The Propers for today are found
on Page 217-218, with the Collect first:
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we
beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in
body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dru Arnold read
the Epistle for today, which came from Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians beginning
at the Fifteenth Verse of the Fifth Chapter. “… the days are evil. … understand… what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk
with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; …” God wants us to be happy, to be
good and to enjoy life. The key to
happiness is to do what God asks of you.
No more (you can’t), no less.
Though you fall short, keep trying, that is all God asks. If you find this no other place,
listen to the words of St. Paul.
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ee then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your
heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another in
the fear of God.
Hap Arnold read today’s Holy Gospel, which came from
the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew beginning at
the First Verse. Talking to the
priests and scribes, Jesus told one of the wedding parables, “The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent
forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would
not come. Again, he sent forth
other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto
the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm,
another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated
them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:
and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up
their city. Then” he sent “his servants … into the highways” to “gather…
together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was
furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw
there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he saith unto him, Friend,
how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?[1]
And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
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esus said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a
certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to
call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he
sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have
prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are
ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways,
one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants,
and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof,
he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and
burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and
as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into
the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and
good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding-garment: and he
saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding-garment?
And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and
foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen.
Sermon
– Rev Deacon Jack Arnold – Time and Action
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we
beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in
body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect’s prayer that God
might keep us from the things that are bad for us so we can do the things He
wants us to do ties perfectly with the Epistle and Gospel.
One word that intrigues me from
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is “circumspectly”, which when I looked it up
meant “wary and unwilling to take risks.”
I believe Paul meant in these troubled days, we should not be taking
risks with our faith, but walking in that which has been tried and true for
over two thousands years. We cannot risk comprising the integrity of the faith,
with new fangled modernistic New Age spirituality, as some of the more liberal,
mega churches are wont to do.
Paul warns us against the dangers
of drunkenness, but he does not mean never to drink wine, as some, (the
Puritans) would take, but rather have “moderation in all things”, which is a
similar idea to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful for
me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will
not be mastered by anything.” Rather than turn to the excesses of this world,
Paul says that we must turn to God and be filled with His Grace of the Holy
Spirit. Making joyful noises to the Lord, be it in prayer or in song, and
giving thanks always for all things to God.
In our lives, we should be
grateful to God more than we are.
At least, I know I am often not thankful to Him, when I should be. That
is the troublesome aspect of having free will, we so often exercise it, not to
the Glory of God, but for our own means.
We have to turn away from that temptation, and let the Holy Spirit in
and guide us, to thanking God for what He has done for us in our lives.
The Gospel’s story has troubled
me for many years now, wondering why the King cast out a man, whose only error
appeared to be that of the wrong clothes. When I thought about it more, and in
many discussions, I came to realize that the wrong clothes, was Jesus metaphor
for one that is not prepared for heaven, not walking in God, not filled with
the Holy Spirit, and that is why he was cast out of the wedding (which is
implied to be heaven. And the King stands in for God in the tale.)
The Collect, Epistle and Gospel
tie together, laying out, detailing and reinforcing the same message,
ultimately. We have to ready and
willing to listen to God, and walk in God, and act with the Holy Spirit in us,
in order to have the right “clothes” to enter into the kingdom of heaven.
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, and like always, it will
give you a lot to consider in your heart.
Sermon Notes
Saint Bede
Anglican Episcopal Church
Tucson,
Arizona
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
21 October
2012, Anno Domini
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we
beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in
body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint
Matthew 22:1-14
1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and
said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king,
which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his
servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell
them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my
fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of
it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his
servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard
thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those
murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his
servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went
out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both
bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in
to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him,
Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was
speechless. 13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but
few are chosen.
Jesus so
often spoke in Parables that those whose hearts are open and humble might
understand where those whose hearts were arrogant, proud and hardened would not
so understand. Jesus relates this parable of marriage that
has a double application. It relates to the first institution of God in the
Garden at Eden, as well as the relationship between Christ and His Bride.
Marriage is viewed with such profound meaning that the very first commandment
God gave man involved this sacred institution that exists only between ONE man
and ONE woman.
And God
blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Gen 1:28)
Marriage is
so important to Christ that He performed His first miracle at Cana of Galilee
(which just happened to be a marriage feast.)
