Verse of the Day

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity




The Propers for today are found on Page 212-213, with the Collect first:

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

O
 LORD, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by thy help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read today’s Epistle, which came from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the Third Chapter beginning at the Thirteenth Verse.  Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, prays that the people might “be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”   More simply put, Paul asks that we open our hearts to God and to Christ, that they might work in our hearts the miracle of love.

I
 DESIRE that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which started in the Seventh Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Eleventh Verse.  Jesus was going into the city of Nain with his disciples and many followers.  “When he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.”  In those days, a widow with only one son had little, a widow with no son was in deep trouble.  Taking compassion on her and also the opportunity to make His power evident, He came to the bier, and touch it said, “Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”  The young man arose and began to speak; whereupon Jesus brought him to his mother.  Not surprisingly, news of this event was spread “forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.”  Like the young man, we are dead to eternity until we hear the command “… Arise.”  If we hear and act on that command, we have eternal life, just like the young man, it starts right then!

A
ND it came to pass the day after, that Jesus went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.

Sermon – Time and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.   

If we will open our hearts to God, He will send the Holy Ghost to fill our hearts with Love, Courage, Inspiration, Tenacity and Confidence, to mention just a few helpful additions to our portfolio.  If we will open our hearts to Him, our ears will hear the command “… Arise.”  When we rise, we rise with the confidence of immortals and can conquer any obstacle.  But, without an open heart, our ears will never hear the command directed to our soul, “… Arise.”  We will be dead to eternity.

Open your heart to our Lord and arise.  Arise; go forth with Love, Courage, Inspiration, Tenacity and Confidence to fight the battle our Lord leads us into.

All Jesus asks is that we follow Him.  That is all follow Him.  But, words mean something.  The word follow is very important.

In the military fighter world the strongest acceptance and recognition of excellence that can be given is, "You lead; I'll follow."  For to do so is to put your life in the other's hands.  Literally, completely and without question.  It is a matter of putting the light on the star and hanging in there.   It is said by few to an even smaller number.  When you break out of the cloud after an hour of GE-28Volt burning in your retina and see the runway or pop over the ridge after a half hour of dodging trees and triple A and the target is right there in the reticle, it is all okay.  Sometimes in between, it does not seem like it will turn out that way.  What makes you keep the light on the star is trust.  I see this as another aspect of that truth.  The numbers are different in the case of God.  We all (unlikely to happen) need to put our lives in the hands of a small number (that would be ONE).

We need recognize who has the ability, the power, the perfection in leadership and have that trust to say, "You lead; I'll follow." I believe that is what Jesus expects from us in regard to our entire life. We may get out of position or even go lost wingman on the odd occasion, but he expects us to Our very best to follow His lead and stay in position.  Hard to do if your eye is not padlocked on Him.

I might add, as ministers of our Lord, we have a similar responsibility to those who would follow us here on earth.  And we have to work even harder, for created by a perfect God, we are imperfect creatures with free will.  A problematic combination.  We must strive for a correct attitude, heading, stability and predictability in our path so that we can be followed towards that final destination that marks a successful mission.

Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
Bishop Jerry provided his very interesting sermon notes for today.  I am certain you will find them very enjoyable.  As always, I cannot commend it to you enough.

Saturday 1 October 2011 Anno Domini in 14th Week after Trinity Sunday
"37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt 24:37-51)

