Devotion on Hymns – Oh! to be like Thee – 9 April 2024, Anno Domini

 

N

OW as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. 18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. 19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. 20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.  (Mark 1:16-20)

 

            This hymn is written by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960), a minister of the Methodist Church South, in 1897. Mr. Chisholm wrote hundreds of other hymns including ‘Great in Thy Faithfulness, O God my Father.’ It is not possible for mortals, such as we are, to be just like Jesus who was sinless and perfect in every way. But unless we are aiming for that higher mark in Him, we will certainly fall far too short of the goal. The tune is the same title as the hymn and is the work of the same author.

 

Oh to be like Jesus

 

Oh! to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Refrain

Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee,

Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

Oh! to be like Thee, full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wand’ring sinner to find.

Refrain

 

Oh! to be like Thee, lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer, others to save.

            Refrain

 

Oh! to be like Thee, Lord, I am coming,

Now to receive th’ anointing divine;

All that I am and have I am bringing,

Lord, from this moment all shall be Thine.

            Refrain

 

Oh! to be like Thee, while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love,

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

1.     Oh! to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer, This is my constant longing and prayer; Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. The walk of the Christian must be very close to the footsteps of Jesus. His stride may be too wide for us to fit our steps thereto precisely, but, if we are committed fully to Him, we must follow as closely as our feeble members permit. Our lives must be a constant prayer and longing in search of that better country – we cannot be satisfied with the world of darkness that shall surely perish at the last. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:14-16) Unless we forsake all this world has to offer and follow Him who can offer all of what Heaven can offer, we will fail on the march to the Narrow Way.

 

2.     Oh! to be like Thee, full of compassion, Loving, forgiving, tender and kind, Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting, Seeking the wand’ring sinner to find. There is one way we can actually be like Jesus in both character and disposition. We can follow Him so closely that we attain the mark set before us in Scripture and be admitted to the Gates of Splendor at last. Then we will be much like him in those qualities of character mentioned. COMPASSION is a powerful word! It is a function of sacrificial love that compels our consciences to respond to the hurt and need of others such as widows, orphans, family, and friends whose predicament requires our care and assistance. Those who are afflicted with disease are in need of our love, comfort and assistance; but the most deadly of all diseases often goes unaddressed, even by loving Christians. To which disease do I make reference? Why, it is the disease of sin which kills finally and eternally.

 

3. Oh! to be like Thee, lowly in spirit, Holy and harmless, patient and brave; Meekly enduring cruel reproaches, Willing to suffer, others to save .The greater danger to the soul of man comes not from external influences we face, but the internal weaknesses that are borne of pride and greed. Can we sacrifice our burning thirst by sharing a cool glass of water to a child that is perishing? Can we put the well-being of others above our own selfish desires? The Second of the Great Summary of the Law of Commandments is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Though a very simply sentence to speak, that sentence is a very lofty one to reach. We should not share our worn and ragged garments with the poor, but rather our finest threads of our wardrobe. That would be equal to loving our neighbors as ourselves. Christ presented us with the greatest and most charitable example of this last Godly principle by dying in our stead on the cross. What an impossible example He set for us to exemplify.

 

4. Oh! to be like Thee, Lord, I am coming, Now to receive th’ anointing divine; All that I am and have I am bringing, Though we are endowed with the greatest gifts of Heaven in our salvation, security, and comfort, yet, we still must bring our all to the Lord. He feeds us on the Bread of Heaven by the shores of Galilee, but He expects us to bring our own fish to compliment those He has already elected. The fish we bring are the souls to whom we have shared the Gospel. We must be the anointed fishers of men. How can we bear to stand before the Lord on the Last Day alone and without our mothers, our fathers, our sisters, our brothers, our friends, and our neighbors?

 

5. Oh! to be like Thee, while I am pleading, Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love, Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling, Fit me for life and Heaven above. When our sinfully dead souls are quickened by the Holy Ghost, our hearts are possessed by Christ and made alive as His Temple not made with hands. There is one only baptism into life, and God bestows His Holy spirit in profound measure at the moment of His grant of grace – a gift made secure from before the foundation of the world. The old Wilderness Tabernacle was an ugly structure when viewed from without, but within was furnished with beautiful golden and silken provisions. That is the character of the Christian. We might compare the genuine Christian with a silver dish of pure silver. There are other dishes that can be made to look precisely like the real silver dish by the hands of the craftsman by coating the brass of iron dish with silver. They look precisely alike and cannot be differentiated simply by appearance, or even casual use. But over time, the silver will maintain its nature and glitter while the iron or cheap metal of the imposter will wear through and reveal the false nature of the imposter dish.