Since being
the first institution of God in the Garden at Eden, marriage has been sacred
and Holy to God – and it must be to us as well. It is an earthly model for the
Kingdom of God and the great marriage between Christ and His Bride, the Church.
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which
made a marriage for his son,"
This certain
king is God the Father. Do I need tell you who the son represents? None other
than Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God.
"And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden
to the wedding: and they would not come." The great
prophets were these servants who called those who were bidden to come, but Israel
would not hear them and did not come. They even stoned many of these prophet
messengers, and others they sawed in half.
"Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them
which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings
are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage." The Great King leaves nothing to chance.
He prepares ALL we need for our comfort and nourishment and joy. The sacrifice
has been made for us – all we must do is come. He desires to honor us by
allowing us to honor His Beloved Son.
"But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to
his farm, another to his merchandise:" Here we see the dreadful preoccupation
of the world, and even the church, with our own devices – money, trade and barter,
etc. The service to God seems a light thing to them. We today are sorrowfully
no different. We `do our duty' in attending service once on Sunday, go back to
our troughs and mud, and live as if God were not watching.
"And the remnant took his servants, and entreated
themspitefully, and slew them."You
will recall how wrongly they treated Samuel, Moses, Jeremiah and all the
prophets. Even Abel was slain by his brother for living and teaching
righteousness. The Apostles, most of whom died brutal deaths, were no less
dishonored by those who knew no honor.
"But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he
sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city." If you have been living under the delusion
that God will always show mercy and kindness, you are wrong. Christ Himself
shall return to claim His own, and the remainder shall be put to the sword and
cast into Hell without mercy! They will have sealed their own fate through the
neglect of the things of God. If you have not loved God in this life, you
cannot love Him in the next. The tares (unbelievers) shall be gathered by the
Holy Angels and burned. Even the details of this prophecy were fulfilled when
the armies of Rome came and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Many of those same
doubtful hearers suffered in that destruction!
"Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but
they which were bidden were not worthy.9 Go ye therefore into the
highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage." Most of the people of Israel depended upon their pedigree as
sons of Abraham; however, they did not rightfully belong to the Old Testament
Church of Abraham who looked to the coming of Christ.
The noble
Stephen proclaimed:
And the
scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham
(Gal 3:8-9)
This is
he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him
in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to
give unto us (Acts 7:38)
Abraham was a
Christian: Jesus said - Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. (John 8:56)
And we are
the Children of Abraham through faith.
Now back to
those who refuse to attend the things of God: These being rejected through
their own complacency, God turns to all who will come. All who love Christ are
adopted into that great Church and are Israel indeed. None are to go without
invitation!
"So those servants went out into the highways, and
gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding
was furnished with guests." This is like the great dragnet of souls mentioned in Matthew 13:47-48. It drew every kind of fish,
both good and bad, and the fisherman (angels) sat down and separated them. Or
the fields of wheat and tares growing together picture this same truth.
"And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there
a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend,
how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast himinto outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Do we desire
to be properly attired at this great and distinguished feast? If so, we must
take on the White Robe of Righteousness which Christ offers to cover our rags
and filth. The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) received
that Robe from His Father on his return from feeding the pigs in a far country.
He was covered with the filth of his disobedience, but His Father covered His
unsightly sins with love and His Robe of Righteousness.
There is an
interesting prophecy in Isaiah 4:1. When women are referred to in prophecy,
they represent a religious power.
Isaiah 4:1 –
"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We
will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy
name, to take away our reproach." To me, these may represent the
seven churches, I humbly believe, who wish to be nominal Christians only. They
will eat their own bread, and not the Bread of Heaven He offers, and will wear their
own filthy rags of sin instead of His Robe of Righteousness. But they desire
the dignity of being called, only, by His name.
In the end of
all things, Christ concludes His message to the seven churches in Revelations
3:20, and particularly to the Church at Laodicea - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me.
Does Christ
stand in the midst of us at Saint Bede's this morning, or does He stand without
the door and knock? I believe He stands in the midst of all faithful
worshippers, but we must insure that we carry our faith home with us today as
well.
"For many are called, but few
are chosen." Friend, it is quite possible that you have
been called and invited, but never accepted the invitation. A gift may be
offered, but it is not fully a gift until it has been received. Have you
accepted, with serious heart and intent, the Redemption made available through
the blood of Christ?
