Sunday, August 28, 2022

AOC Sunday Report - Eleventh Sunday after Trinity

  


Happy Eleventh Sunday after Trinity!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.  

We have excellent sermons from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Each is different and great.  Rev Jack's can be seen on video RIGHT HERE when brings the Propers together again.  For a change, the Collect acknowledges God’s demonstration of His Power by His Grace and Mercy to us and asks that we might be fit to follow His Will so as to be admitted to His Kingdom.  In his Epistle Paul tells us he is delivering the message he received, the Good News of the Saving Grace of God through Jesus.  He points out that if he, who had been Saul the Persecutor of Christ’s Church here on earth could be saved by the Grace of God, then salvation was open to all who would act on their wishes.  Thus all who believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus will be saved, if they do not depart from that course.  The Gospel is the parable of a Pharisee and a publican  both of whom pray in the temple.  While the Pharisee might well have been a “better” man than the publican, he clearly was not the man he thought he was, for he prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men.

There are always a lot of people who need your prayer.  Today is no exception, please pray for Amy, Marc, Tricia, Laurie, Jim and Mary Lou and work out from there.

Today is the first day of the week.  A new week, a week in which to start anew.  Open your heart to the Holy Ghost to find that week.

Godspeed,

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

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity - Propers with explanation – Rev Jack’s Sermon– With Video

Todays sermon is below and tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together; can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!

 The Propers for today are found on Page 204-205, with the Collect first:

 

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

O

 GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Epistle came from Pauls First Letter to the Corinthians, the Fifteenth Chapter beginning at the First Verse.  Paul tells us he is delivering the message he received, the Good News of the Saving Grace of God through Jesus.  He points out that if he, who had been Saul the Persecutor of Christs Church here on earth could be saved by the Grace of God, then salvation was open to all who would act on their wishes.  Thus all who believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus will be saved, if they do not depart from that course.

 

He recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus; noting the various witnesses to the resurrection, including himself.  He goes on to say, if he, who he categorizes as the least of the apostles, not even meet to be called an apostle due to his persecution of the Church of God, can be forgiven and work the Work of God, who cannot? It also explains the willingness of the apostles and those around them to follow Jesus unto death.   He was real, not a historical imaginary figure, but a real man, the real God, whose Word was truth and light.

 

B

rethern, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

 

Todays Holy Gospel started in the Eighteenth Chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke, beginning at the Ninth Verse.  Jesus tells a parable to an audience which apparently consisted of some self-righteous people, which likely fits each of us.  The parable is that of a Pharisee[1] and a publican[2] both of whom pray in the temple.  While the Pharisee might well have been a better man than the publican, he clearly was not the man he thought he was, for he prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  Quite the holy fellow.  The publican, quite aware of how much he fell short of Gods perfection stood afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.  Jesus told his audience, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.  None of us is truly good, we can only strive to be better and look to our Lord to help us.  Only through Christ will we be accounted as just before God.

 

J

esus spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

Sermon  Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action

Church of the Faithful Centurion - Descanso, California

Todays sermon tied the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and can be viewed on video RIGHT HERE!

 

Consider these words from the Collect, wherein we ask God  who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure

 


Once again, this Collect is kind of a follow-on to the last few weeks Collects.  First, we acknowledge Gods power which is manifested not in terror, but in mercy and pity on our failures. We should note God has chosen to grant kindness and mercy to us; not the punishment we truly deserve.  In this mercy, He shows His Almighty Power. It is important to note; with all the power in and of the universe, God manifests His Power by showing infinite mercy and kindness to us, not in causing us more tears. He is far kinder to us than we could ever possibly deserve. This shows that He truly is Almighty and Perfect. He does not use his power to harm his creation but to assist it. He is truly a very merciful and loving Father to us.

