolation in the term "whosoever.?" We know immediately that `whosoever' can mean you and me as well. All we need do is come to the House of Mercy and wait upon the provision of God to heal all our wounds.
Now comes another term that is different from that of `whosoever' for it points to a definite identity: the word here that I love is `certain.' "And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years." This is no `certain man' by accident, but a certain man whom Christ has come to visit by His own choice – just like you and me who have been blessed to encounter Christ as His `certain men and women, boys and girls.' We laid our souls by the House of Mercy and at our Time of visitation, He came to us. Now, to know this beautiful truth beautiful truth fills my heart with a burning love and gratitude to that Dispenser of Pure Grace called My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Though our souls feel to be at the very center of the Wilderness as was poor Hagar, the Lord sees us. She called the Fountain where the Angel of the Lord found her, The Well Of The Living One Who Sees Me (Beerlahairoi). (Gen 16:13-14) What beautiful strokes of vivid color does the Master paint upon the canvas of our lives?  "When Jesus saw him lie" yes, and not just at this moment, but for all the years of the man's misery!
"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" Is this not a very simple question, and does it need an answer? Yes, even though it is the greatest desire of the afflicted man, he MUST answer this question just as you and I must answer it for the healing of our souls. Being made whole is much more than a healing of our physical ailments, but a wholeness in body, soul, and spirit. Our most grievous affliction is our sin before God. It is this affliction that will bring not only physical death, but eternal death without the Grace ad Mercy of God.
Of course the man desires to be made whole, but there is help forthcoming from none other than Christ. The healing of the leprosy of sin cannot be healed by man. "The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." Many times even the disciples tried to step in between Christ and those wanting mercy, but Christ would not allow it. He suffered the little children to come unto Him, the blind Bartemeus, and the woman from the coast of Tyre and Sidon over the objections of those closest to Him. No man can prevent our access to Christ!
"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." Why wallow in our misery while Christ is near? Why slumber on the water's edge when the Water of Life stands at the ready to lift us in? It is not a request that we rise up and walk, but a command! If we possess the sure mercies of David, why linger fasting in the Wilderness. We should not only walk where we were unable in times past, but carry our beds as well in doing good and serving others. And to what result? "And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath." Don't we see that this poor man, though carrying his bed, had complete rest on this Sabbath Day? His Eternal Sabbath was realized in Christ!
Guess who is watching and burning in wrath and malice? "The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk." These men were more concerned about prying particulars than they were about life and healing and truth – as always. This man answers that he cares not about the violation of one of their onerous mandates, but he does care that the Lord has healed him.
"Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place." Jesus may not choose to reveal Himself to us in the crowds, but in a place apart. It is not the influence of the multitudes that bring us to Christ, but Christ Himself. "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." After finding our wounded persons on the Road to Jericho, and healing us to wholeness, the Lord next finds us in His holy Temple which is the heart in which He resides. He will most often reveal Himself to us behind those closed chambers of our hearts. His counsel to the man to "sin no more" is ample evidence that the man was forgiven his sins as well as healed physically.
The man now understands the depth of his healing because he has come to know the greatness of his Redeemer. "The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day." Please note that it was the crippled man who carried his bed on the Sabbath – not Christ. It is for the goodness of His healing the desperate cripple alone that prompt these murderous vultures to desire to kill Christ.
My friend, if you have been found by the wayside of the traffic of life by the loving Savior, have you heard His voice and responded to His invitation. "Wilt thou be made whole?" If so, why linger beside the pool at Bethesda without getting up? Why not take up your former prison (bed), and walk as a new creature in Him who has made you whole? Do so today!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity


The Propers for today are found on Page 214-215, with the Collect first:

The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

L
ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians beginning at the Fourth Verse of the First Chapter.   Paul tells the people of Corinth he thanks God they have been the beneficiaries of His Grace, that through Jesus they might have salvation, that through Jesus their sins would in the end be forgiven.  He also pointed out that if they would follow Christ in both their words and deeds, as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in them, through their actions, they would be “In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge…”  For by acting on Christ’s words, we not only gain entry in to heaven, but are far more likely to prosper here on earth.  This prosperity is not the mega wealth sometimes associated with “prospering”, but rather the surplus of resources over our worldly desires and the true happiness that comes from loving and helping others.

