Today was the Second Sunday in
Advent. Almost exactly like last
year, sunrise temperature was a fairly cool 34°F on Mount Olympus, but with
drizzle and overcast, the not so lovely weather brought out 3 people for the
service.
Gathering Song
Jack Arnold played
Lo, he comes with clouds descending for the gathering song. This is a special Advent song, sent by
Bishop Jerry this morning!
Lo,
he comes with clouds descending
Lo! he comes, with clouds descending,
once for our salvation slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Christ the Lord returns to reign.
Every eye shall now behold him,
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at nought and sold him,
pierced, and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshipers;
with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars!
Now redemption, long expected,
see in solemn pomp appear;
all his saints, by man rejected,
now shall meet him in the air:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
See the day of God appear!
Yea, amen! let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory;
claim the kingdom for thine own:
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.
Pearl
Harbor Day
Yesterday was a day important to
us as Americans. Seventy-two years
ago on a Sunday morning, “7 December 1941 – a date which will live in infamy -
- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval
and air forces of the Empire of Japan.[1] Two thousand three hundred fifty
Americans gave their lives defending our country, giving their blood that we
might live in freedom.
The Arnolds’ Uncle Jack, Admiral
Jackson D. Arnold[2],
was the Engineering Test Pilot at NAS Ford Island, Pearl Harbor and shot down a
Japanese torpedo plane from the ground when no aircraft were flyable, then went
on to rescue many survivors, some from his first ship ARIZONA. More here: http://adm-arnold.blogspot.com/
Sermon
– Rev Jack Arnold – Pearl Harbor Day 2013
In Matthew 24, Christ gives the
people of Jerusalem warnings as to the end of their time in the land of Israel,
for about 1,500 years (until they return in about 1948, Anno Domini), and he
describes the destruction of their temple, which occurred in about 70, Anno
Domini by the Roman Empire, due to
the Jewish Insurrection. The Jews
have always been a hard headed, stubborn people, and they are not ones to
listen to a warning that would have saved them from destruction and a longer
exodus than their 40 years in the wilderness.
If we do not recognize the signs
of trouble and listen to the warnings, then how are we to expect to follow His
Word, if we ignore his warnings and do not heed them appropriately? Look at the
Jews for an example of this, with Matthew 24. He had said if they had heeded his warnings, this would not
have come to pass. If they had followed His Word, then they would not have
revolted against the Roman Authorities and caused them grievous heartaches and
sufferings, and would have avoided the suicides at Masada.
A more modern version of what the
Jews went through can be found in Pearl Harbor, on December 7th,
1941. At the time, America was
content to ignore the rising problem of Imperial Japan in the East, while
secretly giving aid to Britain against the rising might of Nazi Germany in the
West. There were warnings present,
starting with the Japanese aggression in China in 1936, the actual, physical
manifestation of World War II.
The isolationists were content to
ignore the aggressions committed by the Axis in both theatres of the war,
figuring it was no big deal to them; Jews were murdered by the hundreds and
thousands in Germany, undesirables murdered in Stalin’s Russia (originally a
member of the Axis, a long forgotten and less cared about fact), the rapes of so called “sub-humans” in
Japanese held Manchuria (e.g Rape of Nanking, Rape of Fena Reservoir.) They saw
only what they wanted to see. They
were blind to the truth, to the pure evilness of the Nazis, to the Imperial War
Party and to the Communists. The
blindness prevails to this day.
As the signs of aggression became
more and more obvious, isolationists dug their holes deeper and put their
fingers in their ears and shouted how wonderful and sunny a day it was in the
world, while millions were being oppressed, murdered and raped in the far
corners of Asia and Europe under Japan and Nazi Germany and Russia.
This is just as the Jews ignored
growing signs in Jesus’ time, and were resistant to co-operating with the
authorities. If they had not disregarded Christ’s warnings, they would have
been far better off, and possibly retained their homeland.
Had we acted on those clear signs
of aggression, a quadrant of madmen (Stalin, Hitler, Tojo/Emperor, Mussolini) might
not have been able to act on their desire to dominate the world for their own purposes.
On December 7th, 1941,
all this ignorance of the aggression, the ear plugging by the isolationists
came to a sudden and complete stop.
The attack upon our soil by the Imperial Forces of Japan at Pearl Harbor
changed the tune. Due to the ill-preparedness of our country and the
unwillingness to confront the problem of Japan in any form, we lost 2,402 fine
men, and 1,247 wounded. They paid the high price to learn the true face of
Imperial Japan; greedy, low moral and ethics (though their “culture” professed
to have high ethics, (e.g saving face.) country, hell-bent on dominating the
world, especially the United States, subjugating it to its will.
We found the problem a little too
late, ignoring clear warnings of Japanese aggression. With such forewarning, we should have
been prepared tor the eventuality of war with Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany and
the Soviet Union.
A lesson to be learned from the attack
on Pearl Harbor, is that we should not take spiritual or worldly warning lightly.
If we do not heed this warnings, as those of us are not now, then how can we
expect to have a future, where we can tell our children of those who went
before us, who heeded those warnings, to pass on the moral fiber (through
Scripture this should be established) necessary to establish a solid generation
of Godly, Good and Great American people, (or the Three Gs!).
