First Sunday after Christmas - Propers with explanation – Bishop Jack’s Sermon – With Video

 

Bishop Jack brings the propers together.  His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/b84T6HfiBCY 

Bishop Jack’s sermon looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message as we look for our place in this world. At this Christmastide, we have been concentrating on the joy of the Christ’s coming to earth; rightly so!  But, in our liturgical calendar, the days go on.  At this Christmastide, it is not surprising to find “To take our nature upon him”, is a key phrase of the Collect, preceding “To be born of a pure virgin”, meaning He could not have been born from anyone else but Mary, who was at the time a pure virgin (this is before the birth of James, Jesus’ biological half-brother.  As Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, we are not to be servants or slaves of God, but His own children.  As we came upon this midnight clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is here for us.  Will we accept it?  Follow Him, accept His Grace and all will be good forever.

The propers for today are found on Page 104-105, with the Collect first:

 

The First Sunday after Christmas Day.

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. 

 

The Epistle for today came from Paul’s letter to the people of Galatia, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter.  Paul reminds us, as well as those long gone in Galatia, we are to do God’s will, but through our Lord, we are not servants, but children of God, for “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 

 

N

ow I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 

 

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the First Chapter, beginning at the Eighteenth Verse. 

 

T

he birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. 

Sermon - Bishop Jack Arnold

Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States

Diocese of the West

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday.   Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE -> hhttps://youtu.be/b84T6HfiBCY

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message as we look for our place in this world. Let us start by reading today’s collect:

 

The First Sunday after Christmas Day.

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. 

 

At this Christmastide, we have been concentrating on the joy of the Christ’s coming to earth; rightly so!  But, in our liturgical calendar, the days go on.  Right after Christmas, we celebrate Boxing Day in the Anglican tradition, but more than that 26 December brings us the recollection of Saint Steven Deacon and Martyr; he was killed under the direction of Saul of Tarsus, the same person who with God’s Grace and Help became Saint Paul.  The following day, 27 December, recalls Saint John, the longest lived of the Apostles whose writing gives so much to the theology of the New Testament.  Then on 28 December, we recall The Holy Innocents, whose deaths are connected with Jesus’ birth.   

 

An odd combination of days and thoughts for those who do not choose to think or delve deeply into a subject upon which their eternal lives are dependent.   Most people, if they go to church, are Creastors, that is people who attend church on Christmas and Easter.  This is certainly better than not at all, but one wonders why the two major events of the Christian year do not inspire them to more in depth consideration of what is, after all, the instructions for the remainder of their life here on earth and eternity.  As ministers, I guess most of us wonder why we cannot get the message across.  Still other people, members of churches, come every Sunday, so long as it is convenient.  That is certainly better yet, but their knowledge falls short of the information available in the Bible.  While the Book of Common Prayer is a wonder, it only provides propers for the Sundays and Holy Days, the subject matter is limited to the 52 high points if you make every Sunday!  Often parishes overlook inconvenient days, such as Holy Innocents, or even worse the Circumcision.  They only fall on a Sunday every seven years and who will know, anyway?

 

At this Christmastide, it is not surprising to find “To take our nature upon him”, is a key phrase of the Collect, preceding “To be born of a pure virgin”, meaning He could not have been born from anyone else but Mary, who was at the time a pure virgin (this is before the birth of James, Jesus’ biological half-brother. But the more important part of the phrases is “to take our nature upon him.” When He came into this world, He took our nature upon himself, that is to say in simpler terms He became like us. That is, He became human. So He could experience what it is like to be us and how we operate and also so He could represent us in His Sacrifice upon the cross. This is a very core and important part of Jesus’s story. He came down to be one of us so He could experience what it is like to be human and relate to His Creation more. This is simply incredible and shows how much He loves His Creation that He would come down and become one of us, live amongst us, then suffer the death upon the cross and descent into hell and battle with Satan that we might have eternal life!

Part of becoming human meant He felt the emotions we feel; pain, joy, suffering and more material emotions; hunger, wants and needs. This He took upon Himself, so He might come to understand His creation more. That could only be done if He could experience our body for himself, thus requiring Him to incarnate into a human form in order to understand what it was like to be us. Even though He created us and thus knew a lot about us, He needed the experience of being us. And also, to sacrifice Himself for our sakes, He needed to be within our bodies, so He could be accounted as a “human” sacrifice, taking upon all of our sins upon Himself, that we might be accounted as perfect before God to enter into heaven. This is one of the most amazing things of the Incarnation, God Himself came down to view, meet and be with His Creation, to understand how they live on this Earth and not only to understand His Creation, but to save His Creation from eternal death. This is because He views us as part of His family, by adoption via the Holy Spirit.

