Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

The Propers for today are found on Page 210-211, with the Collect first:

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

K

EEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Dru Arnold read the Epistle, which came from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the Eleventh Verse. Paul continues to warn us of the conflict in our lives between the things valued here on earth and those valued by the forces of heaven (God).  Writing to the Gentiles in Galatia, using to the rite of circumcision as a symbol for all of The Law, he warns, “As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.”  Those who are every eager to have you follow “The Law” themselves fail to follow its intent.  Paul goes on to say that Jesus’ new covenant transcends The Law and The Law no longer has hold over man.  For in Jesus there is salvation, may “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

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E see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Deacon Striker Jack Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel which was written in the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, beginning at the Twenty-Fourth Verse. Jesus tells us, “No man can serve two masters …Ye cannot serve God and mammon[1].”  There is only one first place, only one can be in that place.  We either place God in first place or we put something else there.  If we wish riches in this world as the most important thing in our life, we place the things of this world in first place.  If we follow our Lord Jesus and His instruction, we place God in that first place.  But, what of this world?  “Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they?”  Jesus tells us not to worry, for worry is of no positive value.  When faced with a problem, we must do our best, not merely claim to do our best, and trust in God.  For, “which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life?” God knows we have need of the things of this world while we are in it, he knows we worry about, “What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”  If we first seek “His kingdom, and His righteousness” He will take care of all our necessities.  But we must do as He asks, not merely say we are doing so.  If you follow God’s directions, you will be wealthy beyond description.  While you will never be “Bill Gates” rich, you will never lack what you need on this earth or in the world to come.

Jesus tells us, “Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  We are not to worry, but to our best and let the morrow come as it will.  We are to do our best, not merely say we are doing our best.  For if we truly do our best, then that is all that can be done and there is no point in worrying.

Using an earlier phrase, Trust in God and Dread Naught.

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O man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow: for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Sermon – Time and Action

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

Consider the words of the Collect, “… Keep … thy Church with thy perpetual mercy; and … keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation …”

When the Collect talks about the church, it is not talking about buildings; it is talking about us.   Each of us; all of us.  We need God’s Mercy and Grace to keep us from desiring those things which are bad for us and help us to see that we really want those things that are good for us.

Speaking of things, just like the Jewish based Christians of Paul’s time, it often seems like everyone has secret rituals, handshakes or hoops they want you to jump through to be really IN.  Paul reminds us that all fall short, and special fancy diets, days or outfits do not change us.  It is only by the Grace of God through our Lord Jesus that we find real salvation.  Our salvation is not based on the ritual, the handshake or even the slice of the circumcision scalpel.

Our salvation comes one way, by the Grace of God through our Lord Jesus. 

That brings us to Saint Matthew’s point, one cannot serve two masters.  Like that bad pun, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  You cannot travel both paths.  We must choose who we will serve: God or the world.  If we chose God, that does not mean that we turn our back on the world around us, but rather that we interface with the world using the Rules of Engagement given to us by our Lord.  We prioritize our actions with Him first.  Our family motto; God • Honor • Country • Family is an example of this prioritization.  First things first.  Build from the inside out and the bottom up.  Do not mistake this motto for perfection, we have erred and strayed from our ways like every lost sheep, probably farther than most.  But we know which way is The Way and keep correcting back on course. 

Prioritization can be as a simple as coming home early on Saturday night so that you get a good night’s sleep and are ready for the Sunday church service.  It can be as complex as leaving a job that interferes with your honoring God, Country or Family.  First things first.

Through out the Bible we are exhorted to respect God, be honorable, work hard and take care of our families.  If we do these things, following God’s Will, our fiscal standing here on earth will be sound.  Follow these precepts, you will never be lacking, but you will never be inordinately wealthy, “Bill Gates rich” so to speak.  For to do that requires reprioritization to wealth in the first place.  Replacing allegiance to God with allegiance to wealth is a one way ticket to a destination you don’t want.

The last part of this reading is the one I personally have the most trouble with.   I am far too ready to borrow trouble from tomorrow.  Every day, I pray at least twice for help with this.  It is getting better; I am confident on one thoughtful level that no good comes of worry, yet I have such a hard time acting on that thought.

