Seventh Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 198-199, with the Collect first:

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

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ORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle, which was came from the Sixth Chapter of Saint Paul’s  letter to the Romans beginning at the Nineteenth  Verse. Paul reminds us when we strive above all else for the things of this world, we gain nothing we can take with us to the next.  “For, when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.”  Conversely, if we will be servants of God (righteousness) we can be free from the devil sin).  “… the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If we will follow God, we will live, not only forever in the next world, but better in this world.  We must put aside what we did and do what He would have us do.  Actions are the key to everything.  Talk is nice.  Action is what counts.

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 SPEAK after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which was written in the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Mark beginning at the First Verse. Jesus had been in the wilderness teaching a multitude, some four thousand in number.  In those pre-restaurant on every corner days, the people had been without food and were hungry.  Jesus was concerned and inventoried their supplies, seven loaves and a few small fishes.  He gave thanks to God, and commanded the food to be set out before the people.  When they had eaten their fill, the scraps gathered up from the seven loaves filled seven baskets.

Many speculated over the years as to just how He did it.  The answer is simple, He did it.  He did not talk about feeding the multitude and sit down to His own meal.  He acted and they were fed.  Does this story recall the words from the Last Supper used in Holy Communion at the Consecration? “he took Bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of me.”  Those few words produced The Word, which has satisfied so many over millenniums. 

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N those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

Sermon – Time and Action

Today’s sermon tied the Epistle and Gospel together talked as is oft the case of the need for action, not simply diction, the general content is in forewords above.

Consider the words from the Collect,  … author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same (that is to say keep us in goodness)…

To get anywhere, we must acknowledge in our hearts that all good is of and comes from God.  Once we acknowledge that, we are in a position to ask God to put in to our hearts love of Him and all that is His.  This will help us to appreciate and act in goodness.  Without His love our efforts will ultimately be of no avail.

So, pretty clearly we need to be of God.  Thus, when Paul wrote to the people of Rome, he was writing to all of us; for there truly is nothing new in the world.  Before we are of God, we are of this world.  Our life is here, our end is here.  Once we are of God, then we are merely sojourners here; our life is not really here and certainly does not end here.  The only way to be of God is through God, that is His Son, our Lord.

If we will follow God, we will live, not only forever in the next world, but better in this world.  We must put aside what we did and do what He would have us do.  Actions are the key to everything.  Talk is nice.  Action is what counts.

Saint Mark tells us of action. Jesus had been in the wilderness teaching a multitude, some four thousand in number.  In those pre-restaurant on every corner days, the people had been without food and were hungry.  Jesus was concerned and inventoried their supplies, seven loaves and a few small fishes.  He gave thanks to God, and commanded the food to be set out before the people.  When they had eaten their fill, the scraps gathered up from the seven loaves filled seven baskets.

Many speculated over the years as to just how He did it.  The answer is simple, He did it.  He did not talk about feeding the multitude and then sit down to His own meal.  He acted and they were fed.  Does this story recall the words from the Last Supper used in Holy Communion at the Consecration? “he took Bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you; Do this in remembrance of me.”  Those few words produced The Word, which has satisfied so many over millenniums. 

Be of God - Live of God  - Act of God.

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 starts off with the collect.  It will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

Sermon Notes

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

22 July 2012, Anno Domini

The Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

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ORD of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things; Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. 15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Gen 22:1-18)

     There is a Scarlet Thread of Blood Sacrifice (as Dr. W.A Criswell has rightly spoken) that runs from the Fall of Adam in Genesis to the events of Good Friday two thousand years ago. You will recall that the first death on earth occurred immediately after Adam's disobedience eastward in the Garden at Eden. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Gen 3:21) The animal (most likely a lamb) from which these skins were taken, foreshadows that coming bloody sacrifice of the Lamb of God as a covering for our nakedness in sins and trespasses. Abel, the first prophet, also died in giving an acceptable sacrifice of a lamb. The Pascal Lamb of the First Passover significantly typified, in imperfect form, that perfect sacrifice of our own Passover – the crucifixion of Christ as a propitiation for our sins.

     To the harlot, Rahab, it was spoken: "Thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window" (Joshua 2:18) It was not by her righteousness or good works that a harlot named Rahab was saved to become the mother of Boaz, and thus a great grandmother to David and presumed ancestor to Christ, but faith prompted by grace that saved her.

