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| Bishop Selectee Rev Roy Morales-Kuhn |
Today was the third Sunday in
Advent, the period including the four Sundays before Christmas; the first
Sunday of which is always the nearest Sunday to the feast of St. Andrew (30
November). Advent is a season of preparation and penitence. We prepare
ourselves to celebrate the coming of Jesus at Christmas, but we also look
forward to his second coming. The
liturgical color for this season is purple reminding us of the Kingship of
Jesus and that Advent is also a season of penitential preparation. Rose-color
may be used on the third Sunday of Advent, signifying for us a lightening up of
the penitential nature of the season as we draw closer to Christmas.
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 –
Howbeit
Jesus... saith... Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the
Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
St. Mark 5:19
Ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it
that ye do not discern this time?
St. Luke 12:56
For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:13
Preach the
word...
II St. Timothy 4:2
Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
St. James 4:10
That religion which is
reluctant, or forced, whether by fear or by stress of conscience, is
spurious... unless the service we render to God flows from the heart, it is no
evidence that we are his children.
Rev. Dr. Charles Hodge
19th
century American theologian and author
I continue to hope and pray
that the seemingly inexorable march towards a rending of this Republic can be
resolved peaceably, but I am a student of history, and know that once the
citizenry has judged the government is a threat and not a servant, then that
government will fall, or will continue down the path of becoming monsters,
devouring the very people they are sworn to protect.
Bob Owens
21st
century American commentator
(Bloody
Calculus, 4-4- 13)
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers:
special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought
prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in
the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of
Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be
read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next
Sunday. If you have a hard time
remembering, “Do I read the Collect from last Sunday or next Sunday during the
week?” Remember Sunday is the
first day of the week. There are
also two Bible readings, the Epistle and the Gospel. While they are “lessons”, they are not the First Lesson and
the Second Lesson, they are the Epistle and the Gospel. The Epistle is normally a reading from
one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the
Holy Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle
can be read by either a designated reader (as we normally do in our church) or
by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our
church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each
year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook,
falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White
Season, where it is put off. Red
Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in
red, are special days. Most of the
Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development
of the church, others to special events.
Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be
used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers are found on Page
93-94, with the Collect first:
The Third Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first
coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the
ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready
thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable
people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy
Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The propers for the First Sunday
in Advent can be found on Page 90-92:
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus
Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall
come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may
rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and
the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came
from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, starting at the First Verse of the
Fourth Chapter.
Paul calls on those who would be the ministers of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God to be good and faithful stewards
leading their flock rather than commanding from the rear. He tells them not to be fearful of the
judgment of man. In fact, he tells
he is not concerned of the judgment of men, or even that of himself, but rather
that of God. God knows our hearts
and when He judges, He “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and
will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have
praise of God.”
Let it be fully understood that when Paul writes of
ministers and stewards, he is talking of each of us, not just those who are
“ordained ministers.” We each must
be good and faithful stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to each of
us. We each must help those around
us benefit from the gifts which
are freely given.
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ET a man
so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries
of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But
with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s
judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself;
yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for today which came from
the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the Eleventh Chapter, beginning at the
Second Verse. Now when John the
Baptist “had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for
another?” John was Jesus’ cousin
and the one who baptized Him and heard God say, THIS IS MY SON IN WHOM I AM
WELL PLEASED.” Yet, he and the
rest of the Jews of the time expected the Messiah to come into Jerusalem in
triumph, sit in the temple and rule, commanding, nay compelling the Romans to
leave. No doubt marveling at the
question, for it was asked of Him who had performed countless genuine miracles,
healing the blind, the deaf the lame, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and
shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their
sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is
he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” As John’s disciples parted, Jesus talked to those about
him. He asked them concerning
John, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the
wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold,
they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to
see? A prophet?” He was counseling
them, trying to help them fully understand the implications of what was around
them. He was there! So, he explained that John was not
“just” a prophet, but the messenger of God, the man with the flag running
before the locomotive. He went on,
“For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy
face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” Because Jesus came into this world, not to be the King of
the Present, but rather the King of that to Come.
