Christmas Message
Bishop Jerry
L. Ogles
Christmas Day
2012, Anno Domini
It
may seem odd to you that a two-year-old lad could remember some event that
occurred at that tender age, but I do remember the end of the Second World War.
I was just 25 days short of two years of age when that momentous news was
broadcast on our radio on the morning of 7 May 1945. My mother and older
sister, Lynn, were most likely listening to Glenn Miller–style music (for I
have always loved it from youth) when the NBC announcer interrupted the music
with a special bulletin: "General Dwight D. Eisenhower reports that
surrender documents between the Allied Forces Europe and the German High
Command have been signed and finalized in Berlin this early morning."
Following that announcement, the Star Spangled Banner was played followed by a
day of martial music and other related news. In Europe, King George VI had made
the same announcement to the people of London and all of England who had
endured, courageously, so many years of war and devastation. Those remarks by
King George VI were followed by the singing of God Save the King in perfect
unison of a grateful people. I suppose the event was burned into my young mind
by the irrational response of my mother and sister to the news. They began
throwing magazines and newspapers up to the ceiling and dancing madly about
proclaiming, "Daddy is coming home!" Psychologist would label that
reaction that I had to the event as a "Significant Emotional
Event." Such an event never escapes our memory.
On
this wonderful Day of the observance of the most Significant emotional,
historical, spiritual, and redeeming event that has ever happened in either
Time or Eternity, let us remember with gratitude that surpasses any other
conclusion of a state of war - the great Truce, Armistice, and surrender of all
history – the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to an obscure and quiet little
village outside Jerusalem, called Bethlehem! No longer would all of the hearts
of men be at enmity with their Maker, but reconciled by grace and faith to God
the Father through the Redemptive and Atoning life of Jesus Christ, His only Begotten
Son.
In the hard dark days of the remote past of
antiquity, no one arose from their beds on this Day with the warm glow of love
and fellowship that Christmas engenders. All was darkness and mildew until the
Light of Christ broke, brilliant as the morning sunrise, upon a bewildered
world. The penetrating beams of white light penetrated and dissipated the
centuries, and even millennia, of encrusted hate and bitterness which had
plagued a world ruled by the greed and selfishness of the heart of man. That
darkness of the old world-that-was could not abide a single ray of the
brilliance of the Light of Christ. The wicked world realized immediately that
it could not continue in that new Light. So it attempted, and still attempts,
to block that Light so that its wicked deeds and deceitfulness will be covered.
Must I remind you that the effort is futile?
The amazing events of the first Christmas are all the more amazing for
the manner in which the momentous event was revealed. There was no NBC radio
news, or FOX satellite TV, in those days – only those poor and insignificant
(in the eyes of the world) shepherds on the hills overlooking sleepy little
Bethlehem. They were men of simple hearts and minds, and of very small
expectations, yet, tonight news more wonderful than ever would be revealed to
them that had been denied to rulers and kings in their opulent palaces. The
Mind of God is so far from that of men that we can barely grasp even the stark
realities of God. Even the Wise Men disregarded the brilliant Star as they drew
near to Jerusalem thinking that the King of Kings would surely be born in the
palace of the king in the capital at Jerusalem. But they were wrong. It wasn't
until they left the man-made lights of the city that they once again saw the
Star and were glad. "……they departed; and, lo, the star, which they
saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young
child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."
(Matt 2:9-10) Isn't it astounding how the ways of God so far outstrip the
thinking of men – how those which we consider to be foolish and inferior
vessels are often the very ones the Lord chooses through which to show forth
His beauty and glory? Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is
the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
(1 Cor 1:20-21)
I am
presently basking in the warmth of the wonderful atmosphere and spirit of our
last evening on Christmas Eve of some of my finest and most beloved friends.
They are teenagers and young college adults whom I have known from their early
youth. I consider them very important to my soul, and to the heart of
God. Though young and unproven in the eyes of the world, I can see the light of
God in their precious hearts. They make my autumn days of glorious colors in
gold, and scarlet, and pale green. As I see the evidence of Godly faith glow as
a flame of fire in their hearts, I can say that I, of all men, am moist richly
blessed to have had the privilege to be their minister over these past years.