 

He provides the ultimate example of how we should act when great power and responsibility is given to us to handle. Like the servant of Matthew 18:23, we too often we act irresponsibly with said power and responsibility.  Given our fallen nature we choose to cause misery rather than kindness. However, if we truly are following Gods will then we must choose to be kind rather than evil, and do good deeds with the help of the Holy Ghost, and resist our fallen nature. This leads into the Collect. 

 

Thus, the Collect goes on to ask His Help in following His Commandments so we might gain the good which comes from following His WIll. This is a unifying theme found throughout all of the collects for a good reason. In order to get the good which comes from following Him, we first need to follow Him.  Following requires active action. In order to do that, we need to first to listen to what He says and then once we hear what He has to say, then we act upon His Words.  And we would hope we recognize the good which comes from acting and choose to continue to act for Him as opposed to our natural tendency to go astray. Following His Commandments is a sure way to stay on the course set for us, if we follow the Scriptures and His Commandments and take them to heart. 

 

We have to not just talk the talk, but actually walk the walk. It can be extremely difficult; but  this is what God has called us to do. He calls us to perform actions in alignment with His Word, in order to spread His Word. We cannot effectively spread His Word if we are not in alignment with His Word.  The reason we have trouble with this is that we are imperfect creatures with not just free will, but manifold, perhaps rampant free will, the norm is to choose what we want, not what we need, then we come to calamity.  We are each grievous sinners, some worse than others, none better.  Yet, we all come before God equal in our sinful state.  In equally big trouble, some more, none less. We are all equal by virtue of the fact we are hopeless sinners without the saving grace and faith of Christ.  It is only through His Faith we are saved.  Not our faith, but the faith of Christ who dwells within us.

 

This is the point Saint Paul is making when he says that first he gave unto us[3] that understanding he got directly from God as to the role of Jesus Christ.  He recounts some of the factual information about Jesustime here on earth after the crucifixion, the descent into hell and the resurrection. He confirms the story of the Gospel as told to him. He notes the various witnesses, still alive or recently passed away.  He makes the point we must propagate the Gospel so others might believe. To do that he infers our actions must be congruent with Scripture. He tells us we are saved by faith alone.  

 

Our faith?  Partly, but not chiefly and not first. Then, by whose faith are we saved?

 

We are saved by the perfect faith of Christ, our only mediator and advocate before the Father.  It is not by our faith, but the faith of Him who dwells within us, that of Christ. Without Christ, we could not have any faith to begin with. The perfect faith of Christ allowed a single sacrifice to be made one time, to cook the books and account for the sins of all mankind for all time.  His is the faith which saves us and our faith in Him allows Him to operate in us. 

 

Because of their refusal to allow Him in, those who do not have the Holy Ghost in them do not believe in Him. The Holy Ghost will not enter into those who disavow Him. God will not force His Way in. We have to first ask Him to enter, then only then will He enter. God does not force His Way on people and neither should we.  We must consider how our actions could positively or negatively affect others and if they would lead people to Christ or away from Him before acting. If people do not want to hear His Word, we are not called to force them to hear, but to shake the dust off our feet and then leave their house.

 

Another thing to consider is Jesus is real, He is Who He says He IS.  He is not a fictional character, he is not a great teacher.  He is THE SON OF GOD and He came to save us: body, heart, mind and soul.  There is no other way to view Him that makes as perfect sense as this[4]

 

If that is not enough to turn your heart, consider the parable of the publican and the Pharisee related by Saint Luke.  The man who was proud of his performance was not the example Jesus chose for the one justified, rather the one who acknowledged his failures and asked God for forgiveness and help. This is to point us as an example of who we should be like.  It can be said with confidence it is not the Pharisee. Think of these examples and who would we rather be like, the publican, or the Pharisee?  Remember, the Pharisees job consisted of finding clever ways around the 613 Mosaic Laws.  The publican was looking for help in actually following two: 

 

Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith.