 

This topic leads into the Epistle. As Paul says in his letter to the Galatians, we are not to be servants or slaves of God, but His own children, we are more precious to Him than servants or slaves. He views us as part of His very wide and extended family. He loves us like a father or mother loves their own children. That is a key difference between Christianity and Islam. Islam views its followers as a means to an end, but Christianity views the followers as part of God’s Holy Family in Heaven. We are not pawns but we are family members and participants in God’s big plan. This clearly shows Islam’s Satanic roots versus Christianity’s Godly origins. We are wanted by God as His Children, He loves us and cares for us very much, so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son that all who believe on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). That is a pretty big amount of love for us sinful beings! That He sent His Own Son to die for our offenses, our sins, shows we mean a lot to Him, that He loves us so greatly. This is truly deserving of being called the Good News. It is in fact Outstanding news for us. We should rejoice that He has made us whole, taken away the power of sins if we repent of them, so that we may continue to live our life for Him!

 

We are different than the world for this very reason. The world lacks the compassion, the love Christ has given us, and it is the reason why it is and has been filled with so much trouble and sin over the thousands of years of our existence. What Christ has given us is a gift beyond the world’s understanding and valuation systems. They simply cannot see the pure joy we get from following and serving God.  The World will not know peace until they finally recognize that serving God is the only way to have peace on Earth. But we will not have as much trouble as the world has, for we have something they do not, the Love of God and Christ among us to comfort and restore us, and to refresh us whenever we are tired and weary.

 

We have to realize God took upon our nature and our infirmities for us, His love is infinite as He is infinite. He is the past, the future and the present, He is the Master of Time. He is indeed, the Lord of Time and He love for us expands beyond all the timelines into the unfathomable past and into the unknowable for us future. 

 

When we pray, we must refer to God as Father, as He is our spiritual Father and physical Father too, for without him, our fathers would not have been created and our lives would not have sprung forth upon this Earth. He is our ultimate Father in this sense, for without Him, we would not be here. We are in a state of eternal debt to God for bringing us in and saving us from the trouble of our human nature. If we are to repay it, we must follow Jesus on the path to perfection, which we will never get to, but we will certainly never get to it if we never try.

 

As we came upon this midnight clear, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is here for us.  Will we accept it?  Follow Him, accept His Grace and all will be good forever.

 

He comes!

 

Heaven is at the end of an uphill trail.  The easy downhill trail does not lead to the summit.

 

The time is now, not tomorrow.  The time has come, indeed.  How will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

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

Bishop Jack brings the propers together today.  His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/j8OUw1qIiZ0

 

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.  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. 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.  I found this sermon particularly inspiring and hope you find it useful.

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 - Bishop Jack Arnold

Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States

Diocese of the West

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday.   Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE ->https://youtu.be/j8OUw1qIiZ0

 

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message as we complete the period of preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior. Let us start by reading today’s collect:

 

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

Third Sunday in Advent - Propers with explanation – Bishop Jack’s Sermon – With Video

Bishop Jack brings the propers together today.  His sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/QSXCN9-boeU

 

Today’s Collect reflects the importance of each of us as managers and stewards for Christ, that we might prepare the world for His second coming, and by the way, for the end of our time here on earth. In the Epistle Paul points out man’s judgment of us is nothing compared to that of God. God knows our heart, soul and mind much better than we do. In the Gospel, Jesus tells Paul tells John’s disciples that He is the One. Just as is almost always the case, the propers point of the need for action, not just diction.  I found this sermon particularly inspiring and hope you find it useful.

The Propers are found on Page 93-94, with the Collect first:

 

The Third Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

 

O

 LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

 

The propers for the First Sunday in Advent can be found on Page 90-92:

 

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 Corinthians, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter.

 

Paul calls on those who would be the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God to be good and faithful stewards leading their flock rather than commanding from the rear.  He tells them not to be fearful of the judgment of man.  In fact, he tells he is not concerned of the judgment of men, or even that of himself, but rather that of God.  God knows our hearts and when He judges, He “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

 

Let it be fully understood that when Paul writes of ministers and stewards, he is talking of each of us, not just those who are “ordained ministers.”  We each must be good and faithful stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to each of us.  We each must help those around us  benefit from the gifts which are freely given.

