Rogation Sunday
The fifth Sunday after Easter is commonly called
Rogation Sunday from the words in the Gospel appointed for the day:
"Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give to you". (The
Latin is 'Rogare' - to ask.) In the strictly biblical context, the chief thing
to ask for is the spirit of God to enable us to be true children of God.
In the Western Church, processions to bless the crops
and to include "beating the bounds", developed from the o1d Roman
rites of "Robigalia" ("robigo": Latin for "rust"
or "mould"), when prayers would be offered to the deity for crops to
be spared from mildew.
Today the emphasis has shifted. A blessing on growing
crops in fields and gardens, and on young lambs and calves remain. In the agricultural cycle, the main
themes are seed sowing and the tending of the young plants and animals. This
does not pre-suppose that all sowing takes place around Rogation. Sowing is done all the year round, as does
the birth and rearing of the young.
It is convenient to fix on one particular festival the time to remember
these before God in a public way.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Rogation
Sunday takes place in the springtime, when there is a renewing of the earth. In
this country, it follows Easter, the season of resurrection. Renewal and
resurrection therefore are also underlying themes of this occasion.
Before we go on, a little on mothers
On this Mother’s Day, it is very easy for us to look
back at our mother’s life and think of all the things we like about our
mother. We like, it is all about our mother and what she did for
us. The pivotal thought seems to
be us. It is not about us, our /
us is merely an adjective to describe a particular mother. For motherhood is about self-sacrifice. Putting the child’s welfare above that
of the mother.
The love of the mother for her children comes with a
price. The price paid is not
without return. Most young
soldiers who die in battle, die with a call to their mother on their lips.
What did your mom chose? An extra child or an extra home or trailer? Your schooling, or her vacation without
you? Dental work for you or a new
car for her? Shoes for you or a
fancy dress for her?
Jesus commanded us to follow Him, He who put our
lives before His. Who on this
earth does this more consistently than mothers?
Saint James tells us in his Epistle, “Be ye doers of
the word and not hearers only.” Who on this earth does this more consistently
than mothers?
As Christians we need to uphold and recognize the
example of sacrifice in motherhood so that we might understand the sacrifice
made by God on our behalf in Jesus’ death for our sin.
Propers
The Propers for today are found
on Page 175-176, with the Collect first:
The
Collect for The Fifth Sunday after Easter,
commonly
called Rogation Sunday.
The
Collect.
O
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LORD, from whom all good things do
come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may
think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the
same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Ryan Hopkins read the Epistle which came from the
First Chapter of the General Epistle of Saint James beginning at the
Twenty-Second Verse. Saint James tells us not to just talk about being
Christians, but to act on those beliefs and do things. We act in accordance with the
principles set forth by Christ. We
gain our salvation through the freely given gift of Grace by our Lord Jesus
Christ. Once given, and
accepted; if we truly accept the gift, it will be evident in our actions.
St. James reminds us we not only
must:
Ø Talk
the Talk;
but
Ø Walk
the Walk.
We do not gain eternal life and
salvation by our good works here on earth, but only by the Grace of God,
through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Christ our sins are atoned for that we might go to
heaven. True enough, but we
demonstrate our attempt to follow his instructions by our works here on earth.
B
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E ye doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and
continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work,
this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be
religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s
religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world.
Deacon
Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel came from the Sixteenth
Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John beginning at the Twenty-Third
Verse. Jesus told his disciples that when they pray to the Father, they should
ask in His Name and what they asked for would be given. But, you must ask to receive. Jesus told us not to ask Him to pray to
the Father, but rather that we pray directly to the Father, asking for what we
will in His name, because God loves us because we love Jesus. This explains why many of our prayers
end in, “we ask all this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” or
similar words. So, if we are to if
we are not to ask Jesus to pray for us, why would we ask “saints” and
such. We can talk directly to
God and we are supposed to!
Jesus went on to say the forces
of this world would scatter the disciples, they would be alone in the
world. Yet like Jesus, they would
not be abandoned by all; He would be with them, as would the Father. For as always, the Father is with them,
as He is with Him; as He is with us.
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ERILY, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing
in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. These things
have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more
speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. At that
day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the
Father for you: for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me,
and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and
am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. His
disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no
proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any
man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. Jesus
answered them, Do ye now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come,
that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and
yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. These things I have spoken
unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have
tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Sermon – Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
We are in the Easter Season which consists of Easter
and the following four Sundays, until we get to Rogation Sunday. This is a time we should work on
centering our lives on the central figure in our religion, Jesus Christ.