From the moment of the fall of our fleshly father, Adam, in the Garden at Eden, sins began to multiply among the children of man. The results of these sins also led to the increase of disease and pestilence where, in times past, there had been none. Roses grew thorns, and blood began to be shed abroad on the earth as a legacy of Cain's grievous murder of his brother Abel. As the decades rolled into centuries, and centuries into millennia, the heart of man became all the more wicked and full of evil. The pattern of growing wickedness was temporarily abated by the Flood, but not long after, it began anew in earnest. It continues even to this day of the modern era. Because the memory of Noah is raised by Christ, it should signal to us the importance of knowing and remembering the conditions on earth that led to the Deluge.
 "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." How were the days when the Ark was under construction? If the enormity of sin in the days preceding the Flood are heralds of the last days, we need to carefully examine those days and compare them with our own time to discover any signs of the Coming of the Lord of all Glory. "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen 6:5) "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." (Gen 6:11-12) When the heart of man is corrupt and full of sin, even the earth also becomes corrupt. After the sin of Adam, God said to him "…….cursed is the ground for thy sake….." (Gen 3:17)
The Godly man, Noah, suffered the ridicule and rejection of all society as he labored at the Ark. Moreover, he preached righteousness to an unbelieving people for more than one hundred years. The scorners gathered about as Noah built the Ark under the Divine guidance of God. He warned them of God's wrath at their wickedness and how God would destroy the whole earth with water. This was unbelievable to these people of Noah's day for it had never before rained upon the earth from the Creation. Plants were watered by dew that arose at night and refreshed all life. A Flood! What was a Flood? They would soon find out. If God warns of impending judgment, we need not wonder how it can happen – we need only prepare for it! Faithful Noah walked with God. He heard His voice and responded in obedience. No matter how he may have been ridiculed by men, Noah knew that God would still sit on the Throne of Heaven even when these mortal sinners were suffering the flames of Hell.
"For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." The point made here is that of the complete surprise of the coming destruction of the flood by all living (except Noah and his family). Men had been sinning with impunity since Adam. They continued to sin, to drink, to marry, to given in marriage, to rob, to murder, and to commit every evil imaginable. They felt immune to retribution. The greatest travesty and miscalculation was that these people did not take God seriously. He was too God to bring a devastating judgment against them, so they continued with all disregard to the Creator God who made them.
The presumption of security that these people demonstrated reminds me of the true account of the Captain of the Titanic of the White Star Line just a day prior to its weighing anchor for its fatal rendezvous with an iceberg in the North Atlantic. Captain Edward J. Smith was asked by a reported if the ship was safe – if it could be sunk? Captain Smith responded with this awfully vain comment: "Sir, I tell you in complete confidence - God Himself could not sink the Titanic!" Do we of today believe that time shall go on indefinitely and that we may never face an end of it?  Every reader of this devotion has a future place and time, determined by God alone, for dying. We know not the hour or circumstance, but we do know that we alone will not be the exception to dying. We may not know when or how, but we can certainly know and prepare for the condition in which we leave this world – either lost of safe in the arms of Christ. William Saroyan was an Armenian writer whose short stories I came to enjoy while abroad. He was at best a tepid believer. In the early 1980's, William Saroyan passed away in a Los Angeles hospital. Days earlier, he had sent a note to Walter Cronkite to read only after his demise. After his death, Mr. Cronkite read Saroyan's note on CBS Evening News: "I have always known that everyone has to die sooner or later but, I felt, in my case that there would be an exception – NOW WHAT?" If Mr. Saroyan felt the question one he needed to ask, I'm afraid the answer will not be pleasing. Do you know, friend, that you are called and chosen by God?
"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Though this prophecy may relate fully to the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Legions under Titus in 70 A.D., it has parallel bearing on the return of Christ at some point unknown to us. Many shall be employed in the same pursuit and action when Christ comes, yet one will be taken and the other left. Why? It is because our good works will not merit heaven for us, but that which is in our hearts.
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up." If we are fervent students of history, we will see the ugly head of tyranny being raised in our won government as well as abroad. Defending the liberties of our people is not a sometime consideration, but one requiring constant vigilance on the part of the people. We face an even greater prospect with the Coming of the Kingdom of God. We must be on constant watch for our souls and those of our family and neighbors. Be a watchman is a serious business. It is a duty which weighs heavily on the shoulders of every clergyman, and every Christian layperson. We must be awake, we must be watching, and we must sound the alarm. Even in our contemporary times, sleeping on guard duty has ever been punishable with death, because on the carefulness of the watch may depend the safety of the army and the nation. In the Korean Army, our allies during the Vietnam War, a soldier found sleeping on guard would never wake up. He would be shot in his sleep. "In the Temple, during the night, the captain of the Temple made his rounds, and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a certain manner. Any guard found asleep on duty was beaten or his garments were set on fire." M. R. Vincent "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." (Rev 16:14-15) Christ gives here His charge to be watching, for the same reason but even more importantly, for His coming and clothed in the garments of justification and sanctification, so as to be accepted.
If you knew that the End would come at noon today, would your manner of living suffer great change? Near the end of the eighteenth century, there was a day which came to be known in New England history as the Dark Day. On this day, April 19, 1780, the sun was suddenly and inexplicably obscured at the noon hour. The darkness descended on the land from the middle, to the New England, states. The Connecticut Legislature was in session, and some of the members, moved with fear, proposed an immediate adjournment. "It is the day of Judgment," they said, "and it is not fitting that we should be here." But a Colonel named Davenport, one of the members, stood up and said, "I do not know whether this is the day of judgment or not. But if it be the day of judgment it cannot overtake us at a better place than at the post of duty. Let us light the candles and go about the business of the house." And then he made his speech regarding the use fish nets in Long Island Sound. Will you continue your good duty until the Lord finds you then?
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." There are, today, many knowledgeable theologians of whom the Lord may not have been aware for they claim to know the day and hour of His return. I have two small books in my library attesting to the Lord's return on September 22, 1988 and October 1, 1992 respectively. But wait! Something must be amiss with their reading since the Lord did not come as predicted. A more recent example is the prophecy of Mr. Harold Camping that Christ would return on May 21, 2011. Did we miss that gathering? Such false prophecies attract much attention (as well as money), but the price to be paid by those who speak falsely in the name of the Lord is a serious matter. No one knows the time of the Lord's return, so let us live every day as if that is the day. "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods."
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." When I was a child, my parents would often leave me and my younger brother in the care of my older sister. My mother gave my chores to do, and my sister was to be obeyed. As soon as the dust cleared, I usually did whatever I pleased and was not obedient to my sister. Some few minutes before the expected return of my parents, I tried to get my act straight and appear diligent when they returned. Quite often, I completely failed at this object for my parents sometime surprised me by returning earlier than expected. I always paid a greater price for my loathsome failure than I would have paid by doing my duty in the first place. Are we putting off a right relation with God until we are convinced that our days are ending? Live every minute of every day unto the Lord. That way, we will pray with John the Revelator that He shall come quickly, and we shall be ready!

