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 a lovely 68°F at Mount Olympus’ 3,500’msl altitude, so no snow. We are thankful for the coming of our
Lord and the freedom we have. The
weather was bright and sunny, as were the dispositions of the three people
attending the service were!
By the way, each year we have a rosemary bush Christmas
“tree”.
Propers
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 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
Christmas Day
The weather for the Christmas Day service was very nice,
54°F, the blues skies of a Santa Ana (not a Santa Claus) and a lot of wind. The lovely weather brought 3 people to
worship the Lord on the day of his birth.
Gathering Song
Because it is Christmas, Rev Jack Arnold chose to
move out of our traditional gathering songs and picked Hark, the herald-angels sing for the gathering song, Hymn 27 in the
Hymnal. It is a beautiful song and
truly representative of the complete meaning of Christ’s coming.
Hark,
the herald-angels sing
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with the angelic host proclaim,
'Christ is born in Bethlehem.'
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
Christ, by highest heaven adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord,
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a Virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see:
hail, the incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace:
hail, the Sun of Righteousness.
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.
[Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman's conquering seed,
bruise in us the serpent's head;
now display thy saving power,
ruined nature now restore,
now in mystic union join
thine to ours and ours to thine.
Hark, the herald-angels sing
glory to the new-born King.]
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. “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
First Sunday after Christmas Day
The weather for the First Sunday after Christmas Day
service was beautiful. Sunrise temperature
on Mount Olympus was 53°F, warming to 65°F by church time. The lovely weather brought 3 people to
worship the Lord.
Gathering Song
Because it is Christmas, Jack Arnold chose to move
out of our traditional gathering songs and picked What child is this, Hymn 36 in the Hymnal. It is a beautiful song with appropriate
meaning at the time of Christ’s coming.
Hymn 36 - What child
is this
What child is this, who laid to rest,
on Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
while shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
Why lies he in such mean estate
where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian, fear: for sinners here
the silent Word is pleading.
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,
come, peasant, king, to own him;
let loving hearts enthrone him.
This, this is Christ the King,
whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
haste, haste to bring him laud,
the babe, the son of Mary.
This gathering song is a truly
wonderful work. Read it carefully
and think the meaning through.
On
Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes come
from? The answer is from the
people who uttered them. But, how
did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, many from Rev
Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, some from Rev Geordie Menzies-Grierson, but
overall mostly from Bryan. He
always has a few great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –
The difference between death and taxes is
death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.
Will
Rogers
Where I work, Goodwill Enterprises does the
janitorial work. The other day, two of the guys were eating lunch outside on
the lawn, and one of them dropped some of his vegetables on the ground. I
looked at them and said:
"Peas, on earth. Goodwill. Two
men."
Laz
A. Mataz
TO MR.
YOUNG: Lewis’s last letter of direction—on the virgin birth; on the
glorified body of the risen Christ; on atonement theories; and on the wrath of
God.
31
October 1963
1. I
believe in the Virgin Birth in the fullest and most literal sense: that is, I
deny that copulation with a man was the cause of the Virgin’s pregnancy.
2. It is
not easy to define what we mean by an ‘essentially human body’. The records
show that Our Lord’s Risen Body could pass through closed doors, which human
bodies can’t: but also that it could eat. We shall know what a glorified body
is when we have one ourselves: till then, I think we must acquiesce in mystery.
3. When
Scripture says that Christ died ‘for’ us, I think the word is usually υπερ (on behalf of), not αντι (instead of). I think the ideas of sacrifice, ransom, championship
(over death), substitution et cetera are all images to suggest the reality (not
otherwise comprehensible to us) of the atonement. To fix on any one of them as if
it contained and limited the truth like a scientific definition would in my
opinion be a mistake.
4. All
associations of human passions to God are analogical. The wrath of God:
‘something in God of which the best image in the created world is righteous
indignation’. I think it quite a mistake to try to soften the idea of anger by
substituting something like disapproval or regret. Even with men real anger is
far more likely than cold disapproval to lead to full reconciliation. Hot love,
hot wrath. . . .
Your
questions are not in the least offensive.
Yours
sincerely
CS Lewis
We find that Sacerdotalism, or
priestcraft, has frequently been the curse of Christianity, and the ruin of
true religion. And we say boldly that the exaltation of the ministerial office
to an unscriptural place and extravagant dignity in the Church of England in
the present day, is likely to alienate the affections of the laity, to ruin the
Church and be the source of every kind of error and superstition.