 

T

HOU shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.    BCP Page 69

 

And, just as importantly, he was not looking for ways around those two laws, he was looking for help to follow God and forgiveness when he fell short.   In our day to day lives, let us strive to be more like the publican and less like the Pharisee. It is too easy to become like the Pharisee, but we must let ourselves think more like the publican and allow the Holy Ghost to guide us on that path and not let our pride and arrogance sway us from the true course that the Holy Ghost and God has set for us. Our lives will be much improved if we think more like the publican and less like the Pharisee.

 

Let us ask God for the help we need to follow His Will.  For we must have His Help to act as we must here on earth!

 

Action counts.  For by their actions ye shall know them.  

 

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



[1] Pharisee - One of a sect or party among the Jews, noted for a strict and formal observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and whose pretensions to superior sanctity led them to separate themselves from the other Jews.

[2] Publican 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation.

 

Literally a Publican is one who farmed the taxes (e. g., Zacchaeus, Luke 19: 2) to be levied from a town or district, and thus undertook to pay to the supreme government a certain amount. In order to collect the taxes, the publicans employed subordinates (5: 27; 15: 1; 18: 10), who, for their own ends, were often guilty of extortion and peculation (defrauding the public by appropriating to one's own use the money or goods entrusted to one's care for management or disbursement; embezzlement). In New Testament times these taxes were paid to the Romans, and hence were regarded by the Jews as a very heavy burden, and hence also the collectors of taxes, who were frequently Jews, were hated, and were usually spoken of in very opprobrious terms. Jesus was accused of being a "friend of publicans and sinners" (Luke 7: 34).

[3] Though Paul was writing to the people of Corinth, the information is just as applicable to us, perhaps more so now than ever before.

[4] This is the Trilemma of Jack Lewis in Mere Christianity - I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: Im ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I dont accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic  on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg  or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. 

Sermon Notes - Eleventh Sunday after Trinity - Prideful Prayers - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide - 28 August 2022, Anno Domini

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

O

 GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

       As revealed in our Prayer of Collect today, God's greater virtue and power is demonstrated in His miraculous power to forgive our sins of rebellion and omission. Whatever grace we have is an endowment of grace from God that enables us to keep His Commandments and be accounted righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is thus that we may, with Abraham, attain to the promises made available through the Lord Jesus Christ, and to share, with Him, in the blessed treasures of Heaven. This Collect is unique in specific aspects as are each of the Collects. I wrote a series of devotions a few years back on that uniqueness of each of the daily Collects - their origins and relevance to the Church Calendar, and to our lives. They are gifts to us of the early church fathers, many of whom gave their lives in fidelity to the Word of God.

 

            In the Epistle from 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays out the means and way of salvation through Christ alone. He, too, had been a Pharisee as we see in the Gospel account today whom Jesus addressed certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others." (Luke 18:9) In fact, Paul (as Saul) had been a tool of the Pharisees by which many Christian worshippers had been persecuted and murdered. This will be our context for the Words of Christ today from the Gospel of St. Luke 18:

 

The Gospel

St. Luke xviii. 9.

 

A

ND he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted(Luke 18:9-14)

 

            First of all, we note Jesus was addressing His remarks to certain men present. Who were these men? Some are in church today. His words were addressed to certain men and women who believed in their OWN righteousness - even to the extent of condemning others and looking down on them. We would call that self-righteousness (and there is no such thing under Heaven). Such would be wise to heed the counsel of Paul to Timothy: "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life(1 Tim 6:17-19)

 

            Secondly, our Lord is speaking of two DIFFERENT kinds of people (a Pharisee and a Publican) - BOTH went up for the seemingly same purpose (to pray). BOTH went t to the right place for prayer - the House of the Lord. But the similarities end with those two facts. Let us examine, now, wherein the characteristics of these two men diverge, and examine our own hearts to learn if we are like unto one or the other of the two:

 

The Pharisee

1.     ATTITUDE of Prayer

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself." Intimated herein is that the Pharisee stood proudly, and he prayed out of a false perspective. He did not humbly pray to God,  but prayed "thus with himself." His words were not directed to God, truly, but for his own personal purposes which are explained further in the text. He trusted that he was righteous just as millions of Christians do every Sunday at worship. Smug and arrogantly they sit in the pew thinking of those others when the word 'sinner' is mentioned. They trust too much in their OWN religion and not upon the imputed righteousness of Christ.

