Monday, February 28, 2022

The Woes of Jesus – 27 February 2022, Anno Domini

  

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 HEN began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes22 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you23 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.    (Matthew 11:20-23)

 

            The term ‘WOE’ occurs forty times in the New Testament thirty-one of which were proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a term expressing grief and revulsion. It is not a term by which I would like to be addressed by the Lord. 

 

            Our Lord Jesus Christ had performed many miracles and taught often in Chorazin and Bethsaida, yet the people took the miracles and rejected the Author of those miracles. They failed to repent. Tyre and Sidon were used as examples to contrast the unwillingness of Chorazin and Bethsaida with that of Tyre and Sidon. God brought judgment down on those two places resulting in their total destruction. Jesus says if He had performed the same mighty works in Tyre and Sidon as He had done in Chorazin and Bethsaida, those two cities would have repented and spared. 

 

            It is a sad thought to realize the great and abominable sin of Sodom was sodomy, and that same sin is spreading across the beloved cities and plains of our own beloved land. (see Lev 18:22) Knowing God does not change, we should tremble at the thought that God withholds His judgment until the iniquity of a people is full.

 

            But, our Lord reserved the use of the term ‘woe’ more directly for the Scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish rulers. They had rejected the Son of God, and must surely have known He was the anointed Messiah prophesied. They could not bear to countenance the loss of power, prestige and economic privilege they would lose by His recognition.

 

            In the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew alone, our Lord rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees with the term ‘woe’ no less than eight times. In most cases, His charge deals with matters of base and grievous hypocrisy on the part of these men. Some choice examples of our Lord’s use of the term are included below:

 

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UT woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!   (Matthew 23:13-16)

 

            The above charges are critically severe for those so labelled. It is a condemnation of the souls of those who remain in such degenerate states. Remember, these were the great and popular ministers of the day to whom the Lord spoke. He speaks with equal umbrage to those who are of the same character today. The pulpits are full of men who profess themselves to be righteous but are full of filth and rot in their souls. There is one such condemnation that deserves particular mention: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (vs 14) I say it deserves particular mention for it is the one woe that is omitted in most modern Bible (per)versions. You need not think long and hard to realize why the modern manipulators of God’s Word would not want this verse to be understood by their people. Many might catch on to the fact that the modern ministerial Pharisees were, themselves, devouring widow's houses by demanding tithes and offerings from widows of scarce means while the minister lives on a lucrative salary. The pretentious prayers are noteworthy as well. 

 

            It is sadly true hypocritical ministers of today may work harder and longer to gain a proselyte than the honest, God-fearing pastor. They are motivated by the profit motive and will say anything to make a sale. God preserve His Church inviolate from such rogues and thieves who argue the most obscure points of biblical doctrine and ignore the weightier matters of the simple Gospel of Christ.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

AOC Sunday Report - Quinquagesima Sunday

Happy Quinquagesima Sunday!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.

There are great sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Rev Jack's can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE.

There are always a lot of people who need your prayer, today is no different, please take a little time.  Start with Tricia, Shamu, Jim, Laurie and Lori and work out from there.

There is an epic week ahead, this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday in addition to its normal function as Hump Day, there will be more on that later.  You might think about your relationship with God.  Have you truly opened your heart and let the Holy Ghost in?  It can be a hard thing until you get used to the idea.

Have superb week!

Hap
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America

The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before before Lent

You can view Rev Jack's sermon on video RIGHT HERE!

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

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


Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity …

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge to God that if we have not charity, nothing we do is worth anything; we then ask Him to send the Holy Ghost into our hearts with the precious gift of charity.  Webster tells us that Charity is love; universal benevolence; good will; the word which properly denotes love. What it really means is Love in Action! Like many areas of our Christian development, we will never fully get there. But if we never try to put Love into action, we will never even get close to getting there. The key words are in action. Meaning we just can’t think about loving people, we actually have to go out and do actions showing that we really do love them, not just say it. Without love in our hearts, anything we do is worth nothing as the collect points out. Giving oodles of money for recognition is not true charity, it is a sort of selfishness. Doing good with charity in our hearts should mean that we do not seek fame or fortune for helping others but to help others simply because it is the right thing to do. Not only that but charity is the driving principle behind Jesus’s Summary of the Law of Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. 

