Anglican Orthodox Church
Worldwide Communion
Ash Wednesday
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday
First Sunday in Lent
Sunday Report
This report covers both Ash Wednesday[1] and the First Sunday in Lent[2].
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday services were held in the evening on schedule. We did the Penitential Office and quite enjoyed the peaceful experience. As expected we had three in attendance.
In addition, to the Penitential Office, we read the propers which are found on pages 124 and 125 in the Book of Common Prayer:
LENTEN SEASON
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
The Collect.
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LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
For the Epistle. Joel ii. 12.
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URN ye even to me, saith the LORD, with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent- eth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
The Gospel. St. Matthew vi. 16.
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HEN 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. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
¶ The same Collect, Epistle, and Gospel shall serve for every day after, unto the next Sunday, except upon the Feast of St. Matthias.
Bishop Jerry Ogles on Ash Wednesday
Devotion on Ash Wednesday – 18 February 2015, Anno Domini
16 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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 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
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. Why do we refer to this first day of Lent as ‘Ash Wednesday?’ The answer of course is that the season is one during which we contemplate the final journey of Christ to Jerusalem and eventually to the terrible Passion of the Cross, and all for our sins and not His own, for Christ was without sin.
One of the foremost American heroes General Robert E. Lee. Once, when asked by one of his men, “how often a man ought to fast?” General Lee responded, “If a man will but fast from his sins, he may eat what he pleases.” Good advice. How many of us, however, are able to fast from our sins? Ashes represent mourning, but we are not to broadcast our fasting and mourning. Perhaps we would be better advised, instead of applying a little dot of ash to our foreheads for all to see, to apply them to the chamber doors of our hearts. It was OUR sins that sent Christ to the Cross. We fall woefully short of the righteousness of God, and we do so with amazing regularity.
In our personal lives, if we offend a friend unfairly, we will usually seek to avoid looking that friend in the eye until the memory of our unfaithfulness passes and we make amends. How like the habits of man in avoiding coming to the presence of God after egregious sin. We hide, as Adam in the Garden, from His presence, and we are ashamed.
The lectionary Gospel for today (Luke 15:10-32) relates the story of the Prodigal Son and, I might add, the faithful and loving Father. The irreverent son requested his inheritance if while his father yet lived. His father, being a good father and wise, did not argue the issue but, instead, divided to his son his share of the inheritance. The profligate son received his gold and “took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (Luke 15:13) When we depart from God in our sins, we, too, go a great distance from His Love and Provision. We must also remember that when we go a far distance away, we have a far distance in returning. The young man suffered no shortage of friends during his time of plenty. But he finally spent all that he had received and began to be in want. When we are in want, we feel an immense emptiness either of heart or of stomach. And then, “there arose a mighty famine in that land” (Luke 15:14). Any time the Christian goes away from God (as Naomi and her family out of the House of Bread and Praise, and into Moab) there will be a famine of the Bread of Life – so with this young man.
“And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine” (Luke 15:15) If we are not joined to our Father and family, we will certainly be joined to some other. The stranger has no familial concern for us. He cares not whether we live or die. His only concern will be in how much use he can get from us for as little treasure as possible. This young Hebrew boy was now feeding and living with the swine – a most lamentable state for a true Hebrew. He was so hungry, he could have eaten the pig’s food. He was at his lowest bar: tired, hungry, filthy, and broken. “And when he came to himself….” (Luke 15:17). Before there is hope of amendment, there must first come a waking of the spirit. The young man awakened to his misery and his error.
The son made a resolution while standing in the filth of the pig sty: “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Luke 15:18-19) When we realize our prodigality, we must resolve, first, to make amendment of our condition. This the young man did. A resolution is no legal tender unless acted upon: “And he arose, and came to his father!” (Luke 15:20).
His Father was a type of our heavenly Father. Once the young man left his presence, he did not pursue and plead him to return. This would have been futile and would never have caused the young man to realize his foolishness. Instead, the father kept up with reports of his son. He waited in the portal of his home watching and waiting. He watched down the same road over which his son departed. One day, he saw a figure approaching on the road as it wound out to the horizon. The person he saw was disheveled, ragged, stooped with care, and filthy. But the father was not fooled! He knew his son better, perhaps, than the son knew himself! Though he had grown old, the father ran to meet his son while he was yet a great distance away. He fell on his shoulders, embraced him, and kissed him.
Who but a father would embrace and kiss a filthy young boy who smelled of the waste of pigs? Who will receive you into His loving arms and greet you with a Holy Kiss but your Heavenly Father? The son confessed his unworthiness to be a son to his father, but his father did not acknowledge that confession out of love for his son. The old father ordered “the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22) God our Father, too, provides the returning sinner with the best robe (a White Robe of Righteousness), a Signet Ring of authority, and shoes for his feet to provide him the Liberty of the Kingdom.
Our best fast today will be to turn from the ashes of our sins, and turn to God our Father, and do it without delay!
