The Propers for today are found
on Page 217-218, with the Collect first:
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness
keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being
ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou
commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ryan Hopkins read
the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning
at the Fifteenth Verse of the Fifth Chapter. “… the days are evil. … understand… what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; …” God wants us to be happy, to be
good and to enjoy life. The key to
happiness is to do what God asks of you.
No more (you can’t), no less.
Though you fall short, keep trying, that is all God asks. If you find this no other place,
listen to the words of St. Paul.
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ee then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your
heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in
the fear of God.
Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which
came from the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew
beginning at the First Verse.
Talking to the priests and scribes, Jesus told one of the wedding
parables, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a
marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not come.
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden,
Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all
things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went
their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took
his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king
heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. Then” he sent “his servants … into the
highways” to “gather… together all as many as they found, both bad and good:
and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the
guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith
unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?[1]
And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
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esus said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to
call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he
sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways,
one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and
as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into
the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and
good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he
saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?
And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
Sermon – Time
and Action
Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together
and is partly contained in the forewords above.
It is critical to understand that today’s propers are
all tied together. They call for
action not thoughts. While our
belief in the Lord Jesus is the action that recognizes The One Sacrifice made
one time for all mankind for all time, it is not our belief that accounts us
righteous before God, but the ACTION of our Lord. Paul calls on us to do our very best to ACT righteous,
knowing that if we act, soon we shall think and believe in accord with those
actions. Knowing also that it is
very easy to say you believe if your actions do not have to be in accord with
your professed beliefs.
Thus we each have a call from God to benefit from the
ACTS of Jesus, yet not many accept.
It seems that it is hard for us with so many earthly riches to see our
need for God, much less Jesus when we are otherwise seemingly healthy. Witness Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:23:
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom
of God.
It is not that God has higher standard for rich
people, for His standard consists only of perfection or being accounted perfect
(our way in!); rather it is that rich people often somehow think they are rich
solely because of their own actions.
They forget that the most they can take credit for is taking advantage
of the talent and ability that God gave them!
Bishop
Ogles’ Devotion
Bishop Jerry provided his sermon notes for today. I thought them incredibly interesting,
I always enjoy them, but there was something about this one that was more than
usual. I am certain you will find
them very enjoyable. As always, I
cannot commend it to you enough.
Sermon Notes for 6 November 2011 Anno Domini in 20th Sunday after Trinity
"1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by
parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a
marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them
which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it,
and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his
servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall
find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered
together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was
furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there
a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither
not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into
outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but
few are chosen.
(Matt 22:1-14)
Jesus so often spoke in Parables that those whose
hearts are open and humble might understand where those whose hearts were
arrogant, proud and hardened would not so understand.
He opens the Parable with the story of a marriage
feast. Marriage is so important to Christ that He performed His
first miracle at Cana of Galilee (which just happened to be a marriage
feast.
Since being the first institution of God in the Garden
at Eden, marriage has been sacred and Holy to God – and it must be to us as
well. It is an earthly model for the Kingdom of God and the great marriage
between Christ and His Bride, the Church.
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for his son," This certain king is God the Father. Do I need
tell you who the son represents? None other than Jesus Christ, the only
Begotten Son of God.
"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not come." The great prophets were these servants who
called those who were bidden to come, but Israel would not hear them and did
not come. They even stoned many of these prophet messengers, and others they
sawed in half.
"Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them
which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage." The Great King leaves nothing to chance. He
prepares ALL we need for our comfort and nourishment and joy. The
sacrifice has been made for us – all we must do is come. He desires to honor us
by allowing us to honor His Beloved Son.
"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to
his farm, another to his merchandise:" Here we see the dreadful preoccupation of the world,
and even the church, with our own devices – money, trade and barter, etc. The
service to God seems a light thing to them. We today are sorrowfully no
different. We `do our duty' in attending service once on Sunday, go back to our
troughs and mud, and live as if God were not watching.
"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them
spitefully, and slew them."
You will recall how wrongly they treated Samuel, Moses, Jeremiah and all the
prophets. Even Abel was slain by his brother for living and teaching
righteousness. The Apostles, most of whom died brutal deaths, were no
less dishonored by those who knew no honor.
"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he
sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." If you have been living under the delusion that
God will always show mercy and kindness, you are wrong. Christ Himself shall
return to claim His own, and the remainder shall be put to the sword and cast
into Hell without mercy! They will have sealed their own fate through the
neglect of the things of God. If you have not loved God in this life, you
cannot love Him in the next. The tares (unbelievers) shall be gathered by the
Holy Angels and burned.
"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage." Most of the Israel depended upon their pedigree
as sons of Abraham; however, they did not rightfully belong to the Old
Testament Church of Abraham who looked to the coming of Christ. These being
rejected, God turns to all who will come. All who love Christ are adopted into
that great Church and are Israel indeed. None are to go without invitation!
"
"So those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding
was furnished with guests." This
is like the great dragnet of souls mentioned in Matthew 13:47-48. It drew every kind of fish, both good and
bad, and the fisherman (angels) sat down and separated them. Or the fields of
wheat and tares growing together picture this same truth.
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there
a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was
speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." Do we desire to be properly attired at this great and
distinguished feast? If so, we must take on the White Robe of
Righteousness which Christ offers to cover our rags and filth. The
prodigal son received that Robe from His Father on his return from feeding the
pigs in a far country. See also, Isaiah 4:1 – "And in that day seven
women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear
our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."
