Sixth Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 197-198, with the Collect first:

The Sixth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O

GOD, who hast prepared for those who love thee such good things as pass man’s understanding; Pour into our hearts such love toward thee, that we, loving thee above all things, may obtain thy promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle, which came from the Paul’s letter to the Romans, beginning at the First Verse of the Sixth Chapter. Paul tells us that as we were baptized unto Jesus in life, so we are baptized unto his death. We share His death on the Cross for our sins and by His death, our sin is dead; then as He was raised up, so are we. It is intended the death we die unto sin is to be permanent and that we go forth and sin no more. Yet, as long as we live here on earth, we sin. Yet, as long as we live in Christ, we live. Thus, we reckon ourselves “to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

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NOW ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which started in the Fifth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, beginning at the Twentieth Verse. Jesus tells his disciples, “Except your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Very worrisome indeed! Scribes and Pharisees spent their entire lives acting the epitome of righteousness. There is no way mere mortals could exceed their righteousness, or so it would seem. Jesus goes on to tell us that not only would we not go to heaven if we commit murder, but we are in danger of the same judgment of we are angry without just cause. If that were not worrisome enough, we are in danger of hell-fire if we call one another a fool! Let not the night fall on discord with your family and friends, your neighbors in the Christian sense of The Word. The text following asks us to do our best to follow Jesus and in return, his sacrifice will serve to set aside the just judgment and we shall be accounted as righteous before God.

J

ESUS said unto his disciples, Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt do no murder; and whosoever murdereth shall be in danger of the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Sermon – Time and Action

Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together.

We are imperfect creatures, created with free will by a Perfect Being; to get into heaven’s gate, we need be accounted as perfect before the Judge. That requires a bit of an accounting irregularity, to get imperfection accounted as perfection. Jesus is that accounting irregularity. By His Sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time, we are accounted as perfect by His Faith and action. Thus, through His Faith and His Action, we attain life everlasting. Starting today, you don’t have to wait until you die to benefit from your immortality. In fact, God would prefer you to start acting like you will live forever right now. Thus, decisions you make, actions you take will be with the long term view of eternity!

As imperfect creatures, immortal or not, we make mistakes. One to avoid is being “mad” at ones fellow creatures, particularly family and friends. We pick the most illogical reasons to be mad, the word chosen rather than angry. Looked at logically, as God does, we need to solve the issue, kiss and make up, and do it before the sun sets on our anger. Never part in anger. One of you may not come back.

When Jesus gave His Life for us, He did it knowing we would fail to follow in perfection, but fully aware some would follow to the best of their ability. That is all He asks, do your best. That is not the same as saying you are doing your best.

Gospel – Bishop Jerry Ogles

Bishop Jerry Ogles sent out this wonderful discussion of today’s gospel which is more than well worth your time. I cannot encourage you enough to take the time out of your day to read this.

Devotion for 6^th Sunday after Trinity 31 July 2011 Anno Domini

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. ²¹ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: ²² But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. ²³ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; ²⁴ Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. ²⁵ Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶ Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

(Matt 5:20-26)

All religions of the world, except Christianity, are works based religions. Islam is strictly legalistic. Buddhism requires much meditation in order to become part of the great universal self (whatever that is), and Hinduism requires the adherent to satisfy the whims of many, many different gods and goddesses.

But the religion of Christ is not works based. It is not what you DO that will gain heaven. It is what you have believed and accepted, through Grace, that will get you there.

Our own personal conduct will never be righteous enough to spend eternity in the presence of a Holy God. Men and governments have proven time and again to be incapable of a sustaining righteousness.

Blaise Pascall: Frenchman (died 1662) who was the greatest physicist and mathematician ever to live. He later became a priest.

Pascall offered a wager (bet) called Pascall's Wager, in which he argued that it was foolish and unreasonable to believe there was no God. His Wager became the first contribution to decision and probability theory in history.

Here is his wager:

1) If you do not believe in God and there is no God, you have lost nothing.

2) If you do not believe in God, and there IS a God, you have lost everything.

3) If you believe there is a God and there is no God, you have lost nothing.

4) If you believe there is a God, and there truly is a God, you have gained all.

There is no possibility to win if you do not believe in God – at best you would break even if there were no God.

There is no possibility to lose if you believe in God and there IS a God. The worst possible outcome would be to break even if there is no God.

This Wager proposition is the first application in history of probability and decision theory.

