Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 218-220, with the Collect first:

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity

The Collect.

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RANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for this morning which came from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the Tenth Verse.  In these passages, Paul gives his clearest definition of the spiritual war between the forces of Satan and those who would follow God. It not only assures us that there is a spiritual war, but it warns us that apart from utilizing the weapons which God has provided for us, we are hopelessly underpowered. This passage tells us what our divine weapons are. Beyond this, these weapons imply the nature of the struggle which we are in. The weapons which God has provided for us are those weapons which best repel the attacks of Satan, and thus we can learn a great deal about the nature of Satan’s opposition from simply considering each of the weapons at our disposal.

After a consideration of the war in general, we will then proceed to examine in more detail each of the weapons Paul mentions, and the offensive strategy of Satan which they imply. May God give us open hearts and minds to understand the spiritual war, and the means which He has provided for our defense.

M

Y brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read the Holy Gospel which came from the Fourth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. John beginning at the Forty-Sixth Verse.  This is a telling of the story of the healing of a Jewish nobleman's son Capernaum through the faith of his father.  When the man came to him asking for help, he responded as he often did to Jews, “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”  The man persisted and because Jesus saw faith in him, he said, focusing his attention on faith in God, “Go thy way; thy son liveth” or  "Be on your way. Your son is alive." In other words: "Do not worry. My Word can heal your son at a distance." The boy was healed in the very instant when Jesus spoke the Word. The father believed this Word. So did his household, wife, children and servants. More than one person was healed on that occasion.

This miracle shares characteristics with the previous healing of the Centurion’s son:

• Jesus has just come back to Galilee.
• Someone comes to him with a request.
• Indirectly Jesus seems to refuse at first.
• The person persists.
• Jesus grants the request.
• This leads another group of people (his disciples, the nobleman’s household) to believe in him.

Note the necessity of trusting in Jesus as the giver of life.  Of the text, Luther wrote: "Although the Lord performed miracles and signs to make Himself known and to lead people to faith in Him, the underlying purpose was to focus their attention on the Word rather than on the signs which served merely to attest the truth of His testimony. Faith must rest on the Word of God."  Another Lutheran theologian wrote: "In affliction faith is practiced and chastened. If a person does not see, taste and experience the help and grace of the Lord, then that person learns to trust the Word and nothing but the Word. That is the true faith, trusting the Lord for its own sake. Such faith comes not from flesh and blood. It's the Lord to which faith clings. That almighty Word works faith."

Jesus led this nobleman from a "miracle" faith to a true faith in His Word. He does this to us also.

"Be on your way. Your son lives." This Word of Jesus was not only a prophecy. It had the power to heal the sick boy. And this Word took the nobleman's worries away.

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HERE was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.

Sermon – Time and Action

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

As is oft the case, today’s propers are all tied together.  As is usual, they call for action not just thoughts.  We are asked to let God forgive us our sins and go to battle in this world with His armor.  With Him all things are possible; when we depend on our own pitiful resources, the outcome is in doubt and the result unlikely to be favorable in the end.  When you believe in our Lord and act on that belief, victory is certain in the end.  Understand, the result here on earth may not be the one you want, but it is the one God wants for you.  God expects you to accept His help and act with His help to gain victory over the prince of this world.

Consider also that God, through our Lord, offers forgiveness.  Forgiveness lets you restart your life, regain your foothold, strengthen your soul.  If you accept the forgiveness and go forward you can do great things.  If you will not, and likewise you will not forgive, you will be bound by the prince of this world and doomed to failure.  You will never attain the greatness of which you are capable with God’s grace and help.

Do what is right, I would say no matter if there is no one looking; but He is always looking.  It is not that hard.  Believe, take His help, act on the belief you profess, never ever give up. 

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, 21^stSunday in Trinity 13 November 2011 Anno Domini

St Andrews Anglican Orthodox Church - John 4:46-54

46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸ Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. ⁴⁹The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. ⁵⁰Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth.And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. ⁵¹ And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. ⁵² Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. ⁵⁴ This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.

An interesting passage in John 2: ²³Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, ²⁵ And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Upon what mysterious foundation is faith based?

Is it upon great signs and wonders performed, or is it based on a more personal level?

We see magicians frequently do amazing feats of deception which appear real, and we are unable to discover the means by which they performed their mysteries. But do we trust them with our sacred honor and souls? No way. There must be something else that gives us cause for trust.