Bishop
Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant
speaker. He is able to take
biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me. Oft he provides the text of his sermons
and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:
God Served with a Cheerful Heart
Psalm 11,
Ephesians 5:15-21, Matthew 22:1-14
Twentieth
Sunday after Trinity
October 21,
2012
I love the liturgy of Morning
Prayer. I love that it includes
the ancient practice of giving thanks for the Bible by singing a Canticle after
each Scripture reading. One of the
favourite Canticles has always been Psalm 100, the Jubilate Deo. Morning Prayer begins in private
prayer, and moves into a common prayer seeking God's blessings upon us,
committing our cares and needs unto Him, asking Him to fill us with the spirit
of prayer and beseeching Him to enable us to worship Him in Spirit and in
truth. The prayer is followed by a
hymn, which is a prayer or exhortation set to music, and the hymn is followed
by a Scriptural statement of the grace and mercy of God, such as, "Grace
be unto you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ." Giving our attention
to the grace and majesty of God naturally moves us to consider our own unworthiness,
and to confess our sins. After the confession we hear the joyful declaration
that God "pardoneth and absolveth all those who truly repent, and
unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel." Next we pray the prayer that has comforted God's people in
times of joy and times of sorrow for more than two thousand years. Prayed in everyplace from death beds to
baptisms, we know it as "The Lord's Prayer."
Having confessed our sins and
joyfully entrusted ourselves into the merciful heart of God, we move to the
Venite exultemus Domino, "O Come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us
heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation." This is what others might term a Call
to Worship. Based upon the mercy
of God, who forgives our sins and calls us to live in His love, the Venite
invites us to enter more deeply into the worship of God. This is especially appropriate as we
prepare for the most important part of Morning Prayer, the reading and hearing
of the Word of God.
In a sense, everything so far has
been done in preparation to hear God's Word. The prayers and hymns have brought us together as one body,
ready to humbly and reverently stand before God as He addresses and ministers
to us through the words of Holy Scripture. Then, having heard with faith the Word of God, we rejoice in
His mercy, singing:
Psalm
100. Jubilate Deo.
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BE joyful in the Lord,
all ye lands; serve the Lord with gladness, and come before His presence with a
song.
Be ye sure
that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we
are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
O go your way
into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful
unto him, and speak good of his Name.
For the Lord
is gracious, his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth from generation
to generation.
Psalm 100 rings with words like
"gladness, "song," "thanksgiving," "mercy,"
and "truth." It tells us that the right response to the grace of God
towards us is to "serve the Lord with gladness." It encourages us to do as the Collect
for the Twentieth Sunday after
Trinity also teaches, "cheerfully accomplish" the things God
commands. What does the Lord command? "Love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, with all thy soul, and and with all thy mind." Present your body as a "living
sacrifice," which is your "reasonable service." "Serve the
Lord with gladness."
Cheerfully serving God is one of
the common themes in the Scripture readings for this morning. The Epistle to the Ephesians speaks of
living wisely and understanding the will of the Lord. It also speaks of life filled with thanksgiving and melody
because it is lived in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We Christians are not controlled by our
circumstances. We are not defined
by the troubles or conditions we encounter in our journey through this
world. Nor are we surprised by
them. We expect problems
"because the days are evil."
They are part of life in a fallen world filled with fallen people. But we are not overcome by the evil
days. Instead we "redeem the
time." We are controlled by
the Holy Spirit. He is the One who
sets our attitudes and habits and outlook on life. As we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we speak to
ourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, "singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord," and "giving thanks always for all
things unto God." We do not
dwell on our problems. We do not
allow the situation of the world, the evil times, to make us angry or depressed
or bitter. We fill our minds with
the goodness and grace of God by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We live in thanksgiving for the
unnumbered blessings we enjoy through God's grace. Especially do we give thanks that all things work together
for our good if we love God, and that we are bound for an eternal home so
wonderful it will enable us to realise that all the trials of this life are as
nothing in comparison. Such a life
leads to a cheerful heart. It
leads naturally to a condition of wholeness, a life of spiritual wellness and
harmony. It leads to what our Lord
called "peace."
