Verse of the Day

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Second Sunday in Advent - 73rd Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

USS ARIZONA BB-39 burning at Pearl Harbor

Today was the Second Sunday in Advent.

Pearl Harbor Day
Today is a day important to us as Americans.  Seventy-three years ago on a Sunday morning, “7 December 1941 – a date which will live in infamy - - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.[1]  Two thousand three hundred fifty Americans gave their lives defending our country, giving their blood that we might live in freedom. 

The Arnolds’ Uncle Jack, Admiral Jackson D. Arnold[2], was the Engineering Test Pilot at NAS Ford Island, Pearl Harbor and shot down a Japanese torpedo plane from the ground when no aircraft were flyable, then went on to rescue many survivors, some from his first ship ARIZONA.  More here:    http://adm-arnold.blogspot.com/

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy lead by Admiral Nagumo against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of 7 December 1941 (8 December in Japan). The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II.

The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States. There were simultaneous Japanese attacks on the US-held Philippines and on the British Empire in Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

The attack commenced at 0748 Hawaiian Time. The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighter planes, bombers, and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. All nine US Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but ARIZONA and UTAH returned to service and went on to fight in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,and one minelayer. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 others were wounded.

Important base installations such as the power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked and the aircraft carriers were out at sea[3]. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day, December 8, the United States declared war on Japan.

A set of points to consider:
·      The attack came without warning on a Sunday morning, many of the crew were dispersed about the island on shore leave recovering from Saturday night.  Had they been aboard on a normal weekday, casualties would have been far worse.
·      The Japanese were fixated on destroying the battleships; odd given their attack was carried out by a carrier task force.  They were aware of the carriers, but did not consider them vital to the attack.  The battleships would play a very small role in the naval war, being primarily used as invasion support naval gunfire.  The battleships were able to be repaired in time for the first invasions, thus the attack had no effect on the war from that standpoint.
·      The Japanese did not attack the repair yard, other than poor CASSIN.  This allowed the damage from the attack to be quickly repaired.
·      The Japanese totally ignored the submarines, even though they were using submarines in their attack.
·      The Japanese totally ignored the fueling station and magazine, even though that was the seminal reason for the base as Pearl Harbor.
·      If such an attack were carried out today, the enemy force could do so with zero losses due to our military’s fixation with weapons security.

On the other hand:
·      The US Navy totally ignored they had no torpedoes which would function in shallow water like the Japanese, even though they lost their entire capitol fleet to such torpedoes.

Sermon – Rev Jack Arnold – Pearl Harbor Day 2014
In Matthew 24, Christ gives the people of Jerusalem warnings as to the end of their time in the land of Israel, for about 1,500 years (until they return in about 1948, Anno Domini), and he describes the destruction of their temple, which occurred in about 70, Anno Domini  by the Roman Empire, due to the Jewish Insurrection.  The Jews have always been a hard headed, stubborn people, and they are not ones to listen to a warning that would have saved them from destruction and a longer exodus than their 40 years in the wilderness.

If we do not recognize the signs of trouble and listen to the warnings, then how are we to expect to follow His Word, if we ignore his warnings and do not heed them appropriately? Look at the Jews for an example of this, with Matthew 24.  He had said if they had heeded his warnings, this would not have come to pass. If they had followed His Word, then they would not have revolted against the Roman Authorities and caused them grievous heartaches and sufferings, and would have avoided the suicides at Masada.

A more modern version of what the Jews went through can be found in Pearl Harbor, on December 7th, 1941.  At the time, America was content to ignore the rising problem of Imperial Japan in the East, while secretly giving aid to Britain against the rising might of Nazi Germany in the West.  There were warnings present, starting with the Japanese aggression in China in 1936, the actual, physical manifestation of World War II.

The isolationists were content to ignore the aggressions committed by the Axis in both theatres of the war, figuring it was no big deal to them; Jews were murdered by the hundreds and thousands in Germany, undesirables murdered in Stalin’s Russia (originally a member of the Axis, a long forgotten and less cared about fact),  the rapes of so called “sub-humans” in Japanese held Manchuria (e.g Rape of Nanking, Rape of Fena Reservoir.) They saw only what they wanted to see.  They were blind to the truth, to the pure evilness of the Nazis, to the Imperial War Party and to the Communists.  The blindness prevails to this day. President Roosevelt wrote a letter on December 6th to the Emperor of Japan, pleading with him to withdraw the Japanese troops from Indonesia.

The problem with this approach is that his request fell on the ears of the one who was responsible for the expansionist campaign of the Japanese Empire. And there are none so deaf as those who will not hear, and none so blind as will not see. When we try and plead with those in Satan’s employ, it rarely works, as was the case with President Roosevelt. The next day of course brought the Day of Infamy. We have to be aware of who is in with Satan and while we may try to persuade them to see the light, we have to realize it will very rarely work, unless a miracle brought by God occurs. For they are so deeply entrenched with anger and envy within their hearts, that they will not open their ears and heart to him.

As the signs of aggression became more and more obvious, isolationists dug their holes deeper and put their fingers in their ears and shouted how wonderful and sunny a day it was in the world, while millions were being oppressed, murdered and raped in the far corners of Asia and Europe under Japan and Nazi Germany and Russia.

This is just as the Jews ignored growing signs in Jesus’ time, and were resistant to co-operating with the authorities. If they had not disregarded Christ’s warnings, they would have been far better off, and possibly retained their homeland. 

