Verse of the Day

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Christmas Eve - Christmas Day - First Sunday after Christmas

Christmas Eve

As the song goes, Oh the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow!  Actually, while we have had snow this year already, none for today!  The Outside Air Temperature was a lovely 68°F at Mount Olympus’ 3,500’msl altitude, so no snow.  We are thankful for the coming of our Lord and the freedom we have.  The weather was bright and sunny, as were the dispositions of the three people attending the service were!

By the way, each year we have a rosemary bush Christmas “tree”.

Propers
We used the propers for the first service of Christmas Day for our Christmas Eve service which are found on Page 96-98, with the Collect first:

The Collect.

O
 GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle, which came from Paul’s letter to Titus beginning in the Eleventh Verse of the Second Chapter.  Paul tells Titus that it is only God’s grace that gives us salvation.  If we are going to accept that grace, we need to live the life to which God has called us. Regardless of cost, we need to live the life God has purchased for us. 

We need to trust in God and in this world live cleanly, conservatively, thoughtfully, looking towards God for our salvation.  We need to encourage and exhort other Christians to do likewise. 

To live in harmony with others.

To be, to the extent we are able, paragons of virtue.  Serving as good examples, not bad.  Paul tells Titus to do what is right, trust is God and worry not.  Quoting a later author, “Trust in God and Dread Naught.”

T
HE grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Tonight’s Gospel is the narrative of the Nativity from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, the Second Chapter, beginning at the First Verse.

A
ND it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into  Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

Today we remember and celebrate the coming of our Lord, the first time; we look to the coming of our Lord, the second time.  The Jews were looking to God to send the Messiah, the one who they determined would free them from the brutal yoke of the Romans and put them on top again.  The veritable Top Dogs.  They wanted a Champion to lead them to victory over the Romans and throw them off Israel.  What God sent was a baby.  Well, The Baby, but nonetheless a baby.  Shepherds came to worship Him, but Herod was looking to kill Him.  No good in having a Champion putting Herod out of the petty quisling dictator job.

What God sent the Jews was His Son.  In point of fact, He sent Him to the Jews first, but not only.  The “Wise Men” showed up to worship Him and regardless of who they might have been, they certainly were not Jews.  This Son was to free the Jews from the Prince of Darkness and the finality of death.  That really did not fit the Jews’ plan.[1]  They were still looking for Expulsor, he who would toss the Romans out on their heads.

“Grant as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to be our judge.”, With sure confidence, if we receive him now as our Redeemer, we shall be filled with sure confidence of being received by Him when we are standing before his Judgement seat. If we do not joyfully receive him now, how can we expect him to be joyfully receiving us when we come to meet him.

In joyous rememberence of His Birth, we must keep in mind the end goal of his arrival here on Earth, which was to free us from the bondage of sin and death, by giving his life so that we might be free of this terrible oppression. We must Rejoice always and again I say Rejoice, in the fact that we are free from the wages of sin, by the fact that He gave his life for us, and was born that He might save us from a final death.

The key word is joyfully, meaning we must of our own free will receive Him into our hearts, and feel the joyousness of His Birth, for this holiday of His Birth is a happy time, to not only feel the joy of his physical arrival, but of what He came to do for us, that we might be free for all eternity. He shall be our confidence and our spiritual dwelling place, rather than place our hope in men, who shall always fall short, but God shall never lead us astray or fall short of our hopes and expectations, unlike Men.

Remembering His Birth each year, we must consider what the cost was for our freedom from death, which soon after he ascended to be with Our Father. 

Some guy coming to save their souls, without the need for slaughtering the profitable sacrificial animals did not really fit their plan.  They had The Law, what more did they need?

The Jews concentrated on their wants and ignored their needs.  Need, Want – both four letter words, oft used interchangeably.  Sadly, they don’t mean the same thing.

So, that is where the Jews were on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day for that matter?  God intended to fulfill their needs, they looked to have their wants fulfilled.

How about us on this Christmas Eve; or Christmas Day for that matter?  Are we looking for someone to make us rich, thin or cool?  Or are we looking for someone who will save our souls?  Do what God asks, you will not only gain eternal life, but eternal happiness and as a plus you will be happy.  You may think you can have more fun, but He guarantees you will be happy.

As we come upon this midnight clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ waits for us.  Will we accept it?  Follow Him, accept His Grace and all will be good forever.

He comes!

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

Christmas Day

The weather for the Christmas Day service was very nice, 54°F, the blues skies of a Santa Ana (not a Santa Claus) and a lot of wind.  The lovely weather brought 3 people to worship the Lord on the day of his birth.

