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 –
Few skills are so well rewarded
as the ability to convince parasites that they are victims.
Thomas Sowell
Creative Evolution
One reason why many people find
Creative Evolution so attractive is that it gives one much of the emotional
comfort of believing in God and none of the less pleasant consequences. When
you are feeling fit and the sun is shining and you do not want to believe that
the whole universe is a mere mechanical dance of atoms, it is nice to be able
to think of this great mysterious Force rolling on through the centuries and
carrying you on its crest. If, on the other hand, you want to do something
rather shabby, the Life-Force, being only a blind force, with no morals and no
mind, will never interfere with you like that troublesome God we learned about
when we were children. The Life-Force is a sort of tame God. You can switch it
on when you want, but it will not bother you. All the thrills of religion and
none of the cost. Is the Life-Force the greatest achievement of wishful
thinking the world has yet seen?
Jack Lewis
Mere Christianity
He's wild, you know. Not like a
tame lion.
Mr. Beaver
Chronicles of Narnia
Let us with caution indulge the
supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be
conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure,
reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can
prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
President George Washington
Farewell Address, 1796
If you do not take the
distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that
anything you find in this world is a part of God. But, of course, if you think
some things really bad, and God really good, then you cannot talk like that.
You must believe that God is separate from the world and that some of the
things we see in it are contrary to His will. Confronted with a cancer or a
slum the Pantheist can say, ‘If you could only see it from the divine point of
view, you would realise that this also is God.’ The Christian replies, ‘Don’t
talk damned nonsense.’ For Christianity is a fighting religion. It thinks God
made the world—that space and time, heat and cold, and all the colours and
tastes, and all the animals and vegetables, are things that God ‘made up out of
His head’ as a man makes up a story. But it also thinks that a great many
things have gone wrong with the world that God made and that God insists, and
insists very loudly, on our putting them right again.
Jack Lewis
Mere Christianity
Treat everyone with politeness,
even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you
are.
Author Unknown
I've seen men die because they
were sure that what should not happen, would not.
Robert Jordan
What at first was plunder assumed
the softer name of revenue.
Thomas Paine
To follow Christ or not?
“Are you not thirsty?” said the
Lion.
“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
“May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said
Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a
look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she
realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for
her convenience.
The delicious rippling noise of
the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?”
said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now that,
without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and
emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were
boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose
I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.
It never occurred to Jill to
disbelieve the Lion—no one who had seen his stern face could do that—and her
mind suddenly made itself up. It was the worst thing she had ever had to do,
but she went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in
her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted. You
didn’t need to drink much of it, for it quenched your thirst at once.
Jack Lewis
The Silver Chair
The Bible
Unless the religious claims of
the Bible are again acknowledged, its literary claims will, I think, be given
only “mouth honour” and that decreasingly. . . . It is, if you like to put it
that way, not merely a sacred book but a book so remorselessly and continuously
sacred that it does not invite, it excludes or repels, the merely aesthetic
approach. You can read it as literature only by a tour de force. You are
cutting the wood against the grain, using the tool for a purpose it was not
intended to serve. It demands incessantly to be taken on its own terms: it will
not continue to give literary delight very long except to those who go to it
for something quite different.
Jack Lewis
Selected Literary
Essays
God is not obliged to give us a
reason for what he does. The meaning of his proceedings we know not now; it
will be time enough to know hereafter when it will appear that what seemed now
to be done by prerogative was done in infinite wisdom and for the best.
Matthew Henry
17th and 18th
century English pastor and author
Nothing will ever enable you to
choose God before the world, except faith. Nothing else will do it. Knowledge
will not, feeling will not, a regular use of outward forms will not, good
companions will not. All these may do something, but the fruit they produce has
no power of continuance... A religion springing from such sources will only
endure so long as there is no “tribulation of persecution because of the Word”;
but as soon as there is any, it will dry up. It is a clock without a mainspring
or weights; its face may be beautiful, you may turn its fingers round, but it
will not go. A religion that is to stand must have a living foundation, and
there is none other but faith.
JC Ryle
19th century
Anglican bishop and author
(Holiness, pp.