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ow when John had
heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said
unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do
hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in
me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning
John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they
that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see?
A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of
whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee.
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.
The
Third Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first
coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the
ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready
thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable
people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy
Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
In the Collect for the Third
Sunday in Advent, we are referred to as the ministers and stewards (caretakers)
of the mysteries of God, which are the Scriptures and His Word. We ask for help
in getting the hearts of the disobedient, by the wisdom of the just, to turn
and look to the Kingdom of God for answers and not this world. In view of the recent events, how
timely can this prayer be? When we
look to the world for solutions, we find the solutions of this world. This world, ruled by the Prince of this
world, the Prince of Air, the devil himself! But, what will people think when we reject worldly solutions
to worldly problems. There is an
answer for that, conveniently following the Collect.
In the Epistle, Paul says that we
must not fear of what others would think of us, but rather be concerned about
what God would think of what we are doing and what direction he wants us to go
in. Rather than fear man, we must switch to fearing God, and doing what He
wants. Then perhaps maybe, some in this world will see what we are doing for
Him and come to know Him and join Him. We will never get anywhere if we follow
the ways of this world. As in John 1:11-13 “He came unto His own and His Own
received him not. But as many as
received Him, to them he gave the 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 the will of man, but
of God.”
If we are born of God, then it is
He that we must return to and not man. As the verse from John points out, even
Jesus came to us and we refused him, so how can we expect any better treatment
from man, than of God Himself, who came down for us? But the next part of the verse, tells us what we will get if
we join with him. He gave us the power to become the Sons of God, as we are his
children. He is giving us our eternal inheritance, if we will but follow Him.
In the Gospel, Christ asks the
crowd of what they expected to see?
Some great big flashy sign He was going to overthrow the Romans and
unite the Jews to conquer the world?
No, He did not come to do this, for that would be only a temporary and
in fact temporal thing to rule the world.
He came for far more than that; to prepare our hearts for eternity and
change us from unjust to just creatures, worthy of God’s creation and His
Hands. He came to mould and to shape us from being roughly made to something
very valuable.
To be worthy of the charge and
care of His mysteries, we must willing to listen to Him and do whatever we need
to do to line ourselves up with what He wants for us, not what we want for
ourselves. We must think of
others, instead of thinking of ourselves all the time. I must confess that I am guilty of
this, but I am always working on trying to reverse this, as we must, in order
to walk with Him. We must be willing to never give up and persevere; if we
follow this, we will keep getting better and better all the time.
Life is a continual process of
learning in every aspect of our lives, not least of these aspects is our
spiritual growth and development.
The Japanese have a word for this, introduced into their industry by the
American engineer W. Edwards Deming, Kaizen (改善) that is to
say continuous improvement. Never
perfect, but always endeavoring to improve. Day by day.
To care for the mysteries of God
properly, we must keep learning in our spiritual lives and if we do this, we
will keep growing more and more every day. Reading the Scriptures is one way to further our spiritual
development, as well as helping others without thought for ourselves. We must
keep doing a combination of these and similar things, if we expect to be able
to facilitate our spiritual growth and change the minds of the disobedient and
the unjust.
As He came to change us for the
better, Paul and the Collect remind us to do the same for the others. We often resist this change, when
perhaps we should not. We must put our hearts and minds together and think
about what God wants us to do in the end rather than what we want to do. Put
God first and all will be well, is what can be taken from today’s collects and
lessons, ultimately. We must be willing do to this, then we can be properly
caring for the mysteries of God.
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.
Mr. Donald Lee Fultz is being ordained to the
Diaconate at St Peter's today. The following sermon is taken from the Gospel
Lection for the ordination of Deacons:
Sermon Notes
Ordination of Donald Fultz to the Diaconate
Third Sunday in Advent
15 December 2013, Anno Domini
St Peter’s Anglican Church
Opening Prayers:
For the Church.