JC Ryle
Knots Untied
He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me
receiveth him that sent me.
St. Matthew 10:40
A prudent man will foresee an evil before it comes and will
stand on his guard. When the clouds are gathering for a storm, he takes the
warning and flies to the name of the Lord as his strong tower.
Rev. Matthew Henry
17th and 18th
century English pastor and author
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the
house cometh...
St. Mark 13:35
Recent bible translations have
sadly substituted the word slave or bond slave for the word servant. The word
slave does not communicate the fact that we come to Christ and we serve him by
our own choice. A slave is captured, forced to go with his captor and compelled
to work under cruel conditions. As Christians, we are servants of Christ doing
the will of God from the heart.
Gail Riplinger
20th and 21st
American bible scholar and author
(In Awe of Thy Word,
p.263)
You get the same order of
criminality from any State to which you give power to exercise it; and whatever
power you give the State to do things FOR you carries with it the equivalent
power to do things TO you.
Albert Jay Nock
20th century
political commentator
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 fullness 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 fullness
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 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 that could only be done if He could experience our body for himself, thus requiring Him to incarnate into a human form in order to understand what it was like to be us. Even though He created us and knew a lot about us, He still wanted to experience what it was like to be us. 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 wanted by God as His Children, He loves us and
cares for us very much, so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son that all who
believe on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That
is a pretty big amount of love that He has for us sinful beings! We should
rejoice that He has made us whole, taken away the power of sins if we repent of
them, so that we may continue to live our life for Him!
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. But we will not
have as much trouble as the world has, for we have something they do
not, the Love of God and Christ
among us to comfort and restore us, and to refresh us whenever we are tired and
weary.
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!
Heaven is at the end of an
uphill trail. The easy downhill
trail does not lead to the summit.
The time is now, not tomorrow. The time has come, indeed. How will you ACT?
It is by our actions we are known.
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
29 December 2013, 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.
The Epistle
Galatians iv. 1.
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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 fullness
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
St. Matthew i. 18.
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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.
In those dark days before the Coming of Christ, we were under bondage of the
law as the Galatian Epistle intimates. We could not know God in a
personal relationship, but through laws written on Tables of Stone we tried
hopelessly to be perfect and righteous. But as the Prayer of Collect tells us,
Christ came and took OUR nature upon Himself that we might take HIS Nature upon
US. Being made children of God through adoption in Grace, we are kept in His
mercy by the constant inner counsel of the Holy Spirit to obey the Law of Love.
Being privileged children of the Father, we are no longer in bondage to the law
but made members of the very household of God.
Did you believe that the Christmas Season has past? Well, it has not. In fact,
we are merely at the center of the Christmas Season according to our
Lectionary. The larger picture for the Christian is that Christmas is ALWAYS
and unending in its meaning and impact upon our lives. The birth of Christ was
so cataclysmic that all of Eternity, and our own time-scale, has been divided
into the BEFORE and AFTER of that great event. Despite efforts of the
detractors of Christ to change it to Common Era (C.E.), or Before the Common
Era (B.C.E.), the question remains: “What happened 2013 years ago to cause the
Gregorian Calendar to begin our years with reference to that date?” It was, of
course, the birth of Christ. I care not if the world resents this, or cannot
grasp it – it is established and irrefutable historical fact!
We have, in the Gospel of St. Matthew, a matter-of-fact account of the birth of
Jesus. There are no ‘maybe’ or doubtful expressions about it – the Gospel
speaks with the force and effect of complete reality and truth. Before the
birth of Christ, Emmanuel (that is, God with us) was only a prophetic promise.
After the birth of Jesus, it became a steadfast reality. Matthew
addresses the occasion with a focus on Joseph, whereas Luke gives us a parallel
account with a focus on Mary. This is entirely logical in reason and timely
purpose. The royal line of His Kingship, for legal purposes, came through his
presumed father, Joseph. Of course, His true Father was God, but Joseph was the
legally recorded father for purposes of lineage and descent. Christ must first
be absolute Sovereign before He can be Lord of all. His priestly descent came
through Mary, and there never was, or ever shall be, a High Priest after the
Order of Melchizadek as was Jesus!