Remember the Season.
An Ashless Ash Wednesday for Anglicans
http://theheritageanglicannetwork.blogspot.com/
In the sixteenth century the English Reformers abolished the imposition of ashes on the heads of parishioners on Ash Wednesday due to the superstitious beliefs that had become associated with the practice. The practice was too closely tied the Medieval doctrines of attrition, auricular confession, contrition, priestly absolution, and penance.
The imposition of ashes was not reintroduced into the Church of England and her daughter churches until the nineteenth century and then by the Ritualists. It was one of the errors in doctrine, practice, and ritual the Romeward Movement revived to make the Anglican Church more like the Roman Catholic Church in the hopes they would help to affect a reunion between the Church of England and the Church of Rome.
The 1979 Book of Common Prayer popularized the practice in the Episcopal Church in the closing decades of the twentieth century.
The following articles on Ashes, Ash Wednesday, Fasting, and Lent are taken from A Protestant Dictionary, which was published under the auspices of the Protestant Reformation Society in 1904, and was compiled for Evangelicals in the Church of England and the Church of Ireland.
Ashes Used for sprinkling persons by the Romish Church. Before use, the ashes are dedicated previously by a special prayer offered by a bishop. In that prayer, invocation is made to God “that whosoever shall sprinkle themselves with these ashes for the redemption of their sins may obtain health of body and protection of soul.”
Ash-Wednesday A mediaeval title given to the first day of Lent. It had formerly two names: (1) “Caput jejunii,” the “head of the fast,” and (2) “Dies cinerum.” The forty days of Lent, being appointed in memory of our Lord’s fast in the wilderness as a season of abstinence, date from the Wednesday of the first week, because it was never the custom to fast on Sundays, and in this way the full number of forty is made up. The name of “Ash Wednesday” was given in reference to an ancient discipline, described by Gratian, according to which penitents had to appear before the Bishop and Clergy clothed in sack cloth. The seven penitential Psalms were then sung, after which ashes were thrown upon them, and they covered their heads with sackcloth. The Church of England, however, has in no way retained or sanctioned those superstitions. By the Scriptures appointed to be read and the prayers to be used, she has rather exhibited the true ideal of a fast. The old title of Ash-Wednesday is only employed as an alternative for the ” first day of Lent,” because before the Reformation it was “commonly so called.” The revival of such practices is therefore entirely foreign to her prescribed ritual and is illegal.
Fasting There is no command to fast in the New Testament. In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord, speaking to Jews who were then accustomed to fast, says: “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. vi. 17, 18). Under the Old Testament there was but one fast distinctly enjoined namely, “the fast” on the great day of atonement (Lev. xvi. 29-31), which is referred to in Acts xxvii. 9. Other fasts were, however, enjoined on special occasions by the direction of the civil or religious authorities (e.g. Jer, xxxvi. 9). After the destruction of the Jewish State fasts became more numerous (Zech. vii. 5). But when the Lord was inquired of concerning those fasts, the answer given by the prophet Zechariah showed that those fasts were neither enjoined nor forbidden, and that persons were at liberty to make use of such days or not, according as they found fasting beneficial or otherwise to themselves; such acts not being regarded as in themselves meritorious in the sight of God (Zech. vii. 5/.). The Lord, by the mouth of Isaiah (ch. Iviii. 5-7), asks, ” Is it such a fast that I have chosen ? a day for a man to afflict his soul ? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord ? Is not this the fast that I have chosen ? to loose the bands of wickedness ; to undo the heavy burdens? . . . Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house ? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him ; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh ? ”
Our Lord’ s teaching concerning the times most suitable for fasting is set forth in the following passage: ” Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bride groom is with them ? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast” (Matt. ix. 15), which passage has been explained by the Church of England in her Homily of Fasting, Part II., as follows: “Ye shall note, that so long as God revealeth His mercy unto us, and giveth us of His benefits, either spiritual or corporal, we are said to be with the Bridegroom at the marriage. . . . But the marriage is said then to be ended, and the Bridegroom to be gone, when Almighty God smiteth us with affliction, and seenieth to leave us in the midst of a number of adversities. So God sometimes striketh private men privately with sundry adversities, as trouble of mind, loss of friends, loss of goods, long and dangerous sicknesses, & c. Then it is a fit time for that man to humble himself to Almighty God by fasting, and to mourn and bewail his sins with a sorrowful heart. . . . Again, when God shall afflict a whole region or country with wars, with famine, with pestilence . . . and such other calamities, then is it time for all states and sorts of people . . . to humble themselves by fasting, and bewail their sinful living before God.”
The principle here laid down can be exemplified from Scripture histories. David fasted when his child was sick (2 Sam. xii. 16) ; Esther, with her maidens, fasted ere she went in to Ahasuerus (Esth. iv. 16) ; Ezra fasted at the river of Ahava (Ezra viii. 21); Daniel set himself to seek the Lord by prayer and fasting (Dan. ix. 3). Christ said of certain demons, “This kind can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting” (Mark ix. 29), but the oldest MSS. omit the words “and fasting.” (See R.V. and marginal note on Matt. xvii. 21.) And prior to the solemn ordination of elders, Paul and Barnabas “prayed with fasting” (Acts xiv. 23).
