Sign over the
Door
Whosoever thou art
that entereth this church, remember it is the House of God; be reverent, be
silent, be thoughtful & prayerful; and leave it not without a prayer to God
for thyself, for him who ministers, and for those who worship here.
Rogation Sunday
The fifth Sunday after Easter is commonly called
Rogation Sunday from the words in the Gospel appointed for the day:
"Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give to you". (The
Latin is 'Rogare' - to ask.) In
the strictly biblical context, the chief thing to ask for is the spirit of God
to enable us to be true children of God.
In the Western Catholic Churches, including the older
Anglican traditions particularly before the Reformation and in some higher
churches afterwards, processions to bless the crops and to include
"beating the bounds", developed from the o1d Roman rites of
"Robigalia" ("robigo": Latin for "rust" or
"mould"), when prayers would be offered to the deity for crops to be
spared from mildew.
Today the emphasis has shifted. Asking for God’s blessing on growing
crops in fields and gardens, and on young lambs and calves remain. In the agricultural cycle, the main
themes are seed sowing and the tending of the young plants and animals. This
does not pre-suppose that all sowing takes place around Rogation. Sowing is done all the year round, as does
the birth and rearing of the young.
It is convenient to fix on one particular festival the time to remember
these before God in a public way.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Rogation
Sunday takes place in the springtime, when there is a renewing of the earth. In
this country, it follows Easter, the season of resurrection. Renewal and
resurrection therefore are also underlying themes of this occasion.
The main thing to remember is
“Ask and ye shall receive.”
National
Day of Prayer
This year’s National Day of
Prayer[1]
was remarkable in that for the first time the President of the United States
felt no need to make any kind of pretense that he was a Christian. He is apparently quite comfortable in
the office to which he was elected and no longer needs make a show of being the
Christian he is not. That makes
our prayers for him all the more needed.
One Nation Under God, Indivisible, With Liberty and Justice For All
Thursday, 2 May 2013
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ost Gracious Heavenly Father, from
whom no dark or secret thing is hidden, Lighten the hearts of our people and national
leaders with the glorious Truth of thy pure Gospel. Restore in the public
places our reverence for you and of thy providential hand in establishing us as
a nation among the nations of the World. Let your Holy Light be dispersed from
our High Towers and your Truth again expounded from the pulpits of America as
in the days of our early establishment. Gather us together of all the nations
of the earth under the shadow of your beneficent and everlasting Wings. May thy
people of this land once more become a people of prayer and devotion to Thee
and of the pure religion that illumines the Church wherever she may appear.
Protect us from the curse of arrogant Pride and lustful living, and Defend our
homes from the ungodly exploits of the Adversary. Make us a nation mindful of
thy Sovereignty and Obedient to thy Will. To thee we will give all glory and
honor in the precious name of thy dear Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jerry L. Ogles, DD
Presiding Bishop of the
Anglican Orthodox
Communion Worldwide
For Our Country. BCP 36
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LMIGHTY God, who hast given us
this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always
prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless
our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us
from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every
evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the
multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit
of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that
there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law,
we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of
prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer
not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for The President of the United States, and all in Civil
Authority. BCP 32
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LMIGHTY God, whose kingdom is
everlasting and power infinite; Have mercy upon this whole land; and so rule
the hearts of thy servants The President of the United States, The Governors
of the various States, and all others in
authority, that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may above all things
seek thy honour and glory; and that we and all the People, duly considering
whose authority they bear, may faithfully and obediently honour them, according
to thy blessed Word and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee
and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
A prayer from George Washington
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lmighty God; we make our earnest
prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou
wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination
and obedience to government....And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be
pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy and to demean ourselves
with that charity, humility and pacific temper of mind which were the
characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a
humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a
happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. AMEN.
NB – What a similarity of wording of Washington, our Founding
Documents, and the words of the Book of Common Prayer. This prayer could be a
national Collect. Perhaps we should dispense with the swindlers, vote frauds,
and socialists in Washington and seek diligently to find a man with the
character of Washington.
-brought forth by Bishop Jerry Ogles
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. Mostly from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few
from other place, but mostly from Bryan.