Matthew clearly informs us that Jesus had no earthly descent, but was the only
Begotten Son of God. “When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
Joseph and Mary were espoused to each other, but the marriage relationship had
not yet been consummated when Christ was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy
Ghost of God. All claims of new bible versions to the contrary, this is
biblical fact beyond and question.
Let us examine the qualities of Joseph as the caretaker of Jesus. 1) He had a
tender love and consideration for Mary. It would have been ‘unthinkable’ in
that day and time for a man to wed a woman who was pregnant with another man’s
child. So Joseph, unwilling to make a public spectacle of his precious Mary,
was inclined to put her away in some secret or distant place so no one would
slander her name and character. This would have been an unusual emotion in
those days, but Joseph was a “just man.” 2) Once the true
identity of the child Father was revealed to Joseph, he was then willing to
bear the ridicule and shame of his community by marrying Mary. What may seem
dishonor to the world may be immense honor granted by God? It may seem a
disgrace to the world for us to proclaim Merry Christmas instead of so-called
“Happy Holidays” but the least God expects is that we honor His Son by our view
of the event of Christmas.
We know little more about Joseph except that he was a carpenter. Jesus learned
that trade from Joseph, no doubt. The focus now turns to Jesus, and appropriately
so. The same implements of the carpenter’s trade that built houses and tables
were the same used to craft a crude cross for both the manger and the cross of
Christ. All things of His life pointed to Calvary.
The Gospel, or Good News, was summed up in the name JESUS! That name is ÅIhsou'ß Iesous, in the Greek which means Salvation of
God, or Jehovah is salvation. Though Jesus has many names, another profound name for Christ is
Emmanuel, or “God with Us.” What a comfort to know that we can enjoy the very
presence of God in Christ! He is not a God that is far away and uncaring, When
we walk with Christ, we bring the Kingdom of God near us. “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.”
(Luke 10:9) These two names – Jesus and Emmanuel – are of great
importance to us. The first, Jesus, describes His Office and purpose; the
second, Emmanuel, describes His nature – that is, WHO He was.
The name, JESUS, was not given to the babe by man, but by God the Father. “. .
. thou shalt call his name JESUS (Jehovah is Salvation) :
for he shall save his people from their sins.” The Old
Testament rendering of this name in Hebrew would have been the commonly known
‘JOSHUA’ of the same meaning. You will note that Joshua led the people of
Israel into the Promise Land, and Jesus, the greater Joshua, will lead His
people into a greater Kingdom of Promise.
In what way would Jesus “save us’ from our sins? “. . . for he shall save
his people from their sins.” He would first save us from the GUILT of
our sins. The wages of sin is death. We have ALL sinned. Therefore, we justly
deserve death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
Yes, we ALL have sinned: “For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) You can see by this that, under the terms
of the law, there can be no hope for our salvation. But the terms of the law
were satisfied by His perfect submission to that law in paying the price for
our redemption. He took our place on the cross. Therefore, claiming that blood
of Christ as remission for our sins, we are made free of guilt. “But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be
saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:8-9)
Secondly, Jesus saves us from the POWER of Sin! Sin has no power over the
believer unless we deliberately open the door to the devil. “There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life
in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death…… Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live.” (Romans 8:1-2,12-13)
Thirdly, Jesus saves us from the CONSEQUENCE of sin: “Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
(Romans 5:9) “For they themselves shew of us what manner of
entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the
living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised
from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thess 1:9-10)
Fourthly, Jesus saves us from the PRESENCE of sin: “And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to
me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they
before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no
more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any
heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes.” (Rev 7:13-17)
Jesus is a name filled with glorious comfort and inviting satisfaction: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my
yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) When we surrender our futile works to
Christ, and accept His works of righteousness, how simple and easy do our
burdens become, for it is Jesus who carries them.
What of His name, EMMANUEL that informs us of the nature of Jesus? Seven
hundred years passed between the prophecy of Isaiah and the fulfillment of that
prophecy. The weak human faith may have given up the expectation, but with God,
all things are sure and certain. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give
you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his
name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Please do
not tell me that a “young woman shall conceive and bear a son” for it was
spoken of god that the young woman was a VIRGIN. Here is how the NRSV corrupts
Isaiah’s prophecy: “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a
son, and shall name him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14 NRSV) Are you so
literarily challenged that you cannot distinguish the great errors being
propagated by these apostate bibles? The VIRGIN conceives a Son whose
name is EMMANUEL! How does the name EMMANUEL describe the nature of Jesus?