On the subject of Pearl Harbor
itself, and of the men and women who died there, I would like to offer up to
you a selection of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:
“It is rather for
us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from
these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave
the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these
dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a
new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for
the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln.
Also, he said this, which preceded
the above part which is also very appropriate for this occasion:
“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate --
we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The
world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated
here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
advanced.”
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 –
On the Incarnation
The Second Person in God, the Son, became
human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man—a real man of a
particular height, with hair of a particular colour, speaking a particular
language, weighing so many stone. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and
who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby,
and before that a foetus inside a Woman’s body. If you want to get the hang of
it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.
Jack
Lewis
Mere Christianity
They that can give up essential liberty to
purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Benjamin
Franklin
Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
A
St. Nicholas Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Hays, A Pilgrims Almanac
(adapted)
"It is fitting that the feast of St.
Nicholas comes at the beginning of Advent and the beginning of the shoppers
season. As the patron saint of shoppers he proclaims, Keep it simple! Keep it
simple enough to fit in a shoe or a stocking.
"One gift that could fit in shoe, or in
a stocking hanging on the fireplace, is a note that speaks of one of our most
precious gifts, the gift of time. Such a St. Nicholas note might read: The gift
I give to you is half an hour of quality conversation each night right after
the dishes are done. Or, The gift I give to you is one Saturday a month to be
with you and do whatever you want to do. We can appreciate the value of such a
gift if we keep in mind that according to a recent survey, the average married
couple in America has only 30 minutes a week of communication outside of
exchanges that take place at the dinner table, and between parent and child is
only 14 minutes. As you can see, the possibilities are almost unlimited for
these St. Nicholas shoe gifts.
"Come, St. Nicholas, patron of shoppers
and gift-seekers, and make Christmas this year fun, creative and
love-filled."
Rev.
Geordie Menzies- Grierson
No people will tamely surrender their
Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue
is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and
debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the
Aid of foreign Invaders.
Samuel
Adams
Letter to James Warren, November 4, 1775
God who gave us life gave us Liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?
Thomas
Jefferson
1774
That man is a fallen creature has never been
more clearly demonstrated than by the behavior of our elected politicians in
Washington. Most of them are highly educated lawyers who have studied American
history in their universities, and yet have acted so stupidly as to have
brought this great nation to the brink of financial disaster. We learn at an
early age that you cannot spend more than you earn. We learn that it is not
good to borrow money in order to buy things you really don’t need. And yet,
these very smart politicians keep doing this in contradiction to all wise and
intelligent understanding of basic economic principles.
Dr.
Samuel Blumenfeld
20th and 21st century
American political commentator
(Are Our Politicians Stupid or Evil)
Propers
The Propers are found on Page
92-93, with the Collect first:
The Second Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LESSED
Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant
that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever
hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The propers for the First Sunday
in Advent can be found on Page 90-92:
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
Dru Arnold read the Epistle for today, which came
from Paul’s letter to the Romans, starting at the Fourth Verse of the Fifteenth
Chapter.
Paul tells us the scriptures up to that time were
written that we might have hope.
He now reminds us to treat each other the way Jesus treated those about
him, to open our hearts to each other as Jesus opened His. The promise of Jesus was not to Jews
only, but to all people (Gentiles).
Paul tells us Jesus Christ was a minister of … the truth of God, to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers: and that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee
among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye
Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and
laud him, all ye people.”
He reminds us of the writing of Esaias, “There shall
be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him
shall the Gentiles trust.” Paul leaves
with the blessing, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
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hatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded
one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one
mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive
ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that
Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers: and that the Gentiles might glorify
God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee
among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name. And again he saith, Rejoice, ye
Gentiles, with his people. And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and
laud him, all ye people. And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of
Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the
Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for today which came from
the Gospel according to Saint Luke, the Twenty-First Chapter, beginning at the
Twenty-Fifth Verse. In preparation
for our recollection of the First Coming, the Nativity, we read St. Luke’s
description of the Second Coming, “and there shall be signs in the sun, and in
the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts fail-ing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when
they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now
nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye
that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.”
As clear as the Second Coming will be, so was the
First Coming to those who would see and hear it. Once again, we are reminded that there are none so blind as
those who will not see and none so deaf as those who will not hear.
Can you see Him? Will you hear Him?
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nd there shall be signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when
they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now
nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye
that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation
shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but my words shall not pass away.
Sermon
– Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action
The Second Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LESSED
Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant
that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever
hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
The
Collect and the Epistle and the Gospel all tell us we are to learn from
Scripture and to place our hope in God and not man. We are to use the
scriptures for our learning, so we might become wiser through the Holy Spirit,
whose guidance as we read and study Scripture will allow us to come to a full
understanding of the meaning it should have in our daily lives. If we try to live our lives or write
our sermons without that guidance, we will be for naught. We have to understand
what we are preaching, and we have to live what we are preaching, in order for
our faith to have any meaning. If we do not have understanding, nor do we act
upon our preaching, how can we ask others to follow God, when we are selves are
not?