He always has a few great ones to share. So, on to the On Point quotes –
It is being said that the chief need of the Church
today is to repent because of its lack of unity... we would suggest that before
she repents of her disunity, she must repent of her apostasy. She must repent
of her perversion of, and substitutes for, the faith once delivered to the
saints. She must repent of setting up her own thinking and methods over against
the divine revelation in Holy Scripture. Here lies the reason for her lack of
spiritual power and inability to deliver a living message in the power of the
Holy Ghost to a world ready to perish.
Martin Lloyd
Jones
20th century Welsh theologian and author.
When we are hard beset with this world, or with the
severer trials within the Church, we find it a most blessed thing to pillow our
head upon the bosom of our Saviour.
The Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon– 19th century English
pastor and author (Morning and Evening, p. 594).
The nature of true repentance is clearly and
unmistakably laid down in Scripture. It begins with the knowledge of sin. It
goes on to work sorrow for sin. It leads to confession of sin before God. It
shows itself before man by a thorough breaking off from sin. It results in
producing a habit of deep hatred for all sin. Above all, it is inseparably
connected with lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance like this is
the characteristic of all true Christians.
JC Ryle
19th century Anglican bishop and author.
The firewall we have against postmodernism (which is a
fancy name for paganism) is an inerrant, authoritative Bible. Our sin problem
finds its remedy through the gospel that is revealed in the Bible. We find morals
and restraint from our sinful tendencies through the law of God revealed by God
through the Biblical writers. Western Civilization used to be based on such
ideas.
Bob DeWaay
20th and 21st century American
Christian commentator.
The state is comprised of such a network of lies and
contradictions, that it is unreasonable for us to expect truth to come from the
mouths of its politicians and other officials. Indeed, one could almost take
any statement uttered by such scoundrels, reverse its meaning, and arrive at
the truth of what policies are being promoted. I am reminded of the phrase,
popular in England, that “one should not accept something as true until it has
been officially denied.”
Butler
Shaffer
20th and 21st century American
Libertarian professor and author
(The New Babbleon, 4-24-13).
How strangely will the tools of a tyrant pervert the
plain meaning of words!
Samuel Adams
18th century American patriot (from a
letter to John Pitts 21 January 1776).
Propers
The Propers for today are found
on Page 175-176, with the Collect first:
The
Collect for The Fifth Sunday after Easter,
commonly
called Rogation Sunday.
The
Collect.
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LORD, from whom all good things do
come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may
think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the
same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle which came from the First
Chapter of the General Epistle of Saint James beginning at the Twenty-Second
Verse. Saint James tells us not to just talk about being Christians, but to act
on those beliefs and do things. We
act in accordance with the principles set forth by Christ. We gain our salvation through the
freely given gift of Grace by our Lord Jesus Christ. Once given, and accepted; if we truly accept the gift,
it will be evident in our actions.
St. James reminds us we not only
must:
Ø Talk
the Talk;
but
Ø Walk
the Walk.
We do not gain eternal life and
salvation by our good works here on earth, but only by the Grace of God,
through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Christ our sins are atoned for that we might go to
heaven. True enough, but we
demonstrate our attempt to follow his instructions by our works here on earth. Remember, it is by only by our actions
we are we truly known.
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E ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and
continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,
this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s
religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world.
Hap
Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel came from the Sixteenth Chapter of the
Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the Twenty-Third Verse. Jesus told
his disciples that when they pray to the Father, they should ask in His Name
and what they asked for would be given.
But, you must ask to receive.
Jesus told us not to ask Him to pray to the Father, but rather that we
pray directly to the Father, asking for what we will in His name, because God
loves us because we love Jesus. This explains why many of our prayers end in, “we ask all
this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” or similar words. So, if we are to if we are not to ask
Jesus to pray for us, why would we ask “saints” and such. We can talk directly to God and
we are supposed to!
Jesus went on to say the forces
of this world would scatter the disciples, they would be alone in the
world. Yet like Jesus, they would
not be abandoned by all; He would be with them, as would the Father. For as always, the Father is with them,
as He is with Him; as He is with us.
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ERILY, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing
in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things
have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more
speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that
day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me,
and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and
am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His
disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no
proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any
man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus
answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and
yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter
and the following four Sundays, until we get to Rogation Sunday. This is a time we should work on
centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.
