Circumcision of Christ - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/AM283jncTiE

 

Today’s Collect reflects our need for God’s help to live in and by His Rules as Jesus did, the first obvious example being His Circumcision.  In his Epistle to the people of Philippia Paul points out God had given a name exaulted above all others and that we should acknowledge that in our actions.  The Gospel is Luke’s accounting of the angels visiting the shepherds in the field and their subsequent trip to see Jesus in the manger.  Jesus came in a humble manner with the Force of God behind him.  It all comes together, listen or read to understand how. 

Circumcision of Christ

 

Today we celebrate the circumcision of Jesus in accordance with Jewish tradition, eight days (according to the Semitic and southern European calculation of intervals of days) after his birth, the occasion on which the child was formally given his name.  The circumcision of Jesus has traditionally been seen, as explained in the popular 14^th century work The Golden Legend, as the first time the blood of Christ was shed, and thus the beginning of the process of the redemption of man, and a demonstration Christ was fully human and of his obedience to Biblical law[1]. No longer celebrated by many churches, including the Roman and TEC, it is still the Eighth Day.  That has not changed and so we celebrate the event as it is referred to in scripture, thus should it be recalled.

The propers for today are found on Pages 105-106, with the Collect first:

 

The Circumcision of Christ.

 

[January 1.]

 

The Collect.

A

LMIGHTY God, who madest thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to the law for man; Grant us the true circumcision of the Spirit; that, our hearts, and all our members, being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, we may in all things obey thy blessed will; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,

commonly called Christmas Day.

[December 25.]

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

 

The Epistle for today came from Paul’s letter to the people of Philippia, starting at the Ninth Verse of the Second Chapter. The portion of the letter used as today’s Epistle is relatively short.  God has sent His Son to earth and given him a name above all others, Jesus[1].  Paul exhorts his fellow followers to continue to follow the Lord, not only while he is watching them, but at all times.  God will give them the will and ability to do good, but only if they do their best to follow Him.

 

G

OD also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

 

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Luke, the Second Chapter, beginning at the Fifteenth Verse. Today’s Gospel recounts the angels visit to the shepherds who came into Bethlehem to pay homage to Jesus in the manger.  It also documents the circumcision of Jesus, bringing Him under the Law.  He who: Is, Was and always Will be, put Himself under the Law, that He might fulfill the Law and be our salvation.

 

Our salvation from the Law came from the perfect sacrifice one time for the sins of all mankind for all time.  The sacrifice had to be a perfect human, one who did not exist until Jesus came.   That perfect human had to enter in to the Law, had to be subject to the Law.  Thus, Jesus submitted Himself unto the Law that he might in the end have dominion over the Law.

 

A

nd it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

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[1] The name Jesus, savior, is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was originally Hoshea (Num. 13:8, 16), but changed by Moses into Jehoshua (Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27), or Joshua. After the Exile it assumed the form Jeshua, whence the Greek form Jesus.  It was given to our Lord to denote the object of his mission, to save.

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[1] The act of circumcision is often used in Scripture as an allegory for The Law, that is the system of the 613 laws referred to as Mosaic Laws under which Jews operated since the time of Moses.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jack’ sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE -> https://youtu.be/AM283jncTiE

 

Today we recall the circumcision of our Lord and Savior.  He is God, yet He is under The Law. How can this be one might ask? If He is God could He just choose not to obey His Own Laws if He so desires? Not all those 613 laws were those called Moral, that is to say the Ten Commandments, but there are those which are moral and there are also laws of God or physics.   To answer the question posed earlier, God, the Ultimate Being, is subject to the laws He made.  

 

While He can, and does on the very special occasion, disregard them such as when the shadow went backwards, for the most part He, too, is subject to The Laws[1].  Why?  Because they were made for the general good of this world.  They establish the moral code we are to follow if we are to be good citizens of His Kingdom. We see what happens when people do not follow the Laws God set out for us to live by. 

 

If we stop living by The Laws, then we are no better than the animals of this world, who live by no such Laws whatsoever. Then, there is no benefit, no reason, for us to follow Christ if we do not live by the laws He has set before us. That is the whole reason to have the Laws, to rein in our evil desires and make us a holy and wholesome people. Without the Laws, we would be not wholesome and vicious and vile individuals. You can see what would happen as you see the forces of Evil attempting to destroy and discredit Christianity all across the globe. The results of their infiltration in various governments are resulting in less people following the Law and thus less people being wholesome and good and instead being encouraged to pursue their own desires at the cost of their soul and eternal life.