The Gospel of Matthew speaks of
the joy of those who come to the wedding feast, and the sorrows of those who do
not. Those who come are the
poor. Their meager food consists
primarily of hard bread supplemented with a few vegetables, fruits, and,
fish. Their clothes are rough,
woolen work clothes that itch and smell like barns and fish and soil and
sweat. Suddenly, they don't know
why, they are called to freely partake of a sumptuous banquet. They are fed the finest meats and
delicacies. They are dressed in
fine robes, that are clean and comfortable and sweet with the fragrance of
expensive perfume. Everything is
of the best quality and served in abundance. And all is the free gift of the
king. Those who did not come
receive none of it. They have only
their farms and their merchandise, which is nothing in comparison.
Obviously, the King is God and
the wedding is the forgiveness and eternal peace given to us through the
sacrifice of Christ. The farms and
merchandise are the trinkets of the world, and those who refuse to come to the
wedding receive nothing more from the King than their trinkets. Those who come to Christ receive joy
and peace in abundance, now and forever.
Psalm 11 is written in the form
of a dialogue. The congregation
was probably divided into two groups, with the first singing verse 1, and the
second group singing verses 2 and 3.
Group one takes up the song again in verse 4, and continues singing to
the end. You will notice, then,
that the Psalm consists of three sections. The first, in verse one, as though speaking to a person who is fearful and doubtful
in the face of the world's problems, asks why someone would tell people who
trust in God to "flee as a bird unto the hill?"
Psalm 11. In Domino confido.
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N the Lord put
I my trust; * how say ye then to my soul, that she should flee as a bird unto
the hill?
2 For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows
within the quiver, * that they may privily shoot at them which are true of
heart.
3 If the foundations be destroyed, * what can the right- eous do?
4 The Lord is in his holy temple; * the Lord’s seat is in heaven.
5 His eyes consider the poor, * and his eyelids try the children
of men.
6 The Lord approveth the righteous: * but the ungodly, and him
that delighteth in wickedness, doth his soul abhor.
7 Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brim- stone,
storm and tempest: * this shall be their portion to drink.
8 For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; * his countenance
will behold the thing that is just.
The answer is given in verses 2
and 3, "the ungodly bend their bow;" "If the foundations be
destroyed, what can the righteous do?" There is danger in this world. There are evil people who desire to destroy us. And we are powerless before them. They have shaken the foundations of our
lives, and we can't stop them.
That is the answer of those of wavering faith.
Their answer is partially
correct. There are enemies out
there, who want to destroy us.
They want to silence our voices in the public square. There are also enemies that tempt us to
turn away from Christ, to give up the faith and flee to the hills. And there are enemies that come to us
in the form of problems and troubles and sorrows. And, sometimes, as Martin Luther wrote, this world with
devils filled threatens to undo us. But it is wrong to think we have no
recourse but to flee to the hills.
It is wrong to think we cannot withstand their attacks. It is wrong to think there is no
defense against their attacks.
Why? Because "The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's seat is in heaven."
It is as though the Psalm is saying, "Look around you,
Christian. God is not moved by
evil men or worldly troubles. He
is seated on His royal throne in Heaven.
They cannot reach Him or hurt him, nor can they move or disturb
Him. He is far beyond their
reach."
We may say, "but I'm not
God. I'm not in Heaven, and I'm
not strong like God. These enemies
trouble and hurt me." That is
true, but God is with you. God is
on your side. Verse 7 says,
"Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and
tempest: this shall be their portion to drink." The Day will come when all of our troubles are cast down and
put behind us forever. Verse 6
tells us God approves of the righteous.
He has placed His stamp of approval on you. He has sealed and marked you as His own. And He will preserve you, whole and
safe, to the shores of eternal bliss.
In verse 8, God's eyes behold the thing that is just. That's you. If you are in Christ, in Biblical faith, you are just
because the righteousness of Christ has been given to you. And God's countenance beholds you. This means He is watching you. But He
is not just seeing you, He is watching over you. He holds you in His protection. He upholds you with His hand. He will not allow evil to triumph over you. It may look like evil is winning
now but it looked the same way
2,000 years ago when a sinless Man was nailed to a cross and tortured to
death. Evil must have rejoiced at
His death, like the Witch and her minions at the death of Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
But their joy soon became sorrow, for that Man walked out of that grave. He passed right through the stone and
the seals and the guards. What
seemed a sure victory to His enemies, was actually the stroke that assured
their defeat. And so it is
now. The troubles we experience
teach us to trust in God alone, not the amusements of earth or our own puny
strength.