Perhaps you are lonely and consider yourself too aged, too poor, too
uneducated, or too unfortunate to attract the attention of God. If so, remember
that special bulletin issued on the hills outside Jerusalem by mighty angels to
poor and lonely shepherds. You may find that you, too, are looked upon as poor Hagar
said in the wilderness at Beerlahairoi was looked upon by a loving
God: And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her,
Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth
me? (Gen 16:13)
Just
as our Beloved Lord looks upon, with high regard, the helpless and abused
little girl of the Khyber Pass, so does He look with the eyes of love upon the
poor, the aged, the downcast, and those that have sat in darkness – for He has
sent a Great Light into the world at Christmas – even His only Begotten Son,
Jesus!
Merry Christmas to you today, and every day
of the rest of your earthly life!
Christmas Eve
As the song goes, Oh
the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since
we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Actually, while we have had snow this year already, none for
today! The Outside Air Temperature
was merely 46°F at Mount Olympus’ 3,500’msl altitude, so no snow. Not a lot of sunbathing either with a
light rain falling. We are
thankful for the coming of our Lord and the freedom we have. Although the weather was not bright and
sunny, the dispositions of the three people attending the service were!
By the way, each year we have a rosemary bush Christmas
“tree” with a C-141 Starlifter for the Star in remembrance of Dru’s service as
a Flight Nurse.
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers:
special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought
prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in
the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of
Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be
read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The
Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in
the New Testament. The Gospel is a
reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as
a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in
our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the
service in our church is read by an ordained minister or our Deacon Striker.
The propers are the same each
year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook,
falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White
Season, where it is put off. Red
Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red,
are special days. Most of the Red
Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development of
the church, others to special events.
Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be
used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
We used the propers for the first
service of Christmas Day for our Christmas Eve service which are found on Page
96-98, with the Collect first:
The Collect.
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GOD, who makest us glad with the yearly remembrance of
the birth of thine only Son Jesus Christ; Grant that as we joyfully receive him
for our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come
to be our Judge, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
Dru Arnold read
the Epistle, which came from Paul’s letter to Titus beginning in the Eleventh
Verse of the Second Chapter. Paul
tells Titus that it is only God’s grace that gives us salvation. If we are going to accept that grace,
we need to live the life to which God has called us. Regardless of cost, we
need to live the life God has purchased for us.
We need to trust in God and in this world live
cleanly, conservatively, thoughtfully, looking towards God for our
salvation. We need to encourage
and exhort other Christians to do likewise.
To live in harmony with others.
To be, to the extent we are able, paragons of
virtue. Serving as good examples,
not bad. Paul tells Titus to do
what is right, trust is God and worry not. Quoting a later author, “Trust in God and Dread Naught.”
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HE grace of God
that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly,
in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and
rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
Tonight’s Gospel is the narrative of the Nativity
from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, the Second Chapter, beginning at the First
Verse.
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ND it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up
from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem;
(because he was of the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his
espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were
there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in
a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the
same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by
night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and
Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above.
Today we remember and celebrate
the coming of our Lord, the first time; we look to the coming of our Lord, the
second time. The Jews were looking
to God to send the Messiah, the one who they determined would free them from
the brutal yoke of the Romans and put them on top again. The veritable Top Dogs. They wanted a Champion to lead them to
victory over the Romans and throw them off Israel. What God sent was a baby. Well, The Baby, but nonetheless a baby. Shepherds came to worship Him, but
Herod was looking to kill Him. No
good in having a Champion putting Herod out of the petty quisling dictator job.
What God sent the Jews was His
Son. In point of fact, He sent Him
to the Jews first, but not only.
The “Wise Men” showed up to worship Him and regardless of who they might
have been, they certainly were not Jews.
This Son was to free the Jews from the Prince of Darkness and the
finality of death. That really did
not fit the Jews’ plan.[1] They were still looking for Expulsor,
he who would toss the Romans out on their heads.
