The Propers are found on Page
109-111 with the Collect first:
The
First Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to
receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may
both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace
and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ
to the Gentiles.
[January 6.]
The Collect.
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O
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GOD, who by the leading of a star
didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we,
who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy
glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave
Dru Arnold read
the Epistle for today, which came from the Twelfth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the
Romans beginning at the First Verse. Paul asks not only those long gone Romans,
but us, as well, to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” He tells us our home is in heaven. Life here is not the end, rather the
stepping off point, either to heaven or hell. Thus were are “not conformed to this world: but to be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Some of us may be better than others,
but all fall short of the minimum standard. Through Christ we attain eternal life. In the meantime, each of us should not
“think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Each of us has a place in the church, a
reason to be and job to do. “For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another.”
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BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many
members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for today which came from the
Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke
beginning at the Forty-First Verse.
It tells the story of when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after the
Passover Feast in his twelfth year.
When they were done, the family group, for they likely traveled with
their extended family for safety, left together. After the first day’s travel they stopped for the night and
could not find Jesus. So, fearing
the worst, they headed back at night for Jerusalem. Braving robbers and worse, they made their way back. After looking for three days,
they went to the temple, where lo, they found him. He was among the learned men “both hearing them, and asking
them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers.” His parents were amazed
and confounded. He asked them why
they worried and why they did not understand that he was about his Father’s
business. It is noteworthy that
Jesus at twelve was able to “hold his own” with the learned scholars of
Judah. He was able to out reason
those who lived to dissect the Law.
“A little child shall lead them,” Isaiah 11:1-10
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OW his
parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he
was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried
behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they,
supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not,
they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that
after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him
were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they
were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with
us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them,
How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s
business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
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.
Consider these words from the
Collect:
…grant that they may both
perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and
power faithfully to fulfil the same…
As imperfect creatures
with free will, we will never figure out what we should be doing, let alone do
it, on our own. That was the part
of the reason God sent the Holy Ghost; that we might listen to Him and
understand. Not just understand
The Word that had been spoken to us through Jesus and the Scriptures, but to
understand what we should do, hence the prayer to figure out what we need to
do, then give us the power or strength to do what we are supposed to do. To do it, not just think or talk about
doing it. We need to act, using the Scriptures as our Holy Handbook for our
actions within our lives. He did not mean for us to simply read it only, but to
digest it and use what we learned.
After all isn’t that
what the school system was supposedly put in place for? University, the words
comprise it are “Una Veritas”, meaning “One Truth”, as it was supposed to be a
place of Godly learning, where one would learn the “One Truth”. The school
system was intended that we might have Godly children growing up in the faith,
therefore strengthening them as men/women of great moral character. If we put
back the Scriptures in our schools and held the kids to the standards of those
Scriptures, then we would find ourselves on a moral higher ground.
The first thing tsunami
watchers would tell people, is at the first sign of a tsunami approaching, go
to higher ground. Therefore, I would like apply that same principle to our
lives. At the first sign of any sort of evil, temptation or sin, that we headed
to the higher ground that God lives on and seek him out, rather than wait for
the wave of evil to envelop us.
We are asking God to
help us know what we should do and then help us to do it right. Seems pretty simple. That is the root of almost all our
problems. It is harder to do what is right than what seems easy to us. First, even if we ask God what He wants
us to do, “There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.” Then, if we hear what He wants us to
do, and hear it correctly, we often find it “too hard.” Do you recall this quote from GK
Chesterton:
·
“Christianity has not been tried and found
wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
So once we find out what God
wants, we often rationalize our way around it. Think about the 613 Mosaic laws and the Pharisees who made a
good living telling people how to comply with them to the letter and still do
just what they wanted to do. So,
then even if we find out what God wants and decide to actually do it instead of
avoid it, we are faced with the often huge problem of where do we get the
strength to accomplish this task.
The answer is circular, from God.
He never asks us to do anything we cannot do good enough for Him if we
rely on Him. Never. End of that discussion.
Now, once you have managed to
get this far, you gain the power needed to become one of Paul’s New Men, a
person who has accepted God’s Grace, turning to God and relying on Him for
guidance, strength, courage and perseverance. To do that, we need to turn
outward. Not think of ourselves,
but of God and our fellow Christians.