Therefore, we cling to God. We boldly say with David, "In the
Lord put I my trust." And, as
we trust in Him alone to overcome our enemies and deliver us to Heaven, we now
cheerfully accomplish those things which He has commanded.
--
tDennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church
Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican
Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
www.HolyTrinityAnglicanOrthodoxChurch.org
www.lifeinthescriptures.blogspot.com
most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all
things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may
cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to
have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you
want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the
truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I
commend it to your careful reading.
The Sermon - God’s gift to Mankind
I have often seen the depressing statistic that half of all marriages
today will end in divorce. It used to be that the newer marriages were coming
unglued within five or so years; but the trend now extends to those marriages
that have been around for decades. We live in a society that values very little
except for what gratifies the fleshly lusts of the masses. But what does God
have to say about this matter? In our gospel lesson, we have his unambiguous
view on the subject: What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put
asunder (St. Matthew 19:6b). To look at the divorce rate, you’d get the
impression that people really do not care for the institution of marriage. But
then consider this: those who divorce their spouses today will, in most cases,
marry again in the near future. So what is the problem? Like every other difficulty
that humanity faces, it stems from a lack of God’s presence within the homes of
those who are contemplating divorce. If God is honored by both parties, then no
divorce will take place because the grounds for such will not exist. You cannot
honor God by cheating on your spouse, by abusing your other half, or alienating
yourself from them so that they regard you as a stranger and not the person
they married.
The importance of marriage as an institution is set forth in Genesis
chapter 2 (21-25) wherein it was written that the LORD God caused a deep sleep
to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made
he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my
bones and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken
out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave
unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man
and his wife, and were not ashamed. This is one of the most beautiful passages
found in Scripture. It sets forth the purity and the spirituality of the
institution of marriage. That is why our Lord spoke as he did in defense of
marriage because he was there at its beginning. He also spoke of the origins of
divorce because in the Law of Moses such was permissible on account of the
sinful natures of men and women who would not abide in God’s rules for life.
Marriage is, after all, about life and its orderly continuance upon
this earth. God ordained marriage to join a man and a woman together that they
might provide each other comfort and companionship. Under the rubrics of godly
marriage, the two became one flesh in his eyes and the blessings of children
would come out of the marriage bond and these were to be reared up in the
knowledge of God. Thus it would follow that after they had matured these same
godly children would marry and the process would begin anew. God’s expectation
was and remains that those who would choose to marry ought to enter into that
institution with thoughtfulness, solemnity and with loving acceptance of their
new estate.
Consider the words of the BCP on the Solemnization of Matrimony (pp.
300-304). The parties to matrimony are reminded of the need to examine their
motives for joining together. They are then given the charge that God will
judge them both if they are in error in their seeking to be married. Afterward,
both make a public profession of their agreement to wed in taking the other as
their spouse. This is followed by the giving of the marriage ring to the wife.
And after a series of short prayers, the minister will repeat the words of our
Lord, Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.
Enter now Satan and his cadre of wicked spirits. They have sought to
make mankind’s life as miserable as they can, as well as to turn as many as
they are able from following God’s rules for life. Satan hates everything God
has made and that includes the institution of marriage. Where God has ordained
a state of loving faithfulness, the devil creates unfaithfulness. Where God has
created a union, the devil fosters disunion. Where there is supposed to be
peace and harmony, the devil stirs up strife. Where the family home is supposed
to be a place of refuge from the world, the devil brings the world right inside
to confound and depress. Where children are supposed to have a haven in which
to grow in the love and admonition of the LORD, the devil brings his spiritual
chainsaw to cut away the bonds of unity within the family. In so doing, he
divides spouses one from the other, and parents from their children. He
engenders bitterness and wrath so that the children will hardly hear a kind
word between their parents, much less be taught the intentions of God.
Afterwards, God hears the weeping of those dejected spouses and the tearful
cries of their children whose lives have been turned upside down by the antics
of one or both of their parents. So imagine, if you will, when those so-called
learned men of the Law tempted our Lord with their foolish questions about
marriage and divorce, it would be safe to say that he was revolted not only by
their question, but by their hardheartedness as well. An omniscient God had
clearly seen way beyond their time and even ours. He knows all too well the
consequences of divorce— the lives ruined and homes wrecked.