“Grant as we joyfully receive him for
our Redeemer, so we may with sure confidence behold him when he shall come to
be our judge.”, With sure confidence, if we receive him now as our Redeemer, we
shall be filled with sure confidence of being received by Him when we are
standing before his Judgement seat. If we do not joyfully receive him now, how
can we expect him to be joyfully receiving us when we come to meet him.
In joyous rememberence
of His Birth, we must keep in mind the end goal of his arrival here on Earth,
which was to free us from the bondage of sin and death, by giving his life so
that we might be free of this terrible oppression. We must Rejoice always and
again I say Rejoice, in the fact that we are free from the wages of sin, by the
fact that He gave his life for us, and was born that He might save us from a
final death.
The key word is
joyfully, meaning we must of our own free will receive Him into our hearts, and
feel the joyousness of His Birth, for this holiday of His Birth is a happy
time, to not only feel the joy of his physical arrival, but of what He came to
do for us, that we might be free for all eternity. He shall be our confidence
and our spiritual dwelling place, rather than place our hope in men, who shall
always fall short, but God shall never lead us astray or fall short of our
hopes and expectations, unlike Men.
Remembering His Birth
each year, we must consider what the cost was for our freedom from death, which
soon after he ascended to be with Our Father.
Some guy coming to save their
souls, without the need for slaughtering the profitable sacrificial animals did
not really fit their plan. They
had The Law, what more did they need?
The Jews concentrated on their
wants and ignored their needs.
Need, Want – both four letter words, oft used interchangeably. Sadly, they don’t mean the same thing.
So, that is where the Jews were
on Christmas Eve; Christmas Day for that matter? God intended to fulfill their needs, they looked to have
their wants fulfilled.
How about us on this Christmas
Eve; or Christmas Day for that matter?
Are we looking for someone to make us rich, thin or cool? Or are we looking for someone who will
save our souls? Do what God asks,
you will not only gain eternal life, but eternal happiness and as a plus you
will be happy. You may think you
can have more fun, but He guarantees you will be happy.
As we come upon this midnight
clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ waits for us. Will we accept it? Follow Him, accept His Grace and all
will be good forever.
He comes!
Be of God -
Live of God - Act of God
Propers
The propers for today are found
on Page 96-98, with the Collect first:
The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,
commonly called Christmas Day.
[December 25.]
The
Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and
as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate,
and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy
Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with
thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for Christmas Day, which
came from the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, beginning at the
First Verse of the First Chapter.
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od, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds; who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all
things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than
the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have
I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he
saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith,
Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the
Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and
hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the
foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they
shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou
art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for Christmas Day which
came from the Gospel according to Saint John, the First Chapter, beginning at
the First Verse. This particular Gospel is known as
the Last Gospel as it comes from the last Gospel to be written, that of St.
John, and it brings the final Word of Jesus to us.
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n the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any
thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to
bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not
that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true
Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto
his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
Today’s sermon is the message of Christmas. Jack had a different sermon
written, but this is the one he gave.
“He came unto His own and they received Him not.”
Christ came unto His own, the people he created, to show them the Word which He
is the living embodiment of, the Living and True Scripture. They received
Neither the written Word that his Apostles wrote, nor the spoken Word from His
Mouth that He spake unto them. “But as many as received Him, to them he gave
the power to become the sons of God.” He has adopted us unto his family,
through His Word, which he has spoken unto us, that we may fulfill it and live
in harmony with others in this word.
“And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”
This speaks to the living incarnate nature of the Word, (Christ) who dwelt
among us 2,000 years ago, that he might understand our nature more, so that He
could teach us with more understanding. If He lived in our conditions, it would
be easier for Him to relate to us when He taught and spake the Word of His
Father. “And we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and
truth.” In That Word, He spake both full of grace and of truth as John talked
about in the last Gospel. Through His grace and truth that we accept, only can
we do things for His Glory. Without the Word, we cannot do anything for Him, as
imperfect creatures, now having been accounted and spoken for by Christ. With
the Word, we are empowered to do things for Him. The birth of Christ would
foreshadow his death, which would bring about the ultimate freedom, that from
sin and death.