 

Charity is the purest form of love there is and derives from God’s love for us. Without God’s love in us, we cannot hope to have any form of charity towards our fellow humans. God has given us love to enable us to act on His behalf here on this Earth. Love is not selfish or wasteful, but kind and abundant. We are to be agents of good change, not bad; with Charity, we will act with love towards one another.  With charity in our hearts we will be agents for change of good. These are qualities that are not naturally part of our sinful nature. This is why we need to have God’s help, to have that pure and unselfish love in our hearts. If we do not have love in our hearts towards one another, how can we expect to be able to effect positive change on the world around us?

 

In connection with the Collect which talks about one who is brought before God without love in his heart is a dead person. And not just in eternity but in life, a person with no love is a dead person walking.  Paul makes this very point in his Epistle, saying that no matter what talents we have, without the Love of God in our hearts, it is all for naught.  We cannot do anything for God without that Love in our hearts. We must have the Love in us, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, in order to be effective in our ministerial efforts. He is the reason we are here in this life and He is the one we must act for.   It must be clear to us our understanding here on earth is limited, while here we will never see the fullness of God’s Plan; yet the part most clear is the love we are to have one for another, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, for no reason other than we know it is right so to do. 

 

Having Love in our hearts is a must if we are to perform actions for Him here in this world. In order to have love in our hearts, we must be open to the Holy Spirit. Only then can we truly receive His Love to spread around. And do not fret, there is an unlimited supply of love for everyone. When Paul talks about God’s great plans, he uses the phraseology “through a glass, darkly”, which is very interesting inasmuch as CS Lewis uses a variation to describe earth as compared to heaven.  He calls earth The Shadowlands and says in heaven all is clear and bright, not dark and muddled as here on earth.  So, here our understanding is limited, it will not always be so. That will be fulfilled when we pass those Pearly Gates into heaven, and in order to do that, we have to have faith, and act in good works with charity. 

 

As they were coming in to Jericho, Jesus told the disciples of what was to come, yet they could not grasp their leader would submit to such treatment on their behalf.  He was the Conqueror; in a sense they were right, He came to conquer death for us, not the Roman Empire. He had the Love of God with Him and He loved us so much that He would die a painful method of execution and go into Satan’s realm in order to free us from the terrible wages of sin, that of death. As they went along, they encountered the blind man who was, like many of us are, blind.  His blindness was of eye, not heart, he knew the power of God and of love. The blind man who wanted his sight and knew Jesus had The Power.  He cried unto the Lord and was rebuffed by His People. This is the key and it applies to us as well. Did he give up?  No, he cried the more.  We are like the blind man in that our sin blinds from seeing what we could be with the help of the Holy Ghost. We must cry out for Jesus to enter into our hearts, souls and minds and lead a transformation of our minds to serve Him.

 

When Jesus heard him, he turned and asked what the man wanted.  MY SIGHT!  No generalizations, no beating about.  The blind man asked of Him what he truly wanted.  Ask and it shall be given unto you.  He lacked sight, not vision.  Nor, it might be added, did he lack faith. We should ask God to have to sight and hearing that we might see, hear and act upon the Word. To some, the faith he had might seem a blind faith, but it was one he acted on and gained what he lacked.  Will we have the faith to act?

 

True love is Faith, Hope, Charity[1].

 

There is but one way to heaven.

 

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost, use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

 

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



[1] The three Gloster Gladiator fighters FaithHope and Charity defended Malta against the Italian Air Force during the early part of the siege of Malta in World War II.  Legend has it all three persisted and of the three, Charity never failed.

Vessels of Gold, Silver, Wood and Earth – 26 February 2022, Anno Domini

  


 

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 EVERTHELESS the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. 21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.  (2 Tim 2:19-21)

 

            My father shared a story with me when I was a young man concerning an event involving a college professor and his students. It is a simple event with a lesson of lifelong benefit.

 

            The professor invited his small class of students to his home for tea. His quarters which were on campus were modest but very properly furnished with a cozy living room heated by a fireplace and lined with leather bound books that added some sophistication to the residence. On the table was a large samovar from which steam was from its top-mounted kettle. Around the samovar were an array of cups – some of delicate china, some of ceramic, and others of wood or stone.  