Speaking of that, one of the tools God gives us to get things done is a
Team, that Team is fellow Christians.
So, we need to work together as a Team. Think not of your glory, but that of God. President Reagan had a sign on his desk
which read:
“There is no
limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.”
Paul tells us not to
concentrate on our status, position or grandeur, but to see what we can do to
help. Just like our body would not
function if all parts were brains, neither will Christ’s Team function if
everyone is concerned about their position.
When we look at the Gospel
today, aside from the historical function telling us that Jesus was in the
temple bringing the light of the gospel to the rabbis, I am reminded there are
other lessons. It is not that we
want to micromanage your life, but keep your friends and family informed of
what you are doing and where you are going. Jesus’ earthly parents risked life and limb going back
up the road to Jerusalem at night.
But, that was their duty as parents. A duty which must have been done, no matter the cost.
Duty –
God • Honor • Country • Family
But, back to the Gospel and the parents arrival at
the temple, where lo, they found him.
He was among the learned men “both hearing them, and asking them
questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers.” His parents were amazed
and confounded. He asked them why
they worried and why they did not understand that he was about his Father’s
business. It is noteworthy to see
Jesus at twelve was able to “hold his own” with the learned scholars of
Judah. He was able to out reason
those who lived to dissect the Law.
“A little child shall lead them,” Isaiah 11:1-10
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 The Epiphany
13 January
2013, Anno Domini
The
First Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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O
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LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to
receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may
both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace
and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ
to the Gentiles.
[January 6.]
The Collect.
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O
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GOD, who by the leading of a star
didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we,
who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy
glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave
Have
you ever been very close to Christ and suddenly, through your complacency and
neglect, found that you are separated, by a vast expanse, from your Lord? Is it
even possible for one who is intimate with Christ to become separated? Have you
omitted the Daily Bread that sustains you? I am afraid that it is the most
common occurrence rather than the exceptional one. Peter once became
separated from Christ in the Garden at Gethsemane and lost all courage during
the separation. The circumstances may even, at times, be reversed. For example:
the men on the road to Emmaus believed that they had been forever separated
from Christ while he walked at their very side. Separation from Christ, either
actual or perceived, is a failure of faith.
We
learn in today's Gospel text that even the mother, and supposed father (for God
was His true Father), of Jesus became separated from their son for three days
or more:
41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem
every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years
old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when
they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind
in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they,
supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found
him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came
to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the
midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And
all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him,
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought
thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How
is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto
them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus
increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. (Luke 2:41-52)
There
are a few salient points brought out in this text that are worthy of emulation
or note:
1)
Jesus attended to his religious
responsibilities in going up to Jerusalem every Passover. His parents even set
the example for Jesus had He needed an example. It is very important that the
young children of the church sit with their parents during worship rather than
being separated to a period of silly play-church. When children observe their
parents doing their Christian duty, a powerful impression is made – and a
lasting one. Jesus and His parents observe the good order, reverence, and
customs of the established feasts.
2)
Note the relationship of Mary
and Joseph to Jesus. In the KJV (Received Text) they are referred to as
Joseph and His MOTHER. In the modern versions, BOTH are
called His parents which blur the distinction of Christ as Son of
God! I.e. ESV, NIV & New American Standard Version: His
parents did not know it .
3)
Jesus was a model of obedience
and discretion, therefore Joseph and His mother Mary were taken by surprise
that He did not follow the company back to Nazareth. Jesus was ALWAYS obedient
to them, but now a higher obedience was required. It was an isolated instance
of His Father's desire to expose His only Begotten Son before the Temple elders
and doctors. Though Jesus was an obedient child to Joseph and Mary, the time
would come when He must obey the Higher Law of His Father. I am disgusted at
clergy who advise their charges to obey the secular law when that law
contradicts the Higher Law of God.
4)
Joseph and Mary were accustomed
to the ordinary expectation that Jesus would follow them. They were wrong. When
religious liturgy of practice becomes too ordinary, we may become complacent in
its observance. We may have studied so very industriously for many years from
God's Holy Word, and then decide, "Ah, I have studied enough. I can take a
sabbatical from studying the Daily Bread of Life. But now, you are in danger of
being separated from Christ. Is it worth the risk?