We
must act upon the words of Scripture and the sermons we here, so that our faith
will become evident to all of those who are watching us. We will make mistakes
and sin, as we are imperfect beings, but if we admit our wrongdoings to God,
and come back to Him, then all shall be forgiven and we shall have another
fresh slate, on which to start anew.
In
the Epistle, Paul tells us Scripture was written that we might have hope, even
in times of darkness. Time like
these where there are unbelievers in high places, doing their best to defile
and ridicule our faith can try our souls.
We must treat others the way that Christ taught us to, with respect and
humility, no matter our personal feelings/opinion on them and how they conduct
their lives. If we are nice to them, we may plant a seed in their lives for the
better, causing perhaps a change for the better in them.
Returning
to the Gospel, St. Luke describes the signs of the Second Coming and how we are
to prepare for it. We are not to
be caught unaware of the signs, if we read the signs, then we shall be prepared
to meet our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This means we have to be active in our faith, and not brain
and faith dead like so many around us today.
We
have to use the tools given to us by God, Scripture, our faith, and our friends
in the faith to combat the evils of this world. We must do our best to make this world the best place we
can. If we study, digest and use
Scripture in faith, we will have hope in these times of darkness; we will go
forth and spread Good News, which will give us satisfaction and hope for
people, therefore renewing our spirit and vigor and the knowledge that in the
end we will triumph will fill our hungry spirits.
Our
hungry spirits will be satisified by God’s Goodness and His Word and His Love,
of which He has infinite capacity, so nobody is stealing anybody elses share,
as God has more than plenty to go around for all of us! So we must concentrate
then on sharing the Gosepel and God’s love, so that others might finally find
true happiness, as we find ours, in serving the Lord for the rest of our days.
The
common theme through the collect, Epistle and Gospel is that if we have hope
and trust in God, we must dread naught, and carry on, empowered through them in
our daily lives here on Earth until we are called to our heavenly home.
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
Second Sunday
in Advent
8 December
2013, Anno Domini
The Second Sunday in Advent
The
Collect.
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LESSED
Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant
that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever
hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
The
First Sunday in Advent
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY
God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us
the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son
Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he
shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
¶
This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent,
until Christmas Day.
The Collect holds forth the whole hope provided in the Advent Promise of the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That hope is called “the blessed hope.”
Clearly implicit in the holding of that blessed hoped is hearing, reading,
marking, and internalization of God’s Holy Word. Do we go into the wilderness
of the world to see a ‘reed shaken in the wind,’ or do we go
forth seeking to hear the preaching of the Holy Word of God? Once heard and
believed, what result? If we have truly believed, we will not be able to
satisfy our appetites for hearing reading, and studying that Word. Not only
will we flee, even into the wilderness to hear that Word and to whet our hunger
for it, but our voices shall become like unto that faithful voice of John ‘Crying
in the Wilderness.’
Amos 3:1-8
First Lesson (1st Propers)
Hear this
word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the
whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I
known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all
your iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar
in the forest, when he hath no prey? will a young lion cry out of his den, if
he have taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where no gin
is for him? shall one take up a snare from the earth, and have taken nothing at
all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall
there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord God
will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?
Christ came, in the fullness of time to redeem His people from their sins. Who
are His people? Is it some political state, or racial component thereof? No, it
is not. Spiritual Israel has been the same from the beginning – those who have
believed the Promise of the Coming Seed made plain in Abraham. Israel
(the people of God) cannot be squeezed into national boundaries, but is
comprised of all who believe. There are certainly members of political Israel
who are no more saved in Christ than the unreached indigenous Indian tribes of
the Amazon River Basin. It is faith in the promise that defines Israel: “Even
as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children
of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall
all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham.” (Gal 3:6-9) “For
the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to
his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they
which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none
effect.” (Romans
4:13-14)
Christ came in the body of a man and was wholly God and wholly man, at the same
time, to endure every suffering and pain that is common to mankind. God even
called His Son out of Egypt just has He has called all of His people out of the
“Land of Bondage.” The secrets of the Lord have been revealed to His
prophets and, through their records made thereof, to us if we will read and
study. God sends no judgment upon a people without first sending forth a
warning just as a lion roaring from the dark shadows. God had promised the Advent
of His Son from the misty dawns of Eden. Though He is forever coming into the
hearts of His people from Abraham to us, He has promised two physical and
visible Comings – at Christmas and at the last Trump! We, woo, are invited to
come to Him in both kinds. We come to Him by faith in this life, and we come to
Him through the power of the resurrection at His Second Coming. You will recall
that Noah and his family were invited to come into the place of safety ere the
doors of the Ark were closed – not by Noah, but by the Lord God. God has
extended more than 2,000 invitations to us to come. His last invitation is
found in the last possible instant – the last chapter of the last Book of the
Bible: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.” (Rev 22:17) Advent is a Coming ofChrist to
us, but also a coming of us to Christ.
Have we heeded the Voice of the Lord and feared according to the warning? If
the lion roars outside the village, will we turn over and return to our sleep?
The Lion of Judah has roared and we would best heed the roaring of the Lord. I
hear a roaring across the landscape of America – a Voice that once cried in the
Wilderness is now roaring its warning to an apostate people. If we would not go
into bondage as did the people of Jerusalem of old, we must repent both
individually and as a nation from our sins, and turn our faces and hearts back
to the Lord.