Gathering Song
Because it is Christmas, Rev Jack Arnold chose to move out of our traditional gathering songs and picked Hark, the herald-angels sing for the gathering song, Hymn 27 in the Hymnal.  It is a beautiful song and truly representative of the complete meaning of Christ’s coming.

Hark, the herald-angels sing
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
'Christ is born in Bethlehem.'
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.

Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:
hail, the incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.



Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace:
hail, the Sun of Righteousness.
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
[Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman's conquering seed,
bruise in us the serpent's head;
now display thy saving power,
ruined nature now restore,
now in mystic union join
thine to ours and ours to thine.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.]





Propers
The propers for today are found on Page 96-98, with the Collect first:

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,
commonly called Christmas Day.
[December 25.]
The Collect.


A
LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle for Christmas Day, which came from the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, beginning at the First Verse  of the First Chapter.

G
od, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who  being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Hap Arnold read the Gospel for Christmas Day which came from the Gospel according to Saint John, the First Chapter, beginning at the First Verse.  This particular Gospel is known as the Last Gospel as it comes from the last Gospel to be written, that of St. John, and it brings the final Word of Jesus to us.

I
n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Today’s sermon is the message of Christmas.  “He came unto His own and they received Him not.” Christ came unto His own, the people he created, to show them the Word which He is the living embodiment of, the Living and True Scripture. They received Neither the written Word that his Apostles wrote, nor the spoken Word from His Mouth that He spake unto them. “But as many as received Him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God.” He has adopted us unto his family, through His Word, which he has spoken unto us, that we may fulfill it and live in harmony with others in this word.

“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” This speaks to the living incarnate nature of the Word, (Christ) who dwelt among us 2,000 years ago, that he might understand our nature more, so that He could teach us with more understanding. If He lived in our conditions, it would be easier for Him to relate to us when He taught and spake the Word of His Father.   “And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.” In That Word, He spake both full of grace and of truth as John talked about in the last Gospel. Through His grace and truth that we accept, only can we do things for His Glory. Without the Word, we cannot do anything for Him, as imperfect creatures, now having been accounted and spoken for by Christ. With the Word, we are empowered to do things for Him. The birth of Christ would foreshadow his death, which would bring about the ultimate freedom, that from sin and death.

Today we recall the birth of our Lord and Savior, the only means by which we, imperfect creatures with free will, might be accounted as perfect before God when our day of judgment comes.  Born, not in a palace, but in a stable, He is all that we have been promised.  Taking the substance of Man, all Man and all God, He knows our temptations, He knows our failures, He knows our failings, He knows our sorrow; He also knows our happiness, our small triumphs, our hopes and our dreams.  He is the only one in this world who will never fail us in the slightest.  He gives us His example to follow.  If we will but follow Him, we will draw closer to God.  He made the world, He knows the world.  He defeated the Prince of this World, thus with His Help, so will we.  This is a day of joy, foreshadowing a day of sorrow, leading to the greatest joy of all.

Let us joyfully receive Him into our hearts and homes, that we might do what He asks and spread the Joy of His Arrival on Earth that we might prepare for His Second Coming. If we do this and what he asks, which is a common theme that stays the same throughout the Christian Year, we shall be Blessed with good things, as a result of doing what He asks. On the Christmas Day, let us Rejoice in His Coming and begin our preparations for His Second Coming

Let this be a blessed and happy Christmas.  He has come to us!

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

First Sunday after Christmas Day

The weather for the First Sunday after Christmas Day service was beautiful.  Sunrise temperature on Mount Olympus was 53°F, warming to 65°F by church time.  The lovely weather brought 3 people to worship the Lord.

Gathering Song
Because it is Christmas, Jack Arnold chose to move out of our traditional gathering songs and picked What child is this, Hymn 36 in the Hymnal.  It is a beautiful song with appropriate meaning at the time of Christ’s coming.

Hymn 36 - What child is this

What child is this, who laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.

This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.

So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
come, peasant, king, to own him;
let loving hearts enthrone him.

This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.

This gathering song is a truly wonderful work.  Read it carefully and think the meaning through.

On Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes come from?  The answer is from the people who uttered them.  But, how did you find them?  Oh, that.  Some from Bishop Jerry, many from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, some from Rev Geordie Menzies-Grierson, but overall mostly from Bryan.  He always has a few great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

The difference between death and taxes is death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.
Will Rogers

Where I work, Goodwill Enterprises does the janitorial work. The other day, two of the guys were eating lunch outside on the lawn, and one of them dropped some of his vegetables on the ground. I looked at them and said:

"Peas, on earth. Goodwill. Two men."
Laz A. Mataz

TO MR. YOUNG: Lewis’s last letter of direction—on the virgin birth; on the glorified body of the risen Christ; on atonement theories; and on the wrath of God.