 

They trust too much in a particular denomination and not the sole grace of God and the sacrifice of His Son.

 

They feel like they are not "like those others."

We read of how proudly the Pharisee prayed “with himself” – not to God. He prayed that others might hear his boastful words. The contrary is true of the publican who felt himself unworthy to come so near the Temple. He did not lay claim to ANY GOODNESS, or righteous deeds, in his life but only sought mercy upon himself as a sinner.

 

2.     PRESUMPTION in Prayer

He did not begin by glorifying God, or showing a spirit of repentance for sins he, like us, had surely committed. But, if taken alone, his prayer would have been more fitting than it became when he added his reason for gratitude to God. " God, I thank thee." The Pharisee would have been better off to stop right there with that salutation! But he did not!

 

3.     ARROGANCE of Prayer

For what was the Pharisee thankful? 

 

The Pharisee boasts of being thankful for what he is not!

a.     "I AM NOT as other men are" In other words, "I am better than all others. I am good in, and of,     

b.    myself."

c.     I am not an "extortioner" "I have never been guilty of such a sin" (but probably was stained badly 

d.    thereby)

e.     c. I am not "unjust" He is being unjust on the face of his proclamation and his indictment of the publican!

f.      d. I am not an "adulterer" He may have been one of those guilty Pharisees who brought the Woman 

g.    taken in Adultery to Christ who left early because of his guilt.

h.    e. I am not "even as this publican." In other words, "I am not a COMMON sinner as is this publican!"

The Pharisee boasts of being thankful for what HE DOES!

i.      "I fast twice in the week"

j.      "I give tithes of all that I possess"

 

In TRUTH, the Pharisee was none of what he claimed as his own:

1.     In truth: He was a liar! Though he claimed otherwise, he was precisely as other men are – a sinner. (Romans 3:23)

2.     He was an extortioner. (Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40)

3.     He was unjust. His very attitude and self-opinion of himself proved this.

4.     He was a worse man than the publican for the publican realized his need to which the Pharisee was blinded of his own.

5.     He did not fast to satisfy a Godly purpose but only for the purpose of show and boasting.

6.     He did not tithe of all he had for he kept his heart from God by not surrendering it to Him. (Luke 20:25)

7.     He had a religious zeal, but not according to the Bible. “….they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God(Romans 10:2-3)

 

The Publican

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

 

1.     The publican knew who he was – a lost sinner and condemned.

2.     The publican knew his place with God without mercy – at a distance!

3.     The publican knew how he felt – guilty, ashamed and needing mercy.

4.     He knew WHAT he needed – MERCY.

5.     He knew how to attain mercy – repent, confess, and call upon the Lord.

6.     He knew of his salvation – went down to his house justified.

 

 There is a great secret revealed, too, in this Parable – sin causes a great separation from man and God. The only means to bridge that separation is repentance and confession of sins. When we have betrayed or hurt a close friend, do we not avoid looking them in the eye until we have reconciled ourselves to that friend? We may not speak to that friend for months due to our guilt. The friend may not even be aware of our guilt, BUT WE ARE! When we forget God, we live according to our own prerogatives. This free will always leads to sin. That sin raises a wall between us and God. Suddenly, we are ashamed as was Adam in the Garden. We cannot tear down that wall with our good deeds, but only by our tearful cries for mercy!