I
 thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel came from the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at the Thirty-Fourth Verse.  Pharisees who had heard how Jesus confounded the Sadducees, feeling they were superior to the Pharisees, came together to confound Him.  An expert in the law, of which Pharisees were very fond, asked Him a question, trying to trick Him, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?”  Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Thus, He provided the Summary of the Law we hear every Sunday.  The Pharisees made their earthly living by providing guidance on how to get around the 613 Mosaic Laws with as little inconvenience as possible.  They were astounded when Jesus boiled the intent of those laws down to two sentences.  They were much more comfortable getting around laws than complying with ones that might inconvenience them.

Apparently tiring of the game with the Pharisees and wishing to confound them instead, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?” They say unto him, “The son of David.”  For the scripture is clear that he should be of the House of David.  As God, Jesus has been from the beginning, so he queried them, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?”  Not grasping the concept that God was, is and always will be, they could not answer and “from that day forth” no one would “ask him any more questions.”

W
hen the Pharisees had heard that Jesus had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together.  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

Sermon – Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.   

Paul thanks God for His Grace to us, that Jesus’ sacrifice might account us as just in the last day.  But, not everyone is content to take Jesus at His Word.  There have always been and always will be people who want to pick nits with the intent of avoiding doing what should be done, thus making it seems acceptable to do what they want to do.  You can see people every day who fill the shoes of the Pharisees, insisting on complying with arcane and useless rules and regulations while studiously avoiding doing what God so clearly asks, that is to be a Christian and do as Christ asks us to do.  We are to be Christians, not “good”, to do what God asks, not Go with the Flow!  When you think about being a Christian, think a bit about these quotes from GK Chesterton:

·      “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
·      “The word "good" has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man.”
·      “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”
·      “Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.”
·      “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

 G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

We are called to a new and different life, we ask the Lord to lead us and follow us, to keep us always.  Our goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid 613 laws.  To do what is right and be humble.

Bishop Ogles’ Devotion
Bishop Jerry provided his devotional notes for yesterday.  I thought them incredibly interesting, I always enjoy them, but there was something about this one that was more than usual.  I am certain you will find them very enjoyable.  As always, I cannot commend it to you enough.

Devotion for Saturday 22 October 2011 Anno Domini in 17th Week after Trinity Sunday

"31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.  (Matt 13:31-35) 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." (Matt 13:44-52)

We embark today on a study of truths that are denied by many who prefer to trust on the wisdom of religious men above and beyond that revealed in Scripture. If we are pre- or post-millennialists, we will try to search out evidence from Scripture that will fit snugly into one or the other of our preconceived notions of that particular eschatological theory. I will admit up front that I favor the postmillennial theory over that of the premillennialist; however, I have eyes to see, and ears to hear, and the truths revealed in the text today do not suggest to me that the Lord will find great faith upon the earth at His return. When I observe the gross moral sins in our society, and the brazen disrespect for the Word of God (even among churchmen), I am appalled and worry for future children who will be brought into this wilderness of sin. The first two parables in today's text, in my own humble opinion -  and not that of many if not most fine clergy, suggests that our pride has magnified the works of our own hands in religion and not the name of the God whose Hands created us, and the world itself.

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."  This Parable is a continuing one of the Sower, but in this case, the seed is not wheat but mustard. Both kinds of seed represent the Word planted. But Christ has chosen to describe the Kingdom  from a different perspective in the present case.  This sowing is not a general broadcast of seed in all areas, but a specific seed sown in the field – one Seed. The fruit of this seed will reflect the coming Kingdom of Heaven. Since the Kingdom of Heaven is a single entity, there is only one seed needed to produce a fruit that will serve as an example of its presence among men. The fruit springing up from this `least of all seeds' represents the Church Catholic. Though the Seed is perfect, the Body is not necessarily so and, in fact, cannot be. Any institution on whose countenance the fingerprints of man appear will bear certain impurities despite men's best efforts to keep it pure and free of deformities. Nothing has life that does not grow from that tiny spark of life that is central to the Seed. There is no life eternal apart from that imparted by the WORD (Christ).  The kind of Seed (wheat, tares, mustard) is important – it makes all the difference.