31 October 1963

1. I believe in the Virgin Birth in the fullest and most literal sense: that is, I deny that copulation with a man was the cause of the Virgin’s pregnancy.

2. It is not easy to define what we mean by an ‘essentially human body’. The records show that Our Lord’s Risen Body could pass through closed doors, which human bodies can’t: but also that it could eat. We shall know what a glorified body is when we have one ourselves: till then, I think we must acquiesce in mystery.

3. When Scripture says that Christ died ‘for’ us, I think the word is usually υπερ (on behalf of), not αντι (instead of). I think the ideas of sacrifice, ransom, championship (over death), substitution et cetera are all images to suggest the reality (not otherwise comprehensible to us) of the atonement. To fix on any one of them as if it contained and limited the truth like a scientific definition would in my opinion be a mistake.

4. All associations of human passions to God are analogical. The wrath of God: ‘something in God of which the best image in the created world is righteous indignation’. I think it quite a mistake to try to soften the idea of anger by substituting something like disapproval or regret. Even with men real anger is far more likely than cold disapproval to lead to full reconciliation. Hot love, hot wrath. . . .

Your questions are not in the least offensive.

Yours sincerely
CS Lewis

We find that Sacerdotalism, or priestcraft, has frequently been the curse of Christianity, and the ruin of true religion. And we say boldly that the exaltation of the ministerial office to an unscriptural place and extravagant dignity in the Church of England in the present day, is likely to alienate the affections of the laity, to ruin the Church and be the source of every kind of error and superstition.
JC Ryle
Knots Untied

He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
St. Matthew 10:40

A prudent man will foresee an evil before it comes and will stand on his guard. When the clouds are gathering for a storm, he takes the warning and flies to the name of the Lord as his strong tower.
Rev. Matthew Henry
17th and 18th century English pastor and author

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh...
St. Mark 13:35

Recent bible translations have sadly substituted the word slave or bond slave for the word servant. The word slave does not communicate the fact that we come to Christ and we serve him by our own choice. A slave is captured, forced to go with his captor and compelled to work under cruel conditions. As Christians, we are servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.
Gail Riplinger
20th and 21st American bible scholar and author
(In Awe of Thy Word, p.263)

You get the same order of criminality from any State to which you give power to exercise it; and whatever power you give the State to do things FOR you carries with it the equivalent power to do things TO you.
Albert Jay Nock
20th century political commentator
Propers
The propers for today are found on Page 104-105, with the Collect first:

The First Sunday after Christmas Day.
The Collect.

A
LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came from Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter.  Paul reminds us, as well as those long gone in Galatia, we are to do God’s will, but through our Lord, we are not servants, but children of God, for “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

N
ow I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the First Chapter, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse.

T
he birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action
At this Christmastide, it is not surprising to find “To take our nature upon him”, is a key phrase of the Collect, preceding “To be born of a pure virgin”, meaning He could not have been born from anyone else but Mary, who was at the time a pure virgin (this is before the birth of James, Jesus’ biological half-brother. But the more important part of the phrases is “to take our nature upon him.” When He came into this world, He took our nature upon himself, that is to say in simpler terms He became like us.

He felt our emotions we feel, the pain, the joy, the suffering and more material emotions like that of hunger, of wants and of needs. This he took upon Himself, so that He might come to understand His creation more. And that could only be done if He could experience our body for himself, thus requiring Him to incarnate into a human form in order to understand what it was like to be us. Even though He created us and knew a lot about us, He still wanted to experience what it was like to be us. And also, to sacrifice Himself for our sakes, He needed to be within our bodies, so that He could be accounted as a “human” sacrifice, taking upon all of our sins upon Himself, that we might be accounted as perfect before God to enter into heaven

As Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, we are not to be servants or slaves of God, but we are His own children, we are more precious to Him than if we were servants or slaves. That is a key difference between Christianity and Islam. Islam views its followers as a means to an end, but Christianity views the followers as part of God’s Holy Family in Heaven. We are wanted by God as His Children, He loves us and cares for us very much, so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son that all who believe on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That is a pretty big amount of love that He has for us sinful beings! We should rejoice that He has made us whole, taken away the power of sins if we repent of them, so that we may continue to live our life for Him!

We are different than the world for this very reason. The world lacks the compassion, the love Christ has given us, and it is the reason why it is and has been filled with so much trouble and sin over the thousands of years of our existence.  But we will not  have as much trouble as the world has, for we have something they do not, the Love of God  and Christ among us to comfort and restore us, and to refresh us whenever we are tired and weary.