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GRACIOUS Father, we humbly beseech
thee for thy holy Catholic Church; that thou wouldst be pleased to fill it with
all truth, in all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error,
direct it; where in anything it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right,
establish it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite
it; for the sake of him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make
intercession for us, Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
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LMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts,
who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church; Give
thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any
office and administration in the same; and so replenish them with the truth of
thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully
serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name, and the benefit of thy holy
Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Processional
Hymn is Advent Hymn #005 (Lo, He Comes)
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36 And
ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from
the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately. 37 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he
cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself,
and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38 And
if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them
so, blessed are those servants. (Luke 12:35-38)
The first requirement of any clergy, whether Deacon,
Priest, or Bishop, is to have a humble heart. In fact, that is a requirement
for everyone who calls themselves Christian.
But for the clergyman, it becomes a much more grave
and solemn qualification. The clergy must render the same respect for the
people as they render unto him; and that respect must be earned through a
humble and contrite spirit.
The Office of Deacon, Mr. Fultz, is a most important
and necessary one. You will share the care and teaching of souls with the
priest, conduct Morning/Evening Prayer in his absence, preach the Word in due
season, and assist in any other way that your bishop prescribes.
35 Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning
The Shepherd of the Church is neither, Bishop,
Priest, or Deacon, but the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Good Shepherd of the
Sheep.
But He has granted to His ministers the duty of
safeguarding the sheep. He also grants us the privilege of feeding them in
green pastures of His Word, and watering them I the still waters of His Holy
Spirit.
Our lights that we must keep burning are those of
Jesus Christ and His Gospel.
36 And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they
may open unto him immediately.
The clergyman is not higher than the people to whom
he ministers, except by His calling and office to preach the word and conduct
the services of the church.
But the clergyman stands as an example of Christ-like
love and care for those precious souls that God has placed in his care.
The clergyman must be alert for all evidences of
error of understanding the Word, and improper execution of worship.
The devil does not rest either night or day. We must
be on guard against thaqt old roaring lion who seeks the destruction of souls –
including, and most particular, our own.
In what manner must the deacon, priest, or bishop
approach his formidable calling?
We find the answer in 1
Peter 5:1-4
“1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory
that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither
as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1 Peter 5:1-4)
If we are the example that we are admonished to be, the people will
respond in the same kind of love and respect with which we conduct our lives
and actions toward them.
Note the term the Lord repeatedly uses for the ministers
– SERVANTS! Not lords, or masters, but lowly ministers. If we ever forget that
principle, we have lost our salt and savour as His ministers. 37 Blessed
are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to
meat, and will come forth and serve them.
The clergyman SERVES. He is not a dictator or a
potentate demanding that reverence due God alone. The respect shown him is the
kind that he earns demonstrates to those people in his care.
Sometimes the minister is called upon to serve in
menial tasks. He is not above sweeping the floors and cleaning the church if
necessary.
38 And if he shall come in the second watch, or
come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
The minister is to be ready for service at every
need. It matters not how well he knows the word or preaches if he has no love
for his own cure, or those poor who linger beyond the walls of the church.
We do not indulge in vain speculation on prophecies
of Christ soon return, but we are to be ready, and prepare of charges to be
ready, at ANY time of the Lord’s return.
John Jasper - 1812-1901 89 years of age.
BACKGROUND
Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church
Seeing that they wouldn't leave, he composed himself
and walked back toward the edge of the pulpit.
And leaning over it, he said something like this:
"Brothers and sisters, when I think of the glory that shall be revealed in us; when I
think of the marvelous provisions of God's amazing grace; when I think of the things which I have
not seen, neither hath ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man to even imagine the things that God
hath prepared for his own, I can visualize that day when old John Jasper's last battle has been
fought and the last burden has been borne. I can visualize that day when this tired servant of God
shall lay down his burdens and walk up to the battlements of the city of God. Then as I stand outside the
beautiful gate, I can almost hear the mighty angel on guard say, 'John Jasper, you want your
shoes?'"