Consider these words from the
Collect:
… by thy holy
inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful
guiding may perform the same …
As we near the Ascension and
thus Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Ghost, we ask for God’s “holy inspiration we may think those things that are good”,
that is to say help from the Holy Ghost so we might direct our souls to the
things we cannot see as good without His Help. Once we see them, we need His “merciful
guiding may perform the same…”.
After all, what good is it to know what we should do, if we won’t, can’t
or don’t do it?
That brings us right to Saint
James’ point, we gain our salvation through the freely given gift of Grace by
our Lord Jesus Christ. Once
given, it must be accepted. If we
truly accept the gift, it will be evident in our actions. If you are going to be a Christian, the
key is right there – BE. Being
requires action, not just diction.
If you are going to be a Christian, what you say is of little import to
what you DO. Do your actions
reflect God’s image or that of the other guy? Who do you put first?
Pretty basic questions that often we don’t like the answer to.
We find a lot of help in John’s
words, he give us insight into things that none of the other disciples do. We need help. We pray for help.
So, what about prayer?
Let’s start with who do we pray to?
Jesus is pretty clear. Don’t pray to Him, pray to God. Feel free to use His Name. Pray to God in His Name. He tells us God loves us because we
love Jesus. But, pray to
God.
If that is the case, seems like
it pretty much rules out praying to Saint Bob, does it not?
So, pray to God, ask for what
you want in Jesus Name. He always
listens and He always delivers.
The problem for us is that what He delivers is what we need, not
necessarily what we want.
Need and want, they are both
four letter words, oft used interchangeably, which do not mean the same thing.
God’s Will is always done, we
just don’t understand. Accept what
happens as acceptable, so long as you have done all you can. In the end, all that counts is where
you go when you leave here. That
depends on your actions in following Jesus’ instructions. If you believe, you are safe. Now and forever.
Ø Talk
the Talk;
AND
Ø Walk
the Walk.
It is an uphill trail. The easy downhill trail does not lead
to the summit.
Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get
copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.
Today is one of those Sundays.
Today’s sermon comes from Ezekial.
You might ask yourself, what does that have to do with the lectionary
and the Easter season? Read it and
find out, I personally guarantee it will be well worth your time!
If you don’t take anything else from
Bishop Jerry’s fine work, remember this:
Wherever Christ is, there will also be the Holy Spirit. If Christ is in
our hearts, the Holy Spirit will take possession and drive out the spirits of
lust, greed, and deception. We come to obey God, not through the
compulsion of legality and Laws engraved on Tables of Stone, but out of that
Law of Love that is written in Crimson on the soft sinews of our hearts. Not
only will we avoid doing evil (keep my judgments), but we will
not commit, as the General Confession states, sins of omission by seeking good
to do toward others.
Sermon Notes
Rogation Sunday
13 May 2012 Anno Domini
The
Collect for The Fifth Sunday after Easter,
commonly
called Rogation Sunday.
The
Collect.
O
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LORD, from whom all good things do
come; Grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may
think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guiding may perform the
same; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye
shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also save you from
all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and
lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and
the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine
among the heathen. 31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings
that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your
iniquities and for your abominations. 32 Not for your sakes do I this,
saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your
own ways, O house of Israel. 33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I
shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell
in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land
shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.
35 And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the
garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced,
and are inhabited. 36 Then the heathen that are left round about you shall
know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate:
I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. 37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I
will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I
will increase them with men like a flock. 38 As the holy flock, as the
flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled
with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezek 36:25-38)
Have you ever tried to clean a really filthy basin by starting on the outside?
Which is more important for our health, the cleanliness of the outside of the
basin or the inside? If we start by cleaning the outside first, we may find
that the outside will become just as soiled as before when we begin cleaning the
inside later. If a plumbing fixture in our house is clogged, do we clean the
outside and surrounding environment first, or do we unclog the fixture first
and then clean the outside?
God works in the same way – he cleans our hearts so that the outside may be
cleaned with the sprinkling of water. By the outward sprinkling of water shall
the outward sign of cleansing be made. That inward, spiritual grace of the
Sacrament occurs in the heart. The whole being of man, as well as his eternal
destiny depends more on the condition of his heart than does the life of his
body. When God abides in our hearts, there will be left no room for idols
or perversions. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean
water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all
your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give
you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
The old, malicious and legal heart of stone must be replaced by a heart of
tender flesh. What does this mean to the Christian? How do we receive this new
Spirit and this new Heart?