 

L

ET a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

 

The Gospel for today came from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew, the Eleventh Chapter, beginning at the Second Verse.  Now when John the Baptist “had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?”  John was Jesus’ cousin and the one who baptized Him and heard God say, THIS IS MY SON IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.”  Yet, he and the rest of the Jews of the time expected the Messiah to come into Jerusalem in triumph, sit in the temple and rule, commanding, nay compelling the Romans to leave.  No doubt marveling at the question, for it was asked of Him who had performed countless genuine miracles, healing the blind, the deaf the lame, “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.”  As John’s disciples parted, Jesus talked to those about him.  He asked them concerning John, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet?”  He was counseling them, trying to help them fully understand the implications of what was around them.  He was there!  So, he explained that John was not “just” a prophet, but the messenger of God, the man with the flag running before the locomotive.  He went on, “For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.”  Because Jesus came into this world, not to be the King of the Present, but rather the King of that to Come.

 

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OW when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

 

Anglican Orthodox Church of the United States

Diocese of the West

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday.   Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE ->https://youtu.be/QSXCN9-boeU

 

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the 

unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message as we enter into a period of preparation for the coming of our Lord and Savior. Let us start by reading today’s collect:

The Third Sunday in Advent

The Collect.

 

 

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 LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit ever, one God, world without end. 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.

 

Today’s Collect reflects the importance of each of us as managers and stewards for Christ, that we might prepare the world for His second coming, and by the way, for the end of our time here on earth. In the Epistle Paul points out man’s judgment of us is nothing compared to that of God. God knows our heart, soul and mind much better than we do. In the Gospel, Jesus tells Paul tells John’s disciples that He is the One. Just as is almost always the case, the propers point of the need for action, not just diction.  

 

In the Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent, we are referred to as the ministers and stewards (caretakers) of the mysteries of God: the Scriptures and His Word. We ask for help in getting the hearts of the disobedient, which is us, by the wisdom of the just, which is God and the Holy Spirit, to turn and look to the Kingdom of God for answers and not this world. We are in a way like John the Baptist who prepared the way for Christ’s coming by preaching and preparing the path for Christ to begin his ministry. By preaching the Word, we are likewise preparing the World for His Return, by getting their hearts ready by being guided by the Holy Spirit and spreading the Good News across the globe. 

 

The collect gets to the heart of the matter directly. It says that in order for us to follow God and to point the way to Him, we need our disobedient hearts to shift focus from our selfish wants and desires to that of being just, in order to be ready to follow Him. After all if we don’t get ourselves in order first and following God, how can we expect to lead others towards God?  The collect says that if we have done our job, at the second coming we may be found an acceptable people in His Sight. This may seem like a tall order, but it seems even taller if we don’t give it our best effort. We need to have the Holy Ghost in our hearts if we are to become ministers and caretakers of the mysteries of God. We are to be like John in preparing the world for Jesus’s second coming. We need to be shining the light towards Him and letting people know about Him, so that there will not be a stone unturned on this Earth that has not heard the Good News. 

 

In the Epistle, Paul tells us not fear what others think of us, but rather be concerned about what God thinks of what we are doing and what direction in which He wants us to go. People’s opinions can change dramatically over the years and they can come and go in our lives but God is a constant and never changes. He is the constant unerring truth that we can reliably use to measure our performance here on Earth and He is also the one whose opinions we should truly value rather than that of man’s. Thus we need to be more concerned with what God thinks rather than what man thinks. Rather than spend the mental energy on being concerned with what others think, let us use that same mental energy to do our best for God, our family and our country. We can get a lot more done for God this way; it will be better for our hearts, souls and minds if we think this way. Worry does not solve any problems; but it can create problems if we let it. So, let us not worry about man’s opinions, but of God instead. We will profit spiritually this way. And our spiritual, physical and mental health will be much improved if we do this.Perhaps maybe some in this world will see what we are doing for Him and come to know Him and join Him. We will never know how much and impact we have on others around us. That is why we must be mindful of how we act around others.  This is why we must be good stewards and messengers of His Word and be careful of how we act around others. How we act around others can either turn people to or away from God. Let us make sure we act in a manner that turns people towards God.