Pascall could have added more detail to make his theory complete. Simple belief that God exists is not enough, one must believe on all the attributes of God (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) And he must accept the authority of God in his life.

Now we will come to today's devotion from the Gospel of St Matthew which is a selection from His Sermon on the Mount –

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The scribes and Pharisees attempted to keep the letter of the law. This they attributed to righteousness, however, their hearts were dark with envy, power, and intrigue. Their so called righteousness was not of a good character, but of the outward appearance. True righteousness springs from a heart devoted to God and full of love for Him and His Creatures.

Our righteous works are nothing apart from our love in Christ. Of our own strength, we could never attain to the righteousness of God. The righteousness of a Christian is not his own, but is the imputed righteousness of Christ which accounts him righteous before God.

Christ is now about to a stricter interpretation of the law than previously considered or understood: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment." This penalty of the law is still in force as are all the other Commandments of God, however, Christ adds a new dimension: "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." First note the authority with which Christ speaks as the Judge and Lawgiver! He explains the deeper application of the law:

It is the heart that is judged and not the outward appearance. Only God can see the deep chambers of our hearts. Even we, ourselves, are often oblivious to what evil lurks in our heart – but God sees and He knows the means by which our hearts can be made clean and righteous. Our intent to kill is the same as the action itself in the eyes of God. Hate is our hearts is synonymous with murder! Christ provides three examples of progressive judgmental authority: 1) the judgment (lowest and first level of judgment at the time in Jewish courts). 2) the Council which was the Sanhedrin which sat at Jerusalem, and 3) Hell fire relates to the valley of Hinnom, a valley in which the Jews in time past had sacrificed their sons and daughters to the fiery arms of Molech by placing them in his red-hot arms until they fell into the hot fire beneath the idle. God has warned not to allow our children to pass through the fire to Molech. In later days, some records indicate that a continual fire was allowed to burn in this valley to consume the waste and carrion of Jerusalem. This reference by Christ to hell fire represents the final and full judgment of the wicked.

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." Therefore, or in view of, the previous statement, Christ issues this serious counsel. There is not room in the heart for both hate and love, for righteousness and unrighteousness. Therefore, when you give your alms to God, or His creatures, do so with a clear conscience. If any man has a grievance against you, settle that first, and then go with your gift to the altar. It is much more possible to be reconciled to God when we are reconciled to our neighbors.

"Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison." Be prompt to settle disputes with others before they escalate into more serious offences. This applies as well to the confession of sins. Do not go to bed on your anger, and confess promptly to God your sins lest you perish prematurely and have no resort but hell. Confession removes walls between a man and heaven, and it is a continual process. Failure to confess a forgotten sin will not necessarily condemn a person to hell, but it will obscure our vision and service to God.

Many Christians may forget that, although sins are freely forgiven, there remains a scar which our sins may cause. David suffered the death of Bathsheba's firstborn because of sin. Our sins hurt ones we love, and even after God has forgiven them, the image of hurt remains.

"Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." Here Christ is revealing that, though there may exist a wrong between man and man, there is always a third and higher authority than any earthly court of law, involved. God will exact a penalty for all sin. "The wages of sin is death." This would be a terminal indictment against man were it not for the sentence which follows: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

So, if the wages of sin is death, and we have ALL sinned, how may we pay the sin debt? We cannot! But Someone else did! Jesus Christ died in our stead on the cross for us to pay the debt we owe. "1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4)

JC Ryle on the Low Church

Last, but not least, I say that Evangelical Religion does not undervalue Christian holiness and self-denial. It is not true to say that we do. We desire as much as any to promote habitual spirituality of heart and life in Christians. We give place to none in exalting humility, charity, meekness, gentleness, temperance, purity, self-denial, good works, and separation from the world. With all our defects, we are second to no section of Christ s Church in attaching the utmost importance to private prayer, private Bible-reading, and private communion with God.

But we steadily deny that true holiness consists in calling everything " holy" in religion, and thrusting forward the word "holy" with sickening frequency at every turn. We will not allow that it is really promoted by an ostentatious observance of Lent, by keeping Ecclesiastical fasts and saints days, by frequent communion, by joining Houses of mercy, by doing penance, by going to confession, by wearing peculiar dresses, by decorating our persons with enormous crosses, by frequent gestures, and postures expressive of humility, in public worship, by walking in procession and the like. We believe, on the contrary, that such holiness (so-called) too often begins from the outside, and is a complete delusion. It has a "show of wisdom" and may satisfy silly young women and brainless young men, who like to compound for races and dance balls one part of their week, by asceticism and will-worship at another. But, we utterly deny that it is the holiness recommended by St. Paul and St. Peter, St. James and St. John.