Had we acted on those clear signs of aggression, a quadrant of madmen (Stalin, Hitler, Tojo/Emperor, Mussolini) might not have been able to act on their desire to dominate the world for their own purposes.

On December 7th, 1941, all this ignorance of the aggression, the ear plugging by the isolationists came to a sudden and complete stop.  The attack upon our soil by the Imperial Forces of Japan at Pearl Harbor changed the tune. Due to the ill-preparedness of our country and the unwillingness to confront the problem of Japan in any form, we lost 2,402 fine men, and 1,247 wounded. They paid the high price to learn the true face of Imperial Japan; greedy, low moral and ethics (though their “culture” professed to have high ethics, (e.g saving face.) country, hell-bent on dominating the world, especially the United States, subjugating it to its will.

We found the problem a little too late, ignoring clear warnings of Japanese aggression.  With such forewarning, we should have been prepared tor the eventuality of war with Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. 

A lesson to be learned from the attack on Pearl Harbor, is that we should not take spiritual or worldly warning lightly. If we do not heed this warnings, as those of us are not now, then how can we expect to have a future, where we can tell our children of those who went before us, who heeded those warnings, to pass on the moral fiber (through Scripture this should be established) necessary to establish a solid generation of Godly, Good and Great American people, (or the Three Gs!).

On the subject of Pearl Harbor itself, and of the men and women who died there, I would like to offer up to you a selection of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:

  It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln.

Also, he said this, which preceded the above part which is also very appropriate for this occasion:

 But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

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 some great ones to share.  On to the On Point quotes –

There are none so deaf as those who will not hear
When the Lion had first begun singing, long ago when it was still quite dark, [Uncle Andrew] had realized that the noise was a song. And he had disliked the song very much. It made him think and feel things he did not want to think and feel. Then, when the sun rose and he saw that the singer was a lion (“only a lion,” as he said to himself) he tried his hardest to make believe that it wasn’t singing and never had been singing—only roaring as any lion might in a zoo in our own world. “Of course it can’t really have been singing,” he thought, “I must have imagined it. I’ve been letting my nerves get out of order. Who ever heard of a lion singing?” And the longer and more beautifully the Lion sang, the harder Uncle Andrew tried to make himself believe that he could hear nothing but roaring. Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed. Uncle Andrew did. He soon did hear nothing but roaring in Aslan’s song. Soon he couldn’t have heard anything else even if he had wanted to. And when at last the Lion spoke and said, “Narnia, awake,” he didn’t hear any words: he heard only a snarl. And when the Beasts spoke in answer, he heard only barkings, growlings, baying, and howlings.
Jack Lewis
The Magician's Nephew

The Morning
Aslan turned to them and said: “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Lucy said, “We’re so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often.”

“No fear of that,” said Aslan. “Have you not guessed?” Their hearts leaped, and a wild hope rose within them. “There was a real railway accident,” said Aslan softly. “Your father and mother and all of you are—as you used to call it in the Shadowlands— dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

Jack Lewis
The Last Battle

How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Psalm 36:7

Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
Micah 7:7

Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.

St. Luke 21:14-15
For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and they which see might be made blind.
St. John 9:39
Let all things be done decently and in order.
I Corinthians 14:40

Every true religion must rest on two things. First, that God can speak to man, and second, that man can speak to God. Revelation and response are thus the two pillars, and religion is a dialogue... It is for this reason that “edification” is so special a characteristic of the New Testament... Whether... we are concerned with preaching, or sacraments, or worship, or service, edification is the great Bible principle, and this is clearly brought out in the Prayer Book... There is a remarkable fullness of the use of Scripture in Lessons, Psalms, Epistle, and Gospel, while the Sacraments are so associated with instruction that it is impossible to avoid the thought of true edification. Indeed, there is nothing in our public services that does not in some way minister to this requirement.
WH Griffith Thomas
19th and 20th century Anglican theologian and author
The Principles of Theology: An Introduction To The Thirty-Nine Articles, p. 341

Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
Blaise Pascal
17th century French mathematician, philosopher and author

Biblical faith, unlike any other, is based on actual events and persons. It is not based on feelings. It is not based on experiences. It is not based on visions or dreams or voices in our heads. It is based on solid events. It is content centered, not feeling centered, not experience centered. And the content is given in the Bible. This is easily seen in the way we pray. Christian prayers are content oriented. Look at the Psalms. They are mostly prayers, and they are content oriented. They make no attempt to get us emotional, but they make every attempt to express truth about God and truth about us. Look at the Lord’s Prayer. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He didn’t say, “first get all excited about God, and work yourself into a good feeling.” He didn’t say, “find your holy word and repeat it over and over and over until you fall into a kind of trance.” He gave them a prayer with solid theological content: “Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed by Thy Name.”  Christian faith, then, is a whole-life response to the revelation of God in Christ. It is a response to truth, to doctrine. And it is a response that stirs us up, spiritually, not emotionally, to follow God. To do good works.
Dennis Campbell
21st century Anglican Orthodox bishop and author
excerpt from his sermon, What Stirs You?, 11-23-14

Remember [a] ship is like the Church. It is made for the sea just as the church is made to be in the world. But when the sea begins to get into the ship, and the world into the church, the resulting shipwreck will be tragic.
Jerry L. Ogles
20th and 21st century Anglican Orthodox Presiding Bishop

Men who are confident of the future can bear more easily and less painfully their present troubles; but when they are outraged even by the government what befalls them is naturally all the more grievous, and by the failing of all hope of redress they are turned to utter despair.
Procopius
6th century AD Byzantine official and historian