First of all, it identifies Jesus as God for it means “GOD with us!” Jesus is
the central figure of the Trinity. He is God! In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is described
as the “Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” Can any
demean the name of Jesus? Can the new versions demote Him to simply ‘a son of
God’ like unto us, or is He what the Bible claims – The only BEGOTTEN Son of
God?
Jesus is also named the great “I AM” revealing the Eternity of His existence.
He has existed from Eternity Past with the Father. “In 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.” (John 1:1-4) Further, “And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us (EMMANUEL), (and we beheld his glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
If we would have strength for the journey of our daily cross-bearing, we must
be ever mindful of the hope of EMMANUEL. He is WITH us – even unto the end of
the world. If you are weak and weary, grasp hold of the name, JESUS – Savior.
He is our Advocate to defend us in our moments of weakness and trial. “My
little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And
he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)
How
will you observe this great event – will it be by a nebulous term such as Happy
Holidays, or Merry Xmas; or will it be by its true identity of Merry Christmas?
Will it simply become one day out of 365, or 365 days of a single day?
Since Anno Domini, the Year of our Lord, it has been Christmas and it
always will be Christmas.
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:
The
Fullness of Time
Psalm 98, Matthew 1:18-25, Galatians 4:1-7
First Sunday after Christmas
December 29, 2013
Galatians 4 uses an unusual word to describe time. We don’t notice it very much because we
are accustomed to hearing it. But
if it were not in the Bible and someone were to use it today as a new phrase,
like “re-gifting” or “unfriending” we would notice its distinctiveness
immediately. That word is fullness.
It is unusual because we don’t usually think of time as having fullness. To us time simply is. Our schedules may have fullness,
especially at this time of year when families and friends are coming and going
and events are still happening and in the planning stage. But time is different from our
schedules, and it is neither full nor empty, it just is.
Yet the Bible talks about the fullness of time, as though time were
something that can be poured into a container, and when the container is full,
a certain event will occur. I vaguely remember a pop song that said, “If I
could save time in a bottle.”
Well, God can, and the picture here is of God pouring time into a bottle
until it reaches its fullness, and then something He has been planning
happens. A similar picture is
found in Luke 2:6. You remember
the words there, referring to Mary in Bethlehem, saying the time was “accomplished”
that she should be delivered.
“Accomplished” in the Greek New Testament, is from the same word
translated “fullness” in Galatians 4.
We understand Luke’s meaning.
The baby has developed and matured in the womb and is now ready to be
born. The task of growing inside
the womb has been accomplished and fulfilled, and the time to come out and face
the world has arrived. The time is
accomplished. So the “fullness of
time” means that a time of preparation is accomplished, and an event is ready
to take place, the Messiah is ready to be sent into the world.
Remember that image of God pouring time in a bottle until is reaches
its perfect fullness. Remember it
because it shows that the birth of Christ is not an accident. It is the culmination of a time of
preparation, which is itself the enacting of a plan and a purpose. We are familiar with many of the Old
Testament verses that tell of the coming Messiah. They cover the entire Old Testament, beginning with the book
of Genesis. Remember the words of
God to the serpent regarding the seed of the woman, “it shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Man had fallen into sin, into all the sorrow
and loneliness and personal and cultural disintegration and distorted ways of
thinking and acting that we call the misery of sin. Yet God is promising even at that point, that One will come
who will begin to put the world, and us, right again. He will bruise the serpent’s head.
As we look through the Old Testament we see God continuing to fill the
bottle. We see Him call Abraham to
found a family for God. We see him
rescue His family from Egypt. We
see Him give His family rules of conduct that enable its people to live
together in peace and respect. We
see Him establish the great feasts, which are like family gatherings and
Christmas dinners. And He calls
them together for the more ordinary things of family life, like worshiping
together on the Sabbath. He gives
them wise family sages to help them negotiate the trials and stages of
life. He gives them family
historians to record their pilgrimage and remind them who they are and remind
them of the family traditions and their meaning and importance. In all of these things God is their
Father, the head of the family, the leader provider and protector. As long as the family stays with Him
they live in prosperity and happiness.
When they stray from Him they find that the serpent still lurks under
rocks and fallen trees, and his bite is still deadly.