183-184).
We have all heard people
foolishly joke that when they die and go to Hell, they will hold a great party
because all of their friends will be there as well. These careless jokes
reflect the almost total absence of belief in the reality and the horror of an
eternity in Hell.
Dr. Grant Jeffrey
20th and 21st
century Canadian Christian author
(Journey Into Eternity,
p. 221)
Propers
The Propers are found on Page
109-111 with the Collect first:
The
First Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to
receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may
both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace
and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ
to the Gentiles.
[January 6.]
The Collect.
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GOD, who by the leading of a star
didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we,
who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy
glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave
Dru Arnold read
the Epistle for today, which came from the Twelfth Chapter of Paul’s letter to the
Romans beginning at the First Verse. Paul asks not only those long gone Romans,
but us, as well, to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” He tells us our home is in heaven. Life here is not the end, rather the stepping
off point, either to heaven or hell.
Thus were are “not conformed to this world: but to be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Some of us may be better than others,
but all fall short of the minimum standard. Through Christ we attain eternal life. In the meantime, each of us should not
“think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Each of us has a place in the church, a
reason to be and job to do. “For
as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of
another.”
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BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many
members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Hap Arnold read the Gospel for today which came from the
Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke
beginning at the Forty-First Verse.
It tells the story of when Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem after the
Passover Feast in his twelfth year.
When they were done, the family group, for they likely traveled with
their extended family for safety, left together. After the first day’s travel they stopped for the night and
could not find Jesus. So, fearing
the worst, they headed back at night for Jerusalem. Braving robbers and worse, they made their way back. After looking for three days,
they went to the temple, where lo, they found him. He was among the learned men “both hearing them, and asking
them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers.” His parents were amazed
and confounded. He asked them why
they worried and why they did not understand that he was about his Father’s
business. It is noteworthy that
Jesus at twelve was able to “hold his own” with the learned scholars of
Judah. He was able to out reason
those who lived to dissect the Law.
“A little child shall lead them,” Isaiah 11:1-10
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OW his
parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he
was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried
behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they,
supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not,
they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that
after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him
were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they
were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with
us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them,
How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s
business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and
Action
Today’s sermon brought the
Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords
above.
Consider these words from the
Collect:
…grant that they may both
perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and
power faithfully to fulfil the same…
As imperfect creatures
with free will, we will never figure out what we should be doing, let alone do
it, on our own. That was the part
of the reason God sent the Holy Ghost; that we might listen to Him and
understand. Not just understand
The Word that had been spoken to us through Jesus and the Scriptures, but to understand
what we should do, hence the prayer to figure out what we need to do, then give
us the power or strength to do what we are supposed to do. We might have some difficulties, some
nervousness, some stumbling, but in the end as long as we do our best to follow
His will, and not worry, things shall be ok. Because then we will be on the
path to eternal life and happiness, as he wants us to be happy. To be on that
path and not just think or talk about being on it. We need to act, using the
Scriptures as our Holy Handbook for our actions within our lives. He did not
mean for us to simply read it only, but to digest it and use what we learned in
the real world.
After all isn’t that
what the school system was supposedly put in place for? University, the words
comprise it are “Una Veritas”, meaning “One Truth”, as it was supposed to be a
place of Godly learning, where one would learn the “One Truth”. The school
system was intended that we might have Godly children growing up in the faith,
therefore strengthening them as men/women of great moral character. If we put
back the Scriptures in our schools and held the kids to the standards of those
Scriptures, then we would find ourselves on a moral higher ground.
The first thing tsunami
watchers would tell people, is at the first sign of a tsunami approaching, go
to higher ground. Therefore, I would like apply that same principle to our
lives. At the first sign of any sort of evil, temptation or sin, that we headed
to the higher ground that God lives on and seek him out, rather than wait for
the wave of evil to envelop us.