Islam has a history of over a thousand years of continuously dehumanizing non-Muslims and identifying peace and their enslavement as one and the same. It is impossible to live in peace with Muslims who think that there can be no peace as long as non-Muslims continue to live independent lives. In the Muslim worldview, war happens because non-Muslims exist. War is caused by the infidel, the disbeliever and the Muslim hypocrite who does not truly commit to the practice of Islam. The Jihad purifies the world of non-Muslims; it eradicates the “moderate” Muslims who have been compromised by Western culture. It is a war of extermination against the un-Islamic. When Westerners propose peace, Muslims reject them as hypocrites for speaking of peace, but refusing to accept the only religion that can bring peace. They feel no obligation to honor any peace agreements since peace can only come from Islam and the Western rejection of Islam proves our deceitfulness and bad intentions. This dynamic is inherent in the Koran and the entire history of Islam. Islam does not obtain peace through peace, but through war. It seeks a world without conflict by killing anyone who might disagree with its totalitarian ideology. Proposing the peace of co-existence to an ideology to which peace means its own supremacy is a foolish and deranged act. Our outreach to the Muslim world does not lack for a common language, but for common ideas. Both sides may speak of peace, but for one side peace really means war. Languages are not only made up of words, but of values. It is not enough to bring a dictionary to a negotiation if the two parties are reading from different moral and ethical traditions. Just because we translate “Salaam” as peace and agree that we both want peace does not mean that we have the same idea of what peace is. The West sees peace as living side by side with Muslims. Muslims see peace as the end of the West.
Daniel Greenfield
21st century American commentator
Peace with Islam in our Time, 11-23-14

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

[Political language is] designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
George Orwell
20th century English author


Propers
The Propers are found on Page 92-93, with the Collect first:

The Second Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

B
LESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Collect for the First Sunday in Advent can be found on Page 90:

The First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

A
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.

The Epistle for today came from Paul’s letter to the Romans, the Fifteenth Chapter, beginning at the Fourth Verse.

Paul tells us the scriptures up to that time were written that we might have hope.  He now reminds us to treat each other the way Jesus treated those about him, to open our hearts to each other as Jesus opened His.  The promise of Jesus was not to Jews only, but to all people (Gentiles).  Paul tells us Jesus Christ was a minister of … the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.”

He reminds us of the writing of Esaias, “There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”  Paul leaves with the blessing, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

W
hatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, the Twenty-First Chapter, beginning at the Twenty-Fifth Verse.  In preparation for our recollection of the First Coming, the Nativity, we read St. Luke’s description of the Second Coming, “and there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts fail-ing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”

As clear as the Second Coming will be, so was the First Coming to those who would see and hear it.  Once again, we are reminded that there are none so blind as those who will not see and none so deaf as those who will not hear.

Can you see Him?  Will you hear Him?

A
nd there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

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
Second Sunday in Advent
Pearl Harbor Day
7 December 2014, Anno Domini

The Second Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

B
LESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

A
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 honor of the inordinate number of Navy men killed at Pearl Harbor, I offer this prayer from the 1928 BCP:

For the Navy

O
 ETERNAL Lord God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea; Vouchsafe to take into thy almighty and most gracious protection our country’s Navy, and all who serve therein. Preserve them from the dangers of the sea, and from the violence of the enemy; that they may be a safeguard unto the United States of America, and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their lawful occasions; that the inhabitants of our land may in peace and quietness serve thee our God, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gospel
Luke 21:25-33

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.  29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

The text today is comprised of two parts:

Firstly, a solemn prophecy of Christ as to those things which we shall see near the end of this world, and,

Secondly, a Parable relating the signs accompanying the consummation of the space-time continuum in which we exist.

In the verses preceding our text, beginning at Verse 20, we have an account of the destruction of Jerusalem and the utter ruin of her occupants:

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22. For those be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days ! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. 24. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

The ‘sign’ of her ‘desolation’ was to be the advance of the enemy to her walls. Armies had been many times encamped round her, and many times been scattered; but this siege was to end in capture, and no angel of the Lord would stalk by night through the sleeping host, to stiffen the sleep of the enemy into death, nor would any valour of the besieged avail.  

            Their cause was to be hopeless from the first. Flight was enjoined. Usually the inhabitants of the open country took refuge in the fortified capital when invasion harrowed their fields; but this time, for ‘them that are in the country’ to ‘enter therein’ was to throw away their last chance of safety.

            “The Christians obeyed, and fled, as we all know, across Jordan to Pella. The rest despised Jesus’ warning — if they knew it, — and perished.” Dr. Alexander MacLaren

This destruction will occur in recorded history only three or four decades after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. (~ 70 AD)

The Commander of the Roman Legions, General Titus, will encompass the city with numerically superior numbers of well-armed and well-trained, hardened soldiers. They will erect battlements and breachments against the walls of the city, and when this does not completely avail, he will demolish the walls with mighty catapults and rams until they crumble before him.

Amazingly and for unknown reasons (perhaps to engage another enemy threatening the Empire), Commander Titus withdraws his forces suddenly after the first year, but only for a short time of a few days after which he returns to the encirclement. Such withdrawal affords the people of Jerusalem an opportunity to comply with the following warning of Christ, but many ignore the opportunity.