 

If we think do not need to follow these laws, then how could we claim to be following Him? We follow Him because He is the embodiment of all that is good and pleasing, unlike the world, which seems to be the embodiment of pure evil and sickness.  They are revolted by God because as they are born of the darkness and not having accepted His Son and His Grace, they cannot bear to look upon the brightness of God. They are like the Orcs of the Lord of the Rings who are disgusted and in fact harmed by sunlight as they are creatures of the darkness.  Moses not being able to look upon God without a veil was also an allegory to this simple fact. If we remain in the darkness, we cannot bear to look upon Him, the Living Light.  So, we need to let the Holy Ghost enter into our hearts and allow us to bask in His Everlasting Glory and Light.

 

Evil and sin are diseases which can only be cured by being regenerated through the Holy Ghost.  We cannot cure these diseases on our own, as the blind cannot lead the blind in this case, or more appropriately the sick cannot heal the sick. We need the perfect healer of the Holy Ghost to enter into our hearts and cure us of the malady of sin. As a rule, God does not break His own Laws; in the very unique cases He does it is for an extremely good reason. This world needs a system of order so that things are done in an orderly manner and not confusion. Without a system of order, there is chaos.  God is not chaos; God never brings confusion. Chaos and Confusion is not of God, but of the Devil. 

 

God never tests, but when we are tested by this world, He monitors the results. He is very much like the proctors who monitored my online exams at WGU.  He did not write our tests; however, He is always watching to see how we perform in stressful and trying situations. He brought the new covenant or new agreement to us through His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Knowing we cannot ever be perfect, He gave us a way to be accounted as perfect at the Judgment Day – One Sacrifice, Made One time, by One Man who was God, for All Mankind for All Time.  Jesus is our light and our life.  Through Him all things are possible.  

 

All salvation takes is the simple understanding of a child or a shepherd.  The simple truth that is Christ.  He is not complex.  His message is not sophisticated.  He is the way.  The One Way!

 

Paul’s Epistle tells us God has set Jesus at the top of the universe’s food chain, so to speak when he says at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, Lord, that is Lord of All.  And why? to the glory of God the Father.  For God created everything, yet of Him was Jesus begotten.  Jesus is the one who created the Earth, so it makes sense that He is at the top of the universes food chain. Recognizing this simple but very important fact, we need to do our best to put Him first in our hearts. We need the help of the Holy Ghost to put Jesus first, as Paul tells us, For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.  Notice the to will and to do.  We are not only to talk, but more importantly to walk.

 

When you read the rather straightforward accounting of the shepherds being told of the birth of Jesus and their trip into the village to see the newborn babe Luke gives, do wonder what they thought?  Here they have been told the King of Kings had just been born in Nazareth; when they come to town, they find a little baby, wrapped in rags, in an animal feeder.  Not a kingly sight, not even a common sight, but an almost pitiful sight.  A sophisticated and clever thinker might have doubted the angels and let those thoughts lead them further from The Truth.  Yet, in their simple acceptance of the angels’ tidings, they started the spread of The Word. They were truly the first of all those converted to followers of Christ. They had the faith as a child would which is to simply believe what they have seen and been told and not to excessively question it. For us, this is the start of the lesson that our faith must be “as a child”, simple, not complex, not looking to count those angels dancing on the head of the pin, just knowing and believing that however many angels are required to dance on the head of the pin, so will the number be.

 

This is the first day of the New Calendar Year.  Remember also, it is the first day of the remainder of your life here on earth, let it count for something. The line of time stretches from the unfathomable past to the unknowable future.  Where the finger of God touches that line is The Present.  The Present.  The only place in which we can exist; we live in the present, the past will never come again and tomorrow never comes. We can only act in the present, the here and now.  Take the right path, starting right now.

 

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

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[1] Yet, do not misapprehend, we know but little of His Laws and the laws of the universe as He made them.  Our grasp of the space time continuum is little beyond that possessed  by those at Moses time.  He is, was and always will be.  We live in the present, remember the past and prepare for what will be, the best we can.

Christmas Day - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

  

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/Ri00wNVhFL0

 

Today’s Collect reflects our need for God’s help to fulfill the role we have been given as His adopted children.  In the Epistle Paul relates the history behind’s Christ’s arrival here on earth. The Gospel ties Jesus to The Word of God and points out while His own received Him not, those who have have been given power to become the sons of God.  It all comes together, listen or read to understand how. 