God wants you to be happy; He knows what will make you happy.  God does not mind if you have fun along the way, but never pursue fun confusing it with happiness.  In the end, you won’t find either.

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

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 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity:

God Can; Mammon Can't

Psalm 49, Galatians 6:11-18, Matthew 6:24-34

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

September 16, 2012

"There be some that put their trust in their goods, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches."  These words from the sixth verse of the Forty-ninth Psalm express truth that is both self-evident and irrefutable.  But Psalm 49 does not end there.  It continues on to one of its primary points, which is to show, to those who put their trust in mammon, that mammon is completely unworthy of their trust. Whether they have concluded that there is no God, therefore they should, "eat drink, and be merry," or whether they are looking to mammon to ease the pain of the disappointments of life, on the idea that, "when the going gets tough, go shopping;" or whether they look to their goods as rewards for their good deeds and signs of God's favour; or whether they just prefer mammon over God, mammon cannot deliver what they expect from it.

Psalm 49. Audite hæc, omnes

O

 HEAR ye this, all ye people; * ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;

2 High and low, rich and poor, * one with another.

3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, * and my heart shall muse of understanding.

4 I will incline mine ear to the parable, * and show my dark speech upon the harp.

5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, * when wickedness at my heels compasseth me round about?

6 There be some that put their trust in their goods, * and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

7 But no man may deliver his brother, * nor give a ran- som unto God for him,

8 (For it cost more to redeem their souls, * so that he must let that alone for ever;)

9 That he shall live alway, * and not see the grave.

10 For he seeth that wise men also die and perish together, * as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.

11 And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever, and that their dwelling-places shall endure from one generation to another; * and call the lands after their own names.

12 Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not, * seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish;

13 This their way is very foolishness; * yet their poster- ity praise their saying.

14 They lie in the grave like sheep; death is their shep herd; and the righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning: * their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre, and have no abiding.

15 But God hath delivered my soul from the power of the grave; * for he shall receive me.

16 Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich, * or if the glory of his house be increased;

17 For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, * neither shall his pomp follow him.

18 For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man; * and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee.

19 He shall follow the generation of his fathers, * and shall never see light.

20 Man that is in honour but hath no understanding * is compared unto the beasts that perish.

Why not?  For the answer, look at verses 12 and 17.  "Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not, seeing that he may be compared to the beasts that perish."  "For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, neither shall his pomp follow him."   These verses express a major point of the Psalm, and of the entire Bible, which I think we can paraphrase by saying, mammon cannot deliver a person from the trials of life. What verse 12 calls 'Being in honour" is a euphemistic way of saying a person is rich, and because of his wealth, people defer to him.  Some people are infatuated with the rich and famous.  They buy products because "celebrities" endorse them.  They flock to hear celebrities speak, and stand for hours in heat or cold to catch a glimpse of an athlete or actor.  Why? Simply because they are rich and famous.  As the Psalm says the rich are "in honour."

But the Psalm goes on to say, that man "abideth not."  His wealth is temporary, and if he loses his wealth, he also loses his adoring fans.  Yet there is deeper meaning in the words, "abideth not."  They imply that the man's life itself is temporary and subject to the vagaries of life.  His wealth can neither stay the hand of death nor insulate him from the trials of life.  News programs often have stories about "celebrities," and the internet home page I use has several stories about them every day.  I rarely read the stories or know who those people are, but I notice one thing in the headlines; they all have problems.  They have marital problems, financial problems, family problems, health problems, and they all die.  Their mammon  does not protect them.  In fact, it seems it often works against them, for, rather than having to face their problems, their mammon seems to enable them to run away and seek comfort in it.  Have marital problems? Buy a new yacht.  Have family problems?  Take a Vegas vacation.  Feeling a little down?.  A new Jag will make you feel better.

I have noticed that those who are not so rich have the same tendency.  Instead of Vegas they may go to the mall.  Instead of a yacht they may buy a canoe.  Instead of a Jag they may get a new shirt, or a new hobby, or some other form of self-amusement.  Either way, they are attempting to console themselves with mammon, and it doesn't work.  Their houses, their little kingdoms of fantasy, will not stand the trials of life, and their pomp will not follow them.