            21 Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. 22 For those be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

            This process requires about 2 years to effect. The inhabitants are starving and in their ravenous and mindless want, even eat their own babies after all livestock, dogs, and rats have been consumed. 23. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days ! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

            There was never a comparable time of wanton deprivation in the history of Jerusalem. This destruction and fall was consummated in 71-72 AD 24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

            The men and able-bodied boys were slaughtered. The women and children were taken into captivity as slaves. The population was dispersed and scattered among all the known nations of the world – and so it is even today. These are the same Jews and their children who, in the courtyard of Pontius Pilate, had cried for the crucifixion of our Lord.

           24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  (Matt 27:24-25)

            God is warning America and all nations today to get ready for judgment. If we believe the warning in Lev. 18:22 to the end, we must know that judgment will come full and mighty. God always provides a means of escape as He did for Noah and his family, but we must be watchful and waiting.

            It is a very pleasant thought to read that Christ will return in the clouds. “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” It was a cloud that received Him at the Ascension, and He will return likewise. “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11)

Christ seems to often be associated with clouds – He was that fiery Cloud by night, and smokey Cloud by day that followed His people in the Wilderness. Moreover, His presence was symbolized by the Glory Cloud above the Ark of the Covenant. That Glory cloud is represented on the Great Seal of the United States hovering over the great eagle and contains thirteen stars – one star for each tribe of Israel including the tribe of Levi that was dispersed among the other twelve. You may verify this by referring to the obverse side of one-dollar bill where the Great Seal (front and back) is displayed.

            It is a cause for sorrow to remember how this nation was once a favored vessel in the hand of the Lord. We can be so again, but we certainly are not at this present time.

            We witness today a form of terror unknown to the world in previous centuries and from the Creation of the World. It even parades under that name “Terrorism”. It does not respect the lives of innocent men, women or children, but kills its victims viciously and in abandonment of all mercy.

Seeing these things coming upon the earth should not lead to a lack of faith, but should be an encouragement to us to persist in faith for we only have a short distance further to endure. This is when the Lord has chosen to bring a final stop to the wickedness we observe in our modern day.

Again, 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

 
            The Lord then provides us a Parable full of signs for our spiritual edification:
            “Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”

Christ gives us a natural sign for our wisdom and warning. It is a sign from Nature itself.

            His Parable is based upon common sense and observation.  When we see the fig tree and others put forth green shoots, we can be assured that it is not the beginning of Winter, but a promise of the soon approach of Summer. Note this is a sign of approaching events and not the complete fulfillment of them.

            The evils of this world are multiplying. We are identified, not only by our own works, but also those people with whom we associate. If our friends are vulgar and without ambition, so shall we become. If they take a dim view on moral behavior and language, so will we. Even our ambition to succeed in education or profession is dictated by the friends we keep.

            The Christian occupants of Jerusalem, when they saw the signs of Christ’s prophecy being fulfilled, they immediately separated themselves from the people of the city and fled to the wilderness. Perhaps, we are being warned by signs in our own lives that we must separate from our evil associations and flee to safety. Can you read the signs?

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold
Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.

The Second Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

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LESSED Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.

A
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.

The Collect and the Epistle and the Gospel all tell us we are to learn from Scripture and to place our hope in God and not man. We are to use the scriptures for our learning, so we might become wiser through the Holy Spirit, whose guidance as we read and study Scripture will allow us to come to a full understanding of the meaning it should have in our daily lives.  If we try to live our lives or write our sermons without that guidance, we will be for naught. We have to understand what we are preaching, and we have to live what we are preaching, in order for our faith to have any meaning. If we do not have understanding, nor do we act upon our preaching, how can we ask others to follow God, when we are selves are not?  We must strive to avoid this hypocrisy, but to live a geniune live following His commandments that He has set for us and to be a beacon to guide others to Him. We are not an icon or image of Him, but merely pathfinders, and once we have found the path, we guide others to Him. We do not posess any special skills as ministers of the Lord, except that we have the Holy Ghost within us, directing us. He works not only in Ministers, but in the Lay People and all others of the church.

We must act upon the words of Scripture and the sermons we here, so that our faith will become evident to all of those who are watching us. We will make mistakes and sin, as we are imperfect beings, but if we admit our wrongdoings to God, and come back to Him, then all shall be forgiven and we shall have another fresh slate, on which to start anew.

In the Epistle, Paul tells us Scripture was written that we might have hope, even in times of darkness.  Time like these where there are unbelievers in high places, doing their best to defile and ridicule our faith can try our souls.  We must treat others the way that Christ taught us to, with respect and humility, no matter our personal feelings/opinion on them and how they conduct their lives. If we are nice to them, we may plant a seed in their lives for the better, causing perhaps a change for the better in them. We do not know what impact our actions may have in the future, so we can have hope that they may influence an individual for the better. That is also why we need to be extremely careful in how our actions influence others. We want to be a positive influence, rather than a negative influence.

Returning to the Gospel, St. Luke describes the signs of the Second Coming and how we are to prepare for it.  We are not to be caught unaware of the signs, if we read the signs, then we shall be prepared to meet our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  This means we have to be active in our faith, and not brain and faith dead like so many around us today. We have to be spritually aware of our spiritual surroundings, much as a good and safe driver/motorcyclist must be aware of the cars around him and possible hazards in the road at all times.

We have to use the tools given to us by God, Scripture, our faith, and our friends in the faith to combat the evils of this world.  We must do our best to make this world the best place we can.  If we study, digest and use Scripture in faith, we will have hope in these times of darkness; we will go forth and spread Good News, which will give us satisfaction and hope for people, therefore renewing our spirit and vigor and the knowledge that in the end we will triumph will fill our hungry spirits.