We receive this New Heart by genuinely professing a true faith and belief in
the Lord Jesus Christ. We must know, by faith, that He has died in payment of
our sin debt, that He was buried and rose again on the third day, and that He
sits on the right hand of God the Father to make constant intercession on our
behalf. It is our faith and our believing that will open the DOOR (Jesus
Christ) of the Sheepfold to us. Our faith cannot be fickle if it is to be
saving. It must be a somber and earnest faith that Christ is Savior, Redeemer,
Lord, and King of our lives. He will be a God of the Sunday Lord's Day only,
but the Lord of the continual seven-days-a-week Sabbath. 27 And
I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye
shall keep my judgments, and do them. Wherever Christ is, there
will also be the Holy Spirit. If Christ is in our hearts, the Holy Spirit will
take possession and drive out the spirits of lust, greed, and deception.
We come to obey God, not through the compulsion of legality and Laws engraved
on Tables of Stone, but out of that Law of Love that is written in Crimson on
the soft sinews of our hearts. Not only will we avoid doing evil (keep my
judgments), but we will not commit, as the General Confession states,
sins of omission by seeking good to do toward others.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers;
and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Which
land…Canaan? No, not at all. He will give us that land which Moses entered from
atop the heights of Mt. Nebo. Moses looked over into Canaan, but was taken to
be with God instead of going to Canaan. The next time Moses appears in
Scripture, he is on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah. This is
a beautiful illustration of the complete Word of God. Elijah represents the
Prophets and Moses the Law. Both together represent the whole of the Old
Testament. Christ represents the consummation of the long thirsted after
Purpose of God by crowning both the Law and the Prophets with the Grace and
Mercy of His Person. The Law and the Prophets are not separate from Christ, but
are an integral part of His revelation in the fullness of the Scriptures. The
old school was given to teach us to know our frailty and depravity. They both
prepared the hearts of man for the coming Savior who would redeem us from those
frailties of a sinful nature.
29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call
for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And
I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye
shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Do you, or do you not belief, that Christ is
the Lord of the Harvest? We cannot wash our robes as the NIV version claims in
Revelation 22:14 - "Blessed are those who wash their robes,
that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates
into the city." (Rev 22:14) (NIV) Only God can wash us, and only
Christ can provide that White Robe of Righteousness typified by the returning
prodigal's father. God will call for the Harvest and increase our yields
by the same Voice that spoke Light into existence on the first day of Creation.
He will forestall the famine and pestilence from afflicting our fields. He will
make our way straight and not narrow.
31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that
were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your
iniquities and for your abominations. This is the dawn of
first-light in the soul called to God – to recognize, with tears of repentance,
their true natures that have been at enmity to God. It is important – very
important – that we remember from what swamps of sin from which we have been
drawn out. It is important that we despise our sins and our complicity with it.
We have looked at the murderous Cain, the adulterous and murderous King David,
the treachery of Judas, the profligacy of Herod – and we have seen ourselves as
if by looking in a mirror. That mirror is the Word of God. It reveals our total
hopelessness without a Redeemer.
32 Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD,
be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of
Israel. God does not act to amend our characters and redeem
our souls for the benefit of the sinful soul that we are at the Calling, but of
the virtuous character that the former thief, robber, liar, murderer and
adulterer may acquire through the efficacious working of God's Holy Spirit.
Thankfully, god never beholds us as what we currently are, but what we may
become under the comforting and gentle influence of His Holy Spirit.
Though these passages have a reference to that fallen Israel of the Old
Testament, it has an even more relevant meaning to that new Israel of Promise
expressed in Romans, Galatians, and other parts of NT Scripture. That new Israel
is the same Israel to which Abraham laid claim all the way back in Genesis.
33 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day that I shall have cleansed
you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the
cities, and the wastes shall be builded. 34 And the desolate land
shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. 35 And
they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden;
and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and
are inhabited. Though the Jewish nation-state of modern
Israel has reclaimed land that has lain in waste for centuries, the state does
not meet the descriptive marks of the Israel of God – neither racially nor
nationally. There is no place on earth today that can compare with the Garden
of Eden. The desolate and ruined cities are still desolate and lie in ruins.