And what did the children of Israel do? They ran away from home. Instead of a loving Father, they imagined God as a
self-serving tyrant. Instead of
seeing His laws as a protective fence they imagined them as oppressive prison
walls. They rejected their Father
as an enemy and embraced their enemies as friends. But God did not abandon them, nor did He abandon hope that
they would return to the family.
And when the bottle of time was full He sent forth His son, born of woman.
I will talk about this unique Son of God more in future sermons and Bible
studies. For now let it suffice to
say He is the word we find in the first chapter of John’s Gospel. He always
was, always is, and always will be THE GOD. And, while never giving up His full Divinity, He added flesh
to Himself and became fully human, born of woman.
Today I want to emphasise why God did that, why He became a human and
was born in a cattle shed and died on a cross. He did it for love, a Father’s love for His children. Most of you have read Laura Ingalls’
“Little House” books, or have seen the TV programs. You remember the story of the blizzard. Laura and Mary were walking home from
school when they were engulfed in a sudden and terrifying blizzard. As the snow and wind increased they
were unable to see the way home.
They were lost and afraid, and rapidly freezing to death. What did their father do? He put on his coat and went out into
the very teeth of the storm. He searched and called and called and searched
until he found his daughters and took them to safety. It almost killed him.
There was very little life left in him when, exhausted and frozen, he
got the girls to a warm house. Why
did he do it? Love. He loved his daughters more than he
loved himself. He valued their
lives more than he valued his own.
He would gladly sacrifice his own life to save theirs.
That’s a pretty good illustration of why Christ came to earth. God loves His children, but they are
lost and dying in the blizzard. He
came to take us safely home. “When
the fullness 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.”preachers often
make much ado about the transcendence of God. And we should.
Transcendence is an important attribute of the greatness and glory of
God. He transcends the physical
--
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Pastor - St. Paul's Anglican Church - Anglican
Orthodox Church
Rev Roy is pastor of the biggest AOC parish
West of the Mississippi; he reminded me there are now three parishes, his being
by far the largest. The Westerners
are taking over the AOC![2]
Rev
Roy reminded me last week that these are just his sermon notes, he oft gets
carried away; expounding and deviating!
First Sunday after Christmas
29 December 2013
Ps 145
Isa. 9: 2 – 7 Luke 2: 1 – 20
“Who is this Jesus ?”
When you read the Isaiah passage, you need to bear in
mind this was written some four hundred years before the birth of Christ. The details, titles, descriptions of
this coming child are pinpoint accurate if you compare it to the Gospel
passages about the Nativity.
Sometimes we do not take the time to realize the real miracle that took
place some two thousand years ago.
This season of Christmas is so out of line with what the secular world
wants us to celebrate, there is a great tug-of-war taking place between the
sacred and the secular. As
early as the last week of August, Christmas trees begin to show up in the
garden centers of certain box stores across the nation. The secular is all about buying,
consuming, how much can I get; how much must I spend to get everyone a gift or
trinket or what ever? And
mind you that pressure begins in August.
Now let’s look at how the Church for centuries used to
celebrate this holy season. Either
on the last Sunday of November or the first Sunday in December would begin a
four Sunday series of lessons and Gospel that spoke to the first coming of
Christ and also His second Coming.
This season is called Advent. This time was used to bring us to the awareness of the
greatest gift ever given, that being the only begotten Son of God, Jesus
Christ. The first two Sundays in
Advent help us to reflect on the first Advent, the baby Jesus. Many prophetic passages are read and
studied that point to that wonderful night in Bethlehem. The last two Sundays in Advent
point to Jesus earthly ministry and the second coming of Jesus. This helps us to understand the
timelessness of Jesus, he was not created, has always been, and will always
be.
In Advent we learn about the many passages of
scripture in the Old Testament that point to Christ’s first coming....as a
child. Is 9: v 6 we read one of
several passages that speak of Christ coming as a baby. When you compare that with the
Nativity narrative such as Matthew you will also see the reference to God with
us, Immanuel
Notice also the promises of safety and peace....an
everlasting peace.
Do we have peace at this time, an everlasting
peace? No. This is a reference to Christ’s second
coming, when He will up hold justice and righteousness from that time on and
forever.