Today we recall the birth of our Lord and Savior, the
only means by which we, imperfect creatures with free will, might be accounted
as perfect before God when our day of judgment comes. Born, not in a palace, but in a stable, He is all that we
have been promised. Taking the
substance of Man, all Man and all God, He knows our temptations, He knows our failures,
He knows our failings, He knows our sorrow; He also knows our happiness, our
small triumphs, our hopes and our dreams.
He is the only one in this world who will never fail us in the
slightest. He gives us His example
to follow. If we will but follow
Him, we will draw closer to God.
He made the world, He knows the world. He defeated the Prince of this World, thus with His Help, so
will we. This is a day of joy,
foreshadowing a day of sorrow, leading to the greatest joy of all.
Let us joyfully receive Him into our hearts and
homes, that we might do what He asks and spread the Joy of His Arrival on Earth
that we might prepare for His Second Coming. If we do this and what he asks,
which is a common theme that stays the same throughout the Christian Year, we
shall be Blessed with good things, as a result of doing what He asks. On the
Christmas Day, let us Rejoice in His Coming and begin our preparations for His
Second Coming
Let this be a blessed and happy Christmas. He has come to us!
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Propers
The propers for today are found
on Page 104-105, with the Collect first:
The First Sunday after
Christmas Day.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin;
Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus
Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God,
world without end. Amen.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came
from Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth
Chapter. Paul reminds us, as well
as those long gone in Galatia, we are to do God’s will, but through our Lord,
we are not servants, but children of God, for “Now I say, That the heir, as
long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of
all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the
world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we
might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore
thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through
Christ.
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ow I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child,
differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors
and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were
children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness
of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the
law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant,
but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according
to Saint Matthew, the First Chapter, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse.
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he birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as
his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was
found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man,
and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away
privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to
take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for
he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might
be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being
raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto
him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son:
and he called his name JESUS.
Sermon – Reverend Deacon Jack Arnold - Time
and Action
At this Christmastide, it is not
surprising to find “To take our nature upon him”, is a key phrase of the Collect, preceding “To
be born of a pure virgin”, meaning He could not have been born from anyone else
but Mary, who was at the time a pure virgin (this is before the birth of James,
Jesus’ biological half-brother. But the more important part of the phrases is
“to take our nature upon him.” When He came into this world, He took our nature
upon himself, that is to say in simpler terms He became like us.
He felt our emotions we feel, the pain, the joy, the suffering and more material emotions like that of hunger, of wants and of needs. This he took upon Himself, so that He might come to understand His creation more. And also, to sacrifice Himself for our sakes, He needed to be within our bodies, so that He could be accounted as a “human” sacrifice, taking upon all of our sins upon Himself, that we might be accounted as perfect before God to enter into heaven
As Paul says in his letter to the
Galatians, we are not to be servants or slaves of God, but we are His own
children, we are more precious to Him than if we were servants or slaves. That
is a key difference between Christianity and Islam. Islam views its followers
as a means to an end, but Christianity views the followers as part of God’s
Holy Family in Heaven.
We are different than the world
for this very reason. The world lacks the compassion, the love Christ has given
us, and it is the reason why it is and has been filled with so much trouble and
sin over the thousands of years of our existence.
We have to realize that God took
upon our nature and our infirmities for us, that His love is infinite as He is
infinite. He is the past, the future and the present, He is the Master of Time.
When we pray, we must refer to
God as Father, as He is our spiritual Father and in a sense, physical Father
too, for without him, our fathers would not have been created and our lives
would not have sprung forth upon this Earth. We are in a state of eternal debt
to God for bringing us in and saving us from the trouble of our human nature.
If we are to repay it, we must follow Jesus on the path to perfection, which we
will never get to, but we will certainly never get to it if we never try.
As we came upon this midnight
clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is here for us. Will we accept it? Follow Him, accept His Grace and all
will be good forever.
He comes!
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
First Sunday after Christmas Day
30 December
2012, Anno Domini
The First Sunday after
Christmas Day.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin;
Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus
Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God,
world without end. Amen.