Consider these words from the
Collect:
… by thy holy
inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful
guiding may perform the same …
As we near the Ascension and
thus Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Ghost, we ask for God’s “holy inspiration we may think those things that are good”,
that is to say help from the Holy Ghost so we might direct our souls to the
things we cannot see as good without His Help. Once we see them, we need His “merciful
guiding may perform the same…”.
After all, what good is it to know what we should do, if we won’t, can’t
or don’t do it?
That brings us right to Saint
James’ point, we gain our salvation through the freely given gift of Grace by
our Lord Jesus Christ. Once
given, it must be accepted. If we
truly accept the gift, it will be evident in our actions. If you are going to be a Christian, the
key is right there – BE. Being
requires action, not just diction.
Many can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk too? Being a
Christian requires doing both, which may be very difficult sometimes, but it
must be done. If you are going to be a Christian, what you say is of little
import to what you DO. Do your
actions reflect God’s image or that of the other guy? Who do you put first?
Pretty basic questions that often we don’t like the answer to. But they
must be answered nevertheless, all the same.
We find a lot of help in John’s
words, he give us insight into things that none of the other disciples do. We need help. We pray for help.
So, what about prayer?
Let’s start with who do we pray to?
Jesus is pretty clear. Don’t pray to Him, pray to God. Feel free to use His Name. Pray to God in His Name. He tells us God loves us because we
love Jesus. But, pray to
God. I think that not many people have ever understood this part of scripture,
as I have heard people pray to Jesus when he is not the correct person to address
your prayers to. He specifically tells us to direct the prayers to His Father,
who can better help us.
If that is the case, seems like
it pretty much rules out praying to Saint Bob, does it not? And besides, why
would we be praying to another human anyway, who we may or may not put any
trust in. But if we pray to God, we can be certain that he will answer us, and
even if we don’t like the answer, we know that is the course we will have to
take. It doesn’t matter if we like God’s answer or not, we still have to listen
to it, and do it anyway, knowing it will be the right path in the end.
So, pray to God, ask for what
you want in Jesus Name. He always
listens and He always delivers.
The problem for us is that what He delivers is what we need, not necessarily
what we want.
Need and want, they are both
four letter words, oft used interchangeably, which do not mean the same thing.
God’s Will is always done, we
just don’t understand. Accept what
happens as acceptable, so long as you have done all you can. In the end, all that counts is where you
go when you leave here. That
depends on your actions in following Jesus’ instructions. If you believe, you are safe. Now and forever.
Ø Talk
the Talk;
AND
Ø Walk
the Walk.
It is an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead
to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Bishop Ogles’
Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get
copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.
Today is one of those Sundays.
Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will
give you a lot to consider in your heart.
Sermon Notes
Fifth Sunday
after Easter
5 May 2013, Anno
Domini
The
Collect for The Fifth Sunday after Easter,
commonly
called Rogation Sunday.
The
Collect.
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LORD, from whom all good things do
come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may
think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the
same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
23 And in
that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye
shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye
shall receive, that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the
time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew
you plainly of the Father. 26 At that
day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father
for you: 27 For the Father himself
loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from
God. 28 I came forth from the Father,
and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and
speakest no proverb. 30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and
needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest
forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them, Do ye
now believe? 32 Behold, the hour
cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and
shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that
in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of
good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:23-33)
Language itself is an essential tool in learning and communications. Many today
advocate to a downgrade in biblical literacy to the level of the street. But
Christ teaches an aspiration to higher understanding and wisdom than common
street language can afford. He spoke in parables and proverbs as a
beginning point to 1) separate the vulgar goats from the eager lambs; and 2) to
teach in similitudes and allegories those great heavenly truths that His
hearers could not understand without deep thought and further learning. But He
gave them a starting place through the use of parables and proverbs. As a good
Teacher, Jesus taught from the known to the unknown – not from the unknown to
the unknown as many modern theologians attempt to do out of pride and
arrogance. He spoke in terms the people could understand in the simple ways
that would lead to profound understandings as they grew in knowledge and truth.
But Christ never lowered the holiness of his language. He used terms of respect
and high regard for all whom He addressed. He never irreverently referred to
His Father as ‘Dad’ or the Holy Ghost as ‘that helpful fellow.’ He used
classical language in all of His speaking. We use such language on legal
documents, why not when addressing the Supreme Law-Giver?
In
the 23rd and 24th verses of our
text today, Christ makes reference to a certain day. Which day is it? An
ambassador makes treaties and agreements in the name of the sending authority.