 

            After formalities of greeting and small talk, the professor invited the young men to have a cup of tea from the samovar. He watched the students intently as they took their cups and poured their tea. After a time of engaging conversation, the professor stood and explained what he had observed in the students taking their cups. The first students to the table took the cups of fine porcelain, those who came later took the cups of ceramics, and those who reached the table last took the remaining cups of wood or stone. He opined that it is human nature to judge the quality of contents by the outward appearance. Each cup was different, but the tea that was poured into the cups was precisely the same and from the same samovar. The tea tasted just as refreshing from the stone cups as from the porcelain cups. Unfortunately, we too often judge people, too, by the outward appearance and not the hidden graces of their hearts. This lesson was nothing more than a paraphrase of Paul’s text in our introduction concerning various vessels.

 

            In a great house there are various kinds of vessels – gold, silver, wood, and stone. The vessel of gold may be the centerpiece of the table filled with apples and other fruits. There may also be a vessel of wood in the pantry containing the same kinds and quality of fruits. Both contain the same quality of fruits. One is for show, the other for practical use. Both serve the same purpose in keeping the fruits. It is not the nature of the vessel that is important – it is that which is INSIDE. Some of the most attractive men and women are those who may sell you a bill of goods. It is the heart that determines the quality of character.

 

            The Pharisees, ancient and modern, present an outward appearance of righteousness, but are corrupt and filthy in their heart of hearts. 25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.  (Matt 23:25) Today, they can be viewed on many channels of the tv appealing for seed money from the poor.

 

            We have discussed at length this same truth expressed in the Psalms of David: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow(Psalm 51:7) God purges the inner man first and then the outer man appears as righteous as a clean heart will project.

 

                  Our Maker would have us to be vessels of LIGHT regardless of our outward composition. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us(2 Cor 4:6-7)

 

            There are vessels that may appear beautiful in appearance but contain products unfit for human consumption – a chamber pot for example.

 

            Whatever kind of vessel the Lord has fashioned us to be, let us serve our purpose with devotion and perseverance. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. * And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. If you are an unsatisfactory vessel in the hands of the Lord, He will remake you into one of His choosing. All who come to the Throne of Grace and Mercy are molded anew in Christ!

Collect for Quinquagesima – 27 February 2022, Anno Domini

 

The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the

Sunday next before before Lent.

The Collect.

 

O

 LORD who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

 


The love mentioned in this COLLECT is not just charity that gives `things' to others, but that gives more than things – it gives self. This is divine love and it comes from God, not as a demand, but as a grant to all who love Him. It is impossible to love God and not love others – and we love Him because He first loved us. How can it be that our love comes from God? 

 

Have you ever taken a walk on a clear summer night on the beach? Did you walk in the moon light? No, technically, you did not, even if the moon was very bright with its soft glow. You actually walked in the SUNLIGHT. The light of the moon is only the sunlight it receives from the Sun in smaller measure, and reflects that sunlight to the beach. That is how the real love that we give to others actually is God's love. What is this divine grant of love? Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another(1 John 4:10-11) Christ commands it, and love is evidence of our faith. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35) This is an imposing commandment of Christ's, that we love one another as He loved us! That is a very high measure of love, for Christ loved us so greatly that He died for us. How much do we now love one another? Does your love measure up? No, it most probably does not, but it SHOULD. Our righteousness, too, falls short, but it should not. It is because of our falling short in righteousness, in love, and in faith, that Christ is our Mediator.  

 

Today's Collect in Quinquagesima is the last before the Lenten Season which this year will begin on Wednesday, 2 March 2022. Lent is a time for humble reflection, prayer and fasting in contemplation of that love that Christ demonstrated and proved for us in dying to redeem us from our sins. It is not a time of boasting of our piety by wearing smudges of ashes on our faces.  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. (Matt 6:16-18)

 

Friends, please clear your hearts and minds for the present moment of all previous prejudices you have entertained resulting from the false teachings of the Romanizing Oxford Movement adherents, and ask yourself if smearing ashes on your forehead on Ash Wednesday is consistent with the clear counsel of Christ in the above passage, and elsewhere? Is it not better to honor God with our obedience to His Word, then to honor men by their dreamt-up traditions? Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, our great English Reformer, was burned at the stake for refusing such foolish traditions of men and for honoring God's Word. He forbade the use of ashes applied to the forehead and so do all who will honor Christ.