We have to realize that God took upon our nature and our infirmities for us, that His love is infinite as He is infinite. He is the past, the future and the present, He is the Master of Time.

When we pray, we must refer to God as Father, as He is our spiritual Father and in a sense, physical Father too, for without him, our fathers would not have been created and our lives would not have sprung forth upon this Earth. We are in a state of eternal debt to God for bringing us in and saving us from the trouble of our human nature. If we are to repay it, we must follow Jesus on the path to perfection, which we will never get to, but we will certainly never get to it if we never try.

As we came upon this midnight clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is here for us.  Will we accept it?  Follow Him, accept His Grace and all will be good forever.

He comes!

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

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.  Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

Sermon Notes
First Sunday after Christmas
29 December 2013, Anno Domini

The First Sunday after Christmas Day.
The Collect.

A
LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle 
Galatians iv. 1.

N
ow I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The Gospel St. Matthew i. 18.

T
he birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

            In those dark days before the Coming of Christ, we were under bondage of the law as the Galatian Epistle intimates.  We could not know God in a personal relationship, but through laws written on Tables of Stone we tried hopelessly to be perfect and righteous. But as the Prayer of Collect tells us, Christ came and took OUR nature upon Himself that we might take HIS Nature upon US. Being made children of God through adoption in Grace, we are kept in His mercy by the constant inner counsel of the Holy Spirit to obey the Law of Love. Being privileged children of the Father, we are no longer in bondage to the law but made members of the very household of God.

            Did you believe that the Christmas Season has past? Well, it has not. In fact, we are merely at the center of the Christmas Season according to our Lectionary. The larger picture for the Christian is that Christmas is ALWAYS and unending in its meaning and impact upon our lives. The birth of Christ was so cataclysmic that all of Eternity, and our own time-scale, has been divided into the BEFORE and AFTER of that great event. Despite efforts of the detractors of Christ to change it to Common Era (C.E.), or Before the Common Era (B.C.E.), the question remains: “What happened 2013 years ago to cause the Gregorian Calendar to begin our years with reference to that date?” It was, of course, the birth of Christ. I care not if the world resents this, or cannot grasp it – it is established and irrefutable historical fact!

            We have, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, a matter-of-fact account of the birth of Jesus. There are no ‘maybe’ or doubtful expressions about it – the Gospel speaks with the force and effect of complete reality and truth. Before the birth of Christ, Emmanuel (that is, God with us) was only a prophetic promise. After the birth of Jesus, it became a steadfast reality.  Matthew addresses the occasion with a focus on Joseph, whereas Luke gives us a parallel account with a focus on Mary. This is entirely logical in reason and timely purpose. The royal line of His Kingship, for legal purposes, came through his presumed father, Joseph. Of course, His true Father was God, but Joseph was the legally recorded father for purposes of lineage and descent. Christ must first be absolute Sovereign before He can be Lord of all. His priestly descent came through Mary, and there never was, or ever shall be, a High Priest after the Order of Melchizadek as was Jesus!

            Matthew clearly informs us that Jesus had no earthly descent, but was the only Begotten Son of God. “When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” Joseph and Mary were espoused to each other, but the marriage relationship had not yet been consummated when Christ was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Ghost of God. All claims of new bible versions to the contrary, this is biblical fact beyond and question.

            Let us examine the qualities of Joseph as the caretaker of Jesus. 1) He had a tender love and consideration for Mary. It would have been ‘unthinkable’ in that day and time for a man to wed a woman who was pregnant with another man’s child. So Joseph, unwilling to make a public spectacle of his precious Mary, was inclined to put her away in some secret or distant place so no one would slander her name and character. This would have been an unusual emotion in those days, but Joseph was a “just man.” 2) Once the true identity of the child Father was revealed to Joseph, he was then willing to bear the ridicule and shame of his community by marrying Mary. What may seem dishonor to the world may be immense honor granted by God? It may seem a disgrace to the world for us to proclaim Merry Christmas instead of so-called “Happy Holidays” but the least God expects is that we honor His Son by our view of the event of Christmas.

            We know little more about Joseph except that he was a carpenter. Jesus learned that trade from Joseph, no doubt. The focus now turns to Jesus, and appropriately so. The same implements of the carpenter’s trade that built houses and tables were the same used to craft a crude cross for both the manger and the cross of Christ. All things of His life pointed to Calvary.

            The Gospel, or Good News, was summed up in the name JESUS! That name is ÅIhsou'ß Iesous, in the Greek which means Salvation of God, or Jehovah is salvation. Though Jesus has many names, another profound name for Christ is Emmanuel, or “God with Us.” What a comfort to know that we can enjoy the very presence of God in Christ! He is not a God that is far away and uncaring, When we walk with Christ, we bring the Kingdom of God near us. “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” (Luke 10:9)  These two names – Jesus and Emmanuel – are of great importance to us. The first, Jesus, describes His Office and purpose; the second, Emmanuel, describes His nature – that is, WHO He was.