 

Refrain

Oh! to be like Thee, oh! to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art; Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. Just as currency of the political realm, the Christian must bear the seal and coat of arms of the divine Sovereign of his soul. That seal will bear the likeness and genuine character of the issuing authority. We love thy Word O God! That means we love His Law as well. But that Law is no longer written on Tables of Stone to be easily broken by an irate Moses – the Lord and Redeemer has written His Law upon the soft sinews of the heart with the indelible ink of Divine Love.  That love cannot be contained by the heart, but becomes an overflowing fountain to refresh every thirst around us.

 

AOC Sunday Report – First Sunday after Easter

 

 

Happy First Sunday after Easter!  The Day of the Resurrection!  Not bunnies, eggs, flowers and chocolates.

 

The AOC Sunday report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE.

 

We have excellent sermons today from Bishops Jerry, Roy, Yves and Jack, as well as Rev Bryan and an Easter sermon from Rev Stephen Cooper.  Each of them is really good, interesting and different. They are all very easy reads, each is well worth your time.  Bishop Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE -> https://youtu.be/JBGgwt86B1U

 

Bishop Jack’s sermon looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  Malice and wickedness are pervasive; like leavening, that is yeast, mixed into bread dough, they permeate our being, worming their way into the most remote corners of our souls, hearts and minds.  The only way for us to survive is to seek and destroy that leavening as much as possible then rely completely on that one time for all time sacrifice made on our behalf by the Christ of God. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

 

As always, we have a lot of people who desire your prayers. I know that seems to never change, that is because the need is always there.  Today we ask you start with the Richards family; Rachel Richards is still in very serious condition after a very bad car accident. They are the wife and daughter of Rev Joshua Richards. Rachel’s injuries are severe.  More details in the report.

 

As we witness the miracle of our Lord’s return, are we following up with action on our part.  We all need to see if we are really opening our heart to God’s guidance in the form of the Holy Ghost. If we’re not, and I doubt any of us really are as much as we could, we need to try harder and harder to do that. It is very difficult to follow God’s instructions if you don’t listen to them.

 

May you set your course on the constant North Star of our Lord.

 

Godspeed,

 

Hap Arnold

Bishop Coadjutor

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

First Sunday after Easter - A great mystery - Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide - 7 April 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

Jerry Ogles 

Presiding Bishop

Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

We are oft fortunate to get copies of Bishop Jerry’s sermon notes.  Today is one of those Sundays.  Today’s sermon starts off with the collect, and like always, it will give you a lot to consider in your heart.

 

Also, from time to time, Bishop Jerry records short devotionals and passes them on, this week being Easter week, there is an entire week’s worth:

 

Easter Monday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7AHBnRQE_8

 

Easter Tuesday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLobAAwaXz8

 

Easter Wednesday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhaygPn_PKI

 

Easter Thursday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iQvq74m_iM

Easter Friday

https://youtu.be/p8ctZIOhuMQ

 

Easter Saturday

https://youtu.be/LCzoSRgC_LQ?si=nXNb44bmwNlNZ2nO

First Sunday after Easter

A great mystery

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

7 April 2024, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)

 

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

A

ND as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? 42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. 43 And he took it, and did eat before them. 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.   (Luke 24:36-49)

 

            Today's text expands upon the post-resurrection appearances of our Lord. In the present text, our Lord appears to the disciples who are secluded in a closed room (the door being shut according to John 20:26) of Jerusalem eight days following the resurrection. It is worthy of note that our Lord always includes all of the company gathered together if He will sup with them. On his first visit to the disciples in the room at Jerusalem, He did not sup with them for Thomas was absent. He supped with those gathered as a single company by the Sea of Galilee on another occasion; and He supped with the party of two at the home in Emmaus. So, here, He also sups with the gathered party as Thomas is also present. The Church partakes of the Holy Communion together.