 

            Do we mark our offering envelopes at church with large letters to show our great tithing? Do we embellish our prayers with beautiful words that do not come from the heart, but from a proud mind? Do we attempt to seem so close to God that publicans cannot approach Him? Do we admit our unworthiness apart from God’s grace? Have we known that the very moment we feel that we are “good enough” is the very moment that we are NOT? Do not be a pharisaical hypocrite, but be a humble sinner who lays claim to grace and mercy in God. Which of the two are we most alike - the Pharisee, or the Publican? Better be a lowly Publican than a proud Pharisee! AMEN!

 

Bonus Five Minute Devotion from Bishop Jerry

Click on link below:

https://youtu.be/TomkVPj2w00

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Sermon Notes - A New Kind of King - Tenth Sunday after Trinity - Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide - 21 August 2022, Anno Domini


I

I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)

 

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

 

L

ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

The Sermon

…..and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord Forever  (Psalm 23:6b)

 

A

ND when He was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38. Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him. Master, rebuke Thy disciples. 40. And He answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out41. And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, 42. Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44. And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation45. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46. Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves47. And He taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy Him, 48. And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (Luke 19:37-48)

 

This trip to Jerusalem is the last in the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, but, in spite of His knowing of His coming Crucifixion, His will is steadfast and unflinching.  He “went on before His disciples. A good leader always leads his men and does not follow in the safety of the rear echelon.

 

Luke 9:51 says, And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.

 

This is a rare form of courage that is beyond our understanding.

 

In Luke’s account of this event, the emphasis is upon the Royalty and Kingship of Christ.

 

First

The narrative brings into prominence Christ’s part in originating the triumphal entry (vs. 30-34). He sent for the colt with the obvious intention of stimulating the people to just such a demonstration as followed.

v

Notice the Lord’s own preparation and command of the events to follow: 

 

S

AYINGGo ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. (Luke 19:30-36)

 

The nature of His dominion is as plainly taught by the humble pomp as is its reality.

 

A pauper King, who makes His public entrance into His city mounted on a borrowed ass, with His followers’ clothes for a saddle, attended by a shouting crowd of poor peasants, who for weapons or banners had but the branches plucked from other people’s trees, was a new kind of king.

 

We do not need Matthew’s quotation of the prophet’s vision of the meek King coming to Zion on an ass, to understand the contrast of this kingdom with such a dominion as that of Rome, or of such princes as the Herods.

 

We see at the beginning of our text how the disciples and all the people began to praise Christ and welcome Him as King. 

 

We witness a contrast here in the crowds of people: The Disciples proclaiming Him to be King, and the background filled with hostile spies.

 

This was unlike any of his actions before. He had previously downplayed his role as King of Kings, but now knows the time is near to proclaim it out of the mouths of babes and commoners.

 

Second

Look at this humble procession:

 

We have the humble procession with the shouting disciples and the

background of hostile spies.

 

The disciples eagerly caught at the meaning of bringing the colt, and threw themselves with alacrity into what seemed to them preparation for the public assertion of royalty, for which they had long been impatient.

 

Luke tells us that they lifted Jesus on to the seat which they hurriedly prepared, while some spread their garments in the way — the usual homage to a king:

 

How different the vision of the future in their minds and His! They dreamed of a throne; 

 

He knew it was a Cross. Round the southern shoulder of Olivet they came, and, as the long line of the Temple walls, glittering in the sunshine across the valley, burst on the view, and their approach could

be seen from the city, they broke into loud acclamations, summoning, as it were, Jerusalem to welcome its King.

 

Let’s examine verse 39: And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him. Master, rebuke Thy disciples.

 

The Pharisees were not there to add anything to the celebration. They were there to undermine Christ. They still do so! The modern pulpits are filled with men who are willing to allow Christ to be mentioned, only, “please do not make so very much of Him.” They are always with us to deter us and prevent our full blossoming of Faith.

 

Does the Gospel depend, in any respect, on the effort of mere men? Not at all. Whatsoever the Lord decrees, it shall come to pass. If no man speaks the Word of Truth, then the very Stones will cry out!