I remember a story my father told me of a monk who desired the use of a piece of land located nearby. The owner refused to sell the land, but after long efforts of persuasion, he consented to lease the land to the monk. The monk took the lease under the provision that he would use the land only long enough to raise a single crop. The contract was signed and binding on both parties. The monk then sowed the field with acorns – a crop that would take three hundred years to complete. So Satan, too, asks to get possession of our souls by asking us to permit some small sin to enter, some single wrong that seems of no real account. But when once he has entered and planted the seeds and beginnings of evil he holds his ground while sins and evils multiply.

The field of wheat bore hundreds or thousands of stalks of wheat, but in this present field, only one Seed was planted and one kind of fruit shall emerge. I have read, many times, the diverse arguments on the properties of mustard plants, and their capacity to grow very large. I observed many such plants while living in Iran for more than five years and never saw a mustard plant greater than a bush of four of five feet height. Christ tells us that this plant is the greatest among herbs, but why would he explain that it "becometh a tree"? He does not tell us that the wheat seed becameth wheat because that is normal for the seed and its fruit, but a mustard seed does not normally grow into a tree. The branches of the mustard plant are fibrous and easily broken, but THIS mustard plant becomes a tree. It does not develop according to the norm of nature. It becomes larger than it is intended to become. When I was a young boy, a product hit the market, Gibberillic Acid (GA), that was used to cause fruits and vegetables to grow much larger than normal. The tomatoes and cucumbers were gigantic and beautiful, but those garden products had no flavor and were very porous inside. "GA was first identified in Japan in 1935, as a metabolic byproduct of the plant pathogen Gibberella fujikuroi (thus the name), which afflicts rice plants; fujikuroi-infected plants develop bakanae ("foolish seedling"), which causes them to grow so much taller than normal that they die from no longer being sturdy enough to support their own weight." (Wikkipedia)

I believe the abnormal growth of the modern church in money, property, political prestige and power, are represented by the mustard seed becoming a tree. Pride and pelf predominate in the modern church. The obsession of many ministers and laity of the church today is GROWTH – not righteousness! But the church is One and not many. Very much like the tares planted among the wheat, this tree is comprised of both faithful people and the unrighteous. The modern church has become so large that "the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof." Do you remember who these birds are, identified by Christ, in this same chapter? "Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up. (Matt 13:3-4) The fowl came and devoured the Seed (Word) that was planted. Jesus tells us who these fowl of the air are: "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side." (Matt 13:18-19) Jesus clearly, in context, tells us that these fowl are the Wicked One. Likewise, if context and consistency are observed, these birds that nest in the branches of the modern church are DEMONS.

For many long centuries, Satan has leveled his shore batteries in bombardment of the Church to no avail. When the smoke has cleared the waters, the Ships of Truth were immensely greater in number than before. So, being a clever serpent, Satan has decided if his frontal assaults are unsuccessful, he will join the church and erode its moral properties from within. There is no greater threat to a city than a traitor within its walls, and that is the intense struggle that confronts the church today.

"Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." If the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, in which respects is it so? In almost every case of prophecy, when a religious power is mentioned, it is presented as a woman. The Woman of Revelations 12 represents, commonly believed, Israel or the Church; and the woman (drunken with the blood of the saints) of Revelations 17 is thought by many to represent the false religion of the coming Babylonian system. (I say `coming' though it is already here). Leaven in almost every place in Scripture, represents sin or false doctrine. Remember the words of Jesus in reference to the false ministers of His day? "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Matt 16:6) "How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Matt 16:11-12) We have demons of false doctrine residing in the high places (branches) of our churches today. There is evidence of this truth on every hand. Look at the view toward adultery and promiscuity, or the many churches that embrace homosexuality as legitimate. Or observe the lack of biblical discipline and moral character demonstrated in the modern church – even among the clergy. Friends, the days of play-acting (hypocrisy) are soon coming to an end! Where will you stand when the Lord comes – on that solid Rock, or upon the shifting sands of relative morality?

"All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." The sadly amazing fact of these words of Christ is that they still remain a secret to the greater number of professing Christians in our time. It is understandable that the Christ-rejecting Pharisees of Christ's time could not see these mysteries of great value, but it is utterly disgraceful that Christians of today will not want to know them!