Let us examine the narrative…..

This is the early beginning of Christ's ministry.

We are told in the last verse of our text that this was the second of all miracles that Jesus performed.

He has returned to his home country of Cana and, specifically Capernaum where he had spoken in a synagogue and they tried to stone him…

Luke 4: 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. ¹⁷ And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, ¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, ¹⁹ To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. ²⁰ And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

There is a nobleman who lived nearby who had heard just rumor of His words and His deeds. His son was dying. There was no hope in any healing except, perchance, through this great man, Jesus, of Gallilee. So he came to Him.

And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

The simplest and obvious use of sorrow is to remind of God. Jairus and the woman, like many others (as this nobleman), came to Christ from a sense of want. It would seem that a certain shock is needed to bring us in contact with reality. In Psychology, this is termed a `significant emotional event.' We are not conscious of our breathing till obstruction makes it felt.

Need is what brings us to the hospital, and need is what brings us to Christ!

What was Jesus response, and to whose benefit was it uttered?

Not for the nobleman because his very belief and faith were confirmed by his request of Christ.

If he doubted that Christ could heal his son, he would not have left him to die alone and come to ask Jesus to heal him.

Jesus' response: Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

This man had seen no signs or wonders but, yet, he believed. His knowledge of Christ was meager, but his faith in the small knowledge he did have was tremendous!

The Nobleman paid no mind to the seeming dismissal of Christ. He KNEW Christ, and he KNEW Christ would heal his son – so he simply persisted in his prayer to Christ.

The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

Once you know Christ, you have the boldness to ask that which is most vexing in your heart. Love was the motivator.

The result Jesus' had elicited was accomplished through the persevering testimony of the nobleman. He would not take `no' for an answer because he knew Christ and he knew it was not the Will of Christ that his little boy should die…so he had the courage to press for the answer he sought.

That is called effectual prayer, and many of us do not have it.

When we have prayed a righteous prayer, and have met the righteous Lord, we must believe that what He has told us in His Word will surely come to pass:

Look at how the nobleman reacted: And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.

What happens next?

All that he had accepted on faith was born out in reality:

And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. ⁵²Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.

Christ will always confirm His seal upon the answers to our prayers whether it be yes or no.

And at last we read that this was only the second miracle that Christ had wrought. The first miracle was to transform the water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana of Galilee.

This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee

You may say: "Ah, yes, but the nobleman must have been at the feast and saw this miracle and so believed."Really? There would seem to me to be a large gulf between turning water into wine and healing a child at the point of death. There was something more, and that was the fact that the nobleman saw in the Person of Christ a truth that escapes many observers…this was the Son of God who was able to do all that He willed to do.

When we lift our prayers to God, do we pray in earnest for a righteous cause, as this nobleman?

Do we pray for the good of others, as this nobleman, before our own interests are pursued?

Do we pray knowing the Person to whom our prayers are directed, as this nobleman?

Do we pray, as this nobleman, knowing that it is already the will of the Father to grant our petition because we already have learned His will for us?

Do we leave our prayers at the portals of heaven and return to our daily business, as this nobleman, knowing that the answer, yes, or no, will be the right answer?

Do we state our case, as this nobleman, and then wait for the answer?

Finally, do we cease to pester God and go our way believing in faith?

If we do so, our prayers shall be answered and the answer will always be the right answer.

Amen.

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:

Faith, the Foundation of Pardon and Peace

John 4:46-54

Twenty First Sunday after Trinity

13 November 2011

                               

I think Jesus was not chastising the man when He said, "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe."  I think He was proving a point to others.  He had recently returned from Jerusalem, and many of the people around Him when He spoke these words had been in Jerusalem and witnessed His words and deeds there.  That's why they still followed Him in Galilee, and many wondered if He was the Messiah, and if He was, how would they know?  Many decided they would know if He could convince them by signs and wonders.  If He would just do a miracle, they could believe.  But after each miracle, they demanded another.  They wanted more proof.  He turned the water into wine.  "Yes, but I need more proof; can He heal the sick?"  He healed the sick.  "Yes, but I need more proof; can He raise the dead?"  He raised the dead.  "Yes, but I need more proof; can He die and rise again?"  He died and rose again.  And still they say, "Yes, but I need more proof."  That is the line of reasoning adopted by the people in today's Gospel reading.  After all, they knew Him.  He was from Nazareth, the carpenter's son, "You know, He always was a little odd."