 

We read in the beautiful LOVE chapter of the Bible (1 Corinthians 13) on Quinquagesima Sunday of the three cardinal virtues of faith, hope and charity, the greatest of these three is Love (Charity). Love is patient because it is eternal. Without love, we are walking dead (zombies, if you will). And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:1, 4-6) Have we not been told that love covereth all sins? (see Proverbs 10:12) And we see that the prayer of this Collect clearly illustrates this fact: ……all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee.

 

This is one Collect Prayer that did not have its source in the ancient church, but was composed by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer himself. The former Collect, which his replaces, alluded to the absolution of sins on Shrove Tuesday (our sins being shriven from us). ‘Our (English) Reformers believed that such outward observances (including application of Ashes) fall short of what we might call religion of the heart.  Thus Cranmer created a new Collect (prayer) based on the Epistle which would follow, St Paul's hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13.’  (The Collects of Thomas Cranmer, Barbee & Zahl)

 

God is LOVE! He shares that love to all who respond to that call of grace which the LORD has placed in our hearts. He loved us so much that He gave His only Begotten Son a Ransom for us while we were yet enemies of God. The Lord suffered humiliation and suffering on the cross out of His Love for the Father….and for us. Love is the essence of the Christian walk. If we handle God's Word harshly, even if we speak it truly, where is the evidence of that LOVE we are supposed to share of God? When love is abundantly present among a people, how can there be wars among them? If LOVE is abundantly present, how can we intentionally offend another, or defraud him or her? If our love of God exceeds all other considerations in our lives, how could we ever act in ways that dishonor His magnificent Name? Every other Godly virtue has its foundation in love.

 

Now, my friends, as we prepare for the solemnity of Lenten observance, let us subdue our fleshly passions and exalt that Godly virtue of LOVE as we contemplate that very LOVE that transcends the great space between Heaven and earth, time and Eternity, and came from the Ivory Palaces of the Father to lay down His life for you and me on a cruel cross at Calvary.

The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the Sunday next before before Lent.- Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon

There is an explanation of Lent and Mite Boxes at the bottom of this entry.

The Propers for today are found on Page 122-124, with the Collect first:

 

The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the

Sunday next before before Lent.

The Collect.

 

O

 LORD who hast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

 

The Epistle for today came from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the Thirteenth Chapter, beginning at the First Verse.  Paul talks of charity[1], “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”  Paul goes on to say that no matter what you do, if in your heart you have not that love for others, it is all to naught.  Our understanding here on earth is limited, we will never here see the fullness of God’s plan, yet the part most clear is the love we must have one for another, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, for no reason other than we know that is right so to do.  Paul uses the phraseology “through a glass, darkly”, which is very interesting inasmuch as CS Lewis uses a variation to describe earth as compared to heaven.  He calls the earth The Shadowlands and says in heaven all is clear and bright, not dark and muddled as here on earth.

 

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HOUGH I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

 

The Holy Gospel for today came from the Gospel of Saint Luke, the Eighteenth Chapter beginning at the Thirty-First Verse.  The Gospel starts out telling of Jesus’ trying to prepare his disciples for what was to come, and they could not grasp it: “Then Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.”  The Gospel goes on to tell of Jesus’ healing of a blind man near Jericho, “And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way-side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”

 

If you take nothing else from today’s Gospel, take this – Faith will save you.  After you are saved, you need to act on your faith.  The order is clear.

 

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HEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

 

What is Quinquagesima?

Quinquagesima, or, in full, Quinquagesima Sunday, is the name for the Sunday next before Ash Wednesday in the Catholic (Universal or Whole) Church Calendar. 

 

The name Quinquagesima originates from Latin quinquagesimus (fiftieth), referring to the fifty days before Easter Sunday using inclusive counting, which counts both Sundays (normal counting would count only one of these). 

 

Since the forty days of the Lenten fast included only weekdays, the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday, succeeds Quinquagesima Sunday by only three days. The earliest Quinquagesima Sunday can occur is February 1 and the latest is March 7. The Roman Church no longer observes much of the Christian Year, including Quinquagesima and the two immediately before it — Sexagesima and Septuagesima Sundays.

 

The contemporary service books of many claiming to be Anglican provinces do not use the term but it remains in the Book of Common Prayer. 

 

The 17-day period beginning on Septuagesima Sunday spanning Sexuagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays was intended to be observed as a preparation for the season of Lent, which is itself a period of spiritual preparation for Easter. In many countries, however, Septuagesima Sunday marks the start of the carnival season, culminating on Shrove Tuesday, more commonly known as Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.