Our hungry spirits will be satisified by God’s Goodness and His Word and His Love, of which He has infinite capacity, so nobody is stealing anybody elses share, as God has more than plenty to go around for all of us! So we must concentrate then on sharing the Gosepel and God’s love, so that others might finally find true happiness, as we find ours, in serving the Lord for the rest of our days. We have to also concentrate on living a genuine Christian life and not a shallow Christian life, and showing the way to Christ, for others to see and follow.

The common theme through the collect, Epistle and Gospel is that if we have hope and trust in God, we must dread naught, and carry on, empowered through them in our daily lives here on Earth until we are called to our heavenly home.

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 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:

Advent in Word
Romans 15:4-13,  Luke 21:25-23
Second Sunday in Advent
December 7, 2014

It has often been noted that the Collects and Scripture readings for the Sundays in Advent express differing aspects of a single doctrine, which is, the Advent of Christ.  The first Sunday centers on His physical Advent, both in His birth in Bethlehem to die for our sins, and in His Return, in which He will come in glory to put down all enemies and fully establish His reign of peace and grace.  The second Sunday is about His coming in the Word, that is, as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.  The third Sunday emphasises preparing for His Return.  The fourth is His coming in the Holy Spirit.  The Scripture passages read on these Sundays are known to have been used for at least 1,600 years, but the tradition of reading them is probably much older.

The Collect is one of the most famous in our Book of Common Prayer.  It has been quoted countless times in literature and conversation.  It is comparatively new for Anglicans, having been written only 565 years ago in 1549, when Archbishop Thomas Cranmer translated the Liturgy into English and removed the theological and practical errors that had become attached to it.  In his view, and that of the other Reformers some of the prayers had to be replaced, and he wrote this beloved Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent.  It reads:

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lessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.

It is difficult to imagine another prayer, outside of the Bible itself, that expresses more Biblical content and understanding than this prayer.  It is based on the Epistle for the day, which we read a few minutes ago, Romans 15:4-13.  There we find the purpose of the Bible.  This purpose is two-fold.  First, it is written for our learning.  Second, it is written that we may have hope through its message.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.”  “[W]hatsoever things” refers to the Old Testament.  They are the Scriptures of verse 4.  We all know the Bible did not just fall out of the sky.  It came to us as God moved people to write as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  The man who was moved to write Romans was the Apostle Paul.  And Paul quotes the Old Testament extensively in verses 9-12.  Deuteronomy, the Psalms, and the book of Isaiah are quoted to show us that the ministry of Christ confirms “the promises made unto the fathers” and fulfills the Old Testament. You probably know that the Hebrew people grouped the books of Scripture into three categories; the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings.  Deuteronomy is part of the Law.  Isaiah is from the Prophets.  The Psalms are from the Writings.  I wonder if Paul is using these three books as representatives of their categories.  Perhaps Deuteronomy represents all the Law.  Isaiah represents all the Prophets.  The Psalms represent all the Writings.  All point to Christ.

Paul did not invent this understanding of the Old Testament.  It was a commonly held belief in Israel.  Christ Himself believed it.  He said Moses wrote of Him.  Abraham saw His day and rejoiced.  He said David wrote of Him in the Psalms, and the prophets wrote of Him.  Paul wrote in Galatians 3:24 that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us into Christ.  I think Romans 15 is trying to tell us that the entire Old Testament is written so we can learn Christ from it.  That is its first purpose.

Second, it is written “that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4).  When preachers begin to talk about the purpose of the Bible, they often turn to 2 Timothy 3:16.  There they emphasise doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness.  If they are not new to the ministry of the word, they will go on to 2 Timothy 3:17, which says, “that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”  They are right to do so.  But many do not understand the connection between the doctrine of verse 16, and the good works of verse 17.  The connection is that one without the other is dead.  Many people hope they will be accepted by God because of their good deeds.  But good deeds without Biblical doctrine is dead.  Many will cry out on judgement day that they did good deeds in the Name of Christ, but Christ will say, “I never knew you.  Depart from me ye that work iniquity.”  When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well He said “Ye worship ye know not what” (Jn. 4:22).  She was a worshiper, but she did not know God.  In other words, she had deeds but no doctrine, therefore her worship was empty.  Deeds, including worship, without doctrine, are empty, fruitless, and dead.

Likewise, doctrine without deeds is dead. James said it well, faith without works is dead.  In other words, if the things you believe about God do not lead you to attempt to turn away from sin, and live a Godly, righteous, and sober life to the glory of His Holy Name, your faith is dead. So the purpose of the Bible is not just to give us doctrines to discuss and write about and preach about.  Its doctrines have a purpose, and this leads us back to the epistle for today, to Romans 15:4, which tells us that the purpose of scripture is to give us hope.

Hope as used in the Bible always means confidence in the power, and promises of God.  It means that we see His power demonstrated in parting the Red Sea, establishing Israel in Canaan, and in His providential care and discipline of Israel down through the ages.  It means we see the promises  He made to Israel, and to the Gentiles. and that we see them fulfilled through Jesus Christ, the root of Jesse who has risen to reign over the Gentiles, and in whom the Gentles trust (15:12).  Seeing these things gives us confidence that He is able to keep His promises.