1 And it came to pass in those days,
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of
Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of
the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused
wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were
there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid
him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore
afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto
you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the
angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it
came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds
said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they
came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was
told them concerning this child. 18 And all they that heard it wondered at
those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all
these things, and pondered them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds
returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard
and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:1-20
Today we shall observe three occasions in the Church Calendar – the
continuing Christmastide, the Holy Innocents, and the coming New Year on
Tuesday.
If we read the Bible as a strictly edifying historical work, we will
miss the entire message of the Gospel, for the Bible is a Living Text that
bears the same application to our lives today as to those of whom it has given
account between its inspired and infallible covers.
During this Christmastide, we celebrate the coming of Light and Wonder
into a dark world, and we do so both figuratively and formally; however, it
would be wrong to believe that the Coming of Christ ended on Christmas morning.
Christ is forever coming into our hearts if we have hearts that are open to His
knocking. You will not find Him in churches that are not faithful to the
Gospel, for He "stands at the door (without) and
knocks." If the door to your heart has grown callous with rusty
from years of hard living, and is not open to Christ, you will not even find
Him in a Church strong in its Gospel message. But no thing is beyond the arm of
the Lord to traverse, and He may haply force open the corroded and barred door
of the most egregious sinner in His time, and cause a joyful welcome to be
proclaimed from lips that only spoke vulgarity in times past. If you wake up on
the morning of July 4th with a prayer for Christ to live in your
heart that day, even July 4th becomes Christmas to you. Do you get it? Is
there some cruel irony in singing "O Come all ye Faithful" in summer?
Not at all. We grow too rigid in our hymn-singing at times. Christ seldom
observed a strict formality, but behaved in ways that set the teeth of the
Jewish rulers on edge. Naturally, we must be reverent and orderly in worship,
but not so staid that we condemn even Christ for healing of the Sabbath Day!
God is all powerful and able to work in the hearts of even evil men to
accomplish His purpose. Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, yet the prophecies
proclaim that Christ should be born there. (see Micah 5:2) The foreshadowing of
Bethlehem as the place of Christ birth is even alluded to in 1 Samuel 16:1 - And
the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have
rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I
will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among
his sons. Jesse is the father of David and, so, Bethlehem is called the
City of David.
These opening passages of Luke 2 are magically wonderful to my ears,
for they were first repeated to me by my mother and, even then, they carried a
charm and mystery to my young mind. I wonder how many young children in America
today have been blessed by that experience? How nonchalantly does Luke refer to
the occasion of Christ's birth: "And so it was, that, while they
were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered."
And so it was? Yes, it certainly was so, and could have been no otherwise! God
brought the power of Caesar into play to bring about this Holy event. To
all the world Jesus came as a Stranger and left as Redeemer. He was a Stranger
to the woman at Jacob's Well at the noonday hour, but that woman left having
found a Friend that loves her beyond all human measure. Have you met that
Stranger of Galilee?
We often place our clergy on a pedestal and believe that they somehow
stand in greater grace than we. A minister is simply a fellow who, hopefully,
by the grace of God has been called and responded to the call of God to preach.
A minister can be, and often is, fallible just as you or I can be fallible –
and often are! You will note that The Holy Angels did not proclaim the great
news of Christ's birth in the halls of government in Jerusalem, or even to
"men of the cloth." He proclaimed this wonderful news to men whose ears
were open to hear it – common shepherds of the field. These men had no other
distraction than to gaze upon the endless beauties of God's star-studded
heavens night after night. They understood, unlike most theologians, that there
can exist mysteries in the Word of God which no competent theologian can
define. They knew nothing of the conflicting teachings of the Pharisees and
Sadducees, or the subjects taught in the rabbinical schools by men such as
Gamaliel, but they did know that God sat upon the heavens and created every
bright point of light visible to them in that purple dawn canopy above them. So
God chose the least among men to honor MOST with His Gospel News!
Perhaps, if you have not met God, it may be because you are too lifted
up in pride and arrogance., If so, God can lower you until you arrive at a
level at which you can be taught of Him. There could be no greater blessing for
such a one.