The propers for today are found on Page 96-98, with the Collect first:

 

The Nativity of our Lord, or the Birthday of Christ,

commonly called Christmas Day.

[December 25.]

The Collect.

 

 

A

LMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit ever, one God, world without end.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said daily throughout the Octave.

 

The Epistle for Christmas Day came from the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews, the First Chapter, beginning at the First Verse: 

 

G

OD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who  being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

 

The Gospel for Christmas Day came from the Gospel according to Saint John, the First Chapter, beginning at the First Verse.  This particular Gospel is known as the Last Gospel as it comes from the last Gospel to be written, that of St. John, and it brings the final Word of Jesus to us.

 

I

N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jack’ sermon can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE -> https://youtu.be/Ri00wNVhFL0

 

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

Before we start, let me say to me the most amazing and impressive thing about Christmas, the celebration of the earthly birth of our Lord and Savior, is that Jesus came into this world to give us eternal life, guidance and inspiration knowing exactly how He would leave.  But, He came anyway, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15.3)

 

Today’s sermon is the message of Christmas.  He came unto his own, and His own received Him not.[1]  Christ came unto His own, the people he created, to show them the Word which He is the living embodiment of, the Living and True Scripture. They received neither the written Word His Apostles wrote, nor the spoken Word from His Mouth He spake unto them. But as many as received Him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God.  He has adopted us unto his family, through His Word, which he has spoken unto us, that we may fulfill it and live in harmony with others in this word.

 

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.  This speaks to the living incarnate nature of the Word, (Christ) who dwelt among us 2,000 years ago, that He might understand our nature completely, so that He could teach us with understanding, understanding to which the Devil has no access. If He lived in our conditions, it would be easier for Him to relate to us when He taught and spake the Word of His Father. 

 

Jesus has a big advantage over our opponent the Devil. He not only created us, but He lived among us in our bodies so he could experience the trials and temptations of being a human Himself. Thus He was able to provide us expert guidance on how to get through the trials and temptations of this live. This is something that the Devil has never been able to experience and never be able to understand. Jesus also knew how the Devil operates and thus He was able to provide us an example with how the Devil and his temptations should be dealt with. 

 

 And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  In That Word, He spake both full of grace and of truth as John said in the last Gospel.  If we will accept His grace and truth though the Holy Ghost, then can we do things for His Glory. Without that in our hearts, we cannot do anything for Him.  We are imperfect creatures, but now accounted for and spoken for by Christ. With the Word, we are empowered to do things for Him. The birth of Christ would foreshadow his death, which would bring about the ultimate freedom, that from sin and death. We must remember on this Christmas Day that Jesus’s arrival here would culiminate in Good Friday and His Death upon the Cross and then his battle with the Devil for our souls and then His Resurrection.

 

 

That is such an important point. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)  Not just that God, the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth, would send His only begotten Son, but that the Son came knowing not only that He, King of Kings, would be born in a manger, live a life of relative poverty, but that He would die a horrible, horrible death so we might have eternal life.  He came to this miserable planet for us, to give us life eternal!  He knew when He came here precisely how He would leave, yet He came anyway.  Think of that on this Christmas Day! This truly shows how much God loves us miserable sinners that He would send his only son to die for us, that we should not perish but have every lasting life!

 

Today we recall the birth of our Lord and Savior, the only means by which we, imperfect creatures with free will, might be accounted as perfect before God when our day of judgment comes.  Born, not in a palace, but in a stable, He is all that we have been promised.  Taking the substance of Man, all Man and all God, He knows our temptations, He knows our failures, He knows our failings, He knows our sorrow; He also knows our happiness, our small triumphs, our hopes and our dreams.  He is the only one in this world who will never fail us in the slightest.  We need to remember this everytime we encounter individuals on this Earth who fail us. We must return to the ones who never will fail us, God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Ghost. While people may stab us in the back and betray us, we can count on God to always have our back and give us perfect counsel everytime.

 

He gives us His example to follow.  If we will but follow Him, we will draw closer to God.  He made the world, He knows the world.  He defeated the Prince of this World, thus with His Help, so will we.  This is a day of joy, foreshadowing a day of sorrow, leading to the greatest joy of all. We need to remember sometimes that when good events happen, sometimes there will be bad events happening. But in God’s ultimate plan, all will work out in the end for the ultimate joy and benefit to those who have stayed the course and followed Him and His Son.