St. John 5:30-40
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father
which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There
is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he
witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the
truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye
might be saved. He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a
season to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witness than that of John:
for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I
do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself,
which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice
at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for
whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye
think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will
not come to me, that ye might have life.
There is no more historically confirmed event in history than that of the
birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover the
coming of Christ was prophesied thousands of years prior to His Coming in
marked and precise detail. As fingers of the coming Light began to dawn on the
distant horizon during the dark years of the intervening period between the
last word of Malachi to the first of John the Baptist, the world was smothered
in sin and absent-mindedness toward God that led to their misery. But on that
first Christmas morning so very long ago, the Light of the World burst forth in
resplendent brilliance across the hills of Bethlehem and finally across the
whole world. Before coming into the radiance of His Light, all of us have sat
in darkness. The Lord Jesus Christ has brought light and love into hearts once
steeped in bitterness, hate, and brooding malice. Though recorded history
offers the most abundant of empirical proofs of the Advent of Christ, there
remains a much more certain proof in the heart of the believer – that of
believing faith. Do you doubt the treasure? Search the heart and see the
splendor of riches made available in Christ.
The opening verse of our Gospel text demonstrates the inseverability of the
Trinity. It is best described in the words of Dr. Nathan Wood in his great work
on the Trinity of God – “The Trinity in the Universe” – in which he compares
the Trinity with the three dimensions comprising all of the physical Creation.
Every material object MUST possess width, height, and depth. Absent only one of
those dimensions, there is not space for matter to occupy. But the three dimensions
of God are infinite in nature. You cannot have God without the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost. We cannot deny One without denying all Three. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge:
and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which hath sent me.” In this verse, Jesus provides an
acceptable basis for judgment in the church. If we judge with the righteous
judgment of Christ, we are on firm ground. Please note that ALL Christ did or
said was in total unity with the Father. Are we, friends, in unity with Christ.
If we are, we are, of necessity, in unity with the Father. And if the Church is
in unity with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, it will be in unity with each
member of His Body. Divisions occur when either the minister or people act out
of ignorance, malice, or pride against each other.
According to the law, truth must be established in the mouth of two or more
witnesses. Though Christ is sufficient witness in Himself to us of His
Lordship, He never speaks in alienation of the other two members of the
Godhead. “If I bear witness of myself, my
witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know
that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.” Jesus is
telling us that if He speaks or acts outside the Unity of the Triune God, He
would not be who He claims to be. But, in reality, Christ cannot speak apart
from the Father and the Holy Ghost for they are One in Will and Purpose.
However, to satisfy the requirements of the law, Jesus makes reference to
another witness – God the Father. This confirms, not only spiritually, but
legally, the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father has born witness
of His Son from Eden to John the Baptist, and did so more than once by Voice
during the life of Christ. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased.”
While it is true that John was a burning and bright light of truth, he was,
nonetheless, a lower harbor light to the great Light House of God whose beams
sweep the ocean seas during calm seas and storm. “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive
not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved. He was
a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in
his light.” These words of Christ are quite telling. Though we
may be led to the brook of Living Waters by believers, we cannot drink the
waters of the brook without the provision of God to keep the waters flowing. It
is not the guide that saves us, but the water itself. “Brightly beams,
our Father’s mercies, from His Light House ever more. But to us, He gives the
keeping, of the lights along the shore.” That old song gives us some
small understanding that it is the Light of God that saves the lost seaman. We
are only the harbor lights that lead to the true Light. John was a lower light.
He was not the True Light, but he bore witness of the True Light which was
Christ. “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.”
(John 1:5-10)
Are we being the witnesses of that True Light that we are called to be? Do we
cry out the Gospel with our hearts, our minds, and our actions even in
wilderness places? It is true today that all who proclaim the Gospel are as a
Voice Crying in the Wilderness. The world is a wilderness of sin. Jesus Christ
has come bearing the gifts of salvation and liberty. We must cry out even in
the world does not heed the voice. The Word is a two-edged sword that cuts both
ways – either to convict of sin and lead to repentance, or to condemn finally
to Hell. No sinner will be able to claim that ‘no one ever told me,’ for nature
itself proclaims the Lord. But a second witness is needful- the voice of the
faithful.
Are we ready for the Advent of the Lord? Have we served honorably as “watchers
on the wall?” Have we believed God and not man? “But
I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given
me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father
hath sent me. And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of
me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.”
Are you one of those wandering stars (comets) who have no fixed place in
heaven? (Jude 1:13) Are you seeking marvelous signs and wonders from vain and
pompous men who claim to be evangelists, or do you accept the life-works and
testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ? (Matthew 12:39-40) Were the works of Christ
sufficient for your faith, or do you seek others of mere men? It is God whom we
must trust – not man! (Psalms 118:8-9 & Acts 5:29) Are you one who hides
behind the cover of a so-called “separation of church and state” or do you obey
always the Higher Law of God?