Our Lord Himself fasted forty days and forty nights, but during that time He did not experience the pangs of hunger. The Gospels which record the Temptation, all call attention to that fact. St. Matthew says, ” He was afterward an hungered ” (Matt. iv. 2). St. Mark does not mention the fasting (Mark i. 12, 13). St. Luke says of those days, “And when they were ended, He afterward hungered.” The forty days appear, therefore, to have been spent in rapt ecstasy and contemplation. The actual temptation occurred at the close of that period.
Fasting, therefore, appears to be of value only when employed for the purpose of giving oneself up to continuous prayer, while abstinence from special kinds of food is nowhere enjoined or recommended in Scripture, although Daniel, in his penitential sorrow of three weeks, abstained from all pleasant food (Dan. x. 2, 3). St. Paul alludes to the “commanding to abstain from meats” as a mark of the apostasy (1 Tim. iv. 3), and a sign of weak faith in persons who attached importance to such trifling matters. ” The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ” (Rom. xiv. 17, and the whole of that chapter). In fine, when fasting is employed in order to be able to spend the time in prayer, it may be recommended ; but abstinence from food as a means of punishing the body and laying up ” merit ” is to be strongly condemned. An abstinence from certain food may be useful for “bodily exercise” or discipline “bodily exercise profiteth a little,” or “for a little while ” (1 Tim. iv. 8) such exercise has occasionally been useful, but is not to be regarded as really a spiritual work.
The prohibition to eat meat on fast days, prescribed by the statute 2 & 3 Edward VI., c. 19, which may be alluded to in “the Tables and Rules ” attached to the Book of Common Prayer which mentions ” the Fasts, and Days of Abstinence to be observed in the year,” is further dwelt on in the Homily on Fasting, Part II., which states that the statute of Edward VI. referred to, was framed for political reasons. It was ” in consideration of the maintaining of fisher-towns bordering upon the seas, and for the increase of fishermen, of whom do spring mariners to go upon the sea, to the furnishing of the navy of the realm. . . . Such laws of princes and other magistrates are not made to put holiness in one kind of meat and drink more than another, to make one day more holy than another, but are grounded merely upon policy,” namely, as afterwards explained, for the increase and support of the English navy, and “for the sooner reducing of victuals to a more moderate price, to the better sustenance of the poor.” [C. H. H. W.]
Lent The word is derived either from the A.S. lencten (spring), or from the Dutch lenten (to make mild), the severity of winter being then relaxed. Lent is a period of forty days in the spring, immediately before Easter, prescribed as a time of fasting. The Greek and Latin names for Lent simply indicate the number of its days. Lent is asserted to have been of early, and even of Apostolic origin, but, had the latter been the case, some allusion would have been made to it in the New Testament. But in the New Testament there is no fast prescribed, nor even a positive exhortation to fasting (see FASTING). Our Lord s declaration in the A.V. concerning the boy possessed with an unclean spirit, is often quoted that “this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Matt. xvii. 21; Mark ix. 29). All the best MSS., however, omit the entire verse in the account in St. Matthew, and the word ” fasting ” in that of St. Mark (see R.Y.). The same omission is made by the R.V. on MS. authority with regard to the word “fasting” in two other verses, viz., Acts x. 30 ; 1 Cor. vii. 5. That the oldest MSS. should agree in omitting all reference to fasting in four passages in the New Testament, where fasting was supposed to be mentioned, is highly suggestive of interpolations made in the sacred text to suit the ideas of a non-Apostolic Age.
The forty days of Lent are often said to have been instituted as a fast in memory of our Lord’s “fast” of a similar period in the wilderness. But the Lord passed that period in a state of exalted spiritual meditation or ecstasy, for St. Matthew distinctly states that Christ’s hunger was subsequent to the forty days, “When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred” (Matt. iv. 2). Lent had originally no real connection with the forty days fast in the desert. Lent seems to have been first established by a Pope, about AD 130, to be a tithe of the year (thirty-six days only), and was for centuries confined to that period. When the additional four days were added is not certain, probably not till the time of Pope Gregory II., who died in 731.
Our Lord, in Matt. ix. 15, indicated that the providential circumstances of life were the true guide as to seasons of fasting. Cassian, a disciple of Chrysostom in the fifth century, contrasting the Primitive Church with that of his own day, said, ” It ought to be known that the observance of the forty days had no existence so long as the perfection of that Primitive Church remained inviolate.” Lent helped in later times to increase the power of the priests. For in the Roman and Eastern Churches dispensations which permit the eating of meat on fast days may be obtained for a money payment, and fines are levied on those who break the Church law by eating meat on such days without a dispensation.