 

41. And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it,

 

Why did Christ weep over Jerusalem? He saw the future of that city. 40 years later. He saw the massed Roman Armies under Titus coming to encircle and to suffocate the City, He saw trenches dug about its perimeter and battlements erected against its walls.He saw the starving children within her seiged walls, and the inhabitants eating their young for famine…..and ….He wept!

 

At the moment of His triumphal entry, we see Him plunged into utter sorrow for the people of Jerusalem.

 

That sorrow is a sign of His real manhood, but it is also a part of His revelation of the very heart of God.

 

The form is human, the substance divine. The man weeps because God pities. Christ’s sorrow does not hinder His judgments. 

 

The woes which wring His heart will nevertheless be inflicted by Him. Judgment is His ‘strange work,’ alien from His desires; but it is His work. 

 

The eyes which are as a flame of fire are filled with tears, but their glance burns up the evil.

 

Note the yearning in the unfinished sentence, ‘If thou hadst known.’ Note the decisive closing of the time of repentance. Note the minute prophetic details of the siege, which, if ever they were spoken, are a distinct proof of His all-seeing eye. And from all let us fix in our hearts the conviction of the pity of the judge, and of the judgment by the pitying Christ.

 

45. And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46. Saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves.

 

I want each of you to imagine that this little church decided to abrogate our policy of not conducting fund-raising enterprises. Suppose that we held a bake sale, or yard sale here in the yard of our church. Suppose many people were coming to buy our merchandise and we were looking at the hope of building a new edifice. “Except the Lord buildeth the house, they labor in vain that buildeth it.” Suppose a good man of the community comes without warrant or warning and begins to turn our money tables over and chase us off the property with a cane.

 

How would we react? But that is exactly what Christ does in the Temple. The Church is not our private property to raise ill-gotten money. It belongs to God! He will provides the resources for its building by the love of the people, not their merchandising.

 

The Church is a House of Prayer and not merchandise. Let the other churches transgress His will, we shall not.

 

How was the reprimand of Christ received by the preachers of that community?

 

Read for yourselves: 47. And He taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy Him,

 

48. And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.’

 

Let us trust in the Lord for all our provision and we shall be well. 

Tenth Sunday after Trinity – 21 August 2022, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

  

 

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I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18)

 

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity.

 

The Collect.

 

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ET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions, make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

There is an interesting account in the life of the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the zenith of his power. A distraught mother approached the military genius with a plea for mercy and pardon for her son. The Emperor responded that the young man had committed two separate offenses deserving death, and justice demanded the sentence to be carried out. “But it is not justice for which I ask” responded the distraught woman, “but it is mercy that I plead for my son.” “But your son does not deserve a grant of mercy!” Napoleon replied. “Sir,” she answered, “If my son deserved mercy, it would not be mercy, and mercy is all that I seek!” “Well, then,” replied the Emperor, “I shall grant mercy,” and he pardoned the woman’s son.

 

The Collect for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity makes a petition in two points: 1) that God open His ears of mercy in hearing our prayers, and 2) that the Holy Ghost will conform our hearts and desires to ask for those things only that are pleasing to God. 

 

OPENING GOD’S EARS OF MERCY: Mercy is a powerful characteristic that gives birth to unmerited grace. It is worth noting that God’s ears are ‘merciful.’ This is not a casual description of God’s ‘ways’ but rather a magnification of a salient characteristic of God – His Ears are FULL of mercy to hear our prayers. Why do we need mercy? It is because justice would condemn us all to the fires of Hell. We do not become sinners at a certain time because we exercised our free will to sin – we are born sinners and are yoked with a nature that can do no good. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalms 51:5) The only so-called free will that we have is a will to sin. When we have been brought into a close relationship with Christ, our wills to do good are no longer ours, but His. Apart from the imputed righteousness of Christ, we continue as born sinners, and are sinners by our very natures inherited from the blood of Adam. So justice we must escape if we will live, and it is mercy and grace that is the only remedy for our sinfulness. 