The coming of Christ into your life does not signal an end to trial and
hardship. Au contraire, it may be just the beginning. It was the
beginning of sorrows for many mothers in Bethlehem. It was the beginning of
sorrows for Mary, the mother of Jesus. She failed, seemingly, to profit from
His teaching until after the resurrection, but a sword pierced her heart at the
foot of that crude cross at Calvary.
The recent tragic events at a school in Connecticut are heart-breaking,
as well. What can be more tragic? There is something that is far more tragic!
It would be that so many lives went into the darkness of eternity without the
Light of Christ. What happened in Newtown is not related to the right to bear
arms – every man has the right of self-protection. The tragedy of Newtown is
the moral depravity into which America has sunk over the last several decades.
When the Supreme Court made a law against school prayer, in contravention of
the First amendment to the US Constitution, and continued to trample the
religious liberty rights of the American people by outlawing Bibles in schools,
Nativity scenes in public places, and legalized (immorally) the murder of
millions and millions of little children – an event that dwarfs Herod's action
against the children of Bethlehem – our religious leaders were eerily silent.
When Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (a 1967 West Point graduate)
had the courage to display the Ten Commandments in the Supreme Court building
(much like that of the US Supreme court), his greatest opponents were the
Southern Baptist Conference of Alabama. America rejected God, and in so doing,
reject His Providential protection of our country. He may give us over to
delusion and reprobacy. We have come to calling that which God calls
`good,' evil; and that which God has called `evil,' good. Majority opinions do
not matter with God. God has only truth – NOT opinion!
So we see, on the Day of Holy Innocents, the intentional murder of
small children by the sword. At least, their murder was most likely more abrupt
than the burning death of little babies in their mother's womb by a
"process of murder" we call abortion.
18 And it came to pass, as her soul was
in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father
called him Benjamin. Gen
35:18 (KJV) (Son of my Sorrow) Rachel died that her child should live.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is
Bethlehem. Gen 35:19 (KJV) The City of David where Christ
was born also. A sword would also pierce Mary's heart. 35 (Yea, a
sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts
may be revealed. Luke 2:35 (KJV) 18 In Rama
was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel
weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Matt 2:18 (KJV) 15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in
Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused
to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Jer
31:15 (KJV)
Do we not hear those mother's voices still crying out in the streets of
Newtown. When evil rules the land, even the innocent suffer. As we embark on a
so-called NEW YEAR, let us be mindful that swords, guns, and bombs have no
conscience. They can neither be righteous or wicked. It is the heart of the man
holding the weapon that is guilty of sins committed by any device of killing.
Were we to remove every knife, every sword, every gun from the hands of man, do
you believe we would have seen the end of mass murder? Historically, how have
states behaved who have wielded the only means of force and violence? How did
Hitler's Germany behave, or Caesar's Rome?
New Years Day is not a Christian holiday, but a secular one. The only
New Year we can truly enjoy is that New Day, New Year, and New Life in Christ.
Heed, America, the counsel of Isaiah if you wish for the comfort and peace of a
Holy people: When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the
LORD shall lift up a standard against him. 20 And the Redeemer shall come
to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit
that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart
out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy
seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. Isaiah
59:19-21 (KJV)
Men, called of God: Have you lifted up the Standard? Have you received
the Word of God – not of man – into your mouth to proclaim? Have we taught our
seed to know and follow that Light which came at Christmas 2000 years ago? If not,
then Stand To, and do your duty now as a good soldier of the Cross.
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
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:
A
Saviour Born
Psalm 145, Isaiah 9:2-7, Luke 2:1-20
First Sunday after Christmas
December 30, 2012
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord."
The world seemed to be falling apart that night in Bethlehem. A declining Rome controlled the
Meditteranan world, and the decay was sensed throughout the Empire. Law and justice were being replaced by
corruption and graft. Art was
being replaced by gladiators.
Morality was being replaced by relativism, and human life, meaning the
lives of people other than those in power, had little value. In short, the world was much as it is
today. How comforting to be
reminded at Christmas, 2012, that God has not forgotten us, nor left us to the
ravages of an evil and ignorant world, or even to the evil and ignorance of our
own sins. How comforting to be
reminded that unto us is born a Saviour "which is Christ the
Lord."