Hope also means confidence that God is willing to keep His promises to us, if we believe and trust in Christ through Biblical faith.  If He kept His promises to Israel, He will keep His promises to us.  The purpose of the Bible, then, is to lead us to trust in Christ as our Saviour.  As Paul wrote to Timothy, the holy scriptures are able “to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 3:15).  This is the hope of Romans 15:4.

And so, we come to the meaning of this passage for us, its application to us today.  Christ comes to us in the Word.  He speaks to us in the Bible.  Don’t look to dreams, or feelings, or experiences as guides to knowing God.  They can, and usually do mislead us.  How many times have you read about people doing wickedly ungodly things believing God told them to do it?  Jesus said people will kill Christians believing they are doing God’s work.  Paul was a murderer of Christians before he was converted to the faith.  The priests and Pharisees of Jerusalem thought they were doing the will of God when they crucified Christ.  Many people, because they had a “religious” experience, believe they are right with God, even though they make no effort to join His Church or keep His commandments, or learn of Him through the Bible.  But the Bible makes it clear that Christ comes to us in the Bible.  The signs and wonders of the past served a purpose for a while, but now we have the Bible.  It alone is the inspired word of God.

Therefore, let the Scriptures, the things written aforetime for our learning, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, lead you to embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which God hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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

Roy Morales-Kuhn, Bishop and Pastor - St. Paul's Anglican Church - Anglican Orthodox Church
Bishop Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC parish West of the Mississippi and is in charge of the Diocese of the Epiphany. 

Second Sunday in Advent
Birth of Jesus Foretold
Psalm 25       Isaiah 55      Luke 1:26-56

This time of the year we look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ. It was in the period of the early church that began the idea of setting aside four Sundays just before Christmas, or as it was called the Nativity, to help us prepare for this momentous event.  This four Sunday study period, with Old and New Testament readings, hymns, carols, and sermons focusing on this period would take on the name of Advent.  Advent is a term from the Latin which means “that which is to come”. Now what is interesting about this period, the first two Sundays focus on the prophetic nature and period that would herald the coming Savior. Many Old Testament passages would be read and studied to show how the birth of Jesus Christ was foretold many centuries before his birth. We can find references to the birth of Christ in Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, and several other minor prophets in the O.T.  So when Dr. Luke, a Greek medical doctor, writes the account of the birth of Christ, he is being inspired by the Holy Spirit to record what had already been foretold so many centuries earlier. The third and fourth Sundays in Advent focus on both our personal preparation for His coming and on his return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So during this period of reflection, interestingly at the end of our calendar year, we reflect on the past, present, and the future.   Remember the disciples asked Christ, “When will you establish your kingdom?”

Jesus replied, “My kingdom was, is now, and is to come.”  If you look at that passage, he is telling us that his kingdom has always been.  The physical kingdom, established on the new earth, newly created in perfection, is to come. Not to get into any controversy, but we must understand that even Jesus, before his death, burial, and resurrection, stated as to the fact of the second coming: “no man knows but the Father.”

We should not spend endless hours trying to figure out the mind and time schedule of God, by setting hours, dates, eras, dispensations for the coming of Christ.  It should suffice us to say, He is coming again. Only the Father knows the time and era.

Now focusing on the first Advent, we know that in time and history, Jesus Christ was born. That is a fact. Contrary to what secular historians try to warp, there was a man named Jesus, who was reported by secular sources, to have lived and stirred up the people in the area we now know as Israel. Some miracles were reported, definitely was his existence noted. This should not be an issue, the Bible has proven many a secular historian, anthropologist, and archeologist wrong, as more and more evidence is found by modern archeologist.

Now let us go to the Biblical record and read about Jesus first coming.

26  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36  And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37  For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Notice how Mary responds to all this information Gabriel gives to her. She did not completely understand the process, but she took the heavenly messenger’s announcement to heart. She understood that as a child of God she needed to be obedient to his Word.

38  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her

Now that Mary has the Word and she is now with child, she goes to visit her older cousin Elizabeth. This visit not only certifies what is happening to Mary, but it also confirms the prophetic happenings concerning the miraculous birth of John. His mother, Elizabeth had never had any children, she was much older when the angel told her husband that they would have a son, to be named John. He would be the herald who was foretold in the book of Isaiah.  “A voice in the wilderness, calling for repentance, making the way for the coming One who will take away the sins of the world”. 

39  And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40  And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

When Elizabeth hears the voice of Mary, her cousin....let’s read what happens.

41  And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42  And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43  And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44  For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Here is the confirmation, by Elizabeth, that all that has been taking place is of the Lord. It was foretold many hundreds of years earlier, is now coming true. This is within a six month period of time, notice that all of this begins to happen very rapidly, once the message is revealed. Now Jesus will grow up as a human would, over the years, many experiences, until the time was right for his ministry that will only cover about 3 ½ years and encompass only some 80 miles around his home town. But that ministry will have eternal consequences for all mankind. Finally the salvation promised at the Garden is revealed. Finally we can put off our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of our souls, we can be forever alive in Him, all because the little baby born to a virgin that chilly night so many years ago.  Elizabeth gives Mary that final thought to ponder in the form of a blessing.

45  And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

Now let us go out this day remembering what Jesus did for us, when he first came to earth, as a tiny little child, to grow up and live amongst his own, to one day suffer, die, be buried and finally rise again in newness of life three days later, in the glorious resurrection, that guarantees our resurrection to eternal life.  Let us focus on the real reason for this season, Jesus Christ the King, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind.

Let us pray,

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lessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, Inholiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited
us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.   Amen  {Luke 1:68-79}
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.