Then there are those who live outside the bounds of God’s institution
of marriage in fornication and corruption. Sadly, very many so-to-speak
Christians are doing just that. They do not give any thought to how God sees
them as simply living in sin, and they may even believe that God’s prohibition
against their behavior is just a matter of interpretation. They have conveniently
forgotten that if one claims to be in Christ Jesus then one must be obedient to
Christ Jesus (St. John 14:15). In St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians,
the apostle advised them concerning marriage when he penned, Nevertheless, to
avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have
her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and
likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own
body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own
body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for
a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together
again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency... for it is better to
marry than to burn (7:2-5, 9b).
Scripturally speaking, those that co-habit apart from the institution
of matrimony are saying rather straightforwardly that their living arrangements
with one another do not involve asking God anything. And so, when one or the
other party leaves, they just walk away without any obligation, or for that
matter, without any valid reason. They believe that they are free to then go
and form any number of new live-in relationships without any consequence. Can
there be any stability in this sort of relationship? Where is the bonding that
God intended for both the man and woman? What about the possible inclusion of
any child or plural being born out of such a tenuous relationship? What about
the effects on any child or plural who became part of a previous relationship?
So when a live-in couple breaks up, one can blame it all on “bad karma,” or “a
lapse of judgment” but not on the very malefactor who chose to end the
relationship. The message here is plain and simple: those who refuse to marry
present the devil with any number of golden opportunities for mischief and
mayhem in their lives. The message here is plain and simple: those who refuse
to marry have opened the door to demonic spoliation. To paraphrase a notorious
political figure of our day, The devil and his minions will “never let a good
opportunity for theft, murder and destruction go to waste.”
Nevertheless, in spite of everything the devil has done to destroy this
institution, marriage still remains a gift of God to mankind. The solid
foundation of Christ makes for longevity in Christian marriage. What a bulwark
it is against the wiles of the devil. What a joy is found therein. This is not
to say that Christian marriage will not have its rocky moments for even the
best of marriages will face turbulent times. But I should think that a couple
who are committed to each other— who have the love of God in their hearts— and
seek to maintain their fellowship with each other, and with the Godhead, will
survive the storms which the devil will send their way. Marriage is a life-long
commitment. It is not a life- sentence as if one were somehow imprisoned. It is
a life-enriching union which ought to have our Lord Jesus Christ at its center.
Think about it in this manner, if Jesus Christ is ruler of all of your life
then you will have a happy and secure marriage. That is why the man and woman
who are contemplating marriage ought to be believing Christians. Marriage is
not “a bed of roses,” it is not “a piece of cake,” but it has the potential to
be one of the most fulfilling aspects of this life or God would not have
established it.
Our task as Christians is to encourage others to seek God’s will for
them. While we may not be able to keep bad marriages from ultimately failing,
we can assist those who are struggling to keep their marriages together through
our prayers, and with God’s permission, to appeal to the parties as we are
given leave to do. God is sovereign and his power preempts all others. Ergo, we
should bring before him our prayers and petitions on behalf of those who are
trying to maintain their marriage vows, as well as for their children. We
should make it part of our daily prayer life to seek God’s assistance for those
who are troubled in mind, body or estate and that includes the fractured
households in our church and in our communities. We should also be in prayerful
thanksgiving that if we are married and our home life is good, that God would
give us grace to continue in such until he calls us home. Being thankful for
the good things which God has given us is just as important as bringing him our
petitions for his assistance regarding those things which trouble us. May it
please our Lord to bless each of you in your respective homes and that you will
not give Satan an open door to enter and wreck the good that God has given you.
Let us pray,
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F
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ATHER, make of us effective witnesses via our
homes and marriages as a people who revel in thy blessings and desire that
others might experience the same; and this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
[1]
In that day, the giver
of such a feast would have provided wedding garments for those who traveled far
and were unable to bring one. In
our case, Jesus provides the appropriate garb to those who will wear it, not
just accept it and put it to one side.
1 comment:
Just wondering where you are finding the lectionary illustrations you're using to begin your posts.
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