     In our text today, we have one of the most complete and perfect foreshadowing's of the sacrifice of Christ given in the Old Testament – the voyage of Abraham to Mt. Moriah with the intention of obeying God by sacrificing his only beloved son. Abraham, in type, prefigures God the Father who will, indeed, sacrifice His own only Begotten and well-beloved Son in the fullness of time. Isaac is a type of Christ upon whose shoulders were laid the burden of the sins of the world as a wooden cross at Calvary. The Mountain at Moriah happens to be the very same upon which the Temple stands as well as Calvary – or very near to it and in the same range. Please consider the great faith of Abraham expressed in these lines as he is commanded to sacrifice his only son. Consider, too, the great truth that God intends to impart to us who believe.

     1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. 2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

     It surely DID `come to pass' for it was decided upon in the Councils of Heaven long before the world, and all its creatures, was ever created. We know not the date for this momentous decision for there are no calendars in Heaven. The Great I AM is an eternal Present!

     God tempts no man to sin! This reference to the tempting of Abraham means that God was testing the faith of Abraham. He could not have chosen a better subject for the trial. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7) Ah, yes, at the appearing of Jesus Christ! Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad (John 8:56) True and living faith is always rewarded in its glorious fulfillment.

     God, who promised Abraham multitudes of sons and daughters, has tarried in giving even one son until Abraham and Sarah are advanced in years – beyond the age of childbearing. But the promises of God are certain in their accomplishment. Even as we speak, the rolls of multitudes of sons and daughters of Abraham are being increased as the children of the promised Seed are added moment by moment. Imagine Abraham's relief and contentment at finally having received a son from the Lord – clearly given by the miracle of Promise and not by the normal process of childbearing. Just what Abraham was doing at the moment that the voice of God spoke to him on that fateful day we are not told. But, whatever it was, Abraham dropped all other pursuits and listened to God – always!

     God spoke crushing words to Abraham: Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. That was all! This son was so much comparable, in circumstance, with Jesus. He was an only son of miraculous birth (like Christ); he was well-beloved of his father (like Christ); and he was to be offered up on Moriah (like Christ – carrying the means of his own death). So how did Abraham respond to this seemingly tragic news?

     3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Abraham immediately obeyed God – and COMPLETELY! He never offered a word of questioning doubt. He simply obeyed! He prepared and carried with him the means required to complete the command of God. Abraham, by faith, ALWAYS obeyed God. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise (Heb 11:8-9) May God, by grace, grant us a like faith  of Abraham.

     4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off On the third day, Christ rose from the Tomb. On this, the third day, would Isaac be redeemed from the terrible prospects of death by a substitute sacrifice.

     5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. If you have your Bibles open, please read with deep understanding the great faith demonstrated in this verse. Abraham tells the young men with him that he and Isaac will go yonder and worship and "come again to you!" What profound faith! Abraham loved God. He KNEW the nature of God – that He was loving and kind. He did not know by what means, but surely he believed that by SOME means, Isaac would be restored whole to him. Obedience to God, too, is always an act of worship.

     6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. God the Father laid the sins of the world upon the shoulders of His only Begotten Son in the form of a wooden cross which He bare. Now, Abraham does the same. Isaac climbed the mountain of his own presumed sacrifice bearing, in type, those sins. But Isaac would not be required of God to pay that penalty – nor COULD he. There remained only One who could pay that terrible price for us – the Lord Jesus Christ! Both climbed up the slopes of Moriah!

      7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? In the innocence of his youth, Isaac never questioned any motive of his father, but he did ask a reasonable question arising from factual observation – where is the Lamb? He did not know that the true Lamb was yet with His Father in Heaven.

     8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. Here we read one of the most profound prophecies in the Old Testament: "God will provide Himself a Lamb"……and He did! God provided that Lamb in the form of His only Begotten Son!

      9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. Abraham hesitated not in performing all things requisite for the sacrifice of his beloved son, Isaac. It might be observed here that anything placed on an altar is then dedicated fully to God. Isaac, though not sacrificed, and all his progeny in faith, are dedicated to the service of God. Are you, friends? Now, with a heart full of sorrow, Abraham raises the knife for the terrible offering to God – even Isaac his son.