Lent
Lent is here, it started last Wednesday, called Ash Wednesday. So, what does the word Lent mean? 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.
Jesus told us that if we fast 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 disciplined diet, 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 13 February 2013; Easter Sunday is 31 March 2013. 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.
First Sunday in Lent
Sunday Report
Today was the First Sunday in Lent.
On Point
Someone asked, where do the quotes come from? The answer is from the people who uttered them. But, how did you find them? Oh, that. Some from Bishop Jerry, many from Rev Bryan Dabney, a few from other places, some from Rev Geordie Menzies-Grierson, but overall mostly from Bryan. He always has a few great ones to share. On to the On Point quotes –
He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.
Lao Tzu
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:10-11
A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Proverbs 17:4
Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
St. Matthew 15:17-18
For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
St. John 9:39
The meanest room where a few penitent believers assemble in the name of Jesus is a consecrated and most holy place in the sight of God. They that worship God in spirit and truth never draw near to him in vain. Often they go home from such meetings warmed, cheered, stablished, strengthened, comforted, and refreshed. And what is the secret of their feelings? They have had with them the great Master of assemblies even Christ himself.
JC Ryle
19th century Anglican bishop and author
Knots Untied, p. 207
In the cold, dark winter of our souls, God sent Light and warmth to us in the Person of His Beloved Son, Jesus, knowing full well that His Son would be murdered by the keepers of the vineyard. How could God send His Beloved as a ransom for the miserable and stubborn creatures that rebelled time and again against his Sovereignty? There is only one explanation— unmerited Love and Grace!
Jerry L. Ogles
20th and 21st century Anglican Orthodox Presiding Bishop
You can’t conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him
Robert Heinlein
20th century American author.
Liberty … is a political situation denoting the lawful capability of the citizen to defend himself and his near and dear without interference from the state.
Colonel Jeff Cooper
20th and 21st century American patriot and firearms expert
Rules of War
1. Step One, acknowledge you are at war.
2. Step Two, identify the enemy.
3. Step Three, realistically identify his strong points and weak points and what he values. Identify what victory means.
4. Step Four, bring your strong points to bear against his weak points.
5. Step Five, when his weak points are gone, his formerly strong points will be weak. Bring your strong points against them. At that point, if by chance he has two of anything left destroy them. Fight with 100 percent of the violence available.
The problem is we have yet to get to Step One. All we are doing is spending American lives and money we don’t have.
Hap Arnold
21st century Anglican Orthodox minister and LTC, USAF, Retired
Propers
Each Sunday there are Propers: special prayers and readings from the Bible. There is a Collect for the Day; that is a single thought prayer, most written either before the re-founding of the Church of England in the 1540s or written by Bishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Archbishop of Canterbury after the re-founding.
The Collect for the Day is to be read on Sunday and during Morning and Evening Prayer until the next Sunday. The Epistle is normally a reading from one of the various Epistles, or letters, in the New Testament. The Gospel is a reading from one of the Holy Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Collect is said by the minister as a prayer, the Epistle can be read by either a designated reader (as we do in our church) or by one of the ministers and the Holy Gospel, which during the service in our church is read by an ordained minister.
The propers are the same each year, except if a Red Letter Feast, that is one with propers in the prayerbook, falls on a Sunday, then those propers are to be read instead, except in a White Season, where it is put off. Red Letter Feasts, so called because in the Altar Prayerbooks the titles are in red, are special days. Most of the Red Letter Feasts are dedicated to early saints instrumental in the development of the church, others to special events. Some days are particularly special and the Collect for that day is to be used for an octave (eight days) or an entire season, like Advent or Lent.
The Propers for today are found on Page 125-127, with the Collect first:
The First Sunday in Lent.
The Collect.
O |
LORD who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
The Collect.
A |
LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
The Epistle for today came from Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Sixth Chapter, beginning at the First Verse. In what at first appears to be an incomprehensible single sentence, Paul asks us to be worthy of the grace that God has given us. He tells the people when they needed him, he was there. They need to be there for those around them. They must not frustrate God’s work by showing up late, or not at all. Those around us are watching our actions in the time of testing. We have been given eternal salvation by Jesus’ sacrifice, the understanding of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost. We are at this time dying here on earth, yet progressing towards eternal life in the next world, in Jesus’ world with His help. While we may never be wealthy here on earth, our actions can make our fellow Christians wealthy in spirit beyond measure.
If you claim to be a Christian, you know what is right. If you are a Christian, you do what is right, you don’t take a vote to see what the right course of action might be. Right does not change with public opinion and we must do the right thing. It is our actions that count, in good times or bad. We are Christ’s ambassadors to this world, unfortunately we do not have diplomatic immunity.