And I'm going to say, of course I want my shoes; my
golden slippers to walk the golden streets of the city of God, but not now.
"Then I can hear the mighty angel as he says,
'John Jasper, do you want your robe?'"
And I'm going to say, of course I want my robe; the
robe of linen clean and white which is the righteousness of the saints, but not
now. "Then the angel
will say, 'John Jasper, do you want your crown?'"
And I shall say, of course mighty angel, I want all
the reward that's coming to me, but not now.
"And I can hear him as he says, 'John Jasper,
would you like to see Moses, the great law-giver who led God's people out of
bondage on the way to the promised land?'"
And I'm going to say, of course mighty angel, I want
to hear Moses sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, but not now.
"Then the angel will say, 'John Jasper, wouldn't
you like to see Elijah, the great prophet who called down fire from heaven?
Wouldn't you like to shake hands with John, the beloved disciple who leaned on
the Master's breast at the Last Supper? Wouldn't you like to shake hands with
Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles and the greatest church planter and
soul winner of all time?'"
And I'll say, of course mighty angel, I want to know
and to shake hands and to commune with those, the saints of God, who have won
the incorruptible crown. Yes, I have some loved ones over there I want to see
too, but not now. You see, mighty angel, first of all, before anything else,
first and foremost, I want to see my Jesus. I want to see the stripes He bore
for me, the nail prints that were rightly mine, and His side that was rent for
me so that I, John Jasper, would not have to die the death. I want to see the
smiling face of my Lord and touch the hem of His Holy Garment. Then, I will see
all of the other wonders of Heaven.”
Every minister should have that humble grace and
servant-spirit of the old slave, John Jasper.
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:
Ministers
and Stewards
1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 11:2-10
Third Sunday in Advent
December 15, 2013
In 1 Corinthians 4:1 and 2, the Bible addresses the issue of the
nature of the ministry in the New Testament Church. Written by the Apostle Paul under the direction of the Holy
Spirit, these verses help the Corinthians, and through them, all Christians,
understand who and what a minister is.
The Corinthian Christians were not Jews. Therefore, they were not raised in a home or culture that
worshiped God. They did not know
the Old Testament. They did not know
the synagogue. They knew only the
pagan temples and the rudimentary understanding of the Gospel they were able to
learn during Paul’s two year ministry in Corinth. And they knew Christ. I admire them for trying to be
faithful to Christ in a hostile culture, with very limited understanding of the
Scriptures, and with only novice clergy to lead them in the faith and worship
of God after Paul left. But I have
to recognize the fact that the Corinthians compromised the Faith. They mixed Christian doctrine with
pagan mythology, and they tried to worship God the way they formerly worshiped
their pagan idols. This brought them into serious trouble, so serious the
Apostle Paul, referring to their corruption of the Lord’s Supper, wrote, “For
this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep” (1 Cor.
11:30). Many are dead because of
their abuse of the things of God.
A big part of the problem in Corinth was the large number of self
appointed apostles teaching and leading people into wrong and heretical
doctrines and practices. Paul has
spent much of the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians addressing this
problem. He started in the very
first verse, saying, he is “called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the
will of God.” From there he
defended and explained his calling and ministry. He was not boasting.
He was not claiming to be a great man or trying to force the people to
honour him. He was simply telling
them he was a real apostle, called and commissioned by Jesus Christ for this
ministry, and the others in Corinth who claimed to be apostles, were not. In chapter two he said the Corinthians
can tell a true minister of Christ by the way he builds upon the foundation
Paul laid when he was preaching and teaching in Corinth. That foundation is Jesus Christ (1 Cor.
3:11, 12).