These are the seven churches, I humbly believe, who wish to be nominal
Christians only. They will eat their own breadn and not the Bread of Heaven He
offers, and will wear their own filthy rags of sin instead of His Robe of
Righteousness. But they desire the dignity of being called, only, by His
name.
"For many are called, but few are chosen." Friend, it is quite
possible that you have been called and invited, but never accepted the
invitation. A gift may be offered, but it is not fully a gift until it has been
received. Have you accepted, with serious heart and intent, the Redemption made
available through the blood of Christ?
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:
The Great
Invitation
Matthew 22:1-14
Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
6 November 2011
Most people would love to receive an invitation to
mingle with the rich and famous at an important event. The numerous magazines and news stories
about so called, "celebrities" shows the public infatuation with
these people, and, while most of us here are not "star struck," if
the right famous person invited us to the right event, we would probably
go. Yet our reading from Matthew
tells the story of people who refuse the invitation of a king.
The king in the parable represents God and the
wedding is a symbol of Christ and Heaven. But, strange as it may seem, most
people refuse the king's invitation.
In the parable, they made light of it and went about their lives as
usual. Some even mistreated the
king's servants. The first recipients of the invitation were the king's
friends. They were the important
people of the kingdom. They were
those who seemed to support the king and like the king, and honour the
king. But their friendship was
proven false when they received the invitation, because they refused it. They didn't really want to be with the
king. They didn't want to share
his joy and celebrate with him at the wedding. They went to their farms and merchandise instead. They went to the things they valued. They went to their own possessions.
These people represent the many who refuse God's
invitation of forgiveness and Heaven.
Maybe they don't believe He has really invited them. Maybe they don't believe Jesus is
really the only way, truth, and life.
Maybe they don't believe Jesus is the only way to God. Maybe they think they don't need
God. Maybe they are satisfied with
their worldly possessions. Maybe
they think they will live forever.
Whatever their reason, they refuse the invitation, just as so many do
today. It is hard for me to
imagine that anyone would refuse Christ.
It is hard for me to imagine that anyone would not run to Him and beg
Him to forgive their manifold sins and wickedness. How can any person look at his or her own life and think he
is prepared to stand before God without some kind of miracle that will forgive
his sins?
The answer is that they believe they are righteous in
their own right. The original
targets of this parable were the priests and Pharisees of Israel. As Matthew
21:45 says, "when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables,
they perceived that he spake of them." These people thought they had earned every good thing God
could give them because they were good and deserving people. When they prayed to God it was not to
confess sin and seek mercy. They
prayed to impress God with their goodness. "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men
are," said the Pharisee in Luke 18:11. He was saying, God, I am so glad I am not a sinner. I'm so happy I only do holy things. And, God, You must be very happy to
have me on Your side.
But look at the end of these refusers. They are destroyed and their city is
burned. Everything they valued is
reduced to ashes, and their own lives are given up. The fire represents the fires of hell, the eternal sorrows
of those who die and stand before God in the arrogance of their own
righteousness. They will be cast
into the lake of fire forever.
Now look at what happens; the king invites the
average people, the ones who have nothing that would make them worthy to come
to a wedding in the palace. They could not bring rich gifts; they could not
dress up the wedding by their appearance.
No one knew them or admired them, and no one would want to have their
picture taken with them. They had nothing to offer the king, and he had nothing
to gain by inviting them.
In the original parable, these people are the
publicans and sinners of Israel.
They are the ones the Pharisees hated because they were not very
faithful in their performance of the religious ceremonies. In short, they were sinners. They were not just sinners in the eyes
of the Pharisees, they were sinners in the eyes of God. The fact that the Pharisees distorted
the meaning of the ceremonial law of Israel, does not excuse the rest of the
Jews for not keeping it. So these
people who neglected the law were committing a serious sin against God. But that was not their only sin. They were as guilty of breaking the
moral law of God as the Pharisees were.
"All have sinned," God tells us in Romans 3:23, and that
includes the people in the highways as well as those in the Temple.
So we come to an important point of this story, and
it is a critical point in the Bible; the only way we can get into the wedding,
the only way we can get into Heaven, the only way we can become acceptable to
God, is by Him doing something miraculous to take away our sin and guilt. In the parable, the people are dressed
in wedding garments. Their old, street clothes, have been discarded, and new,
glorious garments have been given to them. This represents that they have received the forgiveness of
their sins through faith in Jesus Christ.
Through Him, they have been invited to the feast and made acceptable to
enter in and partake of it. But
one man tries to get in without a wedding garment. He is trying to get into Heaven without Christ. But he is not received. He is cast into outer darkness.
So the great invitation is for you and me. It is for all who are unworthy of God,
all who realise that they have nothing to give, no way to earn their admission
to Heaven. It is for those who
will accept it as the free gift of God by trusting in Jesus Christ.
--
tR. Dennis Campbell
Bishop of Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
www.HolyTrinityAnglicanOrthodoxChurch.org
www.lifeinthescriptures.blogspot.com
[1]
In that day, the giver
of such a feast would have provided wedding garments for those who traveled far
and were unable to bring one. In
our case, Jesus provides the appropriate garb to those who will wear it, not
just accept it and put it to one side.
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