When we hear the word, "Saviour," most of us think of the
forgiveness of sins; of being saved from the penalty of our sins and being
allowed into Heaven when we die.
We are right to think of these things, because a major reason the
Saviour came into the world was to accomplish our forgiveness and allow us into
Heaven. We are all sinners, but
Christ receives sinners. He came
into this world to save sinners.
He went to the cross to die for our sins. He took our sins upon Himself and suffered for them on the
cross. He dresses us in the robe
of His absolute righteousness, and now God regards us not in our sin, but in
the righteousness of Christ given to us by grace. "All have sinned," the Bible tells us in Romans
3:23. The wages of sin is death,
it continues in Romans 6:23. But,
thanks be to God, that is not the end of the story. The same verse that tells us the wages of sin is death
immediately says, "but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus
Christ our Lord."
"There is," as the Bible says in ----, "no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus."
When we hear the word, "Saviour," we should also think of
being saved from the destructive life of sin, which includes both our attitudes
and our actions. I am talking
about being delivered from what the Bible often calls the bondage, or slavery
to sin. It means sin is like a
power that enslaves us and forces us to do its bidding. It binds our souls with hate, greed,
dispair, lust, grief, anger, conceit and self-doubt, fear and
fool-hardiness. When these
attitudes control us, we commit sinful actions. In other words, when we have an attitude of hate, we hate.
Or, we could say a hateful attitude leads us to do hateful things.
Anyone who cares to take an honest look at sin will see that it has
devastating consequences for us in this life. It destroys lives, homes, families, nations, and
empires. It kills the soul. These are the natural consequenses of
sin, as we reap what we have sown.
But Christ lived and died and lives again to save us from all of
that. We no longer have to live in
hate or greed or sorrow or anger.
I don't mean we won't experience these things, we will; and sometimes
they trouble us for long and dark times in our lives. But they will pass, and we don't have to live in them as
attitudes or habits. We don't have
to dwell in them. They don't have
to frame our thoughts or control our actions. We don't have to be slaves to them any longer, we have been
saved from them. We are free to
love, forgive, hope, and rejoice.
We are free to fill our souls with truth, honour, justice, purity,
beauty, goodness, virtue, and praise.
"Think on these things," wrote St. Paul in Philippians 4:8 and
9, and "Those things which ye have both learned and received, and heard
and received in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
So the Saviour came to forgive our sins, and to save us from the
destructive power of sin in our lives.
He came to give us love and peace and joy and hope, not as empty words
or slogans, but as real attitudes and as the frame of our hearts and
lives. The person who is truly
saved is delivered from the penalty of sin, and the power of sin. You are receiving the forgiveness of
your sins, and receiving deliverance from the old habits and attitudes and
life-styles of sin, and receiving a new way of life lived in communion with
God. This new life yields
conformity with His will as naturally as springtime yields flowers, all as the
free gift of God through Christ our Saviour.
I need to make it clear that I am not saying we are saved to a
condition of sinlessness in this life.
We are not. We continue to
struggle with the world the flesh and the devil, and we sometimes lose the
fight. I also need to make it
clear that I am not saying we don't have a personal responsibility to do right
and seek the kind of life that leads us into the peace of God. We do, and we are accountable to God
for our actions and choices, and they will affect our lives, and the lives of
others, both in this world and for eternity. God have mercy upon us. I am saying God wants to give us new life, peace, joy, love,
and all the good things the Bible calls the fruit of the Spirit, and He will if
we let Him. Please let Him.
How does God impart the new way of life to us? The means of grace. You knew I was
going to say that, didn't you? God
imparts the new life to you through the Scriptures, prayer, the Church, and the
Sacraments. Devote yourself to
these things, and you will find yourself growing in Christ. Ignore them and you will find yourself
languishing in the faith, if you even continue in it at all.
One more point, and I will make it brief; when we think of the Saviour
we should think in global and cosmic terms. One of the primary messages of the Bible is that Jesus
Christ is going to Return, and when He does, He will set things right
again. He has not abandoned
us. The universe will be gathered
together in Him. His enemies will
be vanquished, and His people will dwell with Him in unbroken peace, forever.