We are asking God to
help us know what we should do and then help us to do it right. Seems pretty simple. That is the root of almost all our
problems. It is harder to do what is right than what seems easy to us. First, even if we ask God what He wants
us to do, “There are none so deaf as those who will not hear.” Then, if we hear what He wants us to
do, and hear it correctly, we often find it “too hard.” Do you recall this quote from GK Chesterton:
·
“Christianity has not been tried and found
wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”
So once we find out what God
wants, we often rationalize our way around it. Think about the 613 Mosaic laws and the Pharisees who made a
good living telling people how to comply with them to the letter and still do
just what they wanted to do. So,
then even if we find out what God wants and decide to actually do it instead of
avoid it, we are faced with the often huge problem of where do we get the strength
to accomplish this task. The
answer is circular, from God. He
never asks us to do anything we cannot do good enough for Him if we rely on
Him. Never. End of that discussion.
Now, once you have managed to
get this far, you gain the power needed to become one of Paul’s New Men, a
person who has accepted God’s Grace, turning to God and relying on Him for
guidance, strength, courage and perseverance. To do that, we need to turn
outward. Not think of ourselves,
but of God and our fellow Christians. Speaking of that, one of the tools God gives us to get things
done is a Team, that Team is fellow Christians. So, we need to work together as a Team. Think not of your glory, but that of
God. President Reagan had a sign
on his desk which read:
“There is no
limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.”
Paul tells us not to
concentrate on our status, position or grandeur, but to see what we can do to
help. Just like our body would not
function if all parts were brains, neither will Christ’s Team function if
everyone is concerned about their position.
When we look at the Gospel
today, aside from the historical function telling us that Jesus was in the
temple bringing the light of the gospel to the rabbis, I am reminded there are
other lessons. It is not that we
want to micromanage your life, but keep your friends and family informed of
what you are doing and where you are going. Jesus’ earthly parents risked life and limb going back
up the road to Jerusalem at night.
But, that was their duty as parents. A duty which must have been done, no matter the cost.
When we look back at those who
fought in Vietnam, who fought in World War I, who fought in Normandy, Peleliu,
Bastogne, Iwo Jima, and Concord, we find a unifying theme of Duty, which is
doing what you have to do, no matter what it takes. Christ is the ultimate
example of this, doing His duty to die for us, which is what God wanted Him to
do, to save us from eternal hellfire. So it was His Duty and He did it with honor.
Through duty, we might have a noble death and welcoming in the afterlife. Those who fought in World War II mostly
did not do it for the money, but they did it out of duty to their country and
God and to protect their family. We must emulate their purpose and serve God
dutifully.
Duty –
God • Honor • Country • Family
But, back to the Gospel and the parents arrival at
the temple, where lo, they found him.
He was among the learned men “both hearing them, and asking them
questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and
answers.” His parents were amazed
and confounded. He asked them why
they worried and why they did not understand that he was about his Father’s
business. It is noteworthy to see
Jesus at twelve was able to “hold his own” with the learned scholars of
Judah. He was able to out reason
those who lived to dissect the Law.
“A little child shall lead them,” Isaiah 11:1-10
He comes!
Be of God - Live of God - Act of God
Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
We are oft fortunate to get
copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.
Today is one of those Sundays.
Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will
give you a lot to consider in your heart.
Sermon Notes - The First Sunday after The Epiphany - 12
January 2014, Anno Domini (in the Year
of Our Lord)
The
First Sunday after The Epiphany.
The
Collect.
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LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to
receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee; and grant that they may
both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace
and power faithfully to fulfil the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ
to the Gentiles.
[January 6.]
The Collect.
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GOD, who by the leading of a star
didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we,
who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy
glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave
The Epistle
Romans xii.1
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BESEECH you therefore, brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to
this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think
of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many
members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being
many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Holy Gospel
Saint Luke ii.xli
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OW his
parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he
was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried
behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they,
supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not,
they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that
after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the
doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him
were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they
were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with
us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them,
How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s
business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he
went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his
mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and man.
The Star to which the Prayer of Collect for Epiphany refers is none other than
the Bright and Morning Star which leads all, both believing Jew and Gentile, to
God. There are no people of God apart from those who have placed their trust in
God, the kingdom as a national edifice having been torn from the rulers of the
Jews. Jesus told the Jewish rulers: “Therefore
say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” (Matt 21:43) Now is
that Faith of Abraham joined together into one Church of both Gentiles and Jews
who believe. Neither the Muslim, the unbelieving Jew, Buddhist, or Hindu will
be received into that Church – the Door is Christ.