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Treasures hidden long ago by conquerors as well as the conquered may be discovered in areas where great armies of the past concentrated their forces. Treasures buried by Philip of Macedon have been unearthed in the wheat fields of Syria – buried there more than two thousand years ago. Perhaps the discovery of the Book of the Law in the reign of Josiah was like unto the discovery of the greatest of all treasures found among the rubble of the Temple. Josiah commanded it to be read to all Israel, and it was done. I discover, in the strong testimony of martyrs and reformers, great and beautiful truths that seem beyond the grasp of modern students of theology. When we discover truths, through diligent study, in the Gospel proclaimed two thousand years ago, it is similar to finding a great treasure hidden in a field. This treasure is so great that we will give all of our worldly possessions to own it. This treasure was discovered during the normal course of life and not searched out intentionally. This is like a lost sinner, happening upon the Word quite by seeming chance, and believing!

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." This treasure of the Pearl is not discovered through accident, but determined and informed search. This man KNOWS pearls! He knows where to search for them, and he knows their value. Such a man is like a devout Christian layperson or minister who seeks, continually, the deeper mysteries of God.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." Here is an example of the far-reaching effects of the Gospel. The net is a drag net, not a casting net. The dragnet is quite large and captures every living sea creature in its way. The net has captured every creature in its way of both good and bad. The net is not drawn to shore until the fullness of God's Elect are gathered, but there remains bad creatures among the good. Now the fishermen sit down with care to separate the good from the bad just as the Holy Angels will gather the tares from the wheat and cast into the fire. "So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Once the door of the Ark had been closed by God, there was no longer hope for those without. In the same way, there comes a day when time will be no more. At that day, we shall either be in the Ark of Christ, or standing without in the wilderness of ruin. Where shall you be when, rather than seas of water, there shall be seas of fire?

Jesus asks His disciple a question – a question that He asked ALL of His disciples of which I hope all who read are of the company: "Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things?"  "They say unto him, Yea, Lord." Friend, can you answer `YES' to the Lord's question?

"Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." The truth of God's Word is old – even from eternity past. The Word of God is not a new thing but an old thing. It is of great value and not to be sold but purchased. Christ gives us these dark (deeply hidden) mysteries hidden from the wise from the foundations of the world. These new things may be our understanding that has received new Light in Christ. We have heard the old Gospel, but now it has changed us into New Creatures in Christ. Though the Heavens are very old, we learn new truths every day in searching the heavens. My friend, are you still searching the heavens to find new points of light and truth?

Bishop Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant speaker.  He is able to take biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me.  Oft he provides the text of his sermons and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:

Grace to Follow Christ
1 Corinthians 1:4-7, Matthew 22:34-46
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
23 October 2011

I think I can summarize the meaning of our Gospel reading in a couple of short sentences. First, the meaning and purpose of life is to love God fully and completely with every fiber of your being. Second, Jesus is God.

As every person knows, loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, is not as easy as it sounds. It is not easy because the true love of God is not an emotion. Much effort has been made over the centuries to turn loving God into emotional feelings for God. We see this in the music people choose to sing about God. Much of it is no different from the romantic love songs of pop music. Often, it even takes their beat and style, but worse than that is that it reduces loving Christ to sentiment and emotions similar to what is often called, "falling in love."

Of course, those of us who have been married for a while know love is much more than just being "in love." Really loving your spouse requires you to be as generous, as forgiving, as committed, and as self-giving when you are not feeling terribly good about him or her as when you are. In fact, it is in those unromantic times, when you are not feeling very much "in love" that your real love shows itself.

Loving Christ is the same way. It is not the way you feel when you're singing a happy chorus about how you love Jesus; it is what you do in those times of sorrow and trial, and it's the general direction of your heart soul and mind when you aren't feeling particularly spiritual or loving toward God. And, I think for most of us, that is our normal condition. I think most of us don't live in a continuous state of spiritual euphoria, with hearts bursting with feelings of love for Christ. This is a good thing, not a bad thing. Just as we could not function if we lived in a perpetual state of "falling in love" with another person, we also could not function if we lived in a perpetual condition of "falling in love" with Jesus. And the Bible never encourages us to be "in love" with Christ. Christ is not telling us to be "in love" with Him when He tells us to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. Christ is asking for something much more solid. The love He calls for is the kind of love that keeps going when the feelings grow low and the flesh calls us to quit. That's why the Bible calls it crucifying ourselves. That's why Christ said those who love Him keep His commandments. That's why Christ said anyone who loves, (values) his own life above Christ is not worthy of Him, meaning, does not really love Him. So, we could say that to really love God is to value Him more than you value your own heart, your own soul, and your own mind.