As a church we need to take back the sacred. We need to leave the noise and
confusion and the moneychangers at the door. This is the House of the Lord, we shouldn’t allow all
that to invade and attempt to replace what for centuries has been set apart, as
holy, sanctified.
It is time to remember that the WORD came to change
the world, to light the darkness, to show the way, NOT the other way around.
Today we have people and systems trying to change the WORD and the church to
bend to their idea of what is right, what is just. We have come to the point in history again, where good is
being called bad; and bad is being called good.
Our second passage of scripture has us reflect on the
humble nature of Christ when he came to be amongst his creations. St. Paul is asking us to take on
this nature... we should have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. READ Luke:2:1-20
Because in the end, when we are finished on our
journey we will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,...why.... to the glory of
God the Father.
As we have seen this morning Christ came as a little
helpless baby, he humbled himself, our creator* , came to dwell amongst us to
show us the way by his life, death, burial , and glorious resurrection from the
dead... that we being followers of him should not fear death or its sting.
He came in a quiet way the first time. He lives within us now. He will return in glory...at the
trumpet’s call....because God has exalted him to the highest place and gave him
the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father.
This is the message of the Advent and the Nativity,
the Christmastide and Epiphany.
Let us not forget the Lord.
He did not forget us.
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.
First Sunday after Christmas
In Isaiah, the prophet was given to proclaim the coming of the Messiah saying: For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government
and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from
henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this
(9:6-7). For Christians, these verses tell us of the coming of the promised
Messiah— the Christ— who came to provide salvation to all who would believe on
his name. Let us now consider the particulars of these verses.
First of all, there is the announcement of his birth. This was an
affirmation of Isaiah 7:14 wherein we read, Behold a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Immanuel is translated as, “God
with us.” The Messiah was born as one of us, and yet, via his virgin birth per
the workings of the Holy Ghost, he remained fully divine. To put it another
way, he is both a “Son of man” and the “Son of God.” The Nicene Creed summed it
up in this manner when it spoke of our Lord as being, “...very God of very God,
begotten not made, being of one substance of the Father, by whom all things
were made, who for us men and our salvation came down from heaven, and was
incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man...” As God had
pronounced judgment on our first parents in the Garden, he also set forth the
provision for the redemption of humankind with his prophecy that the seed of
the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). That seed of the
woman was Jesus Christ— Immanuel— God with us.
Another message contained in our Old Testament lesson had to do with
the coming kingdom of the Messiah. The prophet noted that ...the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and
upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for ever. The names of, Wonderful, Counsellor, the
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace speak of who the
Messiah is. He will be called these because as Matthew Henry once noted, “This
child, this Son of God, this Son of man is invested with the highest honor and
power... His people shall know him and worship him by these names. Justly is he
called Wonderful, for he is both God and man. He is the Counsellor, for he was
intimately acquainted with the counsels of God from eternity, and he gives
counsel to the children of men... He is the mighty God... He is the Prince of
Peace...” We see in these names characteristics which aptly describe the
Messiah’s presence and power. He is said to be Wonderful because he inspires
awe. His appearance at his first advent though seemingly insignificant, yet
when examined in light of this prophecy from Isaiah is beyond remarkable. For
God the Son to enter our world as he did reveals the awesome power of our God
to create for himself a earthly vessel in which he might walk among us and be
one of us. It reveals the condescending love which God has always possessed for
his highest creation.
His title of Counsellor speaks as Matthew Henry so noted of his godly
understanding, as well as his presentation of that knowledge to mankind via the
gospels, as well as to his apostles who wrote the bulk of the New Testament.
Godly wisdom will— if followed— lead to eternal life in his coming kingdom.
As he is the second person of the Holy Trinity, he is one with the
Father and the Holy Ghost, ever one God world without end. The Mighty God, the
everlasting Father are titles which speak to the mystery of the Messiah as
being a member of the Godhead and thus fully man and fully God. Only God could
redeem his lost creation via the shedding of his blood— the blood of an earthly
body— and so die as he did on the cross for our redemption. Again, what
condescending love we are treated to in the death of Christ. And what glory
there was and remains for such a God who raised our Lord from the dead and who
later ascended into heaven to intercede for us at the Father’s right hand.