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E then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain; (for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation;) giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
This morning’s Holy Gospel came from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, the Fourth Chapter, beginning at the First Verse. This portion of the Gospel tells the story of the temptation of Christ. In many respects, it shows how little the devil understands of Christ, and through Him, of us. If you understand how little the devil really offers you and how much Christ offers, the temptation is ever so much less. The devil is often referred to as the deceiver or dissimulator. His forte is deception, he seems one thing, is another. Offers what he has no intention or ability to deliver. Ignores the inevitable result of accepting his proffered help or inside track.
He clearly knows Jesus is the Son of God. There is no doubt in his mind. So, having understood that, consider what he offers Jesus in temptation.
Remember, Jesus has fasted 40 days OF HIS OWN CHOICE; he who has no real power asks Jesus to turn stone into bread to show His Power. This to the Son of He who delivered manna daily to the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years.
Cast thyself down and let angels catch thee; this to He who walked on water.
Up to the mountain lookout – Here is it all yours if you worship me. This to He who as it says in Psalm 95:
In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before
the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
The devil promised Jesus nothing that was his to give, nothing that would help Jesus in the real world beyond the Shadowlands. He never does. The devil is all about shortcuts. Remember, if the shortcut was the best way, it would not be a shortcut
Like the temptation of Jesus, the devil never delivers what we need, only what we may want short term. Remember as little as the devil understands of Christ, so he understands little of us. He will never offer you real help. Remember that and the temptation is ever so much less.
This morning’s Gospel comes from the Gospel of Saint Matthew, starting at the First Verse of the Fourth Chapter. This portion of the Gospel tells the story of the temptation of Christ. In many respects, it shows how little the devil understands of Christ, and through Him, of us. If you understand how little the devil really offers you and how much Christ offers, the temptation is ever so much less.
T |
HEN was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Bishop Ogles’ Sermon
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.
Sermon Notes
First Sunday in Lent
14 February 2016, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)
(St. Valentine’s Day)
St Andrews Anglican Orthodox Church
Sermon Text from First Propers, Morning Prayer
The First Sunday in Lent.
The Collect.
O |
LORD who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
And due to the rubric, the Collect for the Day is followed by the Collect for Ash Wednesday, which is found on Page 124:
The first day of Lent, commonly called
Ash Wednesday.
The Collect.
A |
LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
¶ This Collect is to be said every day in Lent, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Palm Sunday.
Alms Giving –
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Prayer –
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. Lord’s Model
Prayer –
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye
Fasting –
16 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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 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.
There is a growing tendency among the religious to wear their faith on their arms and not in their hearts. Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us explicit counsel on what with what manner and attitude He expects us to render service and worship to Him. We are to be humble and not proud; subdued and not flamboyant; and sincere and not hypocritical.
We are not to be proud and boastful of our works for the Lord.
WHY NOT?
We love to advertise our success in school, sports, work, etc. But is this the right approach in living? Are we able to do any good works?
1 Cor 12: 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
Eph 3: 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen
Phil 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
So all good in us in the work of Christ and not any to which we may lay claim.
Jesus has been presenting His Sermon on the Mount – the most beautiful and comprehensive sermon ever given upon the earth. He continues the sermon here with a counsel against prideful boasting in our works.
Why is this so? When we do the Lord’s work, we must give Him the honour, the praise, and the accreditation since it is His works in us and not our own.
The only works we may legitimately claim as our own are the evil thoughts, deeds, and words of our lips.
1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
When we boast of OUR works, then we are admitting they are not God’s works and, therefore, worldly. And we will gain our credit on earth in the honour of men only.
In the early days of the Gospel, the Pharisees loved to have a trumpter go before them to gain the attention of the crowds, and their adoration, as they made public prayer. But this is not the way of Christ:
. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Here Jesus relates to us the mode and attitude of Prayer:
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
Next, the Lord provides us with a perfect example of Prayer – the Lord’s Prayer; please note the manner in which this spiritual airmail letter begins:
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Just as any other letter to a dear and loved One:
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First the person’s name: Our Father
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Second, the address: “which art in heaven”
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Then the salutation and honorific such as we would say, My dearest friend, Dear Sir, etc. Hallowed be thy Name.” Your majestic Honour.
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Then acknowledge His authority and Dominion: Thy Kingdom Come.
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His Sovereignty over us: Thy will be done – not ours.
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Boundaries of His authority acknowledged: Not only in all the earth, but in all the Heavens as well. “On earth as it is in Heaven.”
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The simple request of the humble in heart: Give us this day our daily bread
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Then an expression of repentance: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
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Then comes an expression of want for divine guidance:And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
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The closing acknowledgement of His divine Majesty and Power:For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And finally, Jesus adds a qualification to the forgiveness we expect from God.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Jesus ends this passage with remarks on fasting and in what attitude we should fast:
and fasting
16 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. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 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.
In many modern churches of our day, there is a tradition of applying ashes on ones forehead to demonstrate to all that we are piously fasting because of this Lenten season. But does this comport with the description of how we should fast given by Christ Himself? Of late, I have seen a number of postings to our Facebook pages that claim a certain virtue in smearing ashes on one’s forehead to allow others to see that they love Jesus. This is contrary to Scripture in the first place, and not the way to demonstrate your love for Christ in the second place. If we love the Lord, they truth will come shining through as the morning sunrise on a clear day in the way we live and serve.