As we approach the glorious Advent of our Lord, let not these words of Jesus
describe you: “And ye have not his word
abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the
scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which
testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
You may KNOW the Word of god very well. Many esteemed seminary professors have
learned that Word well in order that they might dispute that Word. Even the
devils believe and tremble. But does the Word of God, which is the heart and
focus of your study, actually live and abide in your heart. Life is full of
action and consciousness. Is that life of the Word abiding in your heart? Has it
created a new man in you? Do all who know you see and recognize in your uniform
that you are a soldier of Christ? Have they seen His Banner flying high above
your heart?
So,
in conclusion, Advent is a coming of Christ to us. But Advent is also a coming
of the Wise Men and Women to Christ. We have seen His Star in the East and have
followed that Light to Christ, have we not?
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:
Written
for Our Learning
Romans 15:4, Luke 21:25
Second Sunday in Advent
December 8, 2013
“Written for our learning.” You will recognize these words as coming
from Romans 15:5, which is part of the Epistle reading for this, the Second
Sunday in Advent. The Apostle Paul, under the guidance of God, wrote
these words to the Christians in Rome about the year 58 Anno Domine to explain
to them the purpose of Scripture. He referred to the part of the Bible we
know today as The Old Testament. It was written for our learning.
But Scripture was not completed with the Old Testament. The Old Testament
was the book of promise. When its promises were fulfilled, the book of
fulfillment needed to be written. We call the book of fulfillment the New
Testament. With it Scripture is complete. No more Scripture is being
written, no more prophecy is being given, no new revelation or word from God is
being given, nor are they needed. All that we need to know about God and
our salvation is given in the Bible. God is able to give His complete
revelation to man, and He has given it in the Bible. It is the Holy
Scriptures written for our learning.
Before we proceed, let me define the word, “Scripture.” We are
not talking about the books and writings of other religions. We are
talking about the Old and New Testaments in the book we call the
Bible. And we are making a claim that the Bible is different from
every other book, story, or writing that ever has been and ever will be.
We are saying the Bible is not one book in a genre of literature. It is
not one set of holy scriptures among many sets of holy scriptures. We are
claiming that the Bible is nothing less than the word of God Himself. We
are saying that the Bible alone is given by inspiration of God. We are
saying that among all the books that claim to come from prophets and gods and
divinely inspired authors, only the Bible really does. It alone
was written by men “as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pt.1:21). So
when 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “all scripture is given by inspiration of God” it
means the Bible.
We are saying something else here, about the Bible. We are
saying it reveals God. In fact it was given by God to reveal God to
us. Exodus tells us of God delivering Israel from Egyptian slavery, and
we see that God is merciful. Genesis tells us of the creation of all
things, and we see that God is almighty. The Psalms tell us God inhabits
eternity and we see that He is from everlasting and to everlasting. The
prophetic books tell us God speaks, and we learn that He is a rational
being. The Gospel of John tells us that if we have seen Jesus we have
seen the Father, and we see that Jesus and the Father are one. Matthew
tells us of Jesus teaching the disciples and commissioning them to tell others
what He taught them, and we see that the Christian Faith came from God and was
given to the Apostles, who taught it to others and recorded it in the Bible,
and we see that the Bible is God’s revelation of His being and His will.
Why did God do all this? Why did He give His word to Moses and
the prophets and the Apostles? Why did He have them record His word and
put it together in a book? For our learning. He did it for our
learning. We can learn many things from the Bible. For example, the
Bible is a historical book. It contains the story of God’s work with
humanity in history. So we can learn about Egypt and Babylon and Rome.
And yet, the message of the Bible is not history or geography. The Bible
teaches principles of conduct and morality that help us build a good
government, run a good business, build a happy home, and build a happy
life. I don’t mean the Bible teaches accounting or house repair, or even
government organisation. I mean the principles and values and morality
given in the Bible apply to every aspect of life.
Yet, the message of the Bible is not morality. It is important
to state that clearly because most people think the Bible is just a book f
morals. Most people think the message of the Bible is that we need to try
to live by the moral standards taught in its pages, and if we do a fairly good
job of keeping those standards we will go to Heaven. They think the heart
of the Bible is the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ maxim that the essence of the
law is to love God above all else and to love your neighbor as yourself.
But that is not the real message of the Bible. The real message of the Bible
is what happens between God and people who have failed to love Him above all
else, and failed to love their neighbors as themselves. That message is
expressed in two words that I want to talk about for a moment; comfort and
hope.
Comfort here means help in our distress. If it is true that
the Bible addresses what happens between God and people who have failed to love
Him and their neighbors, then we are all in a condition of terrible distress,
for we all have failed. I urge everyone to consider the confessional
prayer in our service of Morning and Evening prayer for a moment. If we
pause after the words, “we have done those things which we ought not to have
done,” and take a few moments to confess our specific sins, really confess
them, we are led to the realization that sin is our natural condition.
There really is no spiritual health in us, and there never will be unless we
receive it from God as kind of spiritual transplant and a gift from God. The
spiritual sickness of sin is the natural direction of our lives. It is
what we are. There are moments when we genuinely seek God, but the
general direction of our lives is toward our own desires instead of, and even
in spite of, God’s desires. If you have not experienced this, I urge you
to get on your knees and read that prayer and start confessing your specific
offences against God’s holy laws. Be very specific about the times you
have left undone those thing you ought to have done, and done those things you
ought not to have done, and see where such confession leads you.