Christ came and fulfilled all the terms of our redemption. He completed that
work on the cross at Calvary and, three days later, by rising from the Tomb. He
is our Justifier. He is our Redeemer. He is our Savior. He is our Advocate.
When Christ was physically present with the disciples, they felt free to ask of
Him anything. Christ prayed to the Father for our benefit; but in His glorious
ascension, we may approach the Father directly in petitioning for our needs.
However, we must approach God the Father with a Letter of Introduction. That
letter is Christ. Whatsoever we ask of the Father, we ask in the name of the
One who has qualified us to ask.
Let
me ask you, “What does the following mean from verse 23: Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
give it you? If we desire
something out of our lust or greed, is God constrained to great that prayer?
Contrary to the charismatic religions, God is NOT at all going to grant those
petitions. What Christ means by “ask in my
name.” That means with my authority, with my concurring will,
and in the same Gospel intent I have taught you. We will not ask for anything
that does not comport with what God wills for us if we have taken on that Mind
of Christ to think and to act. In the verses immediately preceding the Gospel
text today, the disciples are desirous to have some mystery of Christ revealed,
and that is something that Christ is always pleased to grant – that we KNOW Him
better, and His will.
King
David perfectly understood those things of God that are waiting in abundance
for our sincere prayers of faith. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not
want.” A little lamb may have no knowledge that he needs protection
from the ravishing wolves of the mountain, but the Shepherd knows and provides
that want. Want is a word that means ‘necessity!’ Whatever it is that we need
to preserve our lives – physical and spiritual – day by day, the Good Shepherd
supplies. We do not know, like the little lamb, all that we need, or all that
may be harmful to us. But the Shepherd knows, indeed. David also said: “…. they
that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. (Psalms 34:10) We
shall LACK nothing that is a “good thing”. If we receive, not, perhaps it is because
we ask amiss or out of a heart that regards iniquity. If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (Psalms 66:18) Ye
ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts. (James 4:3) Is our God a captive audience for our every desire?
Is not prayer two-way communication? When we pray, are we careful to examine
our hearts for the response God whispers? Is it OUR will for which we pray, or
is it HIS will for which we pray?
Remember that Christ has opened the Holies of Holies up to us so that we may
approach God directly without an intermediary other than that Holy and
Sacrificed Son of God – Jesus Christ. At His death, was the Temple Veil not
torn from TOP to BOTTOM – not bottom to top? Only God could make the
invitation, and He did so symbolically by the tear in the Temple Veil.
When
God gave us the Ten Commandments, we were not ready for the implementing Rule
of Love that we must develop to understand those Ten Commandments. He allowed
us to fumble and stagger under our futile attempt to be righteous under the
Law. Once we had learned that we were powerless to gain heaven by our own
righteous works, Christ came in the fullness of time to teach us that without
LOVE, there could be no true obedience to God. We must Love God with our whole
being, and our neighbors as ourselves. This was the implementing Rule of Love
that will enable us to keep the Commandments – all of them – of God. Love is
the OBJECT, the Commandments the EVIDENCE of that LOVE. “….love covereth
all sins. (Prov 10:12) This is no invitation to hedonism, but we cannot
obey the Commandments of God without those two implementing Commandments of
Love for God and Love for our neighbor. No one will violate the Law of God if
He keeps the First Law of obedience in Love of God, and the second in Love of
neighbor. Christ came speaking in parables and proverbs as a fundamental
approach to our ignorance of the spiritual law that attends the legal law. Now,
He speaks clearly to our hearts once we have passed the barrier of ignorance to
love. 25 These things have I spoken unto
you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in
proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. The
Ascension of Christ into the glory of Heaven was not a matter of despair to us,
but a benefit and blessing. Rather than always speaking to us in human terms,
He now speaks in spiritual and heavenly terms through the agency of His Holy
Ghost – our Comforter. Instead of speaking in our ears, He now speaks in our
hearts. They physical evidence of His death, Resurrection, and Ascension opened
the audible channels of our hearts to hear truths that cannot be uttered in
simple language. The end-proofs of His Divinity in rising and ascending are a
stamp of authenticity to all else that He uttered while with us in the Body.
26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto
you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me,
and have believed that I came out from God. All that we pray
should be in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Ark and
Advocate. He is right beside the Father and has His undivided attention.
