Pearl
Harbor Day
This past Wednesday was also
another day important to us as Americans.
Seventy years ago on Wednesday, “7 December 1941 – a date which will
live in infamy - - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately
attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.[1] Two thousand three hundred fifty
Americans gave their lives defending our country, giving their blood that we
might live in freedom.
The Arnolds’ Uncle Jack, Admiral
Jackson D. Arnold[2], was the
Engineering Test Pilot at NAS Ford Island, Pearl Harbor and shot down a
Japanese torpedo plane from the ground when no aircraft were flyable, then went
on to rescue many survivors, some from his first ship ARIZONA. More here: http://adm-arnold.blogspot.com/
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers:
special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought
prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in
the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of
Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be
read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next
Sunday. If you have a hard time
remembering, “Do I read the Collect from last Sunday or next Sunday during the
week?” Remember Sunday is the
first day of the week. There are
also two Bible readings, the Epistle and the Gospel. While they are “lessons”, they are not the First Lesson and
the Second Lesson, they are the Epistle and the Gospel. The Epistle is normally a reading from
one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the
Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle
can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of
the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is
read by an ordained minister or our Deacon Striker.
The propers are the same each
year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook,
falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White
Season, where it is put off. Red
Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in
red, are special days. Most of the
Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development
of the church, others to special events.
Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be
used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers are found on Page
93-94, with the Collect first:
The Third Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first
coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the
ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready
thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable
people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy
Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The propers for the First Sunday
in Advent can be found on Page 90-92:
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle for today, which came
from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians,
starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter.
Paul calls on those who would be the ministers of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God to be good and faithful stewards
leading their flock rather than commanding from the rear. He tells them not to be fearful of the judgment
of man. In fact, he tells he is
not concerned of the judgment of men, or even that of himself, but rather that
of God. God knows our hearts and
when He judges, He “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will
make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise
of God.”
Let it be fully understood that when Paul writes of
ministers and stewards, he is talking of each of us, not just those who are
“ordained ministers.” We each must
be good and faithful stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to each of
us. We each must help those around
us benefit from the gifts which
are freely given.
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ET a man
so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries
of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But
with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s
judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself;
yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore
judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read the Gospel for today which
came from the Gospel according to
Saint Matthew, the Eleventh Chapter, beginning at the Second Verse. Now when John the Baptist “had heard in
the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto
him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” John was Jesus’ cousin and the one who
baptized Him and heard God say, THIS IS MY SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.” Yet, he and the rest of the Jews of the
time expected the Messiah to come into Jerusalem in triumph, sit in the temple
and rule, commanding, nay compelling the Romans to leave. No doubt marveling at the question, for
it was asked of Him who had performed countless genuine miracles, healing the
blind, the deaf the lame, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John
again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and
the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised
up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever
shall not be offended in me.” As
John’s disciples parted, Jesus talked to those about him. He asked them concerning John, “What
went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what
went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear
soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?” He was counseling them, trying to help
them fully understand the implications of what was around them. He was there! So, he explained that John was not “just” a prophet, but the
messenger of God, the man with the flag running before the locomotive. He went on, “For this is he, of whom it
is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare
thy way before thee.” Because
Jesus came into this world, not to be the King of the Present, but rather the
King of that to Come.
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ow when John had
heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said
unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus
answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do
hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in
me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning
John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they
that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see?
A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of
whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall
prepare thy way before thee.
Sermon – Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
As is oft the case, today’s
propers are all tied together. The
Collect asks for God’s help for us to leave our former lives behind and move
forward into battle with the Prince of Darkness armored with God’s Light. Paul exhorts us to be faithful stewards
of God’s gives and accept only His standard of accountability. It counts nothing what men think, only
God’s evaluation of our performance counts. It goes without saying that if we do God’s will, godly men
will find our works acceptable.
Matthew finds John the Bpatist in prison wondering if he has indeed
prepared the Way of the Lord. John
had faith, he had been proclaiming the coming of the Lord. Now he was in prison. He thought he had been proclaiming the
coming of the Messiah who would free the Jews from the Roman yoke. This just was not happening. He was confused, he was concerned, had
his effort been for naught? So, he
sent messengers to find out.
His messengers come to Jesus and He
reminds them of the miracles he has performed. He confirms He was the One, His
actions were the actions of the One.