 



[1] Charity - Love; universal benevolence; good will; the word which properly denotes love.  Properly understood the Love of God, that perfect love, to which man should aspire. [1913 Webster]


Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Descanso, California

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

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity …

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge to God that if we have not charity, nothing we do is worth anything; we then ask Him to send the Holy Ghost into our hearts with the precious gift of charity.  Webster tells us that Charity is love; universal benevolence; good will; the word which properly denotes love. What it really means is Love in Action! Like many areas of our Christian development, we will never fully get there. But if we never try to put Love into action, we will never even get close to getting there. The key words are in action. Meaning we just can’t think about loving people, we actually have to go out and do actions showing that we really do love them, not just say it. Without love in our hearts, anything we do is worth nothing as the collect points out. Giving oodles of money for recognition is not true charity, it is a sort of selfishness. Doing good with charity in our hearts should mean that we do not seek fame or fortune for helping others but to help others simply because it is the right thing to do. Not only that but charity is the driving principle behind Jesus’s Summary of the Law of Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. 

 

Charity is the purest form of love there is and derives from God’s love for us. Without God’s love in us, we cannot hope to have any form of charity towards our fellow humans. God has given us love to enable us to act on His behalf here on this Earth. Love is not selfish or wasteful, but kind and abundant. We are to be agents of good change, not bad; with Charity, we will act with love towards one another.  With charity in our hearts we will be agents for change of good. These are qualities that are not naturally part of our sinful nature. This is why we need to have God’s help, to have that pure and unselfish love in our hearts. If we do not have love in our hearts towards one another, how can we expect to be able to effect positive change on the world around us?

 

In connection with the Collect which talks about one who is brought before God without love in his heart is a dead person. And not just in eternity but in life, a person with no love is a dead person walking.  Paul makes this very point in his Epistle, saying that no matter what talents we have, without the Love of God in our hearts, it is all for naught.  We cannot do anything for God without that Love in our hearts. We must have the Love in us, brought to us by the Holy Spirit, in order to be effective in our ministerial efforts. He is the reason we are here in this life and He is the one we must act for.   It must be clear to us our understanding here on earth is limited, while here we will never see the fullness of God’s Plan; yet the part most clear is the love we are to have one for another, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, for no reason other than we know it is right so to do. 

 

Having Love in our hearts is a must if we are to perform actions for Him here in this world. In order to have love in our hearts, we must be open to the Holy Spirit. Only then can we truly receive His Love to spread around. And do not fret, there is an unlimited supply of love for everyone. When Paul talks about God’s great plans, he uses the phraseology “through a glass, darkly”, which is very interesting inasmuch as CS Lewis uses a variation to describe earth as compared to heaven.  He calls earth The Shadowlands and says in heaven all is clear and bright, not dark and muddled as here on earth.  So, here our understanding is limited, it will not always be so. That will be fulfilled when we pass those Pearly Gates into heaven, and in order to do that, we have to have faith, and act in good works with charity. 

 

As they were coming in to Jericho, Jesus told the disciples of what was to come, yet they could not grasp their leader would submit to such treatment on their behalf.  He was the Conqueror; in a sense they were right, He came to conquer death for us, not the Roman Empire. He had the Love of God with Him and He loved us so much that He would die a painful method of execution and go into Satan’s realm in order to free us from the terrible wages of sin, that of death. As they went along, they encountered the blind man who was, like many of us are, blind.  His blindness was of eye, not heart, he knew the power of God and of love. The blind man who wanted his sight and knew Jesus had The Power.  He cried unto the Lord and was rebuffed by His People. This is the key and it applies to us as well. Did he give up?  No, he cried the more.  We are like the blind man in that our sin blinds from seeing what we could be with the help of the Holy Ghost. We must cry out for Jesus to enter into our hearts, souls and minds and lead a transformation of our minds to serve Him.

 

When Jesus heard him, he turned and asked what the man wanted.  MY SIGHT!  No generalizations, no beating about.  The blind man asked of Him what he truly wanted.  Ask and it shall be given unto you.  He lacked sight, not vision.  Nor, it might be added, did he lack faith. We should ask God to have to sight and hearing that we might see, hear and act upon the Word. To some, the faith he had might seem a blind faith, but it was one he acted on and gained what he lacked.  Will we have the faith to act?