In chapter four he returns to the issue of
his true apostleship and what that means in the way the people of Corinth
should think of him and the other true Apostles. How should they account the Apostles? How should Christians account any real
minister of the word? The first
thing he says is “let a man so accounts us, as of the ministers of Christ.” It is interesting to read this verse in
the original Greek. We all know that the Latin word from which we derive our
English word “minister” means “servant” or “slave,” and I expected to find the
Greek equivalent for it in 1 Corinthians 4:1. I was shocked (again) to find that the Greek says, “let a
man so account us as official representatives of Christ.” Paul is saying something similar to what
he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:20, where, again, writing about the Apostles and
their relationship to the Church he said, “we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God did beseech you by us.”
There was something special and unique about the ministry of the
Apostles. They occupied and
performed a unique ministry in the Church and their office ended when the last
one, probably John, died. There
are no more Apostles. There is an
apostolic ministry in the Church, and listen very carefully to what I am saying
here, because the apostolic ministry is different from the office of an
Apostle. The apostolic ministry is
the ministry that continues to preach and teach the Faith and Practice given to
the Church by Christ through the Apostles. There is much more that I want to say on this subject, and I
hope to return to it soon. For now
I must simply say that a man who is dully called and ordained, and who preaches
and teaches the Apostolic Faith and Practice, is to be regarded as an official
representative of Christ. He is
called and ordained to his ministry by God through the Church, and God Himself
uses that man to lead His people.
There is another word in 1 Corinthians 4:1 I want to talk about for a
moment, and that word is “stewards.”
A steward is a person who cares for some one or some thing for the
benefit and in the service of another.
In Roman times, which is when the New Testament was written, it usually
referred to a slave who was put in charge of his master’s property. A steward had authority from the master
to direct the property, and other servants, for his master and according to the
master’s directions. A steward
could be in charge of the kitchen, the house, the estate, or several
estates. There are three main
points I want to make about stewards.
First, he was installed in his position by the master. Second, he acted by the authority of
the master. Third, the property
and other servants did not belong to him.
Fourth, he was accountable to the master for his actions. “It is
required in stewards that a man be found faithful.”
I want to turn quickly to what the Apostles and those who carry on the
Apostolic Faith and Practice are stewards of. We are stewards of the mysteries of God. That, in its purest
sense, means the Faith. It is our
task to “preach the word,” as Paul wrote to Timothy. It is our task to guard and keep the Faith pure, to defend
it from enemies. It is not within
our authority to change the faith in any way. It is not ours to change. We preserve it for our Master.
The Apostolic Faith and Practice is given to us in the Bible, so we
are stewards of the Bible. We are
to proclaim its message and to preserve it unaltered for future generations. We are to teach all of what Jesus
commanded. That is the Apostolic
Faith. We are also stewards of the
Apostolic Practice. We are called
to preserve the practice of the Apostles in worship, Church ministry and
organisation, and public and private life as followers of Christ. We are stewards of the Apostolic
Practice, not innovators and inventors of new and better things.
We are stewards of the Sacraments. The sacraments are not given to
individual Christians; they are given to the Church. When a person is baptized he is baptized into the Church,
and especially into the local manifestation of the Church, which is the local
congregation. He is not baptized
to be a Christian at large.
Sometimes there is no viable church to attend where a person lives. Such a person can be a member of a
believing church outside of his area, as many of our Anglican Orthodox members
are. But church membership and
participation are important parts of following Christ. The Lord’s Supper is given to and
celebrated by and in the context of the Church. It is not to be celebrated by random groups of Christians
who happen to meet at the RV park or at the beach. It is celebrated under the authority of the Church.
Finally, we are stewards of the Church herself. We are responsible for leading and
teaching the Church in the things of Christ. We are responsible for ordering and organizing the Church
according to the pattern given in Scripture.
I know this is a brief and sketchy presentation, and each of the
points and sub points I have made today could be a sermon, or a book, or a
library of its own. I hope to
preach more about them in the future, especially those which may be easily
misunderstood, such as the point I made about the Apostolic ministry. But I want to hurry on now to another
important point, namely that clergy aren’t the only ministers and stewards in
God’s house. There is a sense in
which the Bishop is the head steward of the Church, and the priest or deacon is
the head steward of the local congregation. But there is another sense in which all Christians are
ministers and stewards of the mysteries of Christ. Let’s go back to the Roman slave who was the head steward
of, say, the master’s house. Was
he the only one charged with seeing that the house ran the way the master
wanted it? No. Every servant in the house was a
steward of something. One may have
been steward of the kitchen. One
may have been steward of the stable.