He was just bringing freedom from death, not the Romans. As the men
leave, he points out the crowd that John, always rough and always ready for
action was that messenger sent by God to prepare His Way.
When we bring all this together,
we find a variation on a constant message for us from Him: Follow Me. Let the rest sort out.
Jesus asks us to take His Way, to
act as He acted, to do what is right, regardless of cost each and every
time. To accept not the judgment
of men, but to always act mindful of the judgment of God.
Bishop
Ogles’ Sermon
Do you ever wonder about timing? I was sitting in the Sunday Report chair
typing away, and I got to this part of the report and though, “I wonder if
Bishop Jerry will be sending out sermon notes?” BING, in they came.
Once again, 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 the Third Sunday in Advent 11 December 2011 Anno Domini
2 Now when John had heard
in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,3 And said unto
him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?4 Jesus answered
and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things
which ye do hear and see:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the
poor have the gospel preached to them.6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not
be offended in me.7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the
multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the
wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to
see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in
kings' houses.9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto
you, and more than a prophet.10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold,
I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.11
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a
greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he.12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now
the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.13
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.14 And if ye will
receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.15 He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children
sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have
piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have
not lamented.18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He
hath a devil. 19The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a
man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom
is justified of her children. (Matt 11:2-19)
John the Baptist has been
imprisoned for a terrible crime – that of proclaiming the truth. He had told
King Herod that to live in concupiscence and adultery by marrying his brother,
Philip's wife – Herodias. Can you imagine? Today, John would be accused of that
disarming act of being "too judgmental" yet John simply proclaimed
God's judgment from His Word! We walk daily among many Herods and Herodiases
who would, if they could, cast us into prison for revealing their sinful lives
to them. "For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and
bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had
married her. For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have
thy brother's wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would
have killed him; but she could not: For Herod feared John, knowing that he was
a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many
things, and heard him gladly." (Mark 6:17-20) If you cannot abide the
message, then by all means kill the messenger. The messenger is killed today by
accusations of being too judgmental; thus the church has become sterile and
impotent in dealing with sin. Instead of being salt and light to the world, the
church has heard the world and agreed not to judge against the sins of the
world.
What is the first
characteristic of John the Baptist that comes to mind when his name is
mentioned? For me, I think of a Voice Crying in the Wilderness – "For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet
Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight." (Matt 3:3) What is this
Wilderness?
Wilderness - a wild or
uncultivated state. (Webster's 11th Collegiate Dictionary) The greatest and
most desponding of wildernesses is not geographic, but spiritual. Bread and
water are in short supply in a geographic wilderness, but so, too, in a
spiritual one – there is lacking the Bread of Heaven and the Water of Life on
the neon-lit streets of most American cities. As one walks those streets, he
sees a wanton decadence and lust in the vacant faces of those he meets. There
is no one with which he can fellowship concerning the riches of Christ for all
are spiritually penniless. On those streets, the only mention of Christ is as a
`Voice Crying in the Wilderness.'
The text today falls into
two sections. The first: reveals a faltering faith of the great witness (John)
and Christ's gentle response to this man of faith. (verses 2-6) The second:
Christ provides a witness to John of the truth of His ministry. We are not to
consider John weak in faith for that is clearly not the case. John has been
imprisoned and treated with dishonor. His life is in peril daily, yet he
continues to believe under harsh conditions that exceed our ability to
comprehend. But any of us have moments when we need a reassuring word, and this
is the moment when John sends for confirmation.
"Now when John had
heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said
unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" This
is not for the benefit for John's disciples, but for his own comfort of
reassurance. He is giving his very life on preparing the way for Christ's
ministry, so a reassuring word under these circumstances is reasonable. John is
in prison in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus that Herod had built to serve as
a sinful pleasure house and an impregnable fortress in the savage hills of
Moab. The halls of pleasure and impregnable walls have collapsed, but the
dungeon area is still discernible with the holes in the masonry to serve as
witness of the chains of its victims (John included).
"Jesus answered and
said unto them, Go and shew John again those things
which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be
offended in me." Christ gently gives counsel to John's disciples to
go and give testimony of all that has been prophesied and fulfilled in the
ministry of Christ. "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out,
and streams in the desert." (Isaiah 35:5-6) "The Spirit of the Lord
GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."