 

True love is Faith, Hope, Charity[1].

 

There is but one way to heaven.

 

That easy to find, easy to follow, easy to hike path does not lead to the summit where eternal life in the real world awaits.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost, use His Power to follow our Lord to God who awaits in heaven.

 

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



[1] The three Gloster Gladiator fighters FaithHope and Charity defended Malta against the Italian Air Force during the early part of the siege of Malta in World War II.  Legend has it all three persisted and of the three, Charity never failed.


Lent

Lent is coming up, it starts this coming Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday.  So, what does the word Lentmean?  It has an obscure origin, and is probably a corruption of Lencten, or a similar term in ancient Anglo, Saxon, and Germanic languages, all of which referred to spring, new life, and hope.  Although it is generally considered to be a time of mourning and repentance, it is more than that, it is like death, a time of new life and hope because by means of the death of Christ, we receive new life.

 

Many avoid Lent and Holy Week because they think it isn’t a happy and uplifting time—but to be honest, neither is most of life. Sometimes we come to church all scrubbed up, dressed nicely, with smiles on our faces, and when people ask how we are, we reply that everything is fine and we even boast how wonderful things are—but is it?  Life is not always uplifting, or wonderful, or pleasant, or joyous.  To claim it is, is to miss the whole point of the incarnation! God became flesh in Jesus Christ. Jesus faced temptation, He suffered hunger and thirst, He suffered the agony of crucifixion. Jesus our God did not face these things so that we would be exempt from them, He faced these things so that we would have dignity in them, He faced these things that in Him we might have triumph.

 

The forty days commemorate the significant "forty" periods in Scripture (although forty is not always significant), including the forty years the Jews wandered in the desert after they had been rescued by God from Egypt, and which did not end until they repented. Jonah preached to Nineveh that God's judgment would come on them in forty days. During that time the people repented and thus were spared God's judgment. Jesus was tested by the Devil in the desert for forty days before He began His public ministry, announcing salvation to the repentant and judgment to those who continued to rebel against God. Jesus prophesied that God's judgment would come against Israel for rejecting Him as Messiah within the time of His own generation (Matt. 24; Luke 21; Mark 13). Within forty years of His death, burial, and resurrection, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was so ravaged that "not one stone [was] left here upon another" (Matt. 24:2). The Jewish Christians, however, escaped this judgment of God by fleeing to Pella before the final Roman siege, just as Jesus had warned them to do (Matt. 24:16-21).

 

Lent is a time for Christians to contemplate their sinfulness, repent, ask God's forgiveness, and realize the infinite sacrifice God made on their behalf. It is to be a time of quiet contemplation, but not a time of despair, since it culminates in the commemoration of the resurrection. Traditionally, those who are joining the church spend this period in special instruction regarding Christian doctrine, practice, and responsibility. Historically, prospective members ("catechumens") did not participate in the Lord's Supper portion of the Sunday services until they were received into full membership on the Sunday of the Resurrection of Our Lord. For them, this first experience of Ash Wednesday and Lent has special significance as God's eternal plan of salvation is applied to them personally.

 

When Jesus taught us how to pray, He didn’t say, “If you elect to pray, do it this way…” and when He taught about fasting, He didn’t say, “If you elect to fast, do it this way…”

 

He said, when you pray, don’t do it for show like the hypocrites do. It’s a conversation between you and God. And He gave us the Lord’s Prayer as an example of what we should pray about: 

 

Address God

“Our Father, who art…”

Submit to God’s will

“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done…”

Ask for your physical needs

“Give us this day our daily bread…”

Ask for forgiveness

“Forgive us our trespasses…”

To the degree that you yourself are willing to forgive…

“As we forgive our trespassers…”

Ask for help with temptations

“Lead us not into temptation…”

And preservation from evil

“Deliver us from evil…”

Recognizing whose world this really is

“For thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory, for ever and ever.”

 

Similarly, Jesus told us that when we fast (not if) we are not to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. A fast is different from a hunger strike: a fast is a personal act of devotion to God, while a hunger strike is a public act most often used to shine a spotlight on injustice. A fast is also different from anorexia nervosa: it is disciplineddiet, not total abstention from food. During a religious fast, you still eat, you just abstain from certain foodstuffs. Traditionally, people have fasted by eliminating luxury items from their diets, such as meats. A fast can consist of eating whatever you want, but drinking only water.