 

Let us joyfully receive Him into our hearts and homes, that we might do what He asks and spread the Joy of His Arrival on Earth that we might prepare for His Second Coming. If we do this and what he asks, which is a common theme that stays the same throughout the Christian Year, we shall be Blessed with good things, as a result of doing what He asks. On this Christmas Day, let us Rejoice in His Coming and begin our preparations for His Second Coming.

 

Let this be a blessed and happy Christmas.  He has come to us!

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

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[1] John 1:11

Fourth Sunday in Advent - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

Rev Jack brings the Propers together today.    His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/ks_X0y2XBC4

 

Today’s Collect reflects our need for His help to accept His  grace and mercy to properly perform our tasks here on earth. In the Epistle Paul points out our individual time here on earth draws nearer daily and we need to accept His help to be moderate in all things while being diligent in following His will.  The Gospel related Jphn the Baptist’s initial interface with agents of the Pharisees.  It all comes together, listen or read to undertand how. Just as is almost always the case, the propers point of the need for action, not just diction.  

The Propers are found on Page 95-96, with the Collect first:

 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

O

 LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end.  Amen.

 

The Collect for the First Sunday in Advent is on Page 90:

 

The First Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

A

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 Epistle for today came from Paul’s first letter to the Philippians, starting at the Fourth Verse of the Fourth Chapter. 

 

Paul calls on us to “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”  We are to lead the world to Christ by example, to “Let (y)our moderation be known unto all men.”  In this Advent season, as always, “The Lord is at hand.”  We are to worry about nothing, “but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Be joyful in all things, not for all things.  And in the words we find at the end of the Holy Communion Service, may “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Or to quote another, “Trust in God and Dread Naught.”

 

R

EJOICE in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

Today’s Holy Gospel came from the Gospel according to Saint John, the First Chapter, beginning at the Nineteenth Verse.  When they heard rumor of John the Baptist, Jews wondering if this might be the Messiah, sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who art thou?”  John told them, “I am not the Christ.”  Then, they cast about for who he might be, ”Art thou Elias?” 

 

Confounded, they asked, “Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?”  He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”  The Pharisees people were somewhat confused and asked, “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?”  John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

 

Interestingly, the same theme is found over and over, as is oft the case with truth.  There are those among us who just plain will not see.  For, there are none so deaf as those who will not hear and none so blind as those who will not see.

 

T

HIS is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Sermon - Rev Jack Arnold

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Rev Jack's sermon can be viewed on video here -> https://youtu.be/ks_X0y2XBC4

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

O

 LORD, raise up, we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end.  Amen.

 

The Collect for the First Sunday in Advent is on Page 90:

 

The First Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

A

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.

 

As is oft the case, today’s propers all tie together to reinforce a point and build our understanding of what God wants and expects from each of us.  The Collect asks for God’s help for us to accept His Help and do it His Way.  We are asking for this because of our natural infirmities. By natural infirmities, I mean our sins. Our natural infirmities do in fact handicap us from running the race of life that is set before us. We are asking for His Help in removing that handicap of our infirmities, of our needless worries and sinful behavior that only hurts us, that we might be able to run ably and swiftly the race of life.

 

This is a thought that is constantly resonating throughout the Collects and not only them but all of Scriptures. That is because it is a constant truth that without the help of the Lord, we are doomed to fail to follow Him. This truth is constant through history. Whenever a group of people have strayed from doing what God asks, they have never prospered in the end. From the very beginning of time to the very end of time this will always stay true. That is why we must continually rely on Scripture and the Holy Ghost for inspiration and guidance and comfort in our lives.

 

It is oft supposed Christians are dour souls, with no sense of happiness or humor.  Perhaps this thought comes from those who have heard from others what the Bible says, but have never actually taken the time to read it and understand it. For if they understood it then they would not be thinking that we are dour at all! Reading the Bible as a whole proves this often popular train of thought to be patently false. That may or may not have been the way the Puritans thought, but then again, the Puritans were not holding to the consistent truth of the Bible. After all God commands us to make a “joyful” noise unto the Lord! Not, a dour, grumbling and solemn noise, but an exceedingly JOYFUL noise unto the Lord! There is nothing in the Bible that says you cannot have fun whilst worshipping our Lord; in fact that is the preferred way to worship Him! If we enjoy worshipping the Lord, then we are most apt to do more of our best to follow Him, if we are enjoying ourselves whilst doing so!