Paul is preaching in the Epistle not only to the Gentiles of Rome, but to the
believing Jew as well. Instead of the dead sacrifices of the Jewish Temple, God
requires our LIVING sacrifice of love, compassion, and obedience. When we
come to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are made new creatures in mind and soul. The
process is not only abrupt, but continuing. We are to renew our minds daily to
conform to the mind and will of Christ.
Before addressing the particular details of the Gospel found in Luke today, let
us first examine what constitutes the nature of the saints of God as
demonstrated in Mary, the mother of Jesus, John the Baptist, and others.
Mary inherited a special blessing in being privileged to carry in her womb the
Son of God. Jesus is the only Man born to woman who had no earthly father. He
was the only Man ever to be born who was also God. He came preaching the will
of His Father, and representing His Father in all truth and purpose. No other
can ever stand in the place of God because no man is God. The Roman Church pays
much reverence to saints and exalts them to a pinnacle of divinity in praying
for their intercessions; but the saints are not above the common level of
mankind even if they led exemplary Christian lives. They still had shortcomings
and sinned. Mary, too, was God’s perfect virgin Lady in a mortal and carnal
body that was subject to sin and error. Yes, she was highly favored and blessed
of god, yet she was imperfect in nature.
Though those who are saints (all who are loyal and obedient to God) are blessed
with many graces by God, they are also put through many harsh and painful
trials. Consider with me the plight of poor Mary. Being young lass at the time
of Gabriel’s visitation, she had hopes and dreams like all young ladies have.
She wanted a loving home, a loving husband, healthy children, and parents that
would always love her. She desired to be socially accepted in the community as
well, and the Jewish community at Nazareth was small in number of souls, but
the number of gossiping tongues and prying eyes were as the constellations of
heaven. So when Mary became pregnant out of season, though Joseph was obedient
to God in taking Mary as his wife, the tongues doubtless waged and expressed
unmentionable conjectures. The Christian saint of our day must suffer
much libel and disapproval, too. The world labels us as freaks and malcontents.
So we suffer in smaller scale the same degradations as did the precious young
lady, Mary, and too often without justification. But the fruit of Mary’s womb
would be a blessing to all peoples and men from the east, west, north, and
south would come and sit at the feet of her Son and be blessed equally.
Look at the ordeal young Mary had to suffer when the Child was ready to be
born. Circumstances, under the Providence of God, caused Mary to travel a three
days journey to Bethlehem riding on a donkey. Mothers can scarcely imagine that
discomfort she experienced, and men can never even slightly grasp it. Once
arrived at Bethlehem, I am sure Mary was anxious to find suitable lodging at
which she could rest her head and weary body; but no such lodging was
available. Mary must have pondered God’s will in allowing her Child (and His)
to be born in a stable among the beasts of the field. What utter degradation in
her mind. It is true that those who give their lives as a living sacrifice to
God often experience circumstances that always seem contrary to their purpose.
Nothing good seems to come without a great struggle and much suffering. We are
suddenly and without notice often required to go places where we desire not to
go, and live in conditions that are not consistent with our expectations.
No sooner had Mary settled in a home with the Child then God ordered Joseph, in
a dream, to flee into a foreign land – Egypt. Mary had never been further from
her home in Nazareth than tiny Bethlehem. Now she must again pick up her scarce
belongings and flee into a land of which she knew nothing. No sooner had Mary
adapted to the new home in Egypt before the Lord ordered their return to
Nazareth. Sometimes, the saint may begin to wonder if the world is right after
all – perhaps we are more than a ‘peculiar people.’ Perhaps we are, as the
world alleges, freaks. But just the opposite is true. No matter the
inconvenience, the pain, the suffering – it is always the very best Way that
leads the Way of Heaven.