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:

God Hath Visited His People
Luke 7:11-17
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

 Before we begin to look at the Scriptures for today I ask you to turn to page 212 of the Prayer Book and look at the Collect for today, the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity.  As Anglicans we follow an annual cycle of prayer, worship, and Scripture reading. This is a practice followed by God's people for many thousands of years, and it is part of our identity as Holy Trinity Anglican Church and as members of the Anglican Orthodox Church.  This is a wonderful blessing, for in the cycle of prayer we are guided and instructed in the faith once delivered to the saints.  We are not simply left to our own devices to learn the Bible's content and meaning.  We are led into the Word in a way that helps us learn its content and its message, and, at the same time, makes it part of the way we think, and respond to life and God.  The more you follow our cycle of worship and Scripture, the more you will understand the Bible, and, the more you understand the Bible, the more you will be filled with the fullness of God.  This takes some effort and perseverance.  Actually, it takes years of hard work and dedication.  So, if you seem to be floundering a little, be patient and keep going.  The rewards are worth the effort.

Each week of the cycle of prayer begins with Sunday, of course, and assumes that the people of God will not forsake the assembly, but will come together to worship God.  Each Sunday is assigned Scripture readings and a Collect, which is a prayer that sets forth the doctrine, Scriptural event, or exhortation for that Sunday, and the week that follows.  Sometimes the connection between the Collect and the Scriptures is plain and obvious.  Sometimes it is less obvious, and today, I think, is one of those less obvious days. So let's look at the Collect for today. 



Please read and listen thoughtfully as I read it aloud.

"O Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by they help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

The point of the Collect, and the Scriptures for this morning, is that God is able and willing to continually cleanse, defend, succour, and preserve His Church by His continual help and goodness.  Let me show how this point is made.