But the primary reason mammon cannot deliver what people want from it is that mammon cannot save the soul.  Look at verse 7, "no man may deliver his brother, nor give a ransom unto God for Him."  When a person stands before God on Judgment Day, mammon will not get him into Heaven.  Money, land, houses, fame, gold, and possessions are without value on that day.  Revelation 21:21 describes the streets of the New Jerusalem as paved with gold.  I believe this signifies that the New Jerusalem is richly and gloriously appointed.  I also believe it shows gold is so irrelevant to life there, it is used to pave the streets.  Something so irrelevant will not be able to get a soul into Heaven, even if you could take it with you.

But there is another side to this Psalm, another message, and that message is more important that the first.  That message is that there is hope, or, in New Testament language, there is salvation in God.  God can do what mammon can't.

Mammon can't protect you from the troubles of life, but, in Romans 8:28, God promises to work all things for your good. Mammon cannot give meaning and purpose to life, God is purpose and God is life. He gives you a reason to live, to work to love. Mammon is not constant.  It can be stolen, rust away, and destroyed.  God can never be taken from you, and God will never go away from you.  "Lo, I am with you alway," said the One who is called Emmanuel, God with us.  So, if you lose all your money, your home, and even your life, you still have God.  Money can't get you into Heaven, but God is preparing a place in Heaven for you, and He said, If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also."  He will not just get you into Heaven, He will escort you to Heaven Himself.

Matthew 6 and Galatians also speak to this issue of serving mammon or serving God.  Matthew is about those whose lives revolve around mammon because their concern is always for the needs and pleasures of the flesh. Galatians 6 refers to those who try to appease God with good works, but whose orientation in life is still primarily toward the flesh.  These people go to church, when it is convenient for them, which it rarely is.  They give a little money, also when it is convenient.  They may "pray," they may read the Bible, and they may be well informed in theological matters.  But the point is that they are still sowing to their flesh rather than to their spirits.  They continue to place their own desires above the will of God, and they hope their religious deeds will placate God.  They cannot say with Paul that, through Christ "the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

To such people, and to all people, Christ says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God."  This is another way of saying what we find in other places in Scripture; "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and, "Thou shalt have no other gods but Me."  God is what life is about.  Knowing Him, loving Him.  In Him is life and light and true joy forever.  That's why, when others turned away from Christ, Peter said to the Lord, "Where would we go, only Thou hast the words of everlasting life."  Thus, our Lord said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."

Lord, teach us to value You above all things.  In Christ's Name, Amen.

Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon

We are fortunate to have Brian’s Sunday Sermon.  I was particularly taken by this part,  “Satan has created other masters that are meant to lure us from the straight and narrow path of our Christian walk. It should be understood at the outset that, in the time of this mortal life, you can expect to be troubled by the devil and his minions. We are daily faced with his inventive and insidious lures, particularly those twin menaces of doubt and worry. The devil uses these to elevate our troubles and accentuate our fears. If the devil can get us to think that our problems are too big for God, then…” Then, we are in BIG TROUBLE.  This is really a superb piece and I commend it to your careful reading.

The Sermon

In our gospel lesson (St. Matthew 6:24) we heard our Lord say, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

While our Lord was talking about wealth, we know that anything which attempts to take the place of the Godhead in our lives is a potential master seeking to dethrone the true Master of our souls. In St. Paul's time there were those unregenerate amongst the Jews who tried to impose an unnecessary adherence to Judaism upon the newly-formed community of Galatian Christians. In response to what he had been told of the matter, he penned the following (3:21-29) ... the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster... For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ... And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The apostle concluded his epistle with these words: And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God.

The Rev. Matthew Henry once noted that the apostle was pronouncing a blessing upon both Gentile and Jew who adhered to the doctrine of the gospel and were thus spiritual heirs of Abraham. It ought to be clearly understood from our reading of Scripture that God has created through Jesus Christ only one path to salvation. We should disabuse ourselves of the notion that there are, as the New Agers claim, many paths to God. Do not be tricked into believing that line of hokum for it was just such a warning which St. Paul sent to the Galatians. The requirements of the law have been fulfilled by the one Rabbi, Master and Saviour who came to free us from this body of sin and death.