Second Sunday in Advent

In today’s epistle, we are told by the apostle Paul that “...whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” God did not intend for us to have a blind faith. He did not intend for us to languish in anxious anticipation for some nebulous response from a mystic, an augur or an oracle. He gave us his word written so that we might know the truth in the plain language of the Holy Bible, and be transformed by the workings of the Holy Ghost.

More often than not, in our daily Christian walk, we are faced with those of the unregenerate who cannot accept God’s word written. While we might regard them as pitiful creatures who are but the walking dead; they, on the other hand, perceive not their fallen state with any degree of clarity and often revel in their wicked natures. As we are vessels for the Holy Spirit, they likewise are vessels for the evil one and his minions. And in being so filled, they will strive against us as their master wills. St. Paul once warned the Ephesian church (6:12) concerning the spirits which are behind the unregenerate when he wrote, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

But the forces of darkness, who control and manipulate the unregenerate, have continually sought to keep their charges away from God’s saving grace. That is what makes our duty as witnesses and ambassadors for Christ, so difficult. Our foes are strong. They are implacable. They are without remorse. They have no need of rest, to eat, or to take a holiday. They can never have the peace of God, and they reject any notion of such for those who have been taken captive at their will (II St. Timothy 2:26). They possess a hellish hatred of the Almighty and they have imparted the same to their earthly charges.

Our Lord came into the world to save sinners. And while all the work is on him to provide that salvation, we nevertheless, are not without duties and responsibilities as believers. Our salvation comes with a duty to then work in his harvest— bringing others to him through our witness. As we are recipients of God’s peace, so we ought to proclaim that peace to others. That is the gospel message— Glory to God and peace and good will towards men (St. Luke 2:14).

Our love for each other within the body of Christ, as well as for those to whom we might witness, reflects God’s love toward us. And that might explain why our witness may spark a nasty outburst from those of the unregenerate, especially from those who are firmly in the grip of the wicked one. They may attack God’s word written, and they may even attack us as we are the servants of the Most High. That is why it is so important for us to have on, at all times, our spiritual armour. You cannot hope to stand and fight victoriously if you are not so equipped. And an integral part of our spiritual armour is our knowledge of God’s word written.

As regenerate Christians, we have confidence in God’s word written which tells us of the great victory that he has won over the world, the flesh and the devil. We also share in that victory. And because we understand that our Lord has achieved such on our behalf, we have received from his Spirit a peace which truly passeth all understanding. It is not something that we can quantify in human terms because it is supernatural. It is not something that you can grasp with your hand, or even with your mind apart from simple acceptance that God is. And because he is, we have the blessed assurance that he will do for his own as he as promised within the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Clearly we must have that saving faith which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).

But modern, unregenerated, self-satisfied, mortal man mocks the word of God because his malevolent manipulator does not want him to acknowledge the truth. We have been called to lift the veil of spiritual blindness from those of the unsaved as our Lord permits. We may not always succeed, but that does not mean that we have failed. God knows who will come to him and who will not. And because God is sovereign, we ought not to grade ourselves too harshly by measuring our successes or failures based solely upon mere numbers of persons who seem to respond favorably to our witness versus those who do not. That is the nature of things. Still, God’s word will sustain and comfort us in all our divinely appointed tasks.

Consider the following passages where our Lord said: If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (St. John 14:15-17).

And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness and of judgment... he will guide you into all truth... he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you (St. John 16:8, 13b-14).

Consider also these verses from the apostles: ...the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because it maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27).

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ... We have also a more sure word of prophecy...knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation, for the prophecy came not in the old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (II St. Peter 1:16, 19a-21).

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (II St. Timothy 3:16-17).

So we should not fold our hands and bow our heads in dejection when we are not received by the unregenerate. We ought to teach with patience, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God, peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth... that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will (II St. Timothy 2: 25-26). We have received a gift of the greatest value and we have been called upon to evangelize the world around us. We must not lose hope. We must not break faith. If all that has been set forth in Scripture is for our edification, then let us, as St. Paul has said, run with patience the race, that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2a).

The Holy Bible provides us with God’s assurance of salvation to all who believe on Jesus Christ. We have the comfort of knowing that when we die we will not be lost for eternity, but will be brought into God’s heavenly kingdom. We have confidence that Christ, who has gone into heaven before us, has prepared a place for us there. And in our comfort and confidence, we ought to go forward every day proclaiming the good news of the Godhead to those around us.

Let us pray:

T
hou Lord God, who through thy divine Spirit didst give thy word to the prophets and apostles; instill within thy people the desire to read thy most holy word and to inwardly digest the same; that being filled with the knowledge which it contains, they might ever be confident in their life and witness; for this we ask in the name of Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Have a blessed week, Bryan+

From Bishop Garth Neel
If you read the prayer list at all, you know Garth has cancer.  Everything considered, he really seems to be doing pretty well.  He has provided this little window into his heart and I cannot strongly enough suggest you read it!


On Being Told You Have Cancer.
Getting ready to die is hard work. I realize it probably should not be. As Christians, we are to live each day sub specie aeternitatis, that is, under the aspect or in the light of eternity. We are to be aware that our days are numbered, that they may not accrue to even the usually allotted span of three score and ten. I am presently just pushing three score. But throughout my ministry I have buried enough people, among them many people much younger than myself, and accompanied many as they lay dying, to awaken me to the reality of death and its unexpectedness. As the character in the old medieval morality play is made to say, "O Death, thou comest when I least expected thee"! Likewise, Bishop Thomas Ken's stately evening hymn teaches us frequently to sing,

Teach me to live that I may dread the grave as little as my bed.
Teach me to die that so I may rise glorious at the awful day.