He constantly intercedes for us when we offer our Godly prayers. And those
Godly prayers receive the same respect and consideration of God as if Jesus had
asked it of Him. How can this be? Because God loves you in the same way He
loves His only Begotten Son. If we love Jesus and claim that redemption He has
made available to us, God the Father views us as His own Son because it is the
covering Blood of His son that He beholds when He looks upon us.
We
are strong in words and often, unfortunately, weak in courage and faith. One
who believes too quickly may also be disillusioned too suddenly. The disciples
claim to believe all that Jesus has said and are steadfastly convinced of who
He is. However, the following events of the arrest, trial and crucifixion of
Christ disarms their courage and results in their fleeing from Christ in
terror. How fickle is the heart of man. Those same ones who threw down palm
branches shouting Hosanna just a couple of days earlier would be gathered on
the paddock outside Pilate’s judgment hall shouting ‘Crucify Him. His blood
be upon us and our children!” How chilling!
Knowing the hearts of His disciples, Jesus knew precisely the hearts of those
disciples then, just as He knows your heart today. 29 His
disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that
any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
You took a vow at your Confirmation, perhaps your Baptism and your Wedding of
certain things. How tenaciously have you kept those bold expressions of
fidelity and faith? We weaken over time in the face of threat, dangers, and
temptations. It is for this reason that we need to consume our Daily Bread from
Heaven in god’s Word. When the soldiers marched into the Garden at Gethsemane
to arrest Christ, when hundreds or thousands were gathered without the Hall of
Pontius Pilate screaming for His death, when they saw the horror of the
crucifixion – it was then that their hearts grew fearful and faithless. But
those same disciples showed no such fear in the course of their lives AFTER the
Resurrection and Ascension. They now had unchallengeable evidence of who Christ
was, and their faith was firm even unto death. Peter denied Christ once he was
physically separated from His Person. But once Peter had been blessed with the
constant Spiritual Presence of Christ with the benefits of the Holy Ghost, he
never again wavered. Do you have that assurance and courage?
Christ knew their weakness, and did not condemn them for it. He knew what they
would later do, and how they would die for His Gospel. 31 Jesus
answered them, Do ye now believe? 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall
be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not
alone, because the Father is with me.
This prophecy was fulfilled within hours of its being spoken. But
when one is left alone by all men, the Presence of God is of far greater worth
than all the world. When you may be the ONLY one who stands upon the promises
of God – when all others deny the Word – you will be standing on the Immovable
Rock with God. When the dust settles, you will still be standing there while
the world vanishes into the mist of doubt.
Why
did Jesus speak so frankly of their coming failure? He did so to bolster their
faith, and OURS. When we have been clearly told of all that may befall us in
this life for our testimony of Jesus, we will be armed to withstand the
withering gales of wickedness and deceit. Jesus ALWAYS knows more and better
than we can know. He KNEW the coming betrayal and passion. He KNEW the burial
and Resurrection. So He abides their ignorance until their faith is made
invincible in the facts of His Resurrection and Ascension.
In spite of the heartaches and troubles the world may send your way, we have
One who has conquered every power of the world and furled their flags. He tells
us in prophecy of all troubles that may lie ahead. This is to bolster our faith
when the moment comes and recall that Christ went before and won the victory
for us. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye
might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world. Unlike those who claim that Christians
will be taken out before the hard times roll, Christ teaches us otherwise. We
can even see the pitiful and ungodly plight of Christians in China, in North
Korea, in Vietnam, Pakistan, Iran, etc. Christ forearms us by forewarning us: 17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the
councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my
sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what
ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit
of your Father which speaketh in you. (Matt 10:17-20) Did you
believe these times were limited to that of the Apostolic Age? Are these things
not happening now in many parts of the world, and there is an odor of the same
beginning to arise in our own Beloved Land. BEWARE!
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:
A Surprise Ending
Psalm 65, Ezekiel 34:25, Luke 11:1-13
Rogation Sunday
May 5, 2013
Most
books and movies are fairly predictable.
We know how they end before they even begin, but, once in a while we
find one that has a surprise ending.
This morning's reading from Luke 11 has a surprise ending.