I think most of you will agree with me if I say that the tendency of the world is to draw us away from God. Again, I am not talking about emotions. I am talking about the way the world imposes its values and ideas upon us; the way it tends to press us into its mold. The world does not like individual thought or personal initiative. It prefers people to march in lock step to its commands and collective goals, and usually, those goals are not those of Godliness. The goals are to perpetuate the same old systems and the same old evils until the end of the world.

There is another enemy that militates against our love for God. That enemy is us. In fact, as we go through life, we are often our own worst enemies. We make foolish decisions that have lasting consequences based on nothing more than passing whims. We choose fleeting pleasures over lasting good. This is what the Bible means when it talks about the "flesh." The desires of the flesh lead us away from God because they lead us to be preoccupied with our own pleasures and comforts and amusements instead of God. I am sure you know this by your own experience.

With the world and the flesh leading us away from God, we don't need another enemy, but there is another. We know him as Satan, the devil. He is the ultimate Anti-Christ, for he hates all that Christ loves. He is also the ultimate anti-man, for he hates all people. He laughs when bombs fall and cities burn and orphans cry in the streets. Hunger and disease are his friends. Hell is what he wants for you and all people. Needless to say, he works diligently to lead us away from God. He tells us lies about God and ourselves. He teaches us that God is cheating us and oppressing us. He tells us the ways of God are slavery, and we must break away from God and indulge our whims and desires. Only then will we find happiness in life, because we will be free. We will be like God.

Thanks be to God we are not left to fight these enemies alone. The Epistle for today, 1 Corinthians 1:4-7, tells us of the grace of God that will confirm us to the end, "that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." The word, "confirm" means much more than to simply affirm of verify something. It means to make something firm and solid. In the realm of human relationships it means to promise or guarantee. So God, in His grace, is working in His people to make us firm and solid in Christ so we can be guaranteed that we will be accepted into Heaven and dwell with Him forever in the Day of the Lord. In other words, while the world, the flesh, and the devil tempt us away from God, God is working to draw us back to Himself and to keep us safely in Him until we reach that Day when the world, the flesh and the devil can't tempt us anymore.

One of the ways God keeps us in Himself is by giving us things that help us in our journey of faith. Our Epistle for this morning calls these things, "gifts." It is important for us to know these are not the same gifts that caused such controversy in Corinth. The tongues and prophesies named later in 1 Corinthians are specific gifts for a specific era in the Church prior to the giving of the New Testament. The gifts in today's readings are different from them. They are the things that grow faith in us, that strengthen us in Christ, and keep us in Christ. These gifts consist primarily of our good friends, the means of grace.

The Corinthians came behind in no gift (1 Cor. 1:7). The same is true of Christ's Church in every era, and we, here in Holy Trinity Church in Powhatan, Virginia, like the Corinthians, come behind in no Gift. We lack no gift from God that will keep us in the faith now and forever. We have the Scriptures. We have the New Testament and more than 2,000 years of history and tradition. We have prayer. We have the Church. We have The lord's Supper, worship. the preaching and teaching of the Scriptures, and the indwelling presence of the Spirit of God. So, when we pray a prayer like the Collect for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, asking God for grace to help us withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, so we can follow Him with pure hearts and minds, we are asking God to help us make diligent use of the means of grace.

Let us pray.

L
ORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil; and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
--
+R. Dennis Campbell
Bishop of Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity


The Propers for today are found on Page 214-215, with the Collect first:

The Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity follows:

The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

L
ORD, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for today, which came from the letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians beginning at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter.  Once again, Paul calls us to a new life, different from our old life.  A life in which we act in a manner worth of the better life to which we have been called by Christ and for which He gave His life.  Paul, of all people, knows the importance of setting aside your old life, as Saul did, so that as Paul he asks us to put God first in our lives, to put ourselves last.  He reminds us, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”  The key to a successful life is to put the important things at the top of your To Do List. And, notice it is a To Do List, not a To Think About or To Wait a While List.   What is more important than God?


I
 therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, for-bearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all[1].

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which came from the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, beginning at the First Verse.  The Gospel starts out reminding us the Law was designed to be flexible.  The goal is to do God’s will, not to “follow the letter of the law” as the Pharisees were so keen on.  They brought before Him a man in need of healing as they sat to eat on the Sabbath Day.  They watched to see what He would do.  Putting the monkey on their back, He asked, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath Day?”  Wishing to  be in a position to criticize rather than answer, “they held their peace.”  He healed the man, then asked them, “Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath Day?”  They would not respond; for the answer was obvious.