            The name, JESUS, was not given to the babe by man, but by God the Father. “. . . thou shalt call his name JESUS (Jehovah is Salvation) : for he shall save his people from their sins.” The Old Testament rendering of this name in Hebrew would have been the commonly known ‘JOSHUA’ of the same meaning. You will note that Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promise Land, and Jesus, the greater Joshua, will lead His people into a greater Kingdom of Promise.

            In what way would Jesus “save us’ from our sins? “. . . for he shall save his people from their sins.”  He would first save us from the GUILT of our sins. The wages of sin is death. We have ALL sinned. Therefore, we justly deserve death.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)  Yes, we ALL have sinned: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) You can see by this that, under the terms of the law, there can be no hope for our salvation. But the terms of the law were satisfied by His perfect submission to that law in paying the price for our redemption. He took our place on the cross. Therefore, claiming that blood of Christ as remission for our sins, we are made free of guilt. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:8-9)

            Secondly, Jesus saves us from the POWER of Sin! Sin has no power over the believer unless we deliberately open the door to the devil. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death…… Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:1-2,12-13)

            Thirdly, Jesus saves us from the CONSEQUENCE of sin: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9)  “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess 1:9-10)

            Fourthly, Jesus saves us from the PRESENCE of sin: “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?  And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Rev 7:13-17)

            Jesus is a name filled with glorious comfort and inviting satisfaction: “Come 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.”  (Matt 11:28-30) When we surrender our futile works to Christ, and accept His works of righteousness, how simple and easy do our burdens become, for it is Jesus who carries them.

            What of His name, EMMANUEL that informs us of the nature of Jesus? Seven hundred years passed between the prophecy of Isaiah and the fulfillment of that prophecy. The weak human faith may have given up the expectation, but with God, all things are sure and certain. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Please do not tell me that a “young woman shall conceive and bear a son” for it was spoken of god that the young woman was a VIRGIN. Here is how the NRSV corrupts Isaiah’s prophecy: “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 NRSV) Are you so literarily challenged that you cannot distinguish the great errors being propagated by these apostate bibles?  The VIRGIN conceives a Son whose name is EMMANUEL! How does the name EMMANUEL describe the nature of Jesus? First of all, it identifies Jesus as God for it means “GOD with us!” Jesus is the central figure of the Trinity. He is God! In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is described as the “Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Can any demean the name of Jesus? Can the new versions demote Him to simply ‘a son of God’ like unto us, or is He what the Bible claims – The only BEGOTTEN Son of God?

            Jesus is also named the great “I AM” revealing the Eternity of His existence. He has existed from Eternity Past with the Father. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4) Further, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (EMMANUEL), (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

            If we would have strength for the journey of our daily cross-bearing, we must be ever mindful of the hope of EMMANUEL. He is WITH us – even unto the end of the world. If you are weak and weary, grasp hold of the name, JESUS – Savior. He is our Advocate to defend us in our moments of weakness and trial. “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

            How will you observe this great event – will it be by a nebulous term such as Happy Holidays, or Merry Xmas; or will it be by its true identity of Merry Christmas? Will it simply become one day out of 365, or 365 days of a single day?

Since Anno Domini, the Year of our Lord, it has been Christmas and it always will be Christmas.

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:

The Fullness of Time
Psalm 98, Matthew 1:18-25, Galatians 4:1-7
First Sunday after Christmas
December 29, 2013

Galatians 4 uses an unusual word to describe time.  We don’t notice it very much because we are accustomed to hearing it.  But if it were not in the Bible and someone were to use it today as a new phrase, like “re-gifting” or “unfriending” we would notice its distinctiveness immediately.  That word is fullness. It is unusual because we don’t usually think of time as having fullness.  To us time simply is.  Our schedules may have fullness, especially at this time of year when families and friends are coming and going and events are still happening and in the planning stage.  But time is different from our schedules, and it is neither full nor empty, it just is.

Yet the Bible talks about the fullness of time, as though time were something that can be poured into a container, and when the container is full, a certain event will occur. I vaguely remember a pop song that said, “If I could save time in a bottle.”  Well, God can, and the picture here is of God pouring time into a bottle until it reaches its fullness, and then something He has been planning happens.  A similar picture is found in Luke 2:6.  You remember the words there, referring to Mary in Bethlehem, saying the time was “accomplished” that she should be delivered.  “Accomplished” in the Greek New Testament, is from the same word translated “fullness” in Galatians 4.  We understand Luke’s meaning.  The baby has developed and matured in the womb and is now ready to be born.  The task of growing inside the womb has been accomplished and fulfilled, and the time to come out and face the world has arrived.  The time is accomplished.  So the “fullness of time” means that a time of preparation is accomplished, and an event is ready to take place, the Messiah is ready to be sent into the world.