Common prayers ask no personal benefit, but ask those blessings common to the need of every Christian worshipper, and they ALWAYS praise and honor God. But private prayers are those that are the confidential yearnings of the heart expressed to your Father in private.
I prefer to keep my private prayers, good deeds, and fasting between myself and the Good Lord so that I may earn His Grace and acceptance in them.
Rev Jack Arnold’s Sermon
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:
… Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory …
In the Collect, we ask God to help us to subdue our natural evil tendencies so that we can live life here His way and honour His wishes so we can be truly happy. Without His help, we end up with what we want, not what we need. We are asking him to help us fight our human nature and follow His divine nature, we are attempting to replace our nature with that of God’s. It will be a long and difficult road that we must travel, doing this, but we are going to be much happier in the long run if we at least try. Do or do not, there is no try, Yoda is quoted as saying, and I have found it applicable here and in my own life. We have to act, not just say we are going to act, but we have to actually physically perform ACTIONS!
Want and Need; two words, used interchangeably in both our speech and thought that do not mean the same thing. Think about that!
Following the thought of the Collect, Paul asks us to be worthy of the grace God has given us. He tells the people when they needed him, he was there. They need to be there for those around them. They must not frustrate God’s work by showing up late, or not at all. We have to put in our 110% for Him, as He sent His Son to die for us and redeem us, so we should truly show our gratitude for His act, by serving others and performing actions for Him, with His Help. We are outnumbered fiercely in this world, by the enemies of God. We are like the men in the Battle of Ia Drang (also related to being Paul’s message, the sacrifice of Kenneth Ogles and his fellow men in the Vietnam theatre, as well as those in WWI, WWII and before, and now.), fiercely outnumbered by the enemy, they did not just sit on their hands and wait for the enemy to come. They did something about it, they took action, otherwise they were going to be overrun by the North Vietnamese. We have to always keep moving, like the article I read about Wally Kaenzig, a 93 year old man who is one of the last survivors of the Iwo Jima, he said on Iwo, the big deal was to keep moving so you didn’t get hit. We want to keep moving and avoid getting hit by the forces of evil, if we are to minister effectively. Like them, we cannot just sit and wait, else we will be overrun by the Forces of Satan. We have to do this by doing actions that are consistent with His Word and show that we truly believe in Him and not just say we do.
Those around us are watching our actions in the time of testing. God is also watching us in the time of testing to see how we perform with the talents He has given us. Make no mistake it is a hard battle we are fighting, against the forces of wickedness, of the Devil all across the globe. Our actions will show whom we truly serve, the forces of God, or the Forces of Satan. Which side will you serve? You in the end have to choose one side or antoher. Pick the winning side now, which is the Forces of God, and you will have a rich everlasting life. The key to winning this battle for souls is to never ever ever give up and to trust in God and Dread Naught. We have been given eternal salvation by Jesus’ sacrifice, the understanding of the Gospel by the Holy Ghost. We are at this time dying here on earth, yet progressing towards eternal life in the next world, in Jesus’ world with His help. While we may never be wealthy here on earth, our actions can make our fellow Christians wealthy in spirit beyond measure.
If you claim to be a Christian, you know what is right. If you are a Christian, you do what is right, you don’t take a vote to see what the right course of action might be. Right does not change with public opinion and we must do the right thing. In fact the public opinion often times is rather in the wrong, see peoples opinions on homosexual marriage and abortion to reference this. This is because of our fallen nature. We must go especially against the grain to become Christians. The truth does not change, as it is the constant that never changes. God is the Truth, The Word and the Life of this universe. The Truth is God, and like God, the Truth never changes. It is our actions that count, in good times or bad. We are Christ’s ambassadors to this world; unfortunately we do not have diplomatic immunity.
When the devil attempted to tempt Christ, he shows how little he knows of Him. If we emulate our Lord, it shows how little the devil will be able to tempt us with his deceit. If we follow Him we will be able to withstand any temptation that arises as our Lord showed for us in the desert 2,000 years ago.
Consider how little the devil really offers you and how much Christ offers, the temptation is ever so much less. The devil is often referred to as the deceiver or dissimulator. His forte is deception, he seems one thing, is another. He offers what he has no intention or ability to deliver. He ignores the inevitable result of accepting his proffered help or inside track. Jesus has more for us than the devil can ever hope to offer, the promise of eternal life with Him and His Father. The devil can never offer us anything close to that. We have to remember this next time the Deciever comes and tempts us for earthly riches and treasures. We also have to remember that mammon cannot make us happy, only serving God can make us truly happy. Mammon might offer a fun factor, but only serving God can have true happiness and bliss that comes from serving Him.