 

            Though most of this little group had been made aware of our Lord's resurrection (except doubting Thomas), they were nonetheless full of worries and confusion. What did it all mean? Have we not all faced this same dilemma in our own lives when things simply do not make sense even if the revolting development was of God? But as we bear on course and weather the storm, the calm seas and following winds ahead reveal our successful arrival at our intended destination. Being of feeble understanding of the mysteries of the Spirit, we often need a little extra inspiration from our Lord. The grandest exultation of the Spirit may arise out of devastating circumstances. In all conditions, we may say together with Horatio Spafford - "It is Well with My Soul!"

 

            As the disciples, being alone without the former physical presence of Jesus to direct them, pondered what comes next, a presence appears among them. Having experienced the same appearing only one week earlier, except Thomas, should not have been surprised. But we are slow of mind and understanding. The Lord often must teach us through constant reminders and repetition. Have you ever noticed how often the same lines are repeated in Holy Scripture? Why do you suppose that is the case? It is because repetition aids retention (a well known law of learning). And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."Have you considered how often this greeting is repeated in Scripture, or words to the same effect. It is a common greeting of Christ when men were frightened at the sight of Him walking on the Sea, or appearing behind locked doors. Remember the message of the Heavenly Angel to the shepherds overlooking Bethlemen at the birth of Christ, Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. When God appears to us, He never comes for the purpose of striking fear in our hearts. He always means goodwill to men. The fact that we may not recognize Christ walking beside us does not change the fact that He is indeed there.

 

            But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. This reaction seems a bit trite after so many miraculous appearances of Christ to these disciples, but we are all often blind to His presence in the mundane nature about us. We are so accustomed to the barren wilderness we have made around us that the paradise of His presence before us seems odd. But our Lord nonetheless will alleviate our fears at each moment of their emergence. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet."When our faith fails, He may bring solid, physical evidence to the bar to dispel doubt. But He always wonders why we are troubled since we believe in Him. If we believe enough, we should know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose. (see Romans 8:28)

 

            A great mystery, too, is revealed - not only in His physical appearance, but in His physical reality. The appearance of Christ to the disciples is not merely an apparition, but the Person and physical Body of the Lord. A spirit cannot be touched, handled, or possess flesh and bones. Jesus rose from the grave with a glorified Body that is mysteriously the same as that with which He was buried. We, too, shall rise with a like body. Though our bodies will be free of blemishes, scars and twisted limbs, His body will be the only one to retain the scars and piercings of His Passion for us.

 

            "That is simply too good to be true!" is a common English expression. It most often does not indicate doubt of the goodness or joy of an event, but is intended to express the magnificence of it. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered. Unbelievable it was, yet they knew it to be real and yet wondered for the absolute grandeur of the reality. To further open their eyes to His physical presence, He next said unto them, Have ye here any meat? Now this last comment of our Lord makes me very happy. We shall enjoy eating in our resurrected bodies! If there is food in Heaven, it makes all of sense in the world that there shall be CHOCOLATE!  And as much of that edifying commodity as the soul desires! To remove any remaining doubts of His physical being, our Lord actually eats with the disciples. "And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them."

 

            It is not enough to have read all Scripture, and to have it preached to us - we must UNDERSTAND that Scripture by the educating benefits of the Holy Ghost!  And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, Regardless the number of times I have previously read and studied a passage of Scripture, my eyes are opened more widely with each subsequent reading. The Lord knows that our bottles can hold only so much water of life at one drinking, so He replenishes the bottle from His constant and abundant source so that our joy is multiplied by constant review and study. This does not happen in the study of chemistry or thermodynamics, but is a peculiar property of the Word of God. We may have the mental capacity and tools of knowledge to accomplish a task, but fail in our understanding of how to apply those qualities. So Christ OPENS our understanding of the Words we have read and studied through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

 

            Now we could make an entire sermon on the next two verses: And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  The disciples had languished in abject sorrow and discouragement during the moments before the resurrection. They had no comprehension of the magnitude of the event that had transpired on a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem - the very Crux of all time and Eternity. So Christ consoles them with the reminder that all of these things had already been written and prophesied of His suffering and redemption for sinners. It is written. Again, the living Word of God is in the constant present - not past or future, but eternal presence - it is written.