It
begins with the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. At first this is appears to be an odd
request. These men prayed with
Christ daily. He led them in the daily liturgical prayers said by all faithful
Jews. They worshiped with Him in
the synagogues where He prayed the Sabbath liturgy. And they heard Him pray daily in His own, private
prayers. So they knew how to pray,
because they learned from His example and leadership. Still, it was common for
people to ask their rabbi to write a prayer they could memorise and make part
of their own daily prayers. John
had done this for his followers, and the disciples wanted Jesus to do the same
for them. Beyond that, they must
have realised their own prayers lacked something when they heard Jesus pray.
They were human, and were sometimes slothful about prayer, sometimes their
minds wandered during prayer. But
Jesus delighted in prayer. The
liturgy was a joy to Him. Seeking
fellowship with the Father was natural to Him. The disciples wanted to learn to pray like that. But there is still more to their
request. They realised their
prayers were prayers of anticipation of the coming Messiah. But here is the
Messiah standing before them. How
should they pray now that the Messiah has come?
It is
interesting to note that our Lord went to the Jewish Prayer Book, called the
Siddur, and took its words to form what we now call, "The Lord's
Prayer." It is interesting
because there has been much talk about whether this prayer is a model prayer or
a liturgical prayer. In other
words, did Jesus give it to be a pattern for our prayers, so that we might know
what to pray for and how to avoid over emphasising our whims and temporal
desires, and under emphasising our more important spiritual needs and the glory
of God? Or, did Jesus give this
prayer to be memorised by the disciples and passed down to the Church to be
said liturgically throughout the generations as we prayed it earlier this
morning? And the answer is,
"yes." It is both. It is a pattern for our private
prayers, and it is a liturgical prayer to be prayed in private and public
worship.
As a
model it encompasses all our needs.
Everything we could ever pray for is in it. We can expand on it but never improve on it. When we pray, for example, "lead
us not into temptation," we may expand on it by asking the Lord to keep us
from the temptation of those sins to which we are personally most
susceptible. So we might say
something like, "'lead us not into temptation,' and especially protect me
from the temptation to have a judgmental and unforgiving attitude."
I have
noticed most people's prayers tend to concentrate on temporal needs, especially
money and health. We do need to
pray about these things, but the Lord's Prayer also teaches us to pray that God would be honoured by people,
and that His will be done by people on earth as it is by saints and angels in
Heaven. It especially teaches us
to pray that we, I, will honour Him, and that I may do His will as it is done
by those in Heaven.
As a
liturgical prayer it used the words of the Jewish liturgy and applied them to
the Church. In other words, it
moved from the liturgy of anticipating the Messiah, and began a liturgy for use
after the advent of the Messiah.
It is the kind of liturgical prayer rabbis commonly wrote for their
congregations to memorise and say daily and in the synagogue, and the disciples
were asking Jesus, The Rabbi, to do the same for them. So Jesus gave this one
to them and to the Church through them.
In
verses 5-13 our Lord moves from giving the prayer to teaching about prayer,
especially the relationship between faith and prayer. His point is to inspire us to trust God when we pray. Christ is not saying God is going to
give us every trinket we ask for, just so we can indulge our whims and desires;
and all you have to do is learn to ask for it in "faith," which they
define as believing God will give it to you. That is not faith, and that is not what Jesus is teaching
here, or anywhere else in the Bible.
Jesus is teaching us to trust God to take care of us, and to make our
prayers more about expressing our trust in Him than about asking Him for
things. I notice the Lord's Prayer
emphasises this. Rather than long
pleadings for toys and salary raises, or even the basics of food and shelter,
the Lord's prayer simply says, "give us this day our daily
bread." There is great faith
in this. It is a statement of
faith. It is like saying,
"Lord, I trust You with all my needs, and I trust You to supply them
according to Your wisdom "as may be most expedient" for me."
In
verses 5-8 Christ uses the example of a man who gives bread to a friend. The point being made is not that the
friend does not want to get out of bed and give the bread, but will do it if
you keep pounding on his door until he gives it just to get rid of you. Jesus is saying that is not what a
friend does, and that is not what God does. A friend gives because he is a friend, and God gives because
He is God. A friend gives because you have a need, and God gives because you
have a need. He knows how to give good things, He knows how to give what we
need, and He is willing to give it because He is the best real friend you have.
Therefore, pray (knock) with this kind of faith.
So far
everything has gone as we expected.