He clearly knows Jesus is the Son of God. There is no doubt in his mind. So, having understood that, consider what he offers Jesus in temptation.
Remember, Jesus has fasted 40 days OF HIS OWN CHOICE; now comes the devil daring Him to show His Power by turning the stone into bread. This to the Son of He who delivered manna daily to the Jews in the wilderness for 40 years.
Cast thyself down and let angels catch thee; this to He who walked on water.
Up to the mountain lookout – Here is it all yours if you worship me. This to He who as it says in Psalm 95:
In his hand are all the corners of the earth; * and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it; * and his hands prepared the dry land.
O come, let us worship and fall down, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God; * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
The devil promised Jesus nothing that was his to give, nothing that would help Jesus in the real world beyond the Shadowlands. He never does. The devil is all about shortcuts. Remember, if the shortcut was the best way, it would not be a shortcut
The temptation of Jesus is no different than his attempt to tempt us! The devil never delivers what we need, only what we, in our imperfect want. Remember as little as the devil understands of Christ, the same way, as we are in God, so he understands little of us. He will never offer you real help. Remember that and the temptation is ever so much less.
Or, as my grandfather said, “Keep your eye on the donut, not on the hole”
Be of God – Live of God – Act of God
Bishop Dennis Campbell’s Sermon
Bishop Dennis is a brilliant speaker. He is able to take biblical precepts and make them perfectly understandable, even to me. Oft he provides the text of his sermons and I take the utmost pleasure in passing them on:
The Kingdom of God Is at Hand
Mark 1:15
First Sunday in Lent
February 14, 2016
From time immemorial mankind has hoped that someday, somehow, we will be able to settle our differences, conquer our aggressions, and live together in a world of equity and peace. Many people have actually tried to make that dream a reality. Unfortunately, their attempts usually led to more wars, more inequity, and more oppression. We need only to recall the millions killed by utopianists in the French Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution, the various communist revolutions and regimes and the Nazi regime in World War Two Germany. All of these revolutions were accomplished by violence and mass executions, and all established police states to enforce physical and mental uniformity by preventing freedom of thought and expression, and by killing all dissenters.
It is notable utopianists want to give great power to the governing bodies, and they want to be the governing bodies. The governments they establish may be secular, religious, or a combination of both. But they share the common attribute of always abusing their power. In fact, these revolutions never accomplish their supposed goals of general equity and peace. They either replace a good government with a bad one, or replace one class of oppressors with another.
Still, the hope lives on. We still keep working to build a better world. We still keep looking for solutions (which always cause more problems than they solve). We still keep surrendering more of our freedom, and giving more power to the government, with an incredible ability to blind ourselves to the fact that the power to protect us can also be used to oppress us. We have seen numerous examples of this, even in the United States, where our founding documents specifically state the government’s only legitimate task is to secure our rights.
An honest look at the evidence forces us to conclude that humanity is incapable of creating utopia. Why? Because, even if we create a perfect system that is able to secure and ensure absolute equity, justice, and peace; people will find ways to subvert and pervert that system in ways that allow them to advance themselves at the expense of others. Some one is always going to want more power, more prestige, and more things. Egos will always clash. Greed, envy, and hate will still motivate people, and, like the proverbial hole in the dyke, these things will cause the collapse of the whole system. It works like this; perfect people can exist perfectly in an imperfect system. Imperfect people cannot exist perfectly, even in a perfect system. Here is why:
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust and have not: ye kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not” (James 4:1, 2).
The only reason we have not created a perfect world is that we are unwilling to work together to produce it. The reason we are unwilling to work together is because we are imperfect. To put that in more Biblical terms, we are fallen. We are sinners. I know some people don’t like Biblical terms any more, but sin is the only word that really explains our failure to create the perfect world. Imperfect people can’t build a perfect world.
Does that mean there is no hope? Does that mean humanity is doomed to repeat an endless cycle of failure, war, crime, abuse, and strife? If it depends on us, yes. Even if, through genetic engineering, anti aggression drugs, or some yet unknown means of coercion, we are able to enforce peace, we will still be at the mercy of the ruling elites, and the average person will either be a slave to the system, or a pre-programmed human machine.
But, what if there is another factor in the equation? What if God is real, and what if He wants to help? These two ideas, first, the impossibility of doing it on our own, and, second, the genuine desire and ability of God to help us, are two of the primary teachings of the Bible.
According to the Bible, we are created by God to enjoy full peace and harmony with Him and one another. That is why the greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind, and the second great commandment is to love thy neighbour as thyself. This is the will of God for us. And we need to add one more thing to that, for the will of God for us is also that we accept and enjoy the blessing and inexplicable joy of His love for us.