First, we are shown that God is able to help us.  This is shown first in the Epistle, Ephesians 3:13-21.  The Apostle Paul, who was the human utensil through whom God gave the Book of Ephesians, tells us God is with him even in his tribulations.  Paul's tribulations were many.  He lost everything in the service of Christ; he was persecuted, stoned and beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and finally executed for being a Christian.  Yet he endured it all with a peaceful heart, writing in Romans 8:18 that the "sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  He does not promise that God will keep us from the pains and trials of life.  He does tell us we can be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, that we can have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, that we can be rooted and grounded in love, that we can be enabled to understand the great things of the mysteries of God, that we can know the love of Christ, and that we, you and I, sinners that we are, unworthy as we are, can be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:16-19).   These are powerful statements.  These are staggering words.  I think that if we ever felt their full impact it would be like being hit by a train, except the result would not be pain and death, it would be life and joy. Can these things be true?  Yes, God is able to do them.  He is able to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20).

Second, the ability of Christ to help us is shown in the raising of the dead man.  There is such a tender encouragement to faith in these verses of Luke's Gospel.  We see Christ's compassion on the man and his mother, just as He has compassion on us in our physical and spiritual needs.  We see Christ move intentionally to the man, just as He intentionally comes to us in the Incarnation, in His Word, Spirit, and the means of grace.  We see Him touch the bier, as He touches our lives with His love and healing.  We hear Him speak, "Arise," just as He calls us to arise from our spiritual death in trespasses and sins.  And He delivers him to His mother, just as He delivers all who believe and trust in Him to His Father in Heaven forever. 

The man had been dead for three days.  His flesh was showing signs that he was not sleeping or in a coma.  He was dead.  Only God can restore life to such a corpse. Thus the people were correct who said, "God hath visited His people" (Lk. 7:16). Surely such a One as this is able to succour and help His people no matter what trials we may face.  "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver" (Dan. 3:17).
                                                      
To be able to do something is one thing; to be willing is something else.  Indeed to be able is almost meaningless if one is unwilling.  But our Lord is both able and willing to help us.  Our reading from Luke's Gospel today was chosen carefully because it shows that Christ is willing.  Most people, hearing me say that, will think I am referring to the Lord's compassion and raising of the dead man.  Indeed there is great willingness to help seen here.  Our Lord was not asked to help this man.  No one came to Him to seek His aid.  The people probably thought He couldn't help, for, though He had healed many sick, He had not raised anyone from the dead at this point in His ministry. So the people probably never thought of asking Him to raise this man.  Jesus took the initiative.  Jesus went to the funeral bier.  Jesus touched the man.  Jesus gave life to the body.  He was the initiator.  He was proactive.  He acted on the basis of His compassion.  He is willing. 

But something else in the passage also shows the willingness of Christ, and it is what I really want to emphasise today.  It is found in the words of the witnesses, "God hath visited His people."  To "visit," in this case, means to come with the intention of caring for someone or something.  It is to come with the intention of making things right, of helping.  It means that Christ came into this world to help us.  He came primarily to help us spiritually.  He came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost.  He came to save sinners.  He came to give His life as the ransom for our sins.  He came to take us back to God.  Indeed, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.  But He also came to help us in this world, in all our troubles and needs and sorrows, and joys.  "Come unto me... and I will give you rest" is a promise for both this world and the next, and when He exhorted us to consider the lilies wasn't He promising to be with us and care for us in this world?

And so we come to the conclusion, which is simply, seek Him, and trust Him.  Seek Him in time of trouble. Ask Him to help you bear your burdens.  Ask Him to help you bear your sorrows and problems.  Ask Him to make you strong to bear your cross.  Ask Him to help you be content in whatever circumstances He places you.  Ask Him to help you believe that all things work together for good to those who love Him.  Run to Him and seek His help.  "Seek and ye shall find."

And then, trust Him. I think trust is the real message I am trying to get across today.  It is the message of the Scripture texts and it is the message of the Collect.  Why would we pray that God would help and succour us if we do not trust Him to actually do it?  Why would the Bible tell us of a willing and able Saviour if it does not mean for us to trust in Him?  Dearly beloved, I beseech you, seek and trust His help.  Truly pray with me,

O
 Lord, we beseech thee, let thy continual pity cleanse and defend thy Church; and because it cannot continue in safety without thy succour, preserve it evermore by they help and goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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

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