Remember that image of God pouring time in a bottle until is reaches its perfect fullness.  Remember it because it shows that the birth of Christ is not an accident.  It is the culmination of a time of preparation, which is itself the enacting of a plan and a purpose.  We are familiar with many of the Old Testament verses that tell of the coming Messiah.  They cover the entire Old Testament, beginning with the book of Genesis.  Remember the words of God to the serpent regarding the seed of the woman, “it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Man had fallen into sin, into all the sorrow and loneliness and personal and cultural disintegration and distorted ways of thinking and acting that we call the misery of sin.  Yet God is promising even at that point, that One will come who will begin to put the world, and us, right again.  He will bruise the serpent’s head.

As we look through the Old Testament we see God continuing to fill the bottle.  We see Him call Abraham to found a family for God.  We see him rescue His family from Egypt.  We see Him give His family rules of conduct that enable its people to live together in peace and respect.  We see Him establish the great feasts, which are like family gatherings and Christmas dinners.  And He calls them together for the more ordinary things of family life, like worshiping together on the Sabbath.  He gives them wise family sages to help them negotiate the trials and stages of life.  He gives them family historians to record their pilgrimage and remind them who they are and remind them of the family traditions and their meaning and importance.  In all of these things God is their Father, the head of the family, the leader provider and protector.  As long as the family stays with Him they live in prosperity and happiness.  When they stray from Him they find that the serpent still lurks under rocks and fallen trees, and his bite is still deadly.

And what did the children of Israel do?  They ran away from home.  Instead of a loving Father, they imagined God as a self-serving tyrant.  Instead of seeing His laws as a protective fence they imagined them as oppressive prison walls.  They rejected their Father as an enemy and embraced their enemies as friends.  But God did not abandon them, nor did He abandon hope that they would return to the family.  And when the bottle of time was full He sent forth His son, born of  woman.

I will talk about this unique Son of God more in future sermons and Bible studies.  For now let it suffice to say He is the word we find in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. He always was, always is, and always will be THE GOD.  And, while never giving up His full Divinity, He added flesh to Himself and became fully human, born of woman.

Today I want to emphasise why God did that, why He became a human and was born in a cattle shed and died on a cross.  He did it for love, a Father’s love for His children.  Most of you have read Laura Ingalls’ “Little House” books, or have seen the TV programs.  You remember the story of the blizzard.  Laura and Mary were walking home from school when they were engulfed in a sudden and terrifying blizzard.  As the snow and wind increased they were unable to see the way home.  They were lost and afraid, and rapidly freezing to death.  What did their father do?  He put on his coat and went out into the very teeth of the storm. He searched and called and called and searched until he found his daughters and took them to safety.  It almost killed him.  There was very little life left in him when, exhausted and frozen, he got the girls to a warm house.  Why did he do it?  Love.  He loved his daughters more than he loved himself.  He valued their lives more than he valued his own.  He would gladly sacrifice his own life to save theirs.

That’s a pretty good illustration of why Christ came to earth.  God loves His children, but they are lost and dying in the blizzard.  He came to take us safely home.  “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law.”preachers often make much ado about the transcendence of God.  And we should.  Transcendence is an important attribute of the greatness and glory of God.  He transcends the physical
--
+Dennis Campbell

Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia

Roy Morales-Kuhn, Pastor - St. Paul's Anglican Church - Anglican Orthodox Church
Rev Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC parish West of the Mississippi; he reminded me there are now three parishes, his being by far the largest.  The Westerners are taking over the AOC![2]

Rev Roy reminded me last week that these are just his sermon notes, he oft gets carried away; expounding and deviating!

First Sunday after Christmas
29 December 2013
Ps 145        Isa.  9: 2 – 7   Luke  2: 1 – 20

“Who is this Jesus ?”

When you read the Isaiah passage, you need to bear in mind this was written some four hundred years before the birth of Christ.  The details, titles, descriptions of this coming child are pinpoint accurate if you compare it to the Gospel passages about the Nativity.   Sometimes we do not take the time to realize the real miracle that took place some two thousand years ago.  This season of Christmas is so out of line with what the secular world wants us to celebrate, there is a great tug-of-war taking place between the sacred and the secular.   As early as the last week of August, Christmas trees begin to show up in the garden centers of certain box stores across the nation.  The secular is all about buying, consuming, how much can I get; how much must I spend to get everyone a gift or trinket or what ever?   And mind you that pressure begins in August.  