It will probably lead you to call out to God for mercy and
help. It will lead you into distress and you will need comfort only God
can give. And He gives comfort. “Comfort ye my people” He said to
the prophet Isaiah. “Comfort one another with these words,” He said
through the Apostle Paul. There is comfort in the Scriptures for they
tell us of mercy. They tell us of forgiveness. Though your sins be
as scarlet they shall be white as snow. As far as the east is from the
west, so far has He removed our sins from us. He accomplished this
through Jesus Christ. He paid the price of our forgiveness. This is the
meaning of what we call the “comfortable” or comforting words in the liturgy of
Holy Communion. This is what the Bible was written to teach us. We
don’t have to carry the burden of our sin. We don’t have to bear its
penalty. We don’t have to let it separate us from God now and
forever. We can be free of it, saved from it. That’s the message,
the comfort of the Bible. All we have to do is trust Jesus to forgive us.
The Bible comforts us with the message of forgiveness.
It also comforts us with the hope of Heaven. We will not dwell in this
earthly vale of tears forever. There is a better place where the sorrows
of this life are only dim memories. There are no sorrows there, no
sickness, no death, no good byes. In that land there is only good and
peace and joy. The Lord is coming back to take His people there. He said,
“I go to prepare a place for you,” and “I will come again to receive you unto
myself.” One day the dead in Christ will rise. One day those who are
alive in Christ will be caught up, gathered up in Christ, and will be taken to
that place to dwell with Him forever. This is our comfort in our distress.
This is the Christian’s blessed hope.
Hope is the opposite of the belief that there is no meaning or
purpose or reason to life. It is the cure for the fear that nothing
matters. Despair agrees with Solomon’s words, “all is vanity.” But
hope is the confidence that God has a purpose for us, to gather us together in
Christ and to bring us into His House of Many Mansions. Hope believe God
lives, therefore life is worth living and death is worth dying. The Bible
was written to give us this hope. It is a major part of what we are to
learn from the Bible. The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent
summarises all that this sermon has been trying to say.
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lessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures
to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read,
mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy
Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
--
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
Roy Morales-Kuhn, Pastor - Covenant of Grace Anglican Chapel -
Anglican Orthodox Church, USA - Sermon for the Second Sunday in Advent
Birth of Jesus
Foretold
Advent II 08 DEC 13
Ps 25 Lessons
OT Isa 55 NT Luke 1:26-56
This is the time of the year that we look forward to
the celebration of the birth of Christ. It was in the period of the early
church that began the idea of setting aside four Sundays just before Christmas,
or as it was called the Nativity, to help us prepare for this momentous event.
This four Sunday study period, with Old and New
Testament readings, hymns, carols, and sermons focusing on this period would
take on the name of Advent. Advent
is a term from the Latin which means “that which is to come”. Now what is
interesting about this period, the first two Sundays focus on the prophetic
nature and period that would herald the coming Savior. Many Old Testament passages
would be read and studied to show how the birth of Jesus Christ was foretold
many centuries before his birth. We can find references to the birth of Christ
in Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, and several other minor prophets in the O.T. So when Dr. Luke, a Greek medical
doctor, writes the account of the birth of Christ, he is being inspired by the
Holy Spirit to record what had already been foretold so many centuries earlier.
The third and fourth Sundays in Advent focus on both our personal preparation
for His coming and on his return to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
So during this period of reflection, interestingly at the end of our calendar
year, we reflect on the past, present, and the future.
Remember the disciples asked Christ, “when will you
establish your kingdom?”
Jesus replied, “my kingdom was, is now, and is to
come.” If you look at that
passage, he is telling us that his kingdom has always been. The physical kingdom, established on
the new earth, newly created in perfection, is to come. Not to get into any
controversy, but we must understand that even Jesus, before his death, burial,
and resurrection, stated as to the fact of the second coming: “no man knows but
the Father”
We should not spend endless hours trying to figure
out the mind and time schedule of God, by setting hours, dates, eras,
dispensations for the coming of Christ.
It should suffice us to say, He is coming again. Only the Father knows
the time and era.
Now focusing on the first Advent, we know that in
time and history, Jesus Christ was born. That is a fact. Contrary to what
secular historians try to warp, or explain away there was a man named Jesus,
who was reported by secular sources, to have lived and stirred up the people in
the area we now know as Israel. Some miracles were reported, and other events
of his life, so definitely was his existence noted. This should not be an
issue, the Bible has proven many a secular historian, anthropologist, and
archeologist wrong, as more and more evidence is found by modern archeologist.
Now let us go to the Biblical record and read about
Jesus first coming.
26 And in the sixth
month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named
Nazareth,
27 To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary.
28 And the angel came
in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou among women.
29 And when she saw
him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of
salutation this should be.
30 And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
31 And, behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
Jesus.
32 He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign
over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto
the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35 And the angel
answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
36 And, behold, thy
cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the
sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37 For with God
nothing shall be impossible.