 

More positively, you can fast in other areas beyond food, you can commit to a something that can benefit the church, such cutting back in an entertainment area, using that time for Bible study and donating the savings to the church.

 

On Palm Sunday, there were crowds who cheered Jesus as the King, but where were all those fair-weather friends when Jesus prayed in agony on Gethsemane, and where were they when He hung upon the cross? Let us be bold to join Him, fasting in the wilderness for forty days during Lent; let us be bold to pray with Him in the garden on Maundy Thursday, let us fearlessly stand at the foot of His cross on Good Friday, so that we may witness His Resurrection and His Ascension, and join in His triumphant reign. 

 

Mite Boxes

If you read this report at all, you know the Anglican Orthodox Church (AOC), and this parish in particular, is not about money.  Not that money is not useful, but the parish has plenty.  Any extra we get, we send it to the AOC to use for their mission work.  The AOC works on a very slim budget, they aren’t about money either.  The AOC is about the Great Commission; to go forth and spread The Word of the Lord:

 

18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, ‘…19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Mt. 28:19-20)

 

You may not realize it, but the AOC has national church affiliates in 22 countries around the world, that does take a little money.  Not great quantities of money, but some and as a church, we would be dirt poor, if we had dirt.


 

So, that is where the Mite Boxes come in.  Ash Wednesday is 17 February 2021; Easter Sunday is 4 April 2021.  That period is Lent.  Often thought of as a time for fasting, it is more importantly a time to channel your attention towards God.  A time to let your heart open to the Holy Ghost that you might come closer to God and perhaps do His Work more effectively.

 

So, to exercise this concept, we are asking you to cut back.  We know the economy is not really great and you are probably cutting back already.  So, cut back a bit more.   Take part of your savings every day and put it in the Mite Box.  If you did not cut back on a given day, dig into your wallet or purse and cut out a bit of cash for the Mite Box anyway.  Every day, except Sundays.  Sundays are the Lord’s Day and a day of celebration.  They are not part of Lent.  By Easter Sunday, you will have a full Mite Box.  Bring it to church, this church, another church, that is best.  If you cannot find a church to actually go to on Easter, you probably aren’t looking hard enough, but pull the money out and send us a check, payable to the Anglican Orthodox Church and we will send it on.

 

One box for each member of the family.  A little bit, just a mite, every day.  Every day, miss none.  Every day, every body in the family can do just a little bit.  When you drop your daily contribution in, think, “Did I do what I could today for the Lord?  Did I fall short or meet the standard?  Can I do better tomorrow?  Will I?” It should be a time of reflection.  It will be if you do it.

 

By the way, what is a Mite Box?  Named after the smallest of Roman coins, a normal wage of the time being 10 mites per hour, of which two were donated by the widow, in Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:1-4, it is normally a small cardboard box, say 3 inches each dimension, a cube piggy bank so to speak.  If you don’t have one, call, email or write.  We have a pile of them.

 

Don’t miss this opportunity to contribute to the Lord’s Work and make your life better at the same time. 

 

Friday, February 25, 2022

As Cedars of Lebanon – 25 February 2022, Anno Domini

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INE eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. 12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;  15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him(Psalm 92:11-15)

 

            The Bible often refers to trees in various metaphoric ways. For example, in Eden, there were two designated trees that represented obedience to God (the Tree of Life), or sinful disobedience (the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil). Trees also are represented as revealing the moral proclivities of peoples and nations as when Jotham rebuked Abimelech before the people of Shechem in Judges 9:7-21. The palm tree, also, alludes to fruitfulness even in a wilderness place such as the caravanserai which usually was located in small oases along trade routes of the middle east. These were characterized by palm trees whose root systems are far greater than their visible countenances. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. 