 

Not worrying is a very hard concept for many people to act on, including myself. There are so many things in this world that can cause tremendous concern and worry. However, we should note none of these things are greater than God.  Just this thought alone should ease our troubled minds tremendously. God will bear our worries and concerns, but only if we allow Him into our hearts, souls and minds to do so. And besides we don’t have to consider what man thinks of us, only what God thinks of us. We need to lift the worries off our minds and give them to God to carry, so that we can do our jobs properly for Him.

 

 

We will never get anywhere if we follow the ways of this world. As in John 1:11-13 He came unto His own and His Own received him not.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the 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 the will of man, but of God.

 

If we are born of God, then it is Him to whom we must return and not man. As the verse from John points out, even Jesus came to us and we refused him; how can we expect any better treatment from man, than that given God Himself, who came down for us?  We should not be surprised when our fellow men treat us like dirt. We know ourselves how depraved we can be without the guiding light of the Holy Spirit in us. 

 

But the next part of the verse tells us what we will get if we join with him. He gave us the power to become the Sons of God, as we are His adopted children. He is giving us our eternal inheritance, if we will but follow Him. We are going to get an absolutely wonderful reward, if we do our very best to follow Him.  There is a distinct difference between saying you are doing your best and actually doing your best. 

 

The treatment we receive in this world will pale in comparison to the treatment God will give us in the next world if we but do our very best to follow Him. He has given us the power to become the Sons of God; we are God’s adopted children. This is a power greater than any in this world not of God’s Hands. This is a power that cannot be taken from us, as we are tightly in God’s Hand. The enemy cannot pluck us out of God’s grasp, once we have willingly joined ourselves to God through the help of the Holy Ghost. We need the unifying spirit of the Holy Ghost to help us understand the concepts of Scripture; not only to understand them, but to follow them. With the help of the Holy Ghost, we can understand what we are to do; more than that, we will be able to apply the concepts we learn from Scripture to our everyday lives.

 

In the Gospel, Christ asks the crowd of what they expected to see?  Some great big flashy sign He was going to overthrow the Romans and unite the Jews to conquer the world?  That was what they expected, but not what He came for! He says more than a prophet and that is true. Jesus is more than a prophet, He is the Son of God who came to die for our sins that we might not perish but have everlasting life.  He did not come to rule the world, for it would be only a temporal state.  He came for far more than that; to prepare our hearts for eternity and begin to change us from unjust to just creatures, worthy of God’s creation and His Hands. As John the Baptist came to prepare the way for Christ’s preaching, Christ came to prepare our way to join our Father in Heaven. Without this preparation, we would not have the wonderful gift of eternal life.

 

His sacrifice was the physical and spiritual action which paved the road for our ascent to heaven. He came to mold and to shape us from being roughly made to something very valuable. He came to transform us from death to being truly alive. 

 

Life is a continual process of learning in every aspect of our lives, not least of these aspects is our spiritual growth and development.  The Japanese have a word for this, introduced into their industry by the American engineer W. Edwards Deming, Kaizen (改善), that is to say continuous improvement.  Never perfect, but always endeavoring to improve.  Day by day.  Just like in flying, every flight we need to learn something. It is the same in life, every day we need to learn something to keep growing as a Christian. Our goal is to make the next day better than the last. This is how we must continually develop as Christians.

 

To care for the mysteries of God properly, we must continue to learn in our spiritual lives; if we do this, we will keep growing more and more every day.  Reading Scripture is one way to further our spiritual development, as well as helping others without thought for ourselves. We have to undergo our spiritual rebirth before we can help to transform others and to serve others.  To accomplish this, we need to have the mental state only the Holy Ghost can give us. We must keep trying our best to improve and learn from the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit and to trust in God and dread naught.

 

As Jesus came to change us for the better, Paul and the Collect remind us to do the same for others.   We have to keep trying to do our best to help our friends and family to be better, all the while doing our best to be the best Christians and humans we can be. All the while shining the light of Christ into the darkness of this world as His ambassadors. We know not what seeds we plant when we perform such actions and in a future time they may bear fruit. We must not try and rush the work of the Holy Spirit, who works on God’s time and not that of our own time. All good things will happen in due course. If we do our part by planting the seed, the Holy Ghost will nurture and develop this seed to bear fruit. We must put our hearts and minds together and think about what God wants us to do in the end, rather than what we want to do. Put God first and all will be well, is what can be taken from today’s collects and lessons, ultimately.  We must be willing do to this; then we can be properly caring for the mysteries of God.

 

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