5)
Joseph and Mary sought for
Christ among their kinfolk and acquaintances. Need I remind you that no
kinfolk, no acquaintance, nor even any ministers, bear any monopoly on Christ.
We gain no spiritual favor with God owing to our faith of our family. No one can
"bring Christ to us." We must find Him ourselves. We can show the
Chart and Compass to our friends, but they must take the tools in hand to seek
His face personally.
6)
Christ has an engaging manner of
teaching. He hears our inquiries and claims, and then He asks us questions that
none other can conceive to ask. He is an excellent listener, and His inquiries
fathom the depths of the heart of men and women.
7)
46 And it came to
pass, that after three days they found him in the temple. There were courageous and loving women who
also sought Christ after three days, and found Him in the Temple of His
Resurrected Body. If we earnestly seek Him, we shall find Him.
8)
All men were forever astonished
at the words of Christ – even His mortal enemies. How often did He put the
Pharisees, rulers, and Scribes to shame with His excellent and deliberative
teaching.
9)
I am sorry to say that I believe
Mary's memory of the great Angel Gabriel's counsel to her while she was yet a
virgin may have lost some of its meaning and luster in her memory. She refers
to Joseph as His father even though she knows full well that he is not, or
perhaps she merely did so to appease social pressures. She was most often
absent during the teaching and preaching of Christ. It may be that Mary did not
come to full realization of who her Son was until after the resurrection.
10) Mary feels offended by the presumed one-time
failure of Jesus to obediently follow them. One thing Mary did that was right
when she learned of her separation from Jesus – she sought Him sorrowing. Every
soul that finds itself separated from Jesus must seek Him, not in the pride of
familiarity, but sorrowing.
11) One great reason that we need Christ, not
only as redeemer and Savior, is that we do not know God the Father well. He
does! 49 And he said unto them, How is
it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. The
reason for Jesus' lingering behind in the Temple was as clear as the Sun to
Jesus, but Mary and Jesus could not have discerned the cause. They failed to
understand His explanation, but our failure to understand all that Christ has
spoken to us is no reason to reject His saving invitation.
12) Though He would become the Savior of His
people and the Light of the World, Jesus was an obedient Son and remained
subject to His mother and to Joseph. I pray that young people today would be
subject to their parents even if their parents are only a carpenter and a
keeper at home! Even if the child aspires to some high calling, he should never
exalt himself above his parents. If Jesus was subject to Joseph and His Mother,
how much more should we be? 51 And he went down with them, and came
to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings
in her heart. There was something mysterious about this occasion to
Mary. She did not fully understand, nonetheless, she kept all in her heart.
13) Jesus continued to grow. When we cease to
grow and learn, then we cease to live. His wisdom, too, increased with his
physical stature, and He grew in favor and knowledge of God His Father. If we
take our eyes off Christ, we may lose Him or be separated from Him for a time.
Better to be staid on Christ constantly, than to be constantly returning from
our human endeavors to seek Him out anew.
CONCLUSION: It would seem that this incident in the life of
Christ, points us to our own responsibilities, in coming of age, to come to
Christ! Twelve years old is a traditional and fitting age for a young person to
be confirmed into the Church and to begin to grow more vibrantly into greater
stature and wisdom. It represents the midline of youth when a fork in the road
begins to appear in the distance – a fork which will begin to lead him more
directly to the government of God in his life or, au contraire, further away if
the wrong path is chosen. Jesus dutifully was brought to the Temple on
the eighth day following His birth to be circumcised (a custom that parallels
baptism in the New Testament economy). And when of a knowing age (twelve years)
He again comes to the Temple to be examined by the doctors thereof. This is
fairly consistent with the Church practice of Confirmation at a knowing age.
If we continue faithfully and prayerfully in following after Christ, we
shall not lose Him.