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and He gave them a prayer and taught them
about prayer. Now comes the
surprise ending. Jesus says God
the Father knows how to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. When did we start talking about the
Holy Spirit? We started praying
about the Holy Spirit from the moment we started praying. This is so because the Holy Spirit is
the earnest of all God plans to give to us. He is the down payment of the inheritance God has purchased
for you through Christ. It is also
true because everything the Christian believer does is accomplished in and by
the Spirit. It is by the Spirit
that we came to know and believe in Christ. It is in the Spirit that we live the Christian life. It is in the Spirit that we have
fellowship with God, and understand the Scriptures, and receive the good of the
means of grace. Primarily, what
Christ began to do and teach in His earthy ministry, is continued now by the
Holy Spirit. So to pray for the
Holy Spirit is to ask to be a part of the work of Christ. It is to ask for all of the blessings
of Christ, and to be made a part of His new people in the new era of the reign
of Christ. May God grant us His
Holy Spirit. Amen.
--
+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.
Fifth Sunday after Easter
Rogation Sunday
In John’s Gospel, we
have an account of our Lord’s parting remarks prior to his arrest in the Garden
of Gethsemane (St. John 16:23-33). Even though his disciples had just expressed
their belief in his divine nature (v.30), our Lord questioned their faith
saying, Do ye believe? The meaning is patently obvious. He knew that their
faith was weak and that it hung on only so long as he was in their presence. He
was about to be taken from them in a few hours, and afterwards, they would flee
from him in fear of their own lives. He even tells them so, but not to condemn
them. No, such was to serve as a reminder for them later, that they might have
his peace— God’s peace— upon them, that they might be enabled to face the
trials which lay ahead. He then concludes our lesson with these words: In the
world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the
world.
But what did he mean by
this last remark? The eminent Christian pastor and author, Matthew Henry, once
opined that, “It is the will of Christ this his disciples should have peace
within, whatever their troubles may be without. Peace in Christ is the only
true peace, and in him alone believers have it.”
Tribulation is often
defined as trouble, suffering or affliction, and it also refers to anything
which causes such to happen. Our Lord foresaw the troubles which lay before
him, as St. Paul explained concerning his sacrifice, ...who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds (Hebrews 12:2b-3). Our Lord saw before him the joy of being once again
seated next to the Father. He looked beyond the pain and shame of the cross to
that glorious moment when he would come again into the heavenly precincts,
having won the victory for his elect over the powers of sin and death.
Still the notion of
tribulation, or trouble in this life, is unsettling because no one likes to be
troubled in spirit, much less in the body. Sadly, few will appeal to God
through Christ to take away their troubles. They are not willing to receive
that peace which God offers to assist them in coping with whatever troubles
they are facing. God calls his own to be patient, and to rest in him. God
desires us to wait upon the him for he has our best interests at heart. He
knows what is good for us. Consider the words of Moses to the children of
Israel at the shores of the Red Sea, Fear not. Stand still, and see the
salvation of the LORD! (Exodus 14:13). God will indeed be there for us if we
are willing to be there for him— by patiently waiting on him to act.
Nevertheless, such is often difficult for us to do, especially when we are in
the midst of tribulation. For it is in those moments that our human nature
calls on us to do everything but wait upon the LORD.
Many more times than we
would like to admit, a number of our troubles and afflictions were brought on as
a result of our own negligence and trespass. Do we enquire of our own selves
concerning whether or not we had a hand in their creation? Too often, God is
slighted by those who set the stage for their own troubles and then blame him
when he does not end their suffering.
Additionally, it might
be of interest to note that God uses trouble and tribulation to bring about our
growth in the faith. He tests us and guides us because he has a purpose for us.
He also uses such to keep us humble. As Daniel (4:1-37) wrote of King
Nebuchadnezzar, we are tempted by the wicked forces to see ourselves as the
author of our own good fortune. We may stand and survey the comforts and
successes of the moment as being of our own efforts as we resist giving God the
glory. It is then, that God takes away those things which we have so pridefully
attributed to our mere efforts. And as he strips away our vain thoughts, he
also takes away those idols which we had erected to take his place in our
hearts. He will bring us to our knees seeking his forgiveness for our sins.