 

            It behoved Christ to suffer! That suffering of the unblemished and sinless Son of God on the Cross was the only means of paying our sin-debt. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23) If we do not pay that debt, we need a qualified substitute to pay it for us, and there is only One qualified - the Lord Jesus Christ! The sacrificial death of Christ fell to His responsibility as a matter of Law and Command, of duty and equity. Because He loved us more than any such torment and suffering, He was privileged (in His own Mind) to suffer for our redemption. And there is another facet of His work that He mentions in the following remark: "and to rise from the dead the third day:" It is fairly obvious that exoneration from sin means little if there is no acknowledgement by means of reward. If we will die daily to self in repentance and truth in bearing our crosses in His trail, we will also enjoy that glorious resurrection whose path He blazed on Easter morning. 

 

            If we are made signatories on the bank assets of a corporation, our freedom to sign and to act is based upon the authority and good will on behalf of the corporation. The same is true when we act as emissaries of Christ - we act only upon His authority and will. Any action outside that will and authority is null and void.  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. I believe that the great majority of ministers today have forgotten the principle of preaching ONLY in His Name! If we preach error in His Name, we bear a double measure of guilt before the Lord. It is not enough to preach using His Name, our preaching must be IN HIS NAME, i.e., every Word consistent with the Word of God. Wealth, health, and fame does not cut it; and neither does the preaching that denigrates the institution of God-ordained marriage between one man and one woman. Our preaching should appeal to the soul's urgent desire to repent and turn from the old man's way of sin. Incumbent, too, upon the minister and laity is the responsibility to reach all nations with the Gospel without dissent or discrimination (among all nations.) But, like the critic of his neighbor's mote in the eye, we must shore up the beam in our own eye before correcting his shortcoming. 

 

            Love begins at home and, if there is no love at home, it is unlikely that any love can be showered from that home on the outside world. So preaching and teaching begins at home (Jerusalem) and then extends to the larger family beyond the walls of our homes.  

 

            Truly, we have heard and read the wonderful Words of Life from the Gospels, Epistles, prophets, Law, and poets of Scripture. We are witnesses of that same realized truth which the disciples came to know in our text today. And ye are witnesses of these things.

 

            And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: What was the Promise of the Father? Was it not the same Promise of a Coming Seed of Redemption made to Abraham and the Church in the Wilderness? And all who believed that Promise, and believe today that Promise, are sons and daughters of Abraham and the True Church of Christ. 

 

             but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. The 'buts' of the Bible have profound impact. Remember the mighty Naaman? Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. (2 Kings 5:1) All of his honor, valor, and victories were nullified by that word BUT!  The Apostles were of extraordinary courage, enlightenment and effectiveness as preachers and evangelists of the Word in the years following the Ascension of Christ; however, we are not empowered to act on our own, and neither were the Apostles. They were not yet ready and equipped for the dangers they would surely face. "Tarry (wait) in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with the power on high." That power from on high was the Holy Ghost given at Pentecost, or Whitsuntide.  If not inspired of the Holy Ghost, the most articulate and convincing of preachers is utterly useless. We may know a lot of Scripture and be able to present it in an appealing style, BUT, we are no more than a tinkling cymbal. 

 

A sweet innocent child will have greater capacity for truth than a hypocritical ministers. 

 

Do you have?

 

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

 

Bishop Jack’s sermon is below the propers and can be viewed on video HERE: 

>https://youtu.be/JBGgwt86B1U

 

Bishop Jack’s sermon looks at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  Malice and wickedness are pervasive; like leavening, that is yeast, mixed into bread dough, they permeate our being, worming their way into the most remote corners of our souls, hearts and minds.  The only way for us to survive is to seek and destroy that leavening as much as possible then rely completely on that one time for all time sacrifice made on our behalf by the Christ of God. Action, not diction is what counts. It all comes together.

The Propers for today are found on Page 170-171, with the Collect first:

 

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Today’s Epistle came from the First General Epistle of Saint John, the Fifth Chapter beginning at the Fourth Verse: 

 

W

HATSOEVER is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 

 

The Holy Gospel for this Sunday comes from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of Saint John beginning at the Nineteenth verse: 

 

T

HE same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Jack Arnold

Bishop of the Diocese of the West – AOC USA

Education and Training

Church of the Faithful Centurion

Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide

Bp Jack brings the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together because as is always the case there is a unifying message in the Scripture for this Sunday.   Bp Jack’s sermon can be viewed on video HERE ->https://youtu.be/JBGgwt86B1U

Good morning! I hope you are all doing well. In today’s sermon we will be looking at the unifying message of the Collect, Epistle and Gospel and examine how they share a common message of action as we continue to celebrate Jesus’ delivery of the promise of life eternal with Him in our life to come.  This Day of the Resurrection is when the promise of eternal life is delivered. 