The miracle of that nation which claims God as its Lord will certainly produce
a greater wealth of faith and virtue than that war-torn little acre in the
Middle East. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. (Psalms 33:12) If we
attempt to force any description of the people of God other than those who have
believed and accepted the Promise, we labor in vain. God's people are not a
people of a certain race or nationally, but those who have received the Lord
Jesus Christ as Savior. Neither give heed to fables and endless
genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in
faith: so do. (1 Tim 1:4) and But avoid foolish questions, and
genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are
unprofitable and vain. (Titus 3:9)
In the process of blessing His people, either nationally (as in the great
history of the once-Godly nation), or individually, the unbelievers are always
amazed at our resilience and joy in peace as well as in moments of trial. 36 Then
the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the
ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it,
and I will do it. He blesses always, without distinction of
race, that nation bearing the fruits of righteousness. Blessed is the
nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance. (Psalms 33:12) All peoples of the earth – Jews, Gentiles,
blacks, whites, Asians, Indians, men, women – all have had the DOOR opened to
the redeeming blood of Christ.
37 Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be
enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase
them with men like a flock. It is to be prayed and hoped for
that God will bring the modern Jewish nation into the fold of believers. But it
is not consistent with the nature and Word of God to bring them into God's fold
as a people who cling to the legal system of ancient days, or sacrifice lambs
and bulls for a remission of sin. When they ACCEPT, and not REJECT, Christ,
they have assurance of being reconciled to God. In remonstrating with the
rulers of Israel in the Temple, Jesus was clear in His warning to them: Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
(Matt 21:43) What nation? ANY nation that bears the fruits of the
Gospel faith.
38 As the holy flock, as the
flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled
with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD. Thus shall
the Lord bring to pass His Kingdom in the Latter Day. The waste cities
shall, indeed, be filled wherever the Gospel of Christ is preached and received
by the people of that land. The vast stretches of prairie and meadow of
America lay in waste for centuries until a people, bearing the cross of Christ,
came seeking religious liberty. Then were the waste places filled and the land
knew the Lord. Such a prosperous people were never before known in the world,
nor since that Godly nation dominated the continent. Can we restore the Bright
Hope of Liberty? The same can happen to any people until such time as the Lord
draws the curtain of time down on our human undertakings.
Having
read Bishop Jerry’s Sermon, consider this prayer:
The following prayer for our
country is found on Page 36 of the Book of Common Prayer. Please reflect on how we would be doing
as a country if we each did our best to follow the prayer and reflect on how
your personal life would be if you did your best in your very own life to
follow the prayer’s direction.
For Our Country. BCP 36
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LMIGHTY God, who hast
given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always
prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless
our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us
from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every
evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the
multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the
spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of
government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through
obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the
earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the
day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all of which we ask
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Last Words
John André (2 May 1750 – 2
October 1780) was a British Army officer hanged as a spy during the American
War of Independence. This was due to an incident in which he attempted to
assist Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New
York to the British.
While Major Andre' was
awaiting his execution, he seems to have given serious thought to eternal
matters. Doubtless he recalled his early training given him by his Huguenot
parents who had found spiritual refuge in England. Until he faced death, Andre'
had lived the usual social life of an army officer -- one continuous whirl of
gay functions, but his capture and trial changed all of that. Death for him was
but a matter of days.
In repentance and faith, he
turned to that blessed One who had long before said, "Him that cometh unto
Me I will in no wise cast out." -- John 6:37 Major Andre' found there was
amazing grace even for him, and he tasted the fruits of conversion -- joy and
peace in believing after full repentance. This is set forth wonderfully in his
own words in a poem, "My Hiding Place," found in his pocket after he
was hanged at Tappan, New York, October 2, 1780. Here is the poem.
My Hiding Place
Hail,
sovereign love, which first began
The
scheme to rescue fallen man!
Hail,
matchless, free, eternal grace,
Which
gave my soul a Hiding Place
Against
the God who built the sky
I
fought with hands uplifted high --
Despised
the mention of His grace,
Too
proud to seek a Hiding Place.
Enwrapt
in thick Egyptian night,
And
fond of darkness more than light,
Madly
I ran the sinful race,
Secure
-- without a Hiding Place!
But
thus the eternal counsel ran:
Almighty
love, arrest that man!
I felt
the arrows of distress,
And
found I had no Hiding Place.
Indignant
Justice stood in view;
To
Sinai's fiery mount I flew;
But
Justice cried with frowning face,
This
mountain is no Hiding Place!
Ere
long a heavenly voice I heard,
And
mercy's angel soon appeared:
He led
me, with a beaming face
To
JESUS as a Hiding Place.
On Him
almighty vengeance fell,
Which
must have sunk a world to hell!
He
bore it for a sinful race,
And
thus became our Hiding Place.
Should
sevenfold storms of thunder roll,
And
shake this globe from pole to pole,
No
thunderbolt shall daunt my face,
For
Jesus is my Hiding Place.
A few
more setting suns at most
Shall
land me on that glorious coast,
Where
I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my glorious Hiding Place!
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