~ J.C. Ryle

Fifth Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 195-196, with the Collect first:

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

GRANT, O Lord, we beseech thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance, that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle, which came from the Third Chapter of the First Epistle of Saint Peter beginning at the Eighth Verse. Peter tells to be of one mind, have compassion and pity for each other, to be courteous, to give good to all our brethren, to return good for evil, to seek peace, to do good, not just talk good. Peter tells us to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. To put ourselves in others’ places, understand when they fall short and make good things happen.

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E ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Gospel started in the Fifth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Luke beginning at the First Verse. This is one of the classic stories of Jesus in the Bible. Jesus had gone down to Lake Gennesaret to pray and then speak to the people. As they pressed in on him, he asked Simon Peter to use his boat as a speaking platform. Speaking from a small boat near the beach is almost like speaking in an amphitheatre. When he finished talking to the people, he told Simon Peter to go out and set his nets. Simon pointed out they had fished all night with no result, but at His word, he would set his net. The net gathered an incredible catch that Simon Peter and his friends could not board. At that point, it was clear to Simon Peter he was in the presence of one far greater than himself. He fell to his knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Then Jesus said, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” From then on Simon Peter followed Jesus.

Do not misunderstand, every day Jesus speaks to you telling you what to do. It is your choice, you can listen like Simon Peter, or you can ignore Jesus. He has the pony for the lottery. He wants to give it to you, all you have to do is accept. While He is a bit more subtle than a Drill Instructor, the question is the same, “Can you hear me?”

There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.

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T came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: never-theless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: and so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Sermon – Time and Action

Today’s sermon discussed the Epistle, because Bishop Jerry did such an incredible job on the Gospel that was left for him.

God asks us to treat others as He treats us, not as they treat us. That can be so hard. Someone cuts you off in traffic; it is so easy to make a rude gesture and push back at them. Yet, if you will accept they are doing the best they can with what God gave them and treat them courteously, it may rub off on them or it may not. Likely, it will at least smooth traffic flow and keep your blood pressure down. We all make mistakes, we need to not just be understanding of our own, but those of others. Be kind to all, without being a doormat to any. Insist on respectful treatment both from and to all. If you to, it shall be returned to you in kind in the end.

Gospel – Bishop Jerry Ogles

Devotion for 24 July 2011 (5^th Sunday after Trinity) Anno Domini

" 1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him." (Luke 5:1-11)

Jesus stands by the lake of Gennesaret and is urged by the people to speak to them the Word of God. Every Word that Jesus spoke was the Word of God for Christ is God also.

And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret

Why would so many people follow every move of Christ and seek to hear Him?

1) Christ did not differentiate between Prince and Pauper. He treated all men alike with respect and dignity as human beings only.

2) Though Christ, was sinless, He was kind to all sinners except the hypocrites (Pharisees and Sadduccees).

3) He cared most for those who were oppressed and poor.

4) He recognized the needs of men and women.

5) Jesus taught the pure Word and not the diffused and diluted Word taught in many churches of our day.

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

These two ships had finished the day's work. The fisherman were washing their nets which suggests that they had caught no bounty of fish else they would have first taken the fish to the market before they spoiled.

Christ decides to make a separation of Himself from the people during His preaching. This is a concern to every minister. We, too, must separate ourselves, not only from the world when we preach, but even from our own selfish desires. So Jesus makes a distance from the people to better assess them and conduct His teaching. The boat He commandeers to accomplish this belongs to Simon Peter.

And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

Jesus was the Teacher. The people were the students. Jesus sat down to teach because He taught with Authority. The people, as students, stood to receive the Word eagerly.

He spoke from the waters to the land. Just as the refreshing showers of blessing are drawn up from the sea into the air masses and move landward, so were the Words of Truth dispensed from the very Water of Life.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Christ was never guilty of any lapse in courtesy or failure to reciprocate a favor. He had used Simon's ship, now He will recompense Simon therefor.

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

Again, proof that all the labors of the day had failed to get any fish. The sea may not give up its bounty to man, but it certainly will give up its bounty to its Maker. In fact, the day will come when all the dead even who have perished in the sea will come up out of the sea and even from Hell itself! (Rev 20:13 - And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

The Creator of all Creation exercises power over it.