Those people were no different from people today.  They wanted signs, so do we.  They wanted proof, so do we.  They wanted miracles, so do we.  So much of what people do in worship and in life is aimed at making God prove Himself to them by signs and wonders.  We feel we must have an ecstatic experience to reaffirm to us that we are following the true God.  We must get some emotional feeling from worship to prove to ourselves that we are actually worshiping God or that we are in the Spirit.  We must get that miracle of healing, or wealth, or relationships, to prove that God is with us.  It is exactly this line of thinking that Jesus chastises here.  He wants people to believe because they see in Him the goodness of God.  He wants them to believe because they hear the voice of God in His words, and the message of God in His teachings.  But, then, as now, people gloss over the message, and seek signs and wonders.

But this nobleman is not asking for a sign.  He is asking Jesus to use His Divine power, not to prove who He is, but to bless his son, to do good for His people.  So this man had faith.  He already believed.  He didn't know everything about Jesus.  He didn't know yet that He was going to the cross and came to save Israel from her sins.  But he believed what he knew about Jesus, that He was the Messiah of God and that He had come to save His people.  So he asked Jesus, just as we ask Him today, to heal his son.  He is not saying, "Heal my son and I will believe in You."  He is not saying, "Heal my son and I will be a good person from now on."  He is asking in faith, for God to have mercy on him and his son, just the way we ask Him in prayer to have mercy on us and our loved ones.

In this case, Jesus healed the child.  He doesn't always heal, at least not the way we want.  Sometimes He does raise up the sick, returning them to us to live on in this world.  But, sometimes He raises them up to a new world, the Heavenly world, where they won't have to be sick or die ever again.  From our perspective, He has let them die.  From His perspective, He has healed them forever.

This brings us to a major point of this passage of Scripture, that faith trusts the word of God.  The nobleman trusted the word of Christ, "go thy way; thy son "liveth."  Yes, his faith became stronger when he heard that his son was well, and I am sure he believed even more strongly when he arrived at his home and was greeted by his healthy and happy son.  The Bible tells us he believed, "and his whole house."  But the words of Christ were the foundation of his hope.  He believed the word.

It is the same way today.  It is the word which secures our faith.  We do not put our hope in miracles.  We see in the pages of Scripture that evil people have worked miracles.  The sorcerers of Egypt are but one example.  We do not trust in experiences or emotions.  They can be conjured up in us by skillful speakers and entertaining shows.  The Corinthians of the New Testament are relevant examples of this.  But the word of God is solid and sure and endureth forever.  "My words shall not pass away." "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," Jesus said (Mt 24:35, Jn. 8:31-32).  The Scriptures are the foundation of our faith.  We believe because we have met Christ in the Bible.  We believe because His word has convinced us.  We believe because in Christ we have met God.

Now, we come to the point.  All that I have said so far has been leading up to this; this same Jesus, who kept His word to the Jewish nobleman, is able and willing to keep His word to us.  He is faithful and true.  So, when He says "no man cometh unto the Father but by me," we can believe it. And when He says, whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life," we can count on Him for it. J. C. Ryle, commenting on this passage wrote:

The fact before us is singularly full of comfort.  It gives enormous value to every promise of mercy, grace, and peace, which ever fell from Christ's lips.  He that by faith has laid hold on some word of Christ has got his feet upon a rock.  What Christ has said, He is able to do; and what He has undertaken, He will never fail to make good.  The sinner who has really reposed his soul on the word of the Lord Jesus, is safe to all eternity.  He could not be safer if he saw the book of life, and his own name written in it.  If Christ has said, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out," and our hearts can testify, "I have come," we need not doubt that we are saved.  In the things of this world we say that seeing is believing.  But in the things of the Gospel, believing is as good as seeing.  Christ's word is as good as man's deed.  He of whom Jesus says in the Gospel, "He liveth," is alive for evermore, and shall never die." (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, vol. 3, p. 254).

We are almost to the end of Trinity Season.  Next Sunday is the last Sunday in this season.  After it we move into Advent.  As Trinity is about the meaning of the Gospel to us in everyday life, it is meet and right that today we should emphasise the pardon and peace that is ours in Christ.  It is also meet and right that we should remember that pardon and peace are for those who believe.

Let us pray.

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RANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.