     11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me It is good that Abraham was accustomed, by faith, to hear the voice of the Lord for this hearing saved his son from certain death. God is well pleased with Abraham's evidence of faith. God discovered that Abraham would hold nothing back from His Lord and His God. It is perhaps true that the trial and test of Abraham was intended to benefit us, the believers of the Promise, even more than Abraham. Abraham's faith was fixed on God, and God KNEW it! So God provides the faith of Abraham as an example of that faith that must lie in the hearts of all who believe.

     13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. This ram is a substitute type of that promised Lamb of God – in this case a substitute for Isaac, but there would be no such substitute for that Lamb of God which would come in the fullness of time. The thorn bush was placed upon the fair and innocent brow of our Lord at Calvary.

     14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen Yes, the name is symbolic to Mt. Moriah at which the "Lord will see to it" (the sacrifice).

     15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time If we are keen to hear the voice of the Lord, He will never cease to speak to us. 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son In other words, "Abraham, because you have not held even your only beloved son from me, I know that your heart if filled to the brim with love and faith of me."

     17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. This is a far greater promise than natural descent will allow. It is a promise filled in miraculous and persevering faith of the saints. God will bring numbers untold into the family of Abraham, far more by faith than by natural bloodlines. Only those who are of the family of faith in the Promised Seed shall be called the children of Abraham and not those of the natural bloodline. It is not who we are, but in WHOM we place our trust! This is the measure of the Church of Abraham and the Gospel to which he subscribed while the Promise was held in waiting.

     18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice Those nations whose faith and institutions are centered on God shall never suffer the ravages of war and desolation. How shall our own nation fare as we cast aside, day by day, every vestige of that abiding faith that made us a most cherished nation among the nations of the earth? If America can be saved, that salvation shall not occur through political measures. It is the common heart of America that must be turned back to her God and Benefactor. If America can now be retrieved from sure ruin, it must happen one heart at a time. AMEN

Bishop Dennis Campbell’s Sunday Sermon

As is oft the case, we are honored to present Bishop Dennis’ Sunday sermon presented to his parish.  Dennis has a great sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, my only comment is that the unity of which he speaks is unity centered on the Triune God, not a unity centered on a man made entity:

God of Unity

Psalm 133, Romans 6:19-33, Mark 8:1-9

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

July 22, 2012

Trinity is the season of Christian living.  That doesn't mean we don't live the Christian life at other times; it means that the subject of the sermons and Scripture readings during Trinity is the Christian life.  On the Seventh Sunday after Trinity we pause to remember again that even[1] the Christian life is a gift from God.  Thus, we beseech God to form within our souls, the love of His Name, the increase of true religion, and all goodness, and to keep us in these things throughout our earthy lives.

The reading from Romans 6 reminds us the wages of sin is death, but we, being freed from sin, are to bear the fruit of holiness.  The reading from Mark 8 shows Christ, the author and giver of all good things, supplying the needs of His people.  As He fed the multitude in the wilderness, we can trust Him to "give us this day our daily bread," especially the Bread of everlasting life.  Psalm 133 is about one of the greatest gifts of God to His people, the gift of unity in His Church.

Psalm 133. Ecce, quam bonum!

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EHOLD how good and joyful a thing it is, * for brethren to dwell together in unity!

2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, that ran down unto the beard, * even unto Aaron’s beard, and went down to the skirts of his clothing.

3 Like as the dew of Hermon, * which fell upon the hill of Sion.

4 For there the Lord promised his blessing, * and life for evermore.

In the Apostles' time, the Church was one body, spiritually and organizationally.  It was one organization with Christ as its Head accomplishing His teaching and government through the Apostles and other ministers.  The Apostles taught and ordained bishops and ministers, who were to teach others what they had learned.  Thus, Christ, the Word of God, called the Apostles to learn His teachings (Jn. 1:14-18, Lk. 24:27).  He then commissioned the Apostles to make disciples of others by teaching them what Christ had taught them (Mt. 28:19-20).  These men were to teach others, who would teach others (1 Tim. 2:2), and so it will continue until the Lord's Return.