Another was steward of the furnishings. And all were required to work together to keep the house for
the master. We are all stewards of
the Lord’s House. We are all
ministers in His Kingdom. Let us
be found faithful.
--
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
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.
Third Sunday in Advent
In this morning’s first lesson we read from a portion of the book of
Nahum. As a rule, Nahum is not a book that would be well-known to many
Christians. Because of its length and subject matter, it is usually passed over
in favor of the more popular books of prophecy. In actuality, Nahum’s prophecy
is a follow-on to Jonah’s by some 150 years. Both men were given to preach
about Nineveh: a notorious middle eastern city that was located on the banks of
the Tigris River in what is now northern Iraq. But where Jonah’s message was
one which communicated God’s mercy and acceptance of the repentant sinner;
Nahum message was of God’s judgment for the return of that city to its former
ways of sin and wickedness.
Now, one might hear the scoffer say, “This is just another diatribe
against the hated Assyrian menace which was no doubt popular during the
lifetime of the prophet.” As a historian, I would agree that the Assyrian
Empire was generally loathed by all of its neighbors and Nahum’s message of its
coming destruction would have been welcomed by all including the Jews, so just
a bit of background might be useful at the juncture.
The Assyrians were a Semitic people who began to conquer the region of
Mesopotamia about 800 BC. They were believed to have been the first people to
organize their armies into units much like our modern division which
specialized in various aspects of warfare. They are also believed to have been
the first people to have practiced the art of psychological warfare via their
use of terror and mayhem to induce their intended victims to surrender without
a fight.
The Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal had the following record made of his
gruesome tactics which were then proclaimed far and wide: “I flayed all the
chief men... I covered the pillar with their skins... some I impaled... on
stakes... I burned [them] with fire... I took living captives... I [mutilated
them]... the city I destroyed, I devastated.” As Professor Thomas Africa noted
in his work, The Ancient World, p. 44, “Such spectacles produced an immediate
effect: but Ashurnasirpal had established a precedent in ferocity that obliged
his successors to continue atrocities which only made their victims lust for
revenge. The frightful Assyrians continually faced rebellions.” So, yes, there
was a popular sentiment in the Fertile Crescent from the 9th century
BC onward until the end of the 7th century BC that the Assyrian
Empire ought to “dry up and blow away.”
When Jonah preached at Nineveh, the Assyrian Empire had come on the
world stage as a force to be reckoned with. The fact that king right down to
the lowest subject in that great city repented at his preaching is a testimony
to the power of God’s word presented by his appointed (but less than willing)
witness. Jonah was angry that God’s word had had such an effect on that city.
Still, God’s mercy was extended to a Gentile people upon their heart-felt
recognition of their sins and their sorrow over them before God.
But for Nahum, the message was not one of a calling to repentance but
to destruction. Notice the opening verse of our chapter, The burden of
Nineveh... for anytime God uses this phraseology, it is to call one’s attention
to an approaching terrible and unavoidable judgment. Nineveh’s burden was its
heavy load of sins for which God would hold them accountable. As God had been
gracious to spare them in Jonah’s time on account of their repentance,
nevertheless by the time of Nahum, they had forged an even greater chain of
wickedness (to use a Charles Dickens’ expression from his Christmas Carol).
Consider also verse 2, God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD
revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and
he reserveth wrath for his enemies. Notice the repetition in this verse. God
emphasized that he is a revenger in double measure and such is an assurance of
this character trait. Normally stating such only once in a chapter or book is
sufficient, but when the message is immediately repeated, it compounds the
notion above the norm. He is God and there is no other. He hears and sees
everything. Every evil, every idle word, every wicked thought, every wicked
glance of the eye. Every lying word and false teaching, God has seen. Thus,
every tear, every unkindness, every broken heart, and every physical violation
will be on record with him. Therefore, true vengeance belongs to him. He will
punish evildoers and avenge those of his own who have been victimized by the
wicked.