 

LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants.” Is there anything that will stop those ears of mercy in being attendant to our prayers? The 18th verse of the 66th Psalm quoted above is one cause that God will not hear our prayers. If we are NOT humble servants, but rather have hearts populated by sinful thoughts (even thoughts that do not materialize in sinful actions) God will not hear our prayers. If the sinners free will rules in his heart, God has no reason to be merciful or to hear the prayer. Once our eyes and ears are open to God, His will be open to us. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. (John 9:31) 

 

Even an obedient and humble child may petition the parent for some candy or sweet that is not wholesome for his health. The child knows not the food pyramid and the harm in neglecting it, so the parent knows better and will deny, at times, the innocent, but unhealthy, request of the child. God does so as well. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3) If we expect God to listen intently to our prayers, we must deport ourselves as sons and daughters belonging to a great King, and mindful of our familial responsibilities to that Sovereign Parent. If our hearts are to receive the abundance in blessings for which we plead, those hearts must not be brim full of thoughts of iniquity or malice. They must be hearts empty of the world and full of the Spirit of God and His Mind. We dare not ask an urgent favor of one with whom we have had bitter quarrels, but we are very likely to run to the feet of one with whom we have long been friends –one whose mind is consistent with our own thinking. Why is this so? Because like minds are more generous to one another. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16) Many good and honest men and women have resolved to be righteous, and with earnest intent; but they discover that their free wills cannot achieve righteousness. Before a moment passes they find themselves dogged by many sinful desires and words. If we will be righteous, we must rid our hearts of our human free wills, and take on the Mind that is in Christ to do HIS will and not our own sinful wills. Having that MIND will open the ears of mercy in Heaven to our prayers. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5)

 

ASKING FOR THOSE THINGS PLEASING UNTO GOD: What things may a child ask that is pleasing to a human parent? “Dad, I am having trouble with a bully at school. Will you give me some advice?” or, “Mom, many girls in the sixth grade wear make-up. They ridicule my plain appearance. How should I respond?” These are simple pleas for help in real problems that confront the child. The parent realizes the seriousness to the child of such problems and is pleased that the child came to the parent for help. The parent desires the same result as the child – the bullying to be dealt with, or the daughter to be equipped to deal with the wrong kind of peer pressure at school. The petition is a reasonable one seeking good results and not harmful ones. God is exactly like the parent in hearing the petitions of His children. He is pleased when we ask for those things that He is already inclined to grant even before our asking. The lectionary readings today reflect, in the Gospel of St Luke 19, the immeasurable mercy of Christ over Jerusalem as He wept over the city. He wanted so desperately to grant them mercy, but they had a different MIND and would have none of it. 

 

The problem with our prayers is that they are often too ME-centered. Give ME a promotion at work; give ME the new house I am seeking to acquire; give ME some stellar gift that sets me apart and above my fellows. These prayers ask things that are not pleasing to God to grant. But if we ask for those things that will bless God’s heart and are in conformity with His own Will, how rich and profound will be our blessing. What is that greatest blessing of being of one Mind with God? And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7) We, too, must be willing and able to bear a cross of suffering for others as Christ has born for us: Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind (1 Peter 4:1) Which mind? The Mind of Christ. If ever you are confronted with an honest moment of doubt as to whether or not an action or thought is Godly, just imagine that Christ is standing right beside you (for He is). Does that thought change the context of doubt for you? Reader, are you a humble servant in your prayers? Do you seek to ask for those things only that you know to be pleasing to God? If you do not know that which is pleasing to God, then that forms the basis for another very Godly prayer, doesn’t it?

 

This Collect sets an excellent example of a prayer that God will love to hear. The petition is not for personal advantage, but uttered from humility, and a sincere desire to ask only for those things pleasing to God. The wisdom inherent in such a prayer is this: that our minds be conformed to that of the Mind of Christ so that the things we ask are really those things which He is predisposed to grant and consistent with His favor.