I love to read the writings of the great Martin Luther. He is quite serious
but, at the same time, allows his German disposition to evince itself in his
writings. Here is a quote that Luther made about the sufferings of Jesus and
John the Baptist: “Thus God reverses the order and acts in a contrary way,
deals so harshly and offensively, according to human reason and opinion, with
His dearly beloved Son as He would not deal with any man on earth, as if He
were not the Son of God, or of man, but the child of Satan! In the same way He
also dealt with His well-beloved servant, John the Baptist, of whom Christ
says, “Verily I say unto you, Among them that
are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist:
notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
(Matt 11:11), and yet upon him He conferred the honor of being beheaded by a
knave.” A saint, like Mary and John the Baptist, is a good soldier who
obeys orders from God without question – even if those commands make no present
sense to him.
Finally, and this happens at the moment of death of many saints, Mary has her
heart pierced by a spear at the foot of the Cross at Calvary. What agony was
hers as she watched her beloved Son writhe in pain and struggle to breathe
while suspended from the Cross by nails. Had not Gabriel warned the young woman
of years ago, “(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)” (Luke 2:35) Imagine her great sorrow and anguish when all hope of life seemed to
fade for her Son and, then, at last, a soldier comes along and thrust a spear
into His beloved heart. Jesus was already dead, but Mary was not! That piercing
wound hurt Mary far more than it did her Son. Evil abounds on all sides in our
world. It has never been the will of God that the innocent are violently slain
or abused, but the heart of man is full of wickedness and evil. He gave his
heart over to the wrong Tree at Eden and rejected God. We must endure that
evil, and oppose it always, until we close our eyes in the sleep of death.
Now let us observe some salient points revealed in today’s Gospel. 41 “Now
his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.”
This was a spiritual duty, and the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, were good
examples of a Christian home. They attended the religious services faithfully
of their religion. While many today cannot muster energy to travel two blocks
to church on the Lord’s Day, these traveled over harsh terrain a three day’s
journey for the Passover. Little did Mary and Joseph realize that they carried
the future and final Passover with them – “For even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor 5:7) Many years later, Mary
and Jesus would make that same trip to Jerusalem at Passover, and Christ would
be the Lamb to be sacrificed.
For these past several years, Mary and Joseph had traveled to Jerusalem for the
Passover, and now Jesus was twelve years old – the age, presumed by religion,
to be the age of moral consciousness. Jesus was more than morally conscious. He
taught doctors in the Temple! We have, in this account, the only meager remnants
of the young life of Jesus. 42 And when he was twelve years old,
they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.”
Just as He would do some twenty one years later, Jesus enters the Temple at
Jerusalem and confronts the teachers of the Temple – this time as a Child, the
last with a reed with which he beat the money changers and overturned their
tables.
Since the annual Passover journey to Jerusalem was a Jewish national event,
there were great numbers in the company of travelers from Nazareth – perhaps
all of the village who were able to travel. 43 “And when they had
fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in
Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.” It is very
easy to have Jesus in our hearts, so very close as a beloved Child, yet lose
His constant fellowship through neglect of attention. “44 But
they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they
sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.” How do
you suppose poor Mary felt? She had been entrusted with a Child that was ONLY
hers and that of God the Father – and she has lost Him. She did not lose Him
for a few minutes, or for a few hours, but THREE days! What do you suppose went
through Mary’s mind and heart? When we are separated from Christ owing to our
own neglect to study and love Him, do we not suffer great sorrow? Mary had
taken Jesus for granted. She believed He was among all of the other playful
children on the journey, but she did not make CERTAIN! We must not take our
fellowship with Christ for granted.
45 “And when they found him not, they turned back again to
Jerusalem, seeking him.” If we place too great a distance
between our daily living and Christ, we may not so easily find Him again. Our
lives, without Christ, become confused and disorderly and, though Christ is
always accessible to us if we seek Him, the weeds may have grown over the trail
of that access.
Though the Temple was the most likely place to find Jesus, it was perhaps the
last place Joseph and Mary looked for they had been in Jerusalem some hours
before they found Him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three
days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both
hearing them, and asking them questions.” Here is an important
lesson regarding Christ and our prayers. He not only hears us, but also
inquires. So, you want an opulent new home? “Why do you need such when your
neighbor is living in a shanty?” Jesus may ask. It was completely contrary
to reason that a twelve year old would be dialoguing with doctors of religion –
listening to their highfalutin chatter, and then asking of them the meaning.