Notice how Mary responds to all this information
Gabriel gives to her. She did not completely understand the process, but she
took the heavenly messenger’s announcement to heart. She understood that as a
child of God she needed to be obedient to his Word.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Now that
Mary has the Word and she is now with child, she goes to visit her older cousin
Elizabeth. This visit not only certifies what is happening to Mary, but it also
confirms the prophetic happenings concerning the miraculous birth of John. His
mother, Elizabeth had never had any children, she was much older when the angel
told her husband that they would have a son, to be named John. He would be the
herald who was foretold in the book of Isaiah. “A voice in the wilderness, calling for repentance, making
the way for the coming One who will take away the sins of the world”.
39 And Mary arose in
those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into
the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to
pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out
with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the
fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this
to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as
the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb
for joy.
Here is the confirmation, by Elizabeth, that all that
has been taking place is of the Lord. It was foretold many hundreds of years
earlier, is now coming true. This is within a six month period of time, notice
that all of this begins to happen very rapidly, once the message is revealed.
Now Jesus will grow up as a human would until the time was right for his
ministry {according to Jewish tradition a man became an elder around the age of
30, this was the approximate age of Jesus when he was baptized and began his
ministry. This ministry will only cover about 3 ½ years and encompass only some
80 miles around his hometown. But that ministry will have eternal consequences
for all mankind. Finally the salvation promised at the Garden is revealed.
Finally we can put off our sins and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of
our souls, we can be forever alive in Him, all because the little baby born to
a virgin that chilly night so many years ago. Elizabeth gives Mary that final thought to ponder in the
form of a blessing.
45 And blessed is she
that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told
her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said, My
soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath
regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed.
Now let us go out this day remembering what Jesus did for us, when he
first came to earth, as a tiny little child, to grow up and live amongst his own,
to one day suffer, die, be buried and finally rise again in newness of life
three days later, in the glorious resurrection, that guarantees our
resurrection to eternal life. Let
us focus on the real reason for this season, Jesus Christ the King, the Son of
God, the Savior of mankind.
Let us pray. Luke 1:68-79 {Benedictus p. 14 BCP}
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lessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he has visited and redeemed his people; and has raised up a mighty
salvation for us, in the house of his son David; as he spoke by the mouth of
his holy prophets, which have been since the world began; that we should be
save from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us. Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Rev Bryan Dabney
of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to
have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you
want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the
truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I
commend it to your careful reading.
Second Sunday in Advent
In St. Luke 21:5-33, our Lord warned of impending catastrophe before
his return. In verses 5-11, he spoke of the end times; while in verse 12, he
prefaced his remarks about those events in the near term by saying But before
all these... (v.s 12-24). No doubt, our Lord wanted the apostles to know of
those events which were soon to come upon them, as well as to warn future
Christians to watch for the signs which will mark the beginning of the period
known as the Great Tribulation (St. Matthew 24:21). Consider now the words of
our Lord as found in St. Luke 21:36, Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that
ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass
and to stand before the Son of man.
The Greek word ekpheugo means literally to flee, to seek safety in
flight, or in the case of verse 36 of St. Luke’s gospel, escape. Now you do not
escape a bad situation by going through it. There is a difference between
escaping and simply surviving. You escape by either being taken out of the way,
such as Lot was taken out of Sodom, or by an exodus, such as the one in which
the children of Israel left Egypt. You survive a situation by going through it,
coming out alive much as Caleb and Joshua survived the forty year journey of
the Israelites through the wilderness.
In St. Luke 21:36, Christ spoke of those who are worthy to avoid these
events by a means of escape. In Revelation 3:10, he said, Because thou hast
kept the word of my patience, I will keep thee from the hour of temptation
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. In
St. Matthew 16:18, he stated that the devil shall not prevail against his
church. The Scriptures tell us that during the Tribulation, the devil and his
minions will hold sway upon the earth and will prevail over the saints
(Revelation 13:1-[7]-18). If the church cannot be prevailed against by the
devil, then the verses of Revelation 3:10 and St. Luke 21:36 have a fairly
unambiguous meaning. And there is more. The word church or churches is not
mentioned again after Revelation 3:22 in the prophetic message until chapter
22:16. Thus we have further evidence which supports the escape of the church as
noted in St. Luke 21:36.
We have been commanded to watch for the coming of our Lord, all the while
keeping ourselves, our souls and bodies under the control of the Holy Spirit.
We are to fulfil our godly callings, not in slothfulness, but in works which
are pleasing to God, utilizing the gifts which he has given each of us in his
service. And because we have been so gifted, we know well that our Lord will
judge us as to our works in his name. St. Paul warned in his first epistle to
the Corinthians (3:13), Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day
shall declare it... Therefore, all true Christians are expected to be working
Christians.
While I am in agreement that we should not speculate about the subject
of the second coming our Lord; nevertheless, our Christian witness will not
appear credible to others if all we can say about the second coming of Christ
is that “it will all pan out in the end.” That is not what our Lord said and
neither should we. We are expected to be witnesses and ambassadors for him in a
fallen world. Our witness is empowered by the Holy Ghost, who, in turn, uses our
witness to open up the souls of the yet unsaved elect. Therefore, our witness
ought to include, not only the need for salvation; it should also include a
sense of immediacy about it. As St. Paul observed, now is the accepted
time...now is the day of salvation ( II Corinthians 6:2). The imminency of
Christ’s return and the need for salvation requires more than a simple
“because” to support them.