All of the teacher/ministers answered to the Apostles.  The Apostles sent letters and instructions to them, and even sent delegations to their churches with authority to correct problems in doctrine and practice.  The Apostle Paul excommunicated Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Tim. 1:20) and placed Titus in Crete to establish churches and to appoint and ordain bishops and ministers as Paul had appointed and ordained him (Titus 1:5).  Even Peter was called to give an account of his activities to the other Apostles (Acts 11:1-18).  So the Church was one connected body.  There were no independent local congregations.  Local churches were part of the larger Church, teaching the Apostles' doctrine and under the supervision of bishops, who were under the Apostles' supervision.  That is why the picture of the Church as the Body of Christ is so accurate.  No part of the Body is independent of the others.  Each is dependent and organically connected to the whole Body, under the direction of the Head.  The Bible also illustrates this with the analogy of a Kingdom or Empire.  The Church is the Empire of Christ.  He is the Emperor, and His Empire is divided into provinces and counties, but no province or county is independent.  Each province is part of the Empire, and each is connected to the others

Writing about the unity of the Church, the Apostle Paul gives the foundation of our unity in Ephesians 4:1-6, and, especially in the well beloved words of verses 4, 5, and 6:

   "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

We have already looked at the meaning of "one body," but we should note here that one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, animates the Body.  The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church.  The calling is our invitation to be a part of the Body.  It is the Divine Invitation to be partakers of all the blessings of God in Christ; the forgiveness of sins, the communion of saints, the indwelling Spirit, the means of grace, holiness of life, and the hope of glory are all part of these blessings.  There is much more to your calling, but I will have to talk about that another time.  We are one in Christ, and in His blood.  In other words, we are all sinners saved by grace.  He died for our sins, and we are united in the fact that we are forgiven and made whole by His one offering of Himself on the cross.  Of course our unity is based on the One Lord.  There is one Lord, so there is also one body.  There is one Saviour, therefore there is one Church.

We are united in one faith.  That means we are united in the Apostles' doctrine, the doctrinal content of  Christianity, which we looked at earlier in the sermon.  But faith is also belief and trust.  So we are united in our belief in the doctrines, and also one in our trust in Christ as our Lord and Saviour.  We are one because we have partaken of one baptism, that is, our baptism into Christ, our spiritual baptism, accomplished by the Holy Spirit, by which we were placed in Christ, and Christ was placed in us, and of which our water baptism is a sign and seal.

I apologize for the quickness of this discussion of the basis of our unity.  I thought it necessary to mention it, but it is not the point of this sermon.  The point of the sermon is the point of Psalm 133, that it is a good and joyful thing for the people of God to dwell together in unity.  The Psalm does not give the details of the good and joyful benefits of Christian unity.  It does what poetry often does, giving images and word pictures rather than concrete examples.  It poetically compares unity to the oil that consecrates the high priest in the line of Aaron.  The oil was costly, and perfumed with sweet and exotic spices.  It was pleasant to see and smell, and it was poured in abundance over the head of the High Priest so that it ran down to his beard and some even dripped onto of his robe.  In that semi-arid climate, the oil reminded the people of the soothing and healing effect oil had on their chapped, dry hands and skin.

Keeping the dry climate of the area in mind, picture the wonder and appreciation the people would have for the pleasant climate of Mount Hermon. With an elevation over nine thousand feet, it is often snow capped through mid summer, and its melting snow and abundant rain are major sources of the waters of the Jordan River.  Nights can be cold there, even in July and August.  The mountain is a cool and refreshing retreat in an otherwise hot, dry area.  The point, of course is that the fellowship, the belonging, the love, the acceptance, the unity of God's people is a cool, refreshing refuge from the dessert wilderness of the world. 

This unity is both a gift to the people of God, and the responsibility of the people of God.  It is a major part of our calling to preserve the unity of the Church, especially in our local congregation.  Next to ensuring that we have our unity in the Apostolic faith recorded in Scripture, being sources of encouragement and edification rather than strife and sorrow may be our most important task as Christians. Remember that the world will know we are Christ's people because we love one another, and our growth in Christ is tied to our belonging to His Body.  So it is imperative that we are able to say from experience, "Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."

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[1] Perhaps even is not the right word, for a Christian Life is the centerpiece of our gifts from God.  Without the Holy Ghost entering into our lives, we cannot live in God, of God and through God.