Nevertheless, Satan has created other masters that are meant to lure us from the straight and narrow path of our Christian walk. It should be understood at the outset that, in the time of this mortal life, you can expect to be troubled by the devil and his minions. We are daily faced with his inventive and insidious lures, particularly those twin menaces of doubt and worry. The devil uses these to elevate our troubles and accentuate our fears. If the devil can get us to think that our problems are too big for God, then such will impair our communion with the Godhead and will keep us from realizing our true calling into his service. Examine the words of our Lord in our gospel lesson when he said, Take no thought of your life...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you... Doubt by its very nature causes us to hold our hands up and keep God at a distance. We look at what his word says and then the devil provides us with editorial comments such as, "Oh, that is not what it really means;" or, "Do you really believe that?" or, "That is impossible;" or , "God does not care about you."

Worry masters us, particularly if we hold the notion of our sovereign ability as captains of our lives. The devil encourages us to adopt this attitude so he can load us down with the cares and concerns of this life, and foolishly we assume them in the mistaken belief that we are in control. If you are a regenerate person, you should know that God is sovereign over all aspects of your life. If he is not, and you think that you have control, you will have worries "to beat the band" as the old folks would say.

Most of us were been brought up to be independent, career-oriented persons. We were taught to be diligent in our particular occupations in order provide for ourselves and our families. That is the natural and normative understanding of maturity. But many have not been taught to understand that God is the sovereign ruler of the whole of Creation. And if he is LORD over all things, that includes our lives as well. There is an old joke about a man who was busy trying to find a parking place in a large city. He had driven around the block a number of times and then in his frustration, he called out to God to help him. Just then, a parking spot opened up right in front of the place he wanted to enter. He then lifted his eyes up to heaven and said, "Thanks, LORD, but I already found one myself." Clearly, that man had called on God for help, but when it came, he would not give God the credit. He must not have thought that God was really listening to him, or that he had just gotten a lucky break as it were; but it certainly was not of God. Or, have you ever done something good for another and he or she took credit for it themselves? The devil enjoys seeing human beings elevating their own efforts over that of God.

Our challenge as born-again believers is to reject the notion that we are sovereign and live in accordance with God's word and commandment. In Christ Jesus we have died to this world and are reborn as new people. Our bodies are therefore vessels of the Holy Spirit. We understand that we have been bought with a price and that we no longer belong to ourselves. Consider the Lord's Prayer which many often recite without much thought: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven... Think on that last phrase for it is pregnant with the Christian ethos. We do not say our will be done but his will. And, we do not say our kingdom come but his kingdom that we seek. If we are not living for him and him alone then we have not been born again of the Holy Ghost. If he is Lord, he is Lord over all our life and not just an hour or so on Sunday or on Wednesday evening.

Those who would not have the Godhead as their sovereign LORD and Master will have Satan as their default ruler. There are no shades of gray in God's way of thinking. Either you are saved, or you are not. If you are saved, God is your LORD and Master. The New Age, All-Inclusive, Laodicean versions of the Christian faith have been fabricated by our adversary for the purpose of leading humanity away from the truth of God's word written. Do not become a casualty in this great spiritual war which is raging all around us. Put your faith in God and in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who died on that rude cross so that all who believe on him might live with him forever. Lean on his breast as the beloved apostle, St. John did at the Last Supper and was comforted beyond measure. Rely on his word and commandment as opposed to relying on your own understanding. And trust in him, as the 23rd Psalm so states, to lead you through the valley of the shadow of death into green pastures and by the still waters. God will do those things for us, and so much more, if we will follow his word written: being born again by means of the Holy Ghost in full acceptance of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ as the only way, truth and life. Anything less will avail us nothing of God's blessings nor of his kingdom.

The base text for a sermon delivered by this minister entitled, No Man Can Serve Two Masters.

Let us pray,

Father, make of us a people who, being born again of the Holy Ghost, will seek after thee and accept thy sovereign will over all aspects of our lives; for this we ask in the name of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Have a blessed week,

Bryan+

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[1] Mammon - a Chaldee or Syriac word meaning "wealth" or "riches" (Luke 16:9-11); also, by personification, the god of riches (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:9-11).

1: wealth regarded as an evil influence

2: (New Testament) a personification of wealth and avarice as an evil spirit.