 

Let’s start by reading the Collect for today:

The First Sunday after Easter.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness of living and truth…

 

In the Collect, we acknowledge by the sacrifice made on Good Friday by the One and Only Perfect Man, a single sacrifice, made one time, for all mankind, for all time by our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, we have eternal life.  Malice and wickedness are pervasive; like leavening, that is yeast, mixed into bread dough, they permeate our being, worming their way into the most remote corners of our souls, hearts and minds. Tiny, wanting only to be fed so they can grow and distort our being.  They are much like the weeds in our backyard that I rooted out yesterday. Weeds like malice and wickedness are extremely pervasive and if left unchecked can cause great harm to people’s gardens and pets etc. Malice and wickedness will choke the garden that is our souls and make us into heartless and cruel people. Thus in order to serve God, we need His Help, in the form of the Holy Ghost, to root out all malice and wickedness so we might serve Him with pure souls, hearts and minds.  He will help us root out that malice and wickedness that has wormed their way into our souls, hearts and minds. Without that help, we are destined to fail.  On the other hand, with God’s help all things are possible.

 

In his general Epistle, Saint John continues that thought that without God’s help, that is being re-born in Him, as Saint Paul says becoming or putting on the New Man, we are destined to failure.   He points out that if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we will have overcome the world. It stands to reason then if one does not believe Jesus is the Son of God, then they cannot overcome the world. Only with the help of Jesus and the Holy Ghost can we overcome the world. He also says that those who do not believe on Him are lying to themselves. And lying to ourselves is never a good idea. John says that if we are to choose to believe either the witness of men or the witness of God, to believe that of God. God is infallible, versus men who are very much fallible. We can always trust God to be true in whatever He tells us. That is not the case with men who we cannot trust to say what is right all the time. That is why we need the help of the Holy Ghost to discern what the truth is and what the truth is not, when men speak.

 

Saint John makes it clear the entity we refer to as God is a Triune Being, that is Three in One; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  What he does not make clear is the relationship between the Three.  He does not make this clear as we do not really need to know the relationship between the three. All we need to know is that God is comprised of three separate entities who are of one substance and form a single entity. Besides God and Jesus, the Holy Ghost is an important member of this entity. He is here to help give us God’s guidance and direction and understanding God’s will for us. 

 

The Holy Ghost is not often talked about in the church, yet He is very important and the key to understanding.  God sent us the Holy Ghost that we might have:

 

·      Comfort

·      Understanding

·      Patience

·      Insight

·      Perseverance

·      Courage

·      Sympathy

 

He is our key to finding Jesus in our souls, hearts and minds.  Without His Guidance, Scripture seems a poorly written fairy tale, with His Guidance we find Truth, the Truth that is our Lord and Savior.  

 

When John relates the story of Jesus coming in to the Upper Room, note three things:

 

·      He came into a closed room in bodily form;

·      Then gave them His Peace;

·      He breathed the Holy Ghost upon them.

 

The entry into the closed room is of interest.  When we leave the Shadowlands, we will gain an optimized body with shape and form, but as Jesus demonstrated things are different in the Real World.  Different can be better or worse.  In this case, He demonstrates the better.  We will no longer be halt, blind and maimed, we will live as God has meant for us.  Quite a nice feeling.

 

Jesus gave them His Peace.  Not peace like world understands it, but God’s Peace.  This is a totally different concept.  A perfect and stabilizing peace, not what the World considers as Peace.  Jesus’s Peace is what will really help us. Jesus brings us, like those disciples, the peace of mind and soul which comes with giving all our worry, sadness and terror to Him.  It is the knowledge that the enemy can only hurt our physical body, they cannot hurt or destroy our souls. We are safe in God’s grasp. We would do well to remember that whenever things get difficult. When things get hard in this life, we must return to Him and allow Him to offer us His Peace that we might do what is right even when it seems difficult. His Peace will give us that confidence we need to carry out actions for Him.

 

He leaves in His wake not confusion, but order and wellbeing.  This is totally opposite of the world that follows the devil’s modus operandi of chaos and confusion. With Him in our hearts we cannot fail at anything that needs be done.  His Peace.  This Peace is what we are looking for and have been looking for since we came into this world, for it is our passport out.