Imagine that an inquirer has just asked you why he should be saved and
you responded with a simple “because.” Do you think he or she will accept such
an answer as credible? I think not. Likewise, you will not make any headway
with one who has asked you about the second coming and the end times if you
choose to respond with what seems to be a nebulous answer. Such replies sound
eerily familiar to the ever popular huckster comment of “trust me.” If you do
not offer substance to support your convictions, then you will be an
ineffective witness. St. Paul comforted the Thessalonians when he said: For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ (I Thessalonians 5:9). Will you offer an inquirer the comfortable words
of Scripture, or will you offer them the reply of “Pan-out-theism”?
We have been called not to judgment, but to grace. And that grace is
all sufficient. There is much Scripture which validates a sound Christian
witness on the second coming but you have to read the Scriptures and know them
in order that you might offer them to others. We should avoid the doubtful
things of Scripture, but that instruction ought not be used to mask spiritual
laziness as to our reading of God’s Word and tackling the difficult passages.
If you are worried about that, let the Scriptures speak for themselves, but in
any case utilize them.
There can be little doubt that we are in the latter days for the
headlines of any newspaper will validate such to the observant Christian. We
have been told to watch and to “work for the night is coming when man shall
work no more.” Let us then be mindful of the times so that our Lord does not
catch us unawares when he returns. As he said in St. Matthew 24:46, Blessed is
that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find [him] so doing.
Let us pray,
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oly Father, who has given us the gift of grace
that we might be a chosen people wholly and acceptable unto thee in Christ
Jesus. Bless us with a wise and understanding heart that we might properly
comprehend thy word and that we would, in turn, communicate the same to others.
And this we ask in Christ’s name. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
Matthew Chapter
Six, Verse Three – Taking Credit for Giving
But when thou doest alms, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
It is not giving, if you get something in
exchange. It is a trade; that is
okay, but it is not giving.
A Story from the Logos of St Andrew (1999):
Incident on a
Country Road
I just wanted to relate an incident that happened to
me 37 years ago, which I shall never forget.
One Friday night in the fall of 1961, I had a date
with a really nice and pretty young lady to go to a ball game in Copper Hill,
Tennessee. I was a high school student and didn't really know my way around
much - but thought that I did.
I borrowed my mother's car and picked up my date.
I borrowed my mother's car and picked up my date.
We had to drive about 50 miles through the mountains
of East Tennessee to get to the game. It was a really lonely and desolate drive,
the moon was out in its brilliance and reflected off the waters of Lake Ocoee
as we drove. The mountains stood brooding and joyless on the opposite side of
the road.
When we reached the halfway point in our travels, I
had a flat tire. No problem. I went to the trunk to get the spare and there WAS
no spare. Later I learned that my mother had left it at a service station for
repair and forgot to pick it up. An automobile would pass by only about every
10 minutes. I did not know what to do, and I was also concerned for my date.
Finally, I began to signal any car that came by for
help. At last a pickup truck stopped full of hunters. I offered $20 to them to
take me the 20 miles to Copper Hill to get the tire repaired (it was all I
had). They declined saying that they had been away from home for 3 days and
wanted to get back to their families - as if 40 minutes more would have made a
difference.
They acted sad to leave us - but they did! After a
few more minutes I saw a car coming around the mountain slopes in the distance.
He was really driving fast, but in desperation I signaled him to stop. It was a
rough, older model car. The occupants were two of the roughest looking men I
had ever seen. They had long sideburns (which was unusual at that time in East
Tennessee) and several days’ growth on their beards. They were dirty to boot.
Now I wished I had not stopped them.
I asked if they would take me to Copper Hill to fix
the flat. I offered again the $20 bill if they would take me. They looked
gruffly at each other and said, "Get in!". I asked if my girl friend
could go as I was afraid to leave her on the desolate road. They shook their
heads affirmatively.
I felt very uncomfortable as we began to drive
off. I was fearful they might just
kill me outright and rape my girl friend. All sorts of possibilities filled my
young imagination. Then, as they began driving 70+ miles an hour around the
mountain roads I began to be concerned less about them and more about being
killed in an auto accident.
Finally we arrived at a filling station in Copper
Hill. They got the tire from the trunk for me and had it repaired, for which
THEY paid. They bought my date and me a coke. And we headed back.
Arriving back at my mother's car, they replaced the
tire onto the wheel themselves and waited to see if the car battery was not
drained from the flashing caution lights we had left on. The car started and I
got out to pay the two rough-riders for their trouble. When I offered the
money, they looked at each other and the driver said, "No. You keep your
money, son. Our reward will come when you find someone who needs help and you
give it." That was all. They drove off to see their own dates who were
waiting at Gatlinburg. They were railroad workers and came home only on
weekends.
I learned a really valuable lesson that night -
angels can be bright and shiny, but they can also appear as dirty, grimy
workmen, and...you can't judge a book by its cover!
These two taught me early in life to stop and help
when someone needs it regardless of our own schedule.
Thanks for reading my true story.
Jerry L. Ogles
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