In verse 3, we learn that God is slow to anger, and that he will not at
all acquit the wicked. Consider now the words of St. Paul, And the very God of
peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (I
Thessalonians 5:23). We are should desire God’s preservation from his coming
wrath, and for such did the apostle pray for the Thessalonians that they would
be extended such as faithful believers in Christ, who came into the world to
save sinners not destroy them. For it is through Christ alone that we are
spared the coming wrath of God because we are regenerated, born again of the
Holy Ghost. For through Christ we became God’s children and as such we ought
to, as the apostle noted, Rejoice evermore, Pray without ceasing. In every
thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning [us].
We will also not quench the Spirit, nor despise prophesyings. We will prove all
things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearances of evil that
we might be preserved as fit vessels for the Master’s use.
The Assyrians had butchered and plundered their way across Mesopotamia
even as far as Egypt to the west. They had carted away the Hebrews of the
northern kingdom of Israel and had attempted to conquer the kingdom of Judah.
God preserved the southern kingdom because they at least had a few righteous
kings where the northern kingdom had none. Still, God knows how to reserve the
wicked for the day of judgment and to deliver his own out of their snare if it
be agreeable to his will and purpose. We must remember that not every problem
or trouble we face will be addressed by our LORD in a manner which matches our
notions of what is within his will to do. Sometimes, troubles are permitted to
afflict us to teach us some particular lesson which he means for us to know and
to prosper from. But his reservation of the wicked for judgment speaks of God’s
righteous nature. God’s judgment will come upon all who have sinned without due
consideration for its consequences, and who have not attained the means of
salvation. For such there will be neither pity nor lessening of his verdict (II
St. Peter 2:9). Thus Nineveh fell to a coalition of Medes, Persians and
Chaldeans in 612 B.C. which the prophet Nahum (3:18-19) prophesied ahead of
time saying, Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell
in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth
them. There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear
the bruit [rumour] of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath
not thy wickedness passed continually?
Returning to Nahum chapter 1, we find in verse 7 that The LORD is good,
a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
This is a common theme in both testaments of the Bible. God is indeed good and
will be a place of refuge for those who trust in him (see Psalm 46:1-11). Our
Lord has gone before us into heaven to prepare a place for us (St. John
14:2-3), and until he comes again, we are expected to abide in his word. We are
to trust him who is our strength, shield and sure defense as we pass through
troublesome times of this mortal life. As one friend of mine has said, “We are
either entering a storm, in the midst of it or passing out of it and headed
toward another one.” We have not been promised an easy journey only that with
God’s guiding Spirit, we will have the comfort of his presence as we go along
and that we will ultimately arrive in the safe harbor of his kingdom.
And so the lesson for us is this: God will remember the evil of the
wicked and will eventually bring his judgment upon them; but for us, his
servants, he will be to us a strong hold, a mighty fortress preserving us as he
has promised in his word. May God lead you to himself and preserve your whole
spirit, soul and body unto the day of his glorious appearing.
Let us pray,
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ather, make of us vessels fit for thy use via the
power of the Holy Ghost; that being so conformed to thy will, we would carry to
others the truth of thy word written; and this we ask in the name of thy Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
New Bishop
We are
pleased to announce the coming consecration of the Rev. Roy Morales-Kuhn to the
office of Bishop for the Midwest on 19 January 2013, Anno Domini at Canterbury
Chapel in Fairhope, Alabama.
Roy has a
strong background in traditional and conservative Anglican worship and has
recently retired as a high school history teacher.
Further
details will follow.
Jerry L. Ogles, DD, Presiding Bishop, Anglican
Orthodox Communion Worldwide & Chancellor, Faith Theological
Seminary
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