 

After all, the one said to be the most dour of all, Paul, tells us to be happy. In his Epistle he mentioned rejoicing in the Lord always. Not just happy, but to REJOICE.  REJOICE in the Lord ALWAYS and AGAIN I say REJOICE!  How much more fun can you have?  At the same time though Paul cautions us to be moderate in everything we do, no excesses, an even keel.  Work hard, but maintain a time and space for our family, honor our country, and above all honor God.  Maintain an even balance between work and play so to speak and moderation in both areas. 

 

In the Gospel John recounts John the Baptist’s role in preparing the way for Jesus.  The Pharisees were troubled with the simplicity of his message.  They were looking for something more complex, less straightforward, something more like themselves. This is much like many people in the world today who dismiss Christianity as being too simplistic and that would prefer something more complex, something they can get around. It is the human nature at work here, humans in general will always try and find loopholes around what we are supposed to do.

 

The Pharisees were much like modern day lawyers and liberals, always searching for a loophole in the law so they can do what they want to do without following the law. They failed to realize that there is no loophole behind loving God and loving your neighbor as thyself. They could not comprehend of this. They feared what they couldn’t understand and that is why they wanted Jesus to be put to death. They didn’t understand God’s plan for Jesus and His Ministry.  

 

 

If the world would do what God asked, our lives would be so much better, we would all be living together in happiness. Doing what God asks would solve all of the problems facing us today on earth. Peace on earth will not be possible until the world accepts Him into their hearts. This is the perfect season for those who haven’t yet, to accept Him, to acknowledge Him at His first true appearance amongst us, at His Birth. Up until the end of our time here on earth, there is always time to accept Him, but do not wait until it is too late to do so!

 

Jesus also tells us to put our trust in the Lord, then not to worry.  He knows how counterproductive, indeed, how destructive, worry can be in our lives.  We know it not only cannot, but will not do good, we know it will only hurt our cause; yet we do it.  Is this not a proof positive of how much we need His Help?  How hard is it to Trust in God and Dread Naught?  Very!  Extremely difficult as a matter of fact. I myself struggle with this constantly. I know that it does no good but it comes so naturally to me that it is super hard to overcome. The solution to this is to turn to God and let Him carry my/our worries on His Back. Even though it is very hard to trust somebody you can’t see physically, you must trust your spiritual sense and follow Him anyway!  Knowing you will see Him physically one day is one of our great rewards. This greatly eases at least my worries and should ease yours as well. 

 

When Saint John is recording the actions of John the Baptist, he tells us when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?  They got an answer they neither expected nor really understood, he said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias … I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; he it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose. They had no clue what he was talking about.  All they could see was what they expected, a king of this world.  Yet, John the Baptist knew the kingdom was not of this world, for the King was not of this World, but the Eternal King of Eternity.  John the Baptist later says He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)  This is true of us, also.  We must let Jesus permeate us and become the dominant force in us.  But, it does not happen in the twinkling of the eye. Jack Lewis tells us, We are doing well enough if the slow process of being more in Christ and less in ourselves has made a decent beginning in a long life (it will be completed only in the next world). Jack Lewis suggests you try his plan; I pray ‘Lord, show me just so much (neither more nor less) about myself as I need for doing thy will now.’

 

The world is extremely complex; it is full of problems, temptations and difficulties.  It is full of obstacles for us, yet all Christianity offers is a few simple solutions.  We often hear there are no simple answers to complex questions.  Actually, that is not true.  There are simple answers to complex problems, they are the only ones which can and will work.  The problem is they are not the answers people want.  Most people do not want to know what they are supposed to do, lest they have to do it.  They want to be told what they want to do is at least okay, even though it is clearly not okay. But we need to know what we are doing is actually “Okay”, not what Joe on the corner claims is Okay. To do that, we have to read the Scriptures and listen to what God says is Okay, because He really does know the best in this matter for us. 

 

Once again, when you think about being a Christian, think a bit about these quotes from GK Chesterton:

 

·      Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.

·      The word good has many meanings. For example, if a man were to shoot his grandmother at a range of five hundred yards, I should call him a good shot, but not necessarily a good man. 

·      The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people. 

·      Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. 

·      A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.

 

 G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

 

We are called to a new and different life, we ask the Lord to both lead us and follow us, to keep us always.  Our goal is to do the Lord’s will, not to avoid 613 laws.  To do what is right and be humble.

 

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