Jesus will astonish us with His remarkable solutions to our problems if we will
only ask in humility. 47 “And all that heard him were astonished
at his understanding and answers.” These were all lawyers
and doctors of religion – teachers of the law; yet, they were astonished at the
wisdom and understanding of a twelve year old Boy. Should we not be even more
astonished at the Words and Wisdom of the Risen Lord? All that hear (many will
refuse to hear) shall be astonished at Christ. Have you been astonished at His
Words?
The human instincts of the mother in Mary overrode her understanding and memory
of Gabriel’s message. 48 “And when they saw him, they were
amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?
behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.”
Perhaps Mary’s feeling of personal guilt at losing her Son caused her to shift
the blame to Jesus. But Mary was not unaccustomed to suffering for the Child
that she bore by Heaven’s decree.
It has been argued by many errant theologians that Jesus had no sense of
identity until His baptism, but this verse disqualifies such a supposition: 49 “And
he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be
about my Father's business?” Christ clearly reveals Himself
here to be the Son of God!
How often we fail to grasp the higher meaning of the teachings of the Bible!
Even though we have read, and seemingly understood, just a while later, the
meaning escapes us. Mary had been told by the Angel of Christ and His Life, yet
Mary has long suffered many diversions and forgotten, for the present, the
whole meaning shared by Gabriel. 50 “And they understood not the
saying which he spake unto them.”If we had a perfect
understanding of all of the Words of Christ, how could we ever lose Him. We
read the Scriptures through a lens of deception too often. We read and
interpret the words of the Bible in such a way as to justify our own selfish
notions. How often do ministers and theologians propose and theological
doctrine, and then limit their reading only to those parts of Scripture that
seem to justify that doctrine?
Jesus was an obedient Son. He knew His mother and Joseph did not understand
fully what He was about, so He tarried for the perfect timing of His Father to
continue His ministry. 51 “And he went down with them, and came
to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings
in her heart.” But Mary mulled over these events in her
mind. Perhaps she began to recall the Words of Gabriel and compared them to her
experiences with Jesus at Jerusalem and as He was growing up in Nazareth.
Perhaps she even wondered about the sword that would pierce her own heart, but
not fully knowing. We see now, as Paul says, through a glass darkly, but one
day we shall see face-to-face!
52 “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour
with God and man.” There one thing that God may have not known
before Jesus became man – that is, how does it FEEL to be human? Though He
knows our hearts well, God had never experienced physical pain, want, hunger,
and thirst. But Jesus experienced all of the emotions and sensations of pain
and patience we have experienced while in the flesh. He grew in wisdom, for
wisdom cannot remain idle. The favor of the Father was showered upon Hi Son
more and more as the years passed and the day of His Passion approached. It was
undoubtedly a time of great joy for the Father in seeing His Son fulfill the
measure of love, grace, obedience and trails of life; but it must have also
been and agonizing period for the Father in anticipating the great abuse and
torture that His Son would undergo at the moment of that Passion. The thought
of all that Christ suffered for us should be a constant source of grief mingled
with joy - grief to know that He did all for us, and joy to know that His
sacrifice was sufficient even for our own sins.
Could we withstand the grief and heartache of Mary, of John?
We shall see.
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; and is being consecrated a Bishop later this week, he
will be in charge of the Diocese of the Midwest. Roy will be a great bishop and continue as a great pastor,
nothing less is in him.