Now let’s look at how the Church for centuries used to celebrate this holy season.  Either on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday in December would begin a four Sunday series of lessons and Gospel that spoke to the first coming of Christ and also His second Coming.  This season is called Advent.   This time was used to bring us to the awareness of the greatest gift ever given, that being the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.  The first two Sundays in Advent help us to reflect on the first Advent, the baby Jesus.  Many prophetic passages are read and studied that point to that wonderful night in Bethlehem.   The last two Sundays in Advent point to Jesus earthly ministry and the second coming of Jesus.  This helps us to understand the timelessness of Jesus, he was not created, has always been, and will always be.   

In Advent we learn about the many passages of scripture in the Old Testament that point to Christ’s first coming....as a child.  Is 9: v 6 we read one of several passages that speak of Christ coming as a baby.   When you compare that with the Nativity narrative such as Matthew you will also see the reference to God with us, Immanuel  

Notice also the promises of safety and peace....an everlasting peace.

Do we have peace at this time, an everlasting peace?  No.  This is a reference to Christ’s second coming, when He will up hold justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.

As a church we need to take back the sacred.  We need to leave the noise and confusion and the moneychangers at the door.   This is the House of the Lord, we shouldn’t allow all that to invade and attempt to replace what for centuries has been set apart, as holy, sanctified.

It is time to remember that the WORD came to change the world, to light the darkness, to show the way, NOT the other way around. Today we have people and systems trying to change the WORD and the church to bend to their idea of what is right, what is just.  We have come to the point in history again, where good is being called bad; and bad is being called good.

Our second passage of scripture has us reflect on the humble nature of Christ when he came to be amongst his creations.   St. Paul is asking us to take on this nature... we should have the same attitude as Christ Jesus.    READ   Luke:2:1-20

Because in the end, when we are finished on our journey we will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,...why.... to the glory of God the Father.

As we have seen this morning Christ came as a little helpless baby, he humbled himself, our creator* , came to dwell amongst us to show us the way by his life, death, burial , and glorious resurrection from the dead... that we being followers of him should not fear death or its sting.

He came in a quiet way the first time.   He lives within us now.  He will return in glory...at the trumpet’s call....because God has exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.

This is the message of the Advent and the Nativity, the Christmastide and Epiphany.

                         Let us not forget the Lord.  He did not forget us.

Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon.  If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the truth and live the truth.    This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.

First Sunday after Christmas

In Isaiah, the prophet was given to proclaim the  coming of the Messiah saying: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this (9:6-7). For Christians, these verses tell us of the coming of the promised Messiah— the Christ— who came to provide salvation to all who would believe on his name. Let us now consider the particulars of these verses.

First of all, there is the announcement of his birth. This was an affirmation of Isaiah 7:14 wherein we read, Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel is translated as, “God with us.” The Messiah was born as one of us, and yet, via his virgin birth per the workings of the Holy Ghost, he remained fully divine. To put it another way, he is both a “Son of man” and the “Son of God.” The Nicene Creed summed it up in this manner when it spoke of our Lord as being, “...very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance of the Father, by whom all things were made, who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man...” As God had pronounced judgment on our first parents in the Garden, he also set forth the provision for the redemption of humankind with his prophecy that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). That seed of the woman was Jesus Christ— Immanuel— God with us.

Another message contained in our Old Testament lesson had to do with the coming kingdom of the Messiah. The prophet noted that ...the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The names of, Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace speak of who the Messiah is. He will be called these because as Matthew Henry once noted, “This child, this Son of God, this Son of man is invested with the highest honor and power... His people shall know him and worship him by these names. Justly is he called Wonderful, for he is both God and man. He is the Counsellor, for he was intimately acquainted with the counsels of God from eternity, and he gives counsel to the children of men... He is the mighty God... He is the Prince of Peace...” We see in these names characteristics which aptly describe the Messiah’s presence and power. He is said to be Wonderful because he inspires awe. His appearance at his first advent though seemingly insignificant, yet when examined in light of this prophecy from Isaiah is beyond remarkable. For God the Son to enter our world as he did reveals the awesome power of our God to create for himself a earthly vessel in which he might walk among us and be one of us. It reveals the condescending love which God has always possessed for his highest creation.

His title of Counsellor speaks as Matthew Henry so noted of his godly understanding, as well as his presentation of that knowledge to mankind via the gospels, as well as to his apostles who wrote the bulk of the New Testament. Godly wisdom will— if followed— lead to eternal life in his coming kingdom.