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that I am justified by His righteousness, and not at all by my own. I know that this faith which lives in my heart is a gift from Him. I know that I need Him every hour. I know that He loved me with an everlasting love, from before the foundation of the world. I know that he who dies believing dies safely in His love. I know that I must bear my own Cross and follow Him. But when they tell you that you have cancer, in my case a very large B-Cell type tumour, the corrupt fruit of a disease called Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, it seems there are some unavoidable reactions.

This is so because information of this type, "you have cancer", tends to carry with it a fairly powerful emotional charge. Words and ideas and thoughts carry with them an emotional charge, just as a pair of socks can become electrically charged when you walk across a dry carpet in winter. And the emotions attendant upon learning that you are very sick are both involuntary and relentless. They insist that you attend to them. And so you must. This takes time and is laborious, just what you do NOT need when you are sick, of course, but it must be done, and, if we are wise, it will get done. How complicated our emotions are need hardly be said. They carry us here and there, up and down, in and out. We cannot escape them. They demand our attention.

Perhaps we feel cheated, thinking that we are being robbed of precious years of life, while others, surely less worthy than ourselves, go on living disease-free, utterly useless, wastrel lives! Perhaps we dread saying goodbye, if only for a while, to those who we feel still need us in some way, those who are perhaps vulnerable and in need of our protection and care. Perhaps we just feel afraid, and unwilling to think about what our last hours may be like, what kind of pain we may have to endure. Perhaps we feel just a strong sense of uselessness, that we have not lived our lives as we should have.

And, of course, we have not. As Christians, we know about Original Sin and we know that even a life repeatedly dedicated to God's service is far from being what it should. We are not what we ought to be. We are not what we shall be. And, yes, thanks be to God, we are not what we used to be. We may, however, find ourselves thinking "if only", and re-running those deeply imbedded video clips of our most stupid, ridiculous, sinful moments. This may not be entirely without its uses. It does not hurt us to remember that we are sinful, even when we are regenerate. But there is something to which we must constantly return, especially when we are sick and faced with a death which may come sooner rather than later.

And it is this: He hath made every thing beautiful in his time (Ecclesiastes 3 11). It is a beautiful thing to have cancer. And this is so because there is a purpose for everything. Nothing happens outside, or apart from, God's wise counsel and foreknowledge. He makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. He overrules all His creatures and all their actions. As Dr. Gill wisely notes ...

God has made everything; as all things in creation are made by him, for his pleasure and glory, and all well and wisely, there is a beauty in them all: so all things in providence; he upholds all things; he governs and orders all things according to the counsel of his will; some things are done immediately by him, others by instruments, and some are only permitted by him; some he does himself, some he wills to be done by others, and some he suffers to be done; but in all there is a beauty and harmony ...

In other words, it is a beautiful thing to be told that you have cancer. It is not an accident. You are not a victim of blind chance or fate. It is, in a very real sense, God's visitation. It is a gift. This is what it means to understand God's "providence". We mean that He overrules all things, that His wise, loving, holy, good, guiding hand is finally behind everything which happens to us and, if we are wise, we shall consciously receive it ALL AS FROM HIS HAND. He is never unjust, never evil, never sinful. But even what is evil or sinful, He overrules it for His own purposes and those purposes are always beautiful. He hath made everything beautiful in His time. And, as John Calvin reminds us, therein lies true felicity:

give heed and you will at once perceive that ignorance of providence is the greatest of all miseries, and the knowledge of it the highest happiness.
(Institutes - 1 17 11)

In other words, for the Christian, it may not be pleasant to be told you have cancer and that you may die sooner rather than later. The emotional charge that comes along with those words is real and pressing. But behind all this lies reality. And what is real is that God is God, that this is His world, and that I am, by His grace, His son. Can anything happen to me that is not designed to increase my faith in Him? Can anything happen to me that is not for my good? Can anything happen to me that can really hurt me? The answer to each of these is an emphatic "no". Also, is anything impossible with God? Is He no longer the sovereign ruler of His universe? Is it beyond His power to heal either directly or by means or even against means? We give the same answer.

Of course, I am heartily sick of being sick. The treatment which is, thanks be to God, making me gradually, steadily better, also has the effect of making me feel right poorly, and as day follows day, and month follows month, the mind and body grow weary. I certainly did not plan to be sick this long! But there is another level, the level where we really live, the level of the soul or spirit. There is no weariness there, only joy, joy in knowing that real happiness is a by-product. It is one of those things which, if we pursue it, will always remains just out of our reach, but which will flow to us freely and easily when we pursue what we ought. For it remains forever true, that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all that is needful will be added unto us as well. He hath made all things beautiful in His time. God grant that we may embrace as beautiful all that he sends and to Him be all the glory.
Garth


[1] Text of President Roosevelt’s address to Congress on 8 December 1941.
[2] Jack passed away 8 December 2007, 66 years and one day after the attack.
[3] This was critical.  The naval war would be one of carrier air battles and submarine warfare, with the battleships serving primarily as gunfire support for amphibious landings.  The carriers and submarines were untouched as were the repair and fueling facilities.   Admiral Nagumo’s primary concern was that he not lose any of his precious aircraft carriers.  Thus, there were no follow up raids and the war was really lost at that point. 

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