First Sunday after Epiphany
12 January 2014
The Epistle:
Romans 12:1-5
The Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
In Paul’s
letter to the Romans we find an interesting charge being made to the Gentile
readers of his text. He gives them the challenge of presenting themselves as a
living sacrifice to God. Notice the very real difference. Animal sacrifices
were offered freshly slaughtered. The life of the animal was taken to offer
parts of the animal to the gods. In the case of the Hebrew people the best or
choice meats were offered to God as a burnt sacrifice. {Left-overs went to the
priests and their families as a payment for the work of the priestly craft.} We
see Paul’s challenge in a plea, “beseech you”, that the newly converted Gentile
readers, present their bodies as a living sacrifice. Why? Because, it is ‘your
reasonable service’. It is what you are supposed to do. No less for sure and you can do no more.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The next
verse can’t be any clearer in meaning. Do not conform your life to the
world. Do not act, speak, live like the world does. Instead Paul writes
that we are to be transformed, changed, renewed, turn 180 degrees away from the
world, by renewing the mind. This is to prove that you are God’s own. We are
struggling in this ‘post-modern’ world with the concept that we need to change
the Church to fit in with the world.
Why?
The world is
a horrible mess, no clear center of meaning or purpose; only chaos, corruption,
strife and evil. So why should we conform to that mess? Instead as Paul wrote, we need to
change our ways, we need to be conforming to what God wants us to do, not what
the world wants us to do. The world has nothing to offer mankind as far as
peace, security, eternal life. “...I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no
man comes to the Father but by me...”.
Christ Jesus spoke that truth. Contrary to what the world says and even
some religious leaders say, Jesus is the ONLY WAY. Why did He say it if it
wasn’t true?
3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not
to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly,
according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4
For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same
office:
5 So
we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Now Paul
addresses another issue, no less important, as far as the life of the church is
concerned. The concept of service, use of one’s talent(s), the furtherance of
the Kingdom of God. Paul’s warning
is to us. Do not put yourself above others in the family of God. Do not think
because you have a more important position or duty, that you are ‘better’ than
just an ordinary person in the pew. “Think soberly, according as God hath dealt
to every man the measure of faith.” I would think that we are reading about
talents and abilities. When one has the talent for numbers, or the skill with
tools or research, these are God given. These are gifts that one should ‘mine’
in the most liberal way, allowing for all the talents that God has given one an
outlet, a way to glorify the Lord. We can do so much with what we are given,
some training, some experience and next thing you know you are doing great
things for the Lord.
The next two
verses (4 & 5) here speak to this division of labor and yet a central
purpose to a believer’s life. A reason to bring our talents to the altar to ‘
...present ourselves a living sacrifice...’ In these verses we find a division of labor/talents/skills and yet also
a unity of purpose. We need to search our own lives periodically to see that we
are using our God given talents to the honor and glory of God and to the
furtherance of His Kingdom. It is so important to us both spiritually and
emotionally to know that we are a part of the whole.
Just
recently an illustration was shared about a visiting pastor trying to get a
family to come to church. He travels to the family home, is invited to sit by
the fire place and enjoy a cup of tea. As the niceties of the day are shared
the pastor took a fire place poker and carefully pulled a glowing ember from
the crackling fire. Within a few minutes the glowing ember began to get grey
and grow cold. It eventually went out. The head of the house hold noticed the
ember and told the pastor he and the family would be at church the next Sunday.
As believers we are meant to be together. We are meant to edify and help each
other all to the purpose of praising God our creator. We are the family of God.
As we gather at the holy supper today let us remember that we are all members
of God’s family. Let us remember each other in prayer, let us work together to
see that the Gospel is preached and live in our everyday lives.
To God be
the glory.
Let us pray: O Almighty Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to
direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts and bodies, in the ways of thy
laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that, through thy most mighty
protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
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O
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God, who by the leading of a star
didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we,
who know thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of thy
glorious Godhead; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
✟
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 Epiphany
In our gospel lesson today we are given the only story of our Lord as a
youth approaching manhood (St. Luke 2:41-52). To the unbeliever and the
skeptic, the Bible’s silence concerning that time beyond the infancy of our
Lord and prior to the beginning of his earthly ministry has been a sort of
“open door” for their unwholesome speculation. But for us who have been
regenerated by the power of the Holy Ghost, we respect the reticence of God
regarding this time in our Lord’s life as we walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).