Though Simon doubts of the result, he will nevertheless let down the net at the command of Christ. To Simon, this is a waste of time. That which makes no sense to man makes an abundance of sense to God.

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

Please note that this was no ordinary fishing expedition. These fishermen had never caught so many fish as to sink their boats. Look at how profusely Christ repays those who are gracious and who obey His Word even when they doubt the result somewhat. We, too, must obey the Word of God even if we cannot imagine any benefit to ourselves.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

We are not worthy to be in God's presence; however, He has allowed us to come to Him. Our being in the presence of God requires reverence, unlike the screaming and shouting we observe in many churches. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. Psalms 89:7

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire. Heb 12:28-29

The miraculous catch of fish was adequate proof to Simon of who Christ was coupled with all else he had witnessed. He knew himself to be unworthy of Christ. Do we so recognize that we are not worthy either – that it is simply by God's grace that we are made worthy.

So were the other two called apostles: And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon.

If they believed catching such a tremendous number of fish was exceptional, Christ will further make them fishers of men so that their nets will be overloaded - And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

Fisherman are persistent in their labors.

They know WHERE to fish, and for how long.

They know what will attract fish to their nets.

They know the TIME to fish.

These fish were taken alive just as men must be taken alive. Once dead, they are of no account to God or the Church.

This is a progressive call to Peter, James, and John.

The first call: 35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 
 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. John 1:35-42

The second call: 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. Matt 4:18-22 (KJV)

We see a progressive role being established here – 1^st, a stone. 2^nd, fishers of men, and 3^rd, not only fishing for men, but catching them in abundance.

Each of us has been called of Christ to a mission with a specific role. Are we still at the point of loitering by the sea, working to convert souls, or have we arrived at the point where our efforts are so credible that men will follow?

Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 194-194, with the Collect first:

Fourth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O

GOD, the protector of all that trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy; Increase and multiply upon us thy mercy; that, thou being our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle, which came from the Eight Chapter of St. Paul‘s Letter to the Romans, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse. Paul tells us that walking God’s path, though it may seem hard at the time, is nothing compared to the reward we receive in heaven for following God’s will. God gave us free will, which if we exercise it properly, that is the will to overcome temptation. What at first seems like a constrained way of living, once actually lived is really perfect freedom. If we overcome temptation to do what we want and do what God wants, we will receive the gift of eternal salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. For until Christ, there was no delivery from the pain of worldly existence; through Christ there is redemption of our souls and our resulting bodily resurrection.

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RECKON that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Gospel started in the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Thirty-Sixth Verse. This is a simple message, yet often misunderstood, with majestic language that brings the message to a point of incredible sharpness. “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven; give and it shall be given unto you… …Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?” “… why beholdest thou the mote that is in the brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? …How canst thou say to thy brother, Brother let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest no the beam that is in thine own eye?” This is often quoted, but the following sentence is left out, “Cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the more that is in thy brother’s eye.”

Only when we first take care of our own spiritual health, look to our own relationship to God and evaluate and improve how we follow His Word, we will be able to effectively spread the Word of His love for us.

B

E ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

Sermon – Time and Action

Today’s sermon discussed both the Epistle and Gospel. God helps them who want help and act accordingly. He created us with free will, imperfect selfish creatures with a mind of their own. What was He thinking? Don’t you ever wonder?

With this free will, we can choose to have a “great time” like Pinocchio on Donkey Island or we can choose to follow the instruction He left us in the Bible and have a really great time forever. It is our choice. We must make it. If we make the right choice, we get the right result; eternal life, body and soul. Starting the instant we make the choice, not when we die. For, we will never die if we have The Right Stuff[1].

If we want to effectively follow our Lord, we need to make a constant comparison of what we are doing compared to what we should be doing. An OODA Loop. The OODA loop (for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act) is a concept originally applied to the combat operations process, developed by Colonel John Boyd, USAF. If we operate in a vacuum and do not compare what we are doing with what we should be doing, we often find it easy to note the fault in others. While we are busy noting their faults, they are likewise busy noting we are not doing what our Lord told us to do. When they note that, they are likely to find little compelling in Christianity. So, spend your first time working on your faults so you can be a good example, rather than a bad one, to others.

Try not to be the Mote in God’s Eye!

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[1] That would be our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who need the hint!