Then “He put forth a parable to those” who had been invited to dine with him, after He had seen them joust for the seats of honor.  “When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest seat; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”  Do we put God first and let others raise us up, or do we put ourselves first and let others put us down?

I
t came came to pass, as Jesus went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things. And he put forth a parable to those which were bid-den, when he marked how they chose out the chief seats; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest seat; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest place; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Sermon – Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.   

We ask the Lord to lead us and follow us, to keep us always.  Paul calls us to a new and different life.  One whose goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid 613 laws.  To do what is right and be humble.

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
Bishop Jerry provided his great sermon notes for today.  I am certain you will find them very enjoyable.  As always, I cannot commend it to you enough.

Sermon Notes for 17th Sunday after Trinity 16 October 2011 Anno Domini
"1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. 3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; 5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? 6 And they could not answer him again to these things.   7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; 9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. 10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. 11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.   (Luke 14:1-11)

It was the Sabbath Day.

"We have been thinking and speaking of a miracle done on the Sabbath. It is evident that our Saviour had a preference for the Sabbath as a time for working miracles. How, then, is it with respect to ourselves — we who, many of us, would be glad to have a miracle wrought on our behalf, and yet have no right whatever to expect one? It is just thus — we are waiting for the Sabbath. In other words, it was intended, no doubt, to be taught us by our Saviour's practice, that there is a special time of rest coming, when all the various troubles that hamper and injure us will be utterly removed — our burdens unbound; our fevers cooled for ever; our weakness changed to strength; all our heaviness lightened; our blind eyes made clear; our deaf ears unstopped; our feet filled with vigorous leaping blood; and all that is within us lighted up with joy, even as the house was lighted up, and music and dancing sounded in it, when the prodigal came home. There is a Sabbath coming; and as Christ wrought His cures upon the Sabbath, when He was upon earth, we are taught to look on to a day of cure that is coming — that Sabbath, namely, of rest, into which we hope to enter hereafter. It may be needful for our perfection, and the perfection of our friends, that we should still be burdened; but we are quite sure that, after the round of the six days, there will come the seventh; we are quite sure, when the time of trial has ended, the boon of health will be granted."  (the Rev T. T. Lynch.)

Jesus has been invited to the house of a prominent Pharisee one of the chief of them, we are told.

"And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him."

Many other of the Pharisees were doubtless there for "they watched him." How greatly would they have benefitted if they had watched Him to learn instead of to find fault.

Why was Jesus invited by one of those who hated Him and were constantly trying to destroy Him? They had invited Jesus to catch Him in an act of disobedience of the Sabbath – it was a `set up' in the popular vernacular.

Why do you suppose Jesus accepted the invitation?  Jesus was no recluse – He came to help all who would hear Him.  He loved to be in social gatherings where men would listen – ALL men…even Pharisees.

"And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy."

The cunning mind of the Pharisee bypassed no opportunity in providing a means of entrapment for Christ. Seemingly, just by coincidence, a man with a grave and serious malady is present – a man who probably had not been invited had it not fit comfortably in the plans of the Pharisees to present Jesus with a temptation.
These men are ruthless. They will use even the kindness and compassion of Jesus to try and condemn Him.

They have seated the man with the dropsy (congestive heart failure) in a place BEFORE Jesus. They know that He loves to heal and to do good regardless the occasion, but today is the Sabbath! They will use this as an occasion to condemn Christ of violating the Sabbath by doing healing works on this day.

But Jesus knows the heart of men, and He knows the evil thoughts of the hearts of those who sit watching Him.

"And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?"

Jesus sets the circumstances to turn the tables on these miscreants. The question restated might read: "Is it ever unlawful to do good?" Did God provide man with the day of rest for the purpose of omitting even deeds of kindness?

The Pharisees and priests of Jesus day had added so many cumbersome proscriptions to the Sabbath observance and every other aspect of the law, that men could not bear them without misery – just the opposite of what God had intended.

Jesus was continually tempted in every way that we are tempted, but Jesus never gave into temptation except in certain cases.

What were those cases? When tempted to do good, as in the present case, Christ could not resist the temptation to act out of His compassion to heal and to comfort. This was not a temptation to sin, but a temptation by sinful men of Christ to do good. He always did!