While the Bible communicates the plan and purposes of God; it tells us
only those things which he, in his infinite wisdom, would have us know. Even
so, we are not supposed to engage in frivolous speculation concerning those
matters not covered by Scripture. It should be understood that God does not
keep us from knowledge of his failings because he cannot fail. And God does not
keep us from the knowledge of his Son’s sins because Jesus Christ lived a
sinless life. For this cause came the only begotten Son of God into the world,
that he might bear our reproach and carry our sins upon the cross. Ergo,
without a perfect and sinless life in toto, our Lord’s sacrifice would be worth
nothing (see
Hebrews 4:14-16).
Another aspect of our lesson today which the critics and skeptics love
to harp on has to do with our Lord’s treatment of his parents and their
apparent quizzical response to his reply to them (vv.48-50). Consider the facts
from our lesson. Our Lord had gone with his parents to Jerusalem to observe the
Passover feast, something they had done every year (v.41). His parents then
made preparations to leave after the feast had been observed, and thinking he
was among their relatives and friends, they departed for Nazareth. Now, when
they found him not among their fellows, they returned to the city and found him
in the Temple among the learned scholars of the day both hearing them and
asking them questions (vv.44-46). His mother chided him because he had caused
both her and Joseph to worry over his whereabouts. His response is telling: How
is it that ye sought me? wist [know] ye not that I must be about my Father’s
business?(v.49). Notice also that his mother and Joseph did not understand what
he had said (v.50) which has led the critic and the skeptic to pounce upon the
divinity of our Lord. They claim he was only a man and that he did not possess
a sinless nature because he had not kept the commandment of Honor thy father and
thy mother (Exodus
20:12).
The Bible plainly tell us that though his mother and Joseph did not
understand what he had said to them, they nevertheless knew who he was. One
would have to omit the opening chapters of the gospels of St. Matthew and St.
Luke to justify such a farce. The very next verse (v.51) of our gospel states
forthrightly that And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. They
(like many others) would hear Christ’s words and not directly grasp their
meaning, much as Christians down through the ages have at one time or another
held an insufficient understanding as to God’s word.
And such is certainly the case for the critics and skeptics of today.
They are so lost in Lucifer’s understanding of the word that they cannot see
the truth of God’s word written. For if the Devil’s veil of deception is ever
lifted, such would inevitably lead them to accept Jesus Christ’s bona fides as
the only begotten Son of God and the Saviour of their souls. But the forces of
darkness have worked diligently to make the very words of Scripture of no
effect. Over the millennia, the Devil has sought to twist God’s word so that
those who would hear it will fail to understand and heed it (St. Matthew
13:18-23). It should be clear enough to the faithful Christian that critics and
skeptics will come and go, but God’s word will stand forever (I St. Peter
1:25). We may not always grasp the meaning of every passage ; nevertheless, our
faith in God’s word ought not be diminished on account of our ignorance. St.
Paul advised us to, Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II St. Timothy 2:15).
We have not been called to worship one such as ourselves, but the very
personage of God made flesh, full of grace and truth ( St. John 1:14). We have
not been called to faith in a myth, saga, or legend, but to that one and only
name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12). We have not been
called to a weekly remembrance of a dead man, but that of the living Christ,
who is seated at the right hand of God the Father (St. Mark 16:19). We have not
been called to study a book of magic, or of conjuring, but to inwardly digest the
very words of God which he spoke unto the patriarchs, prophets and apostles who
are now members of that great cloud of witnesses which are about us and are
cheering us on to victory in Jesus Christ (II St. Peter 1:15-21; Hebrews 12:1).
There remain as yet many things in God’s word that are veiled in
mystery. Still, God is faithful to perform the promises he has made to the
whole body of the saints in times past. As we are living in these last days, we
ought to be looking up and praying for the coming of him who suffered so that
we might obtain the gracious favor of God through faith in his blood. So that
when we are summoned before his judgment seat, we might hear these words: well
done thou good and faithful servant and be received into his eternal kingdom as
saints of light. Therefore, let us heed the answer our Lord gave to his earthly
parents, wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? For that is
what all true Christians are expected to do in his service.
Let us pray,
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O
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God, who sent thine only begotten Son into the world, that all who would
believe on him might be saved; grant us grace to follow his good example,
serving in his harvest and occupying until he comes again; for this we ask in
the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a
blessed week, Bryan+
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