 

The Holy Ghost is the breath of life, not just physical, whereas to die is to give up the Ghost, which really means to have our soul leave our body for heaven.   He is our spiritual life, for without Him in our souls, hearts and minds we cannot see the narrow road to the summit.  Without Him we see only the broad even way which gently curves downward and gets smoother and smoother as it nears the Pit.   The Holy Ghost is the key to knowing our Lord! He is our perfect vision in place of our defective natural vision, that will help us see the way.

 

Without the Holy Ghost, we are lost.  With Him we find and join Jesus and are found.  Then we can act accordingly and enjoy our time here on earth to the extent it is to be enjoyed.  

 

Note the parting line of this Scripture: … He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.  Jesus gave this power to those present, He did not establish an intermediary priesthood.  The Triune God is the only one who has the power to remit us of our sins.  And, He does when we ask and act in accordance with the request.

 

There is much joy and satisfaction to be found in proper action.

 

When the time comes, how will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

 

Be of God - Live of God - Act of God

Hymns of the Church – My Jesus, I love Thee – 2 April 2024, Anno Domini

 

W

HOSOEVER shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.¹⁷ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹ We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:15-19)

 

                  A sweet and meaningful hymn composed in 1862 by William Ralph Featherston (1846-1873) of Canada.  The tune, GORDON, was composed by Adoniram J. Gordon in 1870 – founder of Gordon College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

 

My Jesus, I love Thee

 

My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine;

for thee all the follies of sin I resign;

my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou;

if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

 

I love thee because thou hast first loved me

and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree;

I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow;

if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

 

I'll love thee in life, I will love thee in death,

and praise thee as long as thou lendest me breath,

and say when the deathdew lies cold on my brow:

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

 

In mansions of glory and endless delight,

I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright;

I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow:

If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.

 1 My Jesus, I love thee, I know thou art mine; for thee all the follies of sin I resign; my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art thou; if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.  Our investment in love returns a high yield of value. It begins as a glowing ember, lit in our hearts by the divine spark of the love of Christ from His unbounded reserve from on high. That ember grows to consume all the soul of the believer so that all is sanctified by the consuming fire. Of course, we love our Savior and Redeemer, but that love is credited to Him and not to our own righteous will. He loved us first, and that love compelled a response activated by the beckoning of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. That fountain of love is so effulgent as to spill over to all around us since our hearts cannot contain it for selfish ends. Mary Magdalene loved our Lord unconditionally because of the change His love made in her soul. The same is true of you and me. The question is implied in its answer: How could we not love Him so?

 

2 I love thee because thou hast first loved me and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree; I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow; if ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. Please note the CAUSE of love – not our initiative but His! We love him, because he first loved us. Christ not only made offer of His love, but sealed His offer by dying on the cross in atonement of our sins. His Last Will and Testimony of His earthly ministry was written in sinless blood at Calvary. The longer our years, the more we realize that we are feeble as dust, but the certainty constantly grows in our awareness of our great want and need of Him and His love.  It was love alone that compelled Him to suffer the shame of being stripped, beaten, publicly humiliated and treading the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha’s brow.

 

3 I'll love thee in life, I will love thee in death, and praise thee as long as thou lendest me breath, and say when the deathdew lies cold on my brow: If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. If we loved Him not in life, we could never love Him in death.  Love is the only resource we carry with us beyond the grave: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35) The days of man on earth are fleeting as the vapors of the kettle. Our years on earth, whether of tender age or three score years and ten, are all a gift of God. Our spark of life is on loan from Heaven and subject to collection on demand thereof. We must know Him by faith, and that faith engenders a knowing love that represents an echo of that love showered on us. But that faith must be confirmed in life, for there is no open door to salvation once life is over. I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?(John 11:25-26) To the believer, death is a transition and not an end.

 

4 In mansions of glory and endless delight, I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright; I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow: If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, 'tis now. Christ is the Light of the World. How much more brilliantly do you believe that Sun of Righteousness shall shine beyond the Gates of Splendor? No crown, no glorious garment of fine linen, no golden slippers, or fine adornment can approach the joy of simple fellowship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the King of Kings, and we are thereby made Princes and Princesses of the Most High God – should we not quit ourselves as such, guarding preciously the Name we bear? But those titles and roles are nothing compared to our being accounted worthy to enter in to the marriage Feast of the Son. If we love Him now, we shall love Him even more with each passing moment.