(Isaiah 61:1) These are prophecies written seven hundred years before the birth
of Christ, so we are emboldened in our faith to see their complete fulfillment
– so was John. I love that phrase from Isaiah regarding the proclamation of
Liberty to the captives. As a nation, God has favored our founding and our
place as a nation among the nations of the world; but He has also made
available to every man and woman of every land this Liberty from the captivity
of sin if they will but come to Him. Jesus tells these things to John's
disciples so that John will have his faith confirmed, but to us, too!
"And as they
departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken
with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?
behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what went ye out
for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet."
These are all questions whose import is every whit as directed to us today as
to the disciples around Jesus. When we go to prayer service, do we go to see
some amazing performance of a man preacher? These services are seldom called
prayer services today, but more often `Celebrations" or "Festivals."
Such terms describe experiences intended to uplift man, prayers and worship
uplift Christ! Do we expect our clergy to wear the latest fashion in clothing?
My father told me that nay man given to frequent changes of fashion in attire
is also likely to be blown about by every wind of doctrine. We have evangelists
today clothed in $2,000 suits, wearing great diamond rings, and sporting gold,
Rolex watches appealing for "seed money" from widows and elderly who
barely can supply their pantries with bread. I can almost smell the scorched
fires of their punishment to come. John is no mere prophet, but the chosen
messenger of God to herald the coming of His only Begotten Son!
"For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I
say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater
than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of
heaven is greater than he." (see also Malachi 3:1) Christ extols
the virtues of Jon after his disciples depart. He desires that no honor be lost
of John's character in sending his questions to Christ. The character of Christ
is quite different from that of men: Christ gives acclaim to the Baptist after
his disciples have departed. Man gives flamboyant acclaim to men to their
faces, but often critical stabs to their backs. Though John stands high above
the mark in the company of men, he is well short in the Kingdom of Heaven to
which he aspires – as are all of us.
"And from the days of
John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until
John." The battle is hot and the mournful cries of the battlefield are
full of the painful suffering of the saints. The path to the Kingdom is not a
self-willed, demonstration of manly power (as is today in the modern church),
but a gentle following of that Great Shepherd of the Flock. The wolves stalk
the flock seeking every remunerative opportunity to shed blood and get
advantage. This describes the Kingdom of Matthew 13:31-32. Those `birds'
lodging in its branches are demons, and they most often win the higher
positions of honor in the tree.
"And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to
come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Christ is generous
in sharing great mysteries to those whose ears are open in humble faith to
hear. Amazingly, the worldly wise can never grasp the simplicity of truth
uttered by Christ. But if we have ears (open ears, believing ears, trusting
ears, hearing ears) to hear (not just the Words but the Spirit speaking)
understand these mysteries. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn
the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to
their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (Mal 4:5-6)
Please note the last word of the Old Testament: CURSE. The law is a curse to
those who do not believe. Note the last word of the New Testament: AMEN (hearty
approval). "Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all. Amen." (Rev 22:20-21) There is a glorious difference in
our prospects from the Old to the New Testament. Jesus Christ makes ALL the
difference!
"But whereunto shall
I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and
calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not
danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented." Donald
Frasier wrote (Metaphors of the Gospel) that Jesus "pictured a group of
little children playing at make-believe marriages and funerals. First, they
acted a marriage procession; some of them piping on instruments of music, while
the rest were expected to leap and dance. In a perverse mood, however, these
refused to respond, but stood still and looked discontented. So the little
pipers changed their game, and proposed a funeral. They began to imitate the loud
wailing of Eastern mourners. But again they were thwarted, for their companions
refused to chime in with the mournful cry and to beat their breasts."
These non-participating children are non players. They never like the tune or
the narrative, but stand jeering on the sidelines. Have our churches become
such dead events of observation?
"For John came
neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came
eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."
The world will always find cause to condemn the people of God and to kill the
prophets. Either they are too pious, or they lack piety; either they are too
hot, or they are too cold; either they are too bold, or not bold enough; either
they are too spiritual, or not spiritual enough. If we are the Children of
Wisdom, we shall have ears that hear and know. We dare not stand on the
sidelines jeering, but become active responders to the pipe. "The Lord GOD
hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word
in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth
mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was
not rebellious, neither turned away back." (Isaiah 50:4-5) Are we
rebellious children jeering those who labor, or are we those who, taking to the
plow, never cast an eye right, left, or back, but plow a straight row for
Christ? (Luke 9:62)
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