You and I are tempted, on the other hand, to do bad things not pleasing to God. But in every temptation to do evil is found an opportunity to, instead, do good. Jesus sets the example for us in every case.

Because they have set their trap, the Pharisees do not respond to the pointed question of Christ: "And they held their peace." Men will most often speak out when they can condemn or hurt, but will less often speak out on the part of righteousness. Political correctness restrains them from speaking righteousness but tends always to wickedness.

So Jesus poses the simple question which they decline to answer so as not to give away their plot. How many clergy, as well as laity, remain silent on issues of great importance?  I have observed the silence, even on discussion groups of the church, remain stony silent on matters on which they should have strong opinion. The silence of those is like a scream in the night.

Those who are legalist often forget that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

The failure to accept the Sabbath in the manner and purpose for which it was given nullifies its benefits. The Christian Sabbath is not a once per week observance but a daily one. Christ has given us an Eternal Sabbath (Rest).

"And he took him, and healed him, and let him go." The whole will of Christ was to heal the man and not to make a spectacle of him. So Jesus, instead of having the man remain standing by for show, releases him to go his way. How different from the Pharisees who heartlessly brought the man to tempt Christ.

"And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?"

Had they forgotten the counsel of Proverbs 12:11 -  "A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."

An ox or a donkey were precious to men who depended on them to produce income. If one of the Pharisees own precious animals fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, he would certainly have rescued the animal, if not out of kindness, then out of greed.

He thus shuts them. Up to this startling alternative: "Not to do good, when it is in the power of our hand to do it, is to do evil; not to save life, when we can, is to kill"

"And they could not answer him again to these things.   7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,"

Righteous words will shut the mouth of the wicked.

Jesus is an observer of men and women. He watched as the poor widow cast her all into the Temple treasury, and He has observed here how the guests of the Pharisee came into the room and chose the best seats and provisions.  They sought to have their seating lend them honor when they should have allowed their honor to determine their seating. They lacked humility and were filled with false pride.

So Jesus tells them a story (Parable) to which they can relate in common life:

"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee."

All of the counsels of Christ are full of spiritual and uplifting truths. This short Parable is no exception.

Jesus begins the story with a delicate allusion to a type of gathering that would be different from that of his present host of whom He has been invited. The venue is a wedding feast, but still a feast so that the same principle will apply.

When we are invited to a special event, do not exalt your importance by finding the highest place, or most visible place, to stand or sit.  We will inevitably to be embarrassed by our presumptive pride when we are told, curtly, to move and surrender your place to one having greater honor than you. The only place left at that time will be the place of least honor – the lowest room. "And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room."

He has given an example of how not to behave, but He does not leave us in doubt as to how we should behave: "But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee."

Notice the host refers to the man who is humble and takes the very lowest place of honor as Friend. He did not refer to the man who took the highest place as Friend. Men despise false pride and arrogance in others.  If we humble ourselves, men will always elevate us in esteem. But greater is the reward in Heaven!

A college professor once hosted a tea for his graduating students.  When they all presented themselves at his home, the professor had all the cups, in the right number, assembled on the table. The cups were all of different kinds. One was of stone, one of crystal, one of clay, and some were shaped curiously different from any before seen.  When the professor invited the students to take a cup, the first took the crystal, the next the glass, the next the stone, the next the clay, and so forth.

As the professor watched them drink their tea that he had poured for them, he observed that they had each chosen the best cup at the table; but the purpose of a tea was not the kind of cup one drank from, but the tea which the cup contained. The quality of the tea is not changed by the quality of the cup which contains it. So with our worthiness before God. It is not some superficial position or appearance that is important, but what is inside.

Bishop Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant speaker.  He is able to take biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me.  Oft he provides the text of his sermons and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:

Our Christian Vocation
Ephesians 4:1-6, Luke 14:1-11
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
16 October 2011

In our minds, the word, "prevent" means to stop or avert.  For example, if someone moves a pile of gasoline soaked rags from the side of a hot wood stove, he might rightly claim to have prevented a house fire.  But in the days of the Reformation, when the Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity was being translated into English by Archbishop Cranmer, "prevent" followed a more literal meaning of its two syllables, pre, and vent.  Pre, means to be in front of.  Vent means to come.  So the two together mean to come before, or lead. 