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:
Grace Given Unto Us
Psalm 23, Romans 12:1-5, Luke
2:41-52
First Sunday after Epiphany
January 13, 2013
The Epistle for this First
Sunday after Epiphany is the first four verses of Romans 12. In that
passage, Paul wrote many astounding words, among them are those found in verse
3, "through the grace given unto me." I want to talk about
grace today. I often speak of this building as a house of grace. I
mean there is a sense in which this place is different from others. Here
people have sought and found grace for more than a hundred and sixty
years. There is a sense of connection about this place, a sense of being
connected with many others, past and present, as we read the same Bible pray
the same Prayers, sing the same hymns, and receive the same grace. We are
all one in the grace of God; "one body in Christ, and every one members of
one another." In a sense this building is a symbol of God's grace,
and I rejoice that a body of believers worships here, because if this building
doesn't house a living, worshiping congregation, it ceases to be a house of
grace and becomes a mausoleum.
When I say this is a house
of grace I mean something wonderful and mysterious happens when we meet
here. God touches us here. He makes us to lie down in green
pastures and leadeth us beside still waters. He restores our souls and
leads us in the paths of righteousness. He prepares a table before us and
anoints us with oil. He fills our souls with such abundance we are like
cups running over with grace.
There is grace in the
things we do here. God draws us into Himself by them, and God imparts
Himself to us in them. There is grace in the Prayers. The more we
understand the Bible, the more the Prayers express our hearts to God, and the
more they lead us into Him. In the Prayers we lie down in the green
pastures of God and drink His still waters. There is grace in reading,
hearing, and preaching the Bible. Let us call them the ministry of the
Word, and let us know that it is different from other readings and
hearings. To read the Bible is to enter the presence of God; to
"hear" it is to let God's presence enter us. To read the Bible
is to let God lead us to the green pastures and still waters. To
"hear" it, that is, to receive it into our hearts with faith, is to
feed on the green pasture and drink the still waters of God. The sermon serves
the feast God has prepared for us. It points us to the pastures and
waters of God. The preacher, by God's authority and command, invites us
to eat and drink of God's grace. Thus, the Prayers and the ministry of
the Word are means by which the Living God imparts His grace to us.
I know these are rather
vague statements. They contain much imagery and very little concrete
definitions. But even the Bible uses more imagery than definitions here,
and I think it is because these things are too big to be reduced to concrete
terms. Someone said, "in the beginning, God created the heavens and
the earth, everything else is math." Everything else may be math,
but God is not, nor are the workings of His Spirit imparting grace to His people.
He, and His ways, are, in a very real sense, beyond comprehension and
unexplainable. He Himself is a great mystery, not because He hides from
us or keeps secrets from us, but because He is beyond our ability to
comprehend. And so, we must be content with the little that we can
understand, and be content to know Him as Mystery. Thanks be to God, we
can understand something about Him, and the Bible tells us who He is, and what
we owe to Him as our God, and how to find and continue in peace with God
through the cross of Christ. The Bible draws us into Him and imparts Him
to us in a spiritual transaction that is as inexplicable and mysterious as God
Himself.
There is grace in the
Sacrament of Holy Communion. It is truly a Table prepared for us in the
presence of our enemies, for we come to it in the midst of a great spiritual
war against spiritual wickedness in high places, and against our own weaknesses
and temptations. Even the most valiant soldiers need rest sometimes, and
our presence in this house of grace and at this feast of grace is our respite
from the battle. Here, for a while, we are in green pastures and beside
still waters.
There is a sense in which
the grace given to us in the Sacrament is even more mysterious than that given
in the Prayers, worship, and ministry of the Word. We can understand that
reading and hearing the Bible shapes our thoughts and attitudes, for we see
that we are shaped by the music, movies, and books we allow into our
lives. What child has not wanted to be like his cartoon or movie hero?
We can understand how the Prayers can shape our lives. We see that saying
and meaning them with understanding gives form to our faith and our
petitions. But how does eating a communion wafer dipped in wine put God
in us and us in God? No wonder that, after receiving the bread and wine,
we thank God for these "holy mysteries."
And yet, there is
something we do know about this Sacrament. We know the bread portrays the
body of Christ dying on the cross. The bread our Lord broke when He
instituted this Sacrament was something like a dense, wheat cracker, large
enough to be broken into twelve pieces. "This is My body," He
said as He broke it and gave the pieces to the disciples. "This is
My blood,' He said as He poured the wine out of its container and gave it to
them. Thus, the Communion graphically portrays the crucifixion of our
Lord.