Still, some are
stiff-necked and will no doubt blame God for their troubles. But before one
sets his or her mind on blaming God for their problems, ponder this: If God did
not love you, he would let you march right on your merry way out of his divine
protection and into an eternity of separation from him. Therefore, count it all
for joy when you lose your idols. For if you are placing anything ahead of the
Godhead, you are, my friend, in idolatry and God does not tolerate idolaters.
Our Lord told the
disciples to be of good cheer because he had overcome the world. We need to be
of the same mind. Being of good cheer does not mean when trouble and
tribulation come that we say “Oh goody. I am in tribulation.” Rather we should
remember that great good which lies before us in the God’s kingdom, and be
cheered in our hearts knowing that he has won for us the victory over all
tribulation and trouble. If we are regenerated beings in Christ, we will have
the seal of God upon our foreheads.
When he comes again, we
will hear his voice and instantly recognize it. What joy there will be for all
born-again believers in Jesus Christ. It will be beyond expression other than a
shout. The pains and sorrows of this life will fade away never to return to our
memory as God will wipe away every tear and comfort and bind up our various
hurts so that we are perfected in body and in spirit.
God did not intend for
his own to suffer from the ill effects of sin. Nevertheless, we are told that
in this world we will have tribulation and trouble. Therefore, keep yourselves
wholly unto the Lord, and lean not on the flesh. Keep your spiritual armor on
and in good condition. I remember when I was a soldier, I was told that my
weapon and equipment would save my life, and that of my fellow soldiers. We
were admonished at every turn to clean and care for them daily. Tarnish and
rust were our enemies as much as any adversary we would likely face. The same
is true for the regenerate believer. As St. Paul noted in II Corinthians 13:5, Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your
own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Self-judgment
follows self-examination. As the old expression goes, “Better make sure that
you are on the right side of the river” is sage advice for a regenerate
Christian. The unregenerate and the reprobate do not have a clue about where
they are in relation to God. So when tribulations come, they are overwhelmed by
them. Nevertheless we know that when we face such, we have a friend in Jesus
Christ who will assist and guide us through the valley of the shadow of death
to green pastures and still waters. What a God. What a Saviour.
Let us pray,
|
F
|
ATher, give us minds and
hearts that are truly inclined to do thy will; and that via our witness, others
might see and be turned into thy fold; for this we ask in the name of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
Priest, Minister or Pastor – What is in a
title?
Our rector, or head of the parish, prefers the office
title of minister. Many Anglican clergy prefer the title priest and a few go by
the ubiquitous pastor. As to
“Father”, the AOC disallows the use of the title Father. Why? Check out what Saint Matthew tells us Jesus said in Chapter
23:
8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and
all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father,
which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
When one addresses clergy members, outside a formal
setting, your average high church clergy member loves to be called Father, as
in “Hello, Father Smith.” Your average low church clergy member, having read
the Bible and being a bit concerned about Matthew 23 and the like, finds the
titles off putting and also finds while they do give an air, it is not one that
is a useful one, more like putting on airs, so to speak.
Does it make a difference? Does a rose by any other name not smell the same?
Obviously it does make a difference, for those who like
to be called priest and father often believe they are intermediary priests with
special powers and some even believe they are making a sacrifice at Holy
Communion. Those who go by Bob, Rev
Bob or Mr. Smith, normally understand fully they have no special powers, only
special responsibilities, which if carried out give special results; they grok
in fullness there was one sacrifice, one time, for all mankind, for all time.
There is no sacrifice made at Holy Communion, though we are part of the
original sacrifice, we make none. The sacrifice has been made and is made for
us.
Our rector goes by Hap, or if you feel very formal or
are in a heap of trouble, LTC Arnold, or since he is a telephone colonel, when
speaking to him Colonel Arnold. We know who the minister is. Frankly, titles get in the way.
What about that priest, minister or pastor thing? Hap far prefers minister.
Why?
Because his job is to minister to the needs of our
congregation, as well as those he encounters, and spread the Word.
What about priest?
Hap is one, it is the title of the office. It is an okay
term, but there is too much of the sacrificing and medieval church there. Those
who would tell you the word comes from presbyter are reaching in the present
day use.
What about pastor?
Pastor comes from the Latin
word for shepherd. Not a bad concept. The only problem with the title pastor is all those taco
shops selling Tacos al Pastor! Personal
preference is for minister, but frankly he does not care much one way or the
other.
[1]
36 USC § 119 -
Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to
issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a
“National Day of Prayer.”