Let's apply this to the Collect. We are not here asking God's grace to stop us from doing something.  Of course, there are times when it is entirely appropriate to ask God, in His grace, to stop us from doing something.  We should ask God to stop us from making foolish decisions, stop us from thinking evil thoughts, and stop us from doing evil things.  We do pray for this every time we pray the Collect for Grace in Morning Prayer, "grant that this day we fall into no sin."  We also pray for this every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."  So this is a legitimate, and a very good thing to pray for.  But the Collect for today is not so much about God stopping us as it is about Him enfolding and enclosing us in His grace, so that it goes before us and follows after us.  We see in this almost the military precision of highly professional soldiers escorting a valuable cargo to its destination.  There will be a group that precedes the main body, ensuring that the way is clear, removing obstacles, and dealing with enemies, if necessary. There will also be a group that follows, protecting it from attack from behind.  This is the picture we have in this prayer, that the grace of God will go before us and follow after us, leading and protecting us from dangers, but also making us, or enabling us to be given to all good works; enabling us to live like Christians.  It is much like the words of that great hymn, "St. Patrick;"

Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me Christ beside me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger

The Collect intends to emphasize an important point in Ephesians 4, which is stated in the first verse, and expounded in the remainder of today's reading; "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called."  How many of us think of being a Christian and living for Christ as our vocation in life?  Most of us, if asked what our vocation is, would say what we do to earn our money.  In other words, we would name our occupation.  But an occupation is something different from a vocation.  I know most dictionaries equate the two words, but I maintain that, Biblically speaking, they are different.  Your occupation is the way you earn your daily bread.  Your vocation is your calling from God to live in Christ and honour Him in all things.  Your occupation is an important part of your vocation, but your vocation is more than your occupation.

So let's look at the word "vocation" again.  In English it comes from the Latin word for "calling."  Likewise, in Greek, it means to call, and the Greek word, kaleo, actually resembles our English word call.  So our vocation is our life calling.  It is that one thing to which we devote the majority of our time, energy, attention, talents, and abilities.  It is the one thing that gives priority and direction and meaning to everything that we do, and everything that we are.

Our vocation is not stated directly in today's reading.  Instead we are given directions about how to "walk worthy" of it; how to carry it out and accomplish it in every day life.  We walk worthy of our calling when we conduct ourselves in lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance, and love, and keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Our reading from Luke also guides us in how to live worthy of our calling.  Here we find stated one of the great principles of Godliness, a principle so great it was followed by our Lord Himself; the principle of humility, showing that those who exalt themselves, meaning to consider themselves worthy of God, will be abased, while those who humble themselves, meaning to confess their sin and trust in the righteousness of Christ, will be exalted.  To exalt yourself is to be against God.  To humble yourself is to seek God.

This is how we "do" our vocation.  But what is our vocation? Those who know the Westminster Shorter Catechism will remember the answer to the first question; "The chief end of man is glorify God and enjoy Him forever." That is a good statement of our vocation.  Anglicans spend much time talking about Christian vocation, and, for us it is expressed perfectly in the words of Christ, who, when asked which is the first and greatest commandment, answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Paul also states our vocation for us in Ephesians 3:17-19.  


That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love  of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

So the passage we read earlier from Ephesians 4, is a commentary on and explanation of this passage, especially the last words, "that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." We could also say this passage is a commentary on the words of Christ that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind.  In fact, in one sense, the entire Bible is a commentary on Christ's words.  All Scripture explains to us who God is and what it means to love Him with our entire being.  And this, to love God with our entire being is "the vocation wherewith ye are called."  This is our life calling.  This is the one thing to which we devote the majority of our time, energy, attention, talents, and abilities.  It is the one thing that gives priority and direction and meaning to everything that we do, and everything that we are.

Thus we ask God to go before us and behind us, by His grace, that we may be continually given to all good works.  We're not just asking God to help us do nice things, like work in a homeless shelter.  Good though such actions may be, the "good works" of the Collect are the things of Godliness.  They are to seek Him in the Scriptures, worship Him in His Church, and obey His commandments.  And they are to love one another as Christ loved us, and as we love ourselves.  It is to do all the things taught in our Scripture readings for today, and to do them out of love for God and His creatures.  It is to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. 

Let us pray.

L
ORD, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
--
+R. Dennis Campbell
Bishop of Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia



[1] “you all”, normally pronounced “ya’ll”, is clear proof Paul was from the South.