As he is the second person of the Holy Trinity, he is one with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God world without end. The Mighty God, the everlasting Father are titles which speak to the mystery of the Messiah as being a member of the Godhead and thus fully man and fully God. Only God could redeem his lost creation via the shedding of his blood— the blood of an earthly body— and so die as he did on the cross for our redemption. Again, what condescending love we are treated to in the death of Christ. And what glory there was and remains for such a God who raised our Lord from the dead and who later ascended into heaven to intercede for us at the Father’s right hand.
He is the Prince of Peace who came to bring to his own the peace of God and the blessed assurance of eternal life as co-heirs with himself in the God’s coming kingdom. The peace that Christ gives us far surpasses anything that could be found within the realms of the natural or the supernatural. Peace is a commodity which men have pursued since our first parents were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Over the millennia, human rulers have rarely succeeded in crafting genuine peace treaties, and of those that they did manage to establish, said agreements rarely survived for little more than a generation before they were undone by one or both of the principals. When our Lord returns, he will put an end to all violence between nations and peoples. He will triumph over the works of Satan and his host of wicked spirits and human disciples to bring in a millennium of true peace and justice. He will sit upon the throne of his father David and rule over all the world. God promised David that from him would the Messiah spring forth. As the apostle John wrote of our Lord that he is, ... the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star (Revelation 22:16). And as ruler, he will establish his kingdom and order it with justice and with judgment. With justice, because his will and purpose for things will be done in righteousness and in truth. With judgment, because all who will not obey his commandments will be judged and punished in the fires of perdition. No thing will be permitted to exist in his millennial kingdom that is of Satan until the final time when the Devil will be permitted a season to tempt mankind and then he, and those who would follow his lead, will be cast out into that inevitable and inescapable Lake of Fire.

The zeal of the LORD is that Spirit of Power which he possesses to complete his works. The desire of God to bring those things so prophesied about in our lesson and in other places is so great that we have every assurance they will be done in the manner he described. God’s desires are never thwarted and are to be considered as truths yet to be formalized. That is where our faith comes in. We believe that what God has said he will eventually do. While truth in our sphere is observed and tested by what has happened, God’s truth is in his promises made good already via the testimony of Scripture, or is yet to be fulfilled as per the prophetic messages of Scripture. Because we love God, we trust that as he has done in the past, so he will do in the future per his promises which were given and so noted in his word written.

In closing, let us keep this point in mind that our Lord Jesus Christ was being described within our Old Testament lesson today in ways which set forth the power and majesty of Messiah as God’s child who came and dwelt among humankind and yet remained wholly and truly the God of all Creation. Let us now in that knowledge come to his table today and partake of the thanksgiving feast which he has prepared for us and rejoice that he is all those things— Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Let us pray,

H
oly and gracious God, whose word doth inspire and comfort us; we pray that thou wilt be present with us now in this time of our mortal existence, and help us to ready ourselves for the second advent of thine only begotten Son; and we further ask for you to assist us as we witness to those who remain in the darkness of this life, that they too might turn unto thee and be saved; for these things we ask in the name of thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a blessed week, Bryan+

What is this term Anno Domini we see after dates, particularly those of Bishop Jerry?
Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of the Lord, and as in the year of Our Lord.  It is sometimes specified more fully as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ"). This calendar era is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus of Nazareth, with AD counting years from the start of this epoch, and BC denoting years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in 525, but was not widely used until after 800 AD.

The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world today. For decades, it has been the unofficial global standard, adopted for pragmatic interests of international communication, transportation, commercial integration and recognized by international institutions such as the United Nations and the Universal Postal Union.

Traditionally, English followed Latin usage by placing the abbreviation before the year number for AD.  Since BC is not derived from Latin it is placed after the year number (for example: AD 2013, but 68 BC). However, placing the AD after the year number (as in "2013 AD") is also becoming common usage.

The abbreviation is also widely used after the number of a century or millennium, as in "fourth century AD" or "second millennium AD" (although conservative usage formerly rejected such expressions).  Because BC is the English abbreviation for Before Christ, it is sometimes incorrectly concluded that AD means After Death, i.e., after the death of Jesus. However this would mean that the ~33 years commonly associated with the life of Jesus would not be present in either BC or AD time scales.

As the reckoning to the year of the birth of Jesus has become a global standard, an attempt has been made to remove Christ from the equation by anti-Christian groups, changing the designation, but not actual date referring to Common Era (CE), with the preceding years referred to as Before the Common Era (BCE).  Christians need be aware of this.



[1] By the way, it has been said if you really want to make God laugh, tell Him your plan.  I don’t take credit for the thought, but sadly I do not know where I first heard it.
[2] Just kidding, of course.  On the other hand, the AOC is happy to have three parishes in the West now!