Eating the bread and
drinking the wine are expressions of our faith. In these acts we state
that we believe in Christ in Biblical faith. We remember Christ's death.
We intentionally open ourselves to Him to receive all the benefits of His
death. We signify our belief that, somehow God is bringing us more fully into
Himself, and imparting Himself more fully to us in this Sacrament. We are
receiving grace.
Grace is in this place,
because God is in us and in the things we do in this place. In them we
come to God's throne of grace. In them God calms our fears and teaches us
to trust Him. In them He heals the wounds caused by sin, and strengthens
us in holiness and faith. He imparts His healing presence to us, and He draws
us into Himself.
Father of all mercies,
whose nature is love and whose throne is grace. We beseech Thee, and
believe that Thou wilt, impart Thy grace unto us, through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
--
+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 the Epiphany
In our gospel lesson today we are given the only story of our Lord as a
youth approaching manhood (St. Luke 2:41-52). To the unbeliever and the
skeptic, the Bible’s silence on our Lord’s time beyond infancy and before he
began his earthly ministry presents them with an open door to unwholesome
speculation, while those who have been regenerated in Christ respect the
reticence of God in Scripture. Forasmuch as we walk by faith and not by sight,
we trust in God’s word, and we also respect his silence (II Corinthians 5:7).
While the Bible communicates the plan and purposes of God; it tells us
only those things which he, in his infinite wisdom, would have us know. Even
so, we are not supposed to engage in frivolous speculation concerning those
matters not covered by Scripture. It should be understood that God does not
keep us from knowledge of his failings because he cannot fail. And God does not
keep us from the knowledge of his Son’s sins because Jesus Christ lived a
sinless life. For this cause came the only begotten Son of God into the world,
that he might bear our reproach and carry our sins upon the cross. Ergo,
without a perfect and sinless life in toto, our Lord’s sacrifice would be worth
nothing (see Hebrews 4:14-16).
Another aspect of our lesson today which the critics and skeptics love
to harp on has to do with our Lord’s treatment of his parents and their
apparent quizzical response to his reply to them (vv. 48-50). Consider the
facts from our lesson. Our Lord had gone with his parents to Jerusalem to
observe the passover feast, something they had done every year (v.41). His
parents then made preparations to leave after the feast had been observed, and
thinking he was among their relatives and friends, they departed for Nazareth.
Now, when they found him not among their fellows, they returned to the city and
found him in the Temple among the learned scholars of the day both hearing them
and asking them questions (vv.44-46). His mother chided him because he had
caused both her and Joseph to worry over his whereabouts. His response is
telling: How is it that ye sought me? wist [know] ye not that I must be about
my Father’s business?(v.49). Notice also that his mother and Joseph did not
understand what he had said (v.50) which has led the critic and the skeptic to
pounce upon the divinity of our Lord. They claim he was only a man and that his
sinless nature could not be because he had not kept the commandment of Honor
thy father and thy mother (Exodus 20:12).
Rubbish! Jesus Christ did not dishonor his earthly parents through his
honoring of his Father. The Scriptures plainly tell us that his mother and
Joseph did not understand what he had said to them. They knew who he was. One
would have to omit the opening chapters of both St. Matthew’s gospel and that
of St. Luke to believe such to be the case. The very next verse states
forthrightly that And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. They
(like many others) would hear Christ’s words and not directly grasp their
meaning, much as Christians down through the ages have at one time or another
held an insufficient understanding as to God’s word.
And such is certainly the case for the critics and skeptics of today.
They so lost in Lucifer’s understanding of the word that they cannot see the
truth of God’s word written. For if the Devil’s veil of deception ever be
removed, such would inevitably lead them to accept Jesus Christ’s bona fides as
the only begotten Son of God and the Saviour of their souls. But the forces of
darkness have worked diligently to make the very words of Scripture of no
effect. Over the millennia, the Devil has sought to twist God’s word so that
those who would hear it will fail to understand and heed it (St. Matthew
13:18-23). It should be clear enough to the faithful Christian that critics and
skeptics will come and go, but God’s word will stand forever (I St. Peter
1:25). We may not always grasp the meaning of every passage ; nevertheless, our
faith in God’s word ought not be diminished on account of our ignorance. St.