I can identify with the ancient Judeans. It sometimes seems to me that the world is falling
apart. I seem to see the same
departure from justice, beauty, morality.
Like them, I am comforted by the angel's words, "For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord."
--
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
www.HolyTrinityAnglicanOrthodoxChurch.org
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.
Sermon for the First Sunday after Christmas
In our gospel lesson (St. Matthew 1:23), we were told of the birth and
naming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We were also given the words of the
prophet Isaiah who was inspired of the Holy Ghost to write (Isaiah 7:14b):
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name
Immanuel. The name Emmanuel or Immanuel means God with us and is instructive
for it makes known the intention of God to come himself into our world and to
be with us where we are so that we might have the opportunity to be with him in
his coming glorious kingdom of righteousness.
Sadly, a growing number of people in this Christmas season will miss
the truth of what was uttered by the prophet and restated by the gospel writers
concerning our gospel lesson. He came into our world to redeem mankind but to
accomplish that redemption, he first had to clothe himself as a man in the
flesh and become one of us. While even a fair number of unbelievers know the
story of Jesus, they miss this important point principally because they cannot
accept him as the only begotten Son of God. Some will claim that he was and
remains a mythical personality, a figment of someone’s imagination. Others may
even accept him as a so-to-speak good man and idealist teacher.
And so, Christmas has become for them just another day off from work.
They have missed the essence of Christ. They are missing the real reason for
this season. Oh, they’ll exchange presents and may even sing a Christmas carol
or two. Perhaps they will attend church with family and begrudgingly listen to
a sermon concerning the Christ-child. But it will be all to no effect. They
will come away as unconvinced as ever, particularly if they happen to attend
some roadshowesque auditorium worship service where reverence for God has been
set aside for entertainment and the cult of personality. Or, they may attend a
church that has become so ritualized and emptied of the Holy Spirit that the
best the minister can do is read from a child’s story book concerning Christmas
rather than read from the Scriptures and exposit to the congregation about the
necessity for Christmas ever coming about in the first place. So what are these
folk really missing? They are missing heaven! Without the acceptance of the
person of Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son: who was made sin for us and
who took our place on Calvary’s cross, they will never obtain God’s saving
grace. These will continue to live without Christ thus assuring themselves of a
death without Christ. And that, dear friends, is the surest ticket to Hell one
can get.
It is incumbent on each of us as Christians to be ambassadors for our
Lord. We are to proclaim and make disciples. We are to have an answer for the
faith that is within us should we be questioned about such. God sent his Son
into the world, that the world through him might be saved. Not the world system,
but the inhabitants thereof (St. John 3:16-21).
Christmas is indeed a time of giving and receiving, but we need to
understand the truth behind the season: that God gave to us a gift of
inestimable value and we are expected to accept it and then use it throughout
our life. St. Paul put the matter this way in his epistle to the Ephesians
(2:5-10), Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he
might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath
before ordained that we should walk in them.
You and I have been saved with a mighty salvation because our God loved
us and sent his own Son, the second person of the Trinity to make such
possible. Without his first coming as that babe in Bethlehem, we would still be
in our sins and trespasses with no hope of ever being freed from this body of
sin and death. Only by means of his coming in the flesh, born of a pure virgin
would the promise of our redemption be made manifest. As we continue on through
this season of Christmas, let us remember and give thanks to God for his gift
to us and remember Jesus Christ is truly God with us.
Let us pray,
F
|
ather we thank you for your gift to us of the
Christ-child who grew to become our Saviour. We also ask for a wise and
understanding heart that we might seek the truth of thy word written concerning
our Lord, and to so witness of him to those who are as yet in the valley and
the shadow of death: that they too might turn unto him and be saved. All this
we ask in the name of him whom the Scriptures call Emmanuel, even Jesus Christ,
our Lord. Amen.
Have a
blessed week,
Bryan+
[1]
By the way, it has
been said if you really want to make God laugh, tell Him your plan. I don’t take credit for the thought,
but sadly I do not know where I first heard it.
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