He is the Prince of Peace who came to bring to his own the peace of God
and the blessed assurance of eternal life as co-heirs with himself in the God’s
coming kingdom. The peace that Christ gives us far surpasses anything that
could be found within the realms of the natural or the supernatural. Peace is a
commodity which men have pursued since our first parents were cast out of the
Garden of Eden. Over the millennia, human rulers have rarely succeeded in
crafting genuine peace treaties, and of those that they did manage to
establish, said agreements rarely survived for little more than a generation
before they were undone by one or both of the principals. When our Lord returns,
he will put an end to all violence between nations and peoples. He will triumph
over the works of Satan and his host of wicked spirits and human disciples to
bring in a millennium of true peace and justice. He will sit upon the throne of
his father David and rule over all the world. God promised David that from him
would the Messiah spring forth. As the apostle John wrote of our Lord that he
is, ... the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star
(Revelation 22:16). And as ruler, he will establish his kingdom and order it
with justice and with judgment. With justice, because his will and purpose for
things will be done in righteousness and in truth. With judgment, because all
who will not obey his commandments will be judged and punished in the fires of
perdition. No thing will be permitted to exist in his millennial kingdom that
is of Satan until the final time when the Devil will be permitted a season to
tempt mankind and then he, and those who would follow his lead, will be cast out
into that inevitable and inescapable Lake of Fire.
The zeal of the LORD is that Spirit of Power which he possesses to
complete his works. The desire of God to bring those things so prophesied about
in our lesson and in other places is so great that we have every assurance they
will be done in the manner he described. God’s desires are never thwarted and
are to be considered as truths yet to be formalized. That is where our faith
comes in. We believe that what God has said he will eventually do. While truth
in our sphere is observed and tested by what has happened, God’s truth is in
his promises made good already via the testimony of Scripture, or is yet to be
fulfilled as per the prophetic messages of Scripture. Because we love God, we
trust that as he has done in the past, so he will do in the future per his
promises which were given and so noted in his word written.
In closing, let us keep this point in mind that our Lord Jesus Christ
was being described within our Old Testament lesson today in ways which set
forth the power and majesty of Messiah as God’s child who came and dwelt among
humankind and yet remained wholly and truly the God of all Creation. Let us now
in that knowledge come to his table today and partake of the thanksgiving feast
which he has prepared for us and rejoice that he is all those things—
Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace.
Let us pray,
|
H
|
oly and gracious God, whose word doth inspire
and comfort us; we pray that thou wilt be present with us now in this time of
our mortal existence, and help us to ready ourselves for the second advent of
thine only begotten Son; and we further ask for you to assist us as we witness
to those who remain in the darkness of this life, that they too might turn unto
thee and be saved; for these things we ask in the name of thy dear Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Have a
blessed week, Bryan+
What is this
term Anno Domini
we see after dates, particularly those of Bishop Jerry?
Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) are
designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian
calendars. The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of
the Lord, and as in the year of Our Lord.
It is sometimes specified more fully as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu)
Christi ("In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ"). This calendar era
is based on the traditionally reckoned year of the conception or birth of Jesus
of Nazareth, with AD counting years from the start of this epoch, and BC denoting
years before the start of the era. There is no year zero in this scheme, so the
year AD 1 immediately follows the year 1 BC. This dating system was devised in
525, but was not widely used until after 800 AD.
The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used
calendar in the world today. For decades, it has been the unofficial global
standard, adopted for pragmatic interests of international communication,
transportation, commercial integration and recognized by international
institutions such as the United Nations and the Universal Postal Union.
Traditionally, English followed Latin usage by
placing the abbreviation before the year number for AD. Since BC is not derived from Latin it
is placed after the year number (for example: AD 2013, but 68 BC). However,
placing the AD after the year number (as in "2013 AD") is also
becoming common usage.
The abbreviation is also widely used after the number
of a century or millennium, as in "fourth century AD" or "second
millennium AD" (although conservative usage formerly rejected such
expressions). Because BC is the
English abbreviation for Before Christ, it is sometimes incorrectly concluded
that AD means After Death, i.e., after the death of Jesus. However this would
mean that the ~33 years commonly associated with the life of Jesus would not be
present in either BC or AD time scales.
As the reckoning to the year of the birth of Jesus
has become a global standard, an attempt has been made to remove Christ from
the equation by anti-Christian groups, changing the designation, but not actual
date referring to Common Era (CE), with the preceding years referred to as
Before the Common Era (BCE).
Christians need be aware of this.