Paul advised us to, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II St. Timothy
2:15).
We have not been called to worship one such as ourselves, but the very
personage of God made flesh, full of grace and truth ( St. John 1:14). We have
not been called to faith in a myth, saga, or legend, but to that one and only
name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12). We have not been
called to a weekly remembrance of a dead man, but that of the living Christ,
who is seated at the right hand of God the Father (St. Mark 16:19). We have not
been called to study a book of magic, or of conjuring, but to inwardly digest
the very words of God which he spoke unto the patriarchs, prophets and apostles
who are now members of that great cloud of witnesses which are about us and are
cheering us on to victory in Jesus Christ (II St. Peter 1:15-21; Hebrews 12:1).
There remain many things in God’s word that are veiled in mystery.
Still, God is faithful to perform the promises he has made to the whole body of
the saints in times past. As we are living in these last days, we ought to be
looking up and praying for the coming of him who suffered so that we might
obtain the gracious favor of God through faith in his blood. So that when we
are summoned before his judgment seat, we might hear these words: well done
thou good and faithful servant and be received into his eternal kingdom as
saints of light. Therefore, let us heed the answer our Lord gave to his earthly
parents, wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? for that is
what all true Christians will do.
Let us pray,
|
O
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God who sent thine only begotten Son into the world, that all who would
believe on him might be saved; grant us grace to follow his good example,
serving in his harvest and occupying until he comes again; for this we ask in
his name, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a
blessed week,
Bryan+
Rev Rick Reid of
Saint Peter’s Sunday Sermon
In a new addition to
the Sunday Report, we are happy to have a sermon from Reverend Rick Reid,
minister of Saint Peter’s, whose congregation is right at the Worldwide
Headquarters of the Anglican Orthodox Church. Rev Rick has all the resources and challenges right at
hand. This sermon is not in the
usual expository style common to the Sunday Report and the AOC, but I think you
will enjoy it.
THE HUMAN SIDE OF CHRIST
In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
This sermon is dedicated to Mary Fowler. During our
adult Christian education class she mentioned that she thought that ministers
should preach on the fact that Jesus was human as well as God. I happen to
agree with Mary.
We read in John chapter 4 vs. 4-6"And he
must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is
called Sychar, (Sa-Car) near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his
journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour." (John 4:4-6)
"Jesus
therefore, being wearied with his journey," brings out the reality of His
true human nature. Jesus was just as truly. man.. as He was truly.. God!
Jesus
therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well." He sat
on the well weary, hungry, thirsty, and tired in His human nature. In His
Godhead there is no weariness and no hungering and thirsting. This denotes His
genuine human nature. He had many trials, and He had the exercise of His faith,
and by faith He obeyed the Father in His genuine human nature.
Many
ministers throughout the generations have not preached the fact that Jesus is
indeed very God and very man, even though throughout scripture we read that it
was very important to Jesus, ….who men and women believed Him to be.
St.
Matthew (MAT
16:13-14)
tells us, "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked
his disciples, saying, Whom do men say
that I… the Son of man? And they said, ..Some say that thou art John the
Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."Then Jesus asked His disciples who they
thought He was…. "He saith unto
them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art
the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
It
was necessary that he partake in our human nature to be able to be our
substitute. If He were not truly man, with a body and a soul, capable of
suffering in His body and capable of suffering in His soul, He could not have
been our substitute to bear the punishment we deserved.
If
He were not truly God, He would not have been the perfect sacrificial lamb that
taketh away the sins of the world, so it was essential for Him to be God as
well as man.
In
over-stressing the divine nature of Jesus, .we are in danger of overlooking the
reality of His true human nature.
It
is so important for you and me to fully understand the gospel of salvation, so
that we rightly understand the human nature of the Son of God. Our blessed
Saviour was perfect. He was without sin, yet He was a man! He had a body and a
soul. He had the same senses that you and I have. He would become hungry and
thirsty. He became tired. He wept, He slept. He awoke. He was born a little
child. He was subject unto His parents. He grew into a man. He slept as a man,
yet He commanded the waves and they obeyed Him. When He was in that very human
nature, He was also very God at the same time.