 

            A man blessed of God who walks in righteousness is also likened to a tree that sinks its roots deep into the banks of the rivers of life whose leaf never withers. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.(Psalm 1:3) That ground is a good heart whose source of sustenance is the deep waters of the Word of God. It remains unchanging in righteousness just as God is unchanging in His mighty will for he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.  (Psalm 15:4)

 

            There is another tree, distinct from those mentioned, that is used most often in the Scriptures to denote strong character and uprightness. That tree is the Cedrus Libani, or Cedar of Lebanon. This tree is tall and stately reaching a height of 120 feet. It is an evergreen tree indicating the unchanging character of a good man or woman or loyalty in friendship. It is not a pretentious tree – its limbs are not widely deployed, but adhere closely to its trunk from top to bottom. Its wood and oils are decay and pest resistant. My mother used trunks to store seasonal apparel made of this cedar wood to protect against moths and other insects. This also compares with the character of the devout Christian whose serious faithfulness to God’s Word protects against even the subtle suggestions of the wicked.

 

            The Cedar of Lebanon is able to sustain drought since its roots are deep, and high wind conditions owing to its slender profile. So can the man or woman of conviction stand against the changing winds of the social environment and the sudden changes in fads and fashions to which they are not drawn.

 

            The Cedars of Lebanon define the Christian for their steadfastness, moral might, and upright stature. The wood from these trees was used in the building of the Temple and the Palaces of Solomon. There is one power that will break the Cedars of Lebanon and bend them according to the right way – The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.  (Psalm 29:5) His prevailing Voice above those of the world will turn the righteous back from the Broad Way that leads to destruction.

 

            The Cedar of Lebanon possesses an inner strength that may not readily appear to the casual observer of the world. The trees of the LORD are full of sap; the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted. (Psalm 104:16) They are particularly suited for much sunlight as is the Christian to the Light of the World. These trees also give off an aromatic fragrance that is clean and wholesome – just like the character of the Christian believer whose character is guided by God’s Word.

 

            The Cedar of Lebanon finds its favorite habitat on mountain slopes and higher ground much as the life of a Christian. In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.  (Ezek 17:23)

 

            Perhaps it is time for some self-examination as to what nature of tree we may be – a cedar, an oak, an olive, a fig; or perhaps a thornbush, or crabapple. Our tree-type will reflect our natures as Christian men and women of faith.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

The Lord our Altar – 24 February 2022, Anno Domini

 

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ND thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.    (Exodus 40:6-7)

 

            At the very entrance of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was the Altar of Burnt Offerings whereby all who sought to have their sins forgiven must first bring an offering to be sacrificed on that Brazen Altar. None –can, today, approach the Holy Place of God – the Mercy Seat - without a sacrifice. It was at the very Door and entrance of the Tabernacle. So what sacrifice can we offer today, and where is our Tabernacle?

 

            The entire Tabernacle represents our Lord Jesus Christ. It was furnished within with beautiful accommodations, but without it was covered with goat’s hair (not at all appealing to the eye of the beholder from without). This is the very beauty of Christ – not appealing to the eye of the stranger, but beautiful with the gifts and blessings of salvation within.

 

            In the Reformation Church of England, whose biblical example we follow, there is no physical altar for burnt offerings. Instead, we have a Lord’s Table. There is no longer justification for an altar in any church for the sacrifice has been made two thousand years ago at Calvary. On our Lord’s Table, we have an empty cross representing the fact that the Lord is no longer on the cross, but He is risen!

 

            The Lord Jesus Christ is our Altar. The bloody sacrifices of the Old Testament Church are consummated in Christ, our Sacrifice: 9 Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. 10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin(Hebrews 10:9-18)

 

            It is the nature of fallen man to always believe, as did Cain, that sufficient offerings for sin are a matter of the works of man’s hands. But it was never so. Cain brought offerings from a cursed source – the earth. . . . . cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.  (Genesis 3:17) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  Genesis 4:3) No man is saved by good works, but by grace UNTO good works. Even seemingly innocence of plowing is sin to those whose hearts are not staid on Christ. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts. 3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. 4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.  (Proverbs 21:2-4) How many attend church regularly with a high look? Are any good? Not at all! For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). How may we be justified in the eyes of the Lord? Can we make a bloody sacrifice? Do we pray for the Temple bloody sacrifices to resume? Do we crucify Christ anew, or reject His once-and-for-all sacrifice? For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   (Romans 6:23)

 

            Christ is fully revealed by the Tabernacle itself, and every furnishing thereof. He is the DOOR of the Tabernacle of God (John 10). His sacrifice is our means of justification for redemption. So, my friends, let us accept the Altar provided by God for the covering of every sin – that Altar which Christ is to us!9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 11 For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. 12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.  (Heb 13:8-12)