We
see what a precious Saviour our Lord is when we begin to realize that He was
truly man, so He could intimately relate to our every weakness.
The
Lord Jesus Christ has been here on this earth He has walked in this vale of
tears. He has been persecuted. He has been confronted; He has had the powers of
hell come against Him. He has been tempted with every temptation that you and I
could ever be tempted with in His human nature.
How
beautiful it is that He can relate to our weaknesses. He has had a human nature
that became hungry, that became tired, that had all the weaknesses and
frailties of our human nature.
The
book of Hebrews tells us: He can relate so intimately to our every trial
because of His human nature. "Wherefore
in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,…. to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted,….. he is able to succor them that are tempted." (HEB 2:17-18)
If
we destroy the aspect of His human nature in our teaching, see how we lose the
intimacy of the relationship that we have with Christ.
Another
reason it is so necessary that you and I understand His human nature is so that
we will get a better understanding of what He suffered for us.
We
see His suffering, and we understand His true human nature: He was capable of
feeling pain, being discouraged, and becoming weary. We see all the trials and
all the insults and humiliation that were heaped and endured by Him.
We start to understand what it is that
He suffered, because we understand His true human nature, and in the things
that we suffer (even though they are so minor by comparison to what He
suffered), …we understand the price He paid. Jesus said in Luke 22:28: "Ye
are they which have continued with me in my temptations." In other words: You are those who have stayed with me in my
trials.
We
get a better feel for His suffering because we know what we suffer when we are
mocked, when we are scorned, and when we are put out of people’s company for
His name’s sake. We get a feel for the price He paid for our redemption.
He
comes before the Father to intercede on our behalf. He can do this with such an
intimate knowledge of…. what that temptation was… where you and I have failed…
because He has felt the power of that temptation in His human nature.
Again
we read in Hebrews….."Seeing then
that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God; let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need." (HEB 4:14-16)
Now
we see why it is so important that we understand the human nature of Jesus. It
is through our Saviour’s human nature that we are able to come into a family
relationship with both Him and His Father.
What a privilege it is that we have a
High Priest that understands our weaknesses and infirmities. He understands the
power of sin, and He can intercede for us and plead our case before the Father.
Much
of the Gospel of Christ is summed up in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
principle taught in EPH 5:1-2. This is outstanding when we learn to understand it.
"Be ye therefore followers of God,
as dear children." Do you know what it means when the gospel tells us to be a
follower of God? That word follower, in the original Greek, means
"an imitator" of God.
How
are we called upon to be imitators of God?
Now
Verse 2. "And walk in love, as
Christ also hath loved us…. that way when we walk in love, …..we are
imitating Christ.,….. and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour."
Don’t
grieve the Holy Spirit by letting bitterness dwell in your heart. Don’t let
anger, malice and evil-speaking be in your heart. That grieves the Holy Spirit.
Be kind one to another, tenderhearted in the Spirit of Christ.
We read in Romans 8:9: If you have not
the Spirit of Christ, you’re not one of His.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
When
we fix our eyes on Christ as the one and only source of satisfaction, the only
source of rest, Christ becomes our only source of complete satisfaction.
Our
blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has who has felt our human
weaknesses, has called to us as we become weary in our wilderness journey to:
MAT
11:28-30. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."We all understand what it
is to be so weary that we are longing for rest. But He said, "Come unto
me…and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me." Be
my imitator. Learn from me. Learn from my example.
In His weary condition, He went and sat
"thus on the well." You and I must come unto Him "and learn from Him; for …He is meek and lowly in
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
He
says to come and learn that Spirit of Christ. Learn to walk in the footsteps in
which He has walked. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Amen
Beware of
Translations
No all translations of the Bible are equal. We use the King James or Authorized
Version (KJV or AV) for a reason.
It is a superb translation from the received text. There are some other versions such as
the New International Version (NIV) or the English Standard Version (ESV) which
have intentional mis-statements to change the Word.
But there are others, some of which are paraphrase
rather than literal translations, that give a new and deeper understanding of
God and His patience with us. Take
for example this portion of Genesis passed on by the ever lovely Mary Lou
Flanagan:
7 "And God
promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the
earth".
8 Then He made the earth round... and He laughed and laughed and
laughed!
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