But, the world has been hearing this message for over 4,000 years, yet we look around, and we wonder if it has made any difference. It has. It has transformed the world. Our idea that all people have inalienable rights, our view that kings and presidents and parliaments and congresses and courts and judges are bound by moral laws of right and wrong, and even our idea that there is such a thing as right and wrong, have come to us from the Bible. We have never lived up to its teaching, but it is the single most influential force of good the world has ever seen. But there are still wars and rumours of wars, brothers still fight against brothers, hungry children still cry in the night, and people die horrible deaths at the hands of other people. If God loves us, and wants to help us, where is His help?
If we look back through the Bible, we can see His help from the very moment of our fall. He gave us a perfect world, and we rejected it and Him. That means we cause our problems. We cause our wars and strife and abuse. God doesn’t cause them. But God’s help has always been with us. He gave us His commandments, which show us how to live in peace with Him and one another. He sent prophets to teach us how His Law applies to us, and to call us back to it when we strayed from it. He established Israel to be a light to the nations and an example of what the world can be when lived in God’s will and love. Israel, too, was a terrible failure. Her people, like the rest of us, were sinners, and they did not live up to their glorious opportunities and calling. But that was their fault, not God’s.
Yet, God continued to help. And one day, when, according to His perfect will, the time was right, or, “fulfilled,” as Jesus said in Mark 1:15, God Himself came to this planet to live. Most people didn’t recognise Him, because He came as a baby, in a humble family of modest means, He worked as a carpenter, and He died on a cross. Yet He boldly said, “the kingdom of God is at hand.” What did He mean?
First, He meant God is doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He is creating a people, a nation, in which people are being enabled to live more like we were originally created to live. We are being enabled to love God more, and to love one another more. The love I am talking about is not emotion; it is good will that cares enough about others to actively promote their well-being. It is good will towards God that actively enjoys doing His will and living a Godly, righteous, and sober life. That new nation is called the Church. It is composed of those who repent of sin and believe the Gospel, as our Lord said in Mark 1:15. That is what God is doing for us now, but there is more to come.
One day, Christ will return to this world. This time, He will come openly, and will be seen by all. On that day He will fully establish justice and peace on earth. Nature will be restored to its original state, so storms and famines and earthquakes will cease. And those who are Christ’s through repentance and faith in the Gospel will be completely transformed. I said a few moments ago that God is enabling us now to live more like He wants us to live; to love Him more and love sin less; to love one another more, and ourselves less. But when Christ returns, He will fully enable us to do this. He will remove our imperfections, and will make us perfect in every detail. So we will be perfect people, who are able to live in a perfect world.
He also meant our sins are forgiven. Our failures, our faults, the times we intentionally did what we knew to be wrong, the times we lived only for our own pleasures rather than according God’s principles; all the times we hurt other, all the times we hurt ourselves, and all the times we hurt God, are all forgiven. In the Kingdom of God, He remembers them no more.
So, the kingdom of man is, and always will be a complete failure. But fear not. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Gospel.
—
+Dennis Campbell
Bishop, Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia
Rector, Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
Powhatan, Virginia
www.HolyTrinityAnglicanOrthodoxChurch.org
www.lifeinthescriptures.blogspot.com
Rev Bryan Dabney of Saint John’s Sunday Sermon
We are fortunate to have Bryan’s Sunday Sermon. If you want people to come to The Truth, you have to speak the truth, expouse the truth and live the truth. This is really a good piece and I commend it to your careful reading.
First Sunday in Lent
In the apostle Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians (6:10-20), he spoke of ourdaily warfare with the world, the flesh and the devil and describes the weapons and armour we need to take up if we are to experience any success again our “ancient foe.” Warfare of any kind requires us to know our enemy and for Christians that is doubly important. In our gospel lesson for today (St. Matthew 4:1-11) we were presented the story of our Lord in the wilderness soon after his baptism. For it was there that he was tempted of the devil to give in to the pulls and draws of the flesh and thus to sin. Our Lord did no such thing, but rather rebuked the devil and he left him.
Sadly, too many folks today are quick to distance themselves from a belief in personal, spiritual evil. They reject the notion that there is such a being as Satan. But holding such a view only imperils them all the more because the devil goes about in an almost relentless fashion, weaving his plans within plans, and hoping at every turn to compromise the faith of anyone who is weak in the spirit and lukewarm in their beliefs.
Rev. EM Bounds once observed, “The Devil goes out into the wilderness and finds us in a fainting, discouraged condition, with our faith weak, the sky cloudy, and our vision obscured. Then he shows us the world from the loftiest peak of observation, clothed in its most enchanting wonders. He never gets tired of trying to ruin us until the coffin lid is sealed and our happy spirits are bathing in the land where the wicked cease from troubling; and … the weary be at rest (Job 3:17). Satan has the wisdom of an archangel and the experience of half an eternity as captain of all the hosts of hell. He is an expert in the acts and arts of deception and trickery. He has almost inexhaustible resources at his command to serve his purposes. Other than God himself, a wiser and more powerful spirit than Satan does not live. A more malicious power than he could not exist. There is no greater worker than he. His endless energy and tireless perseverance are the only things in him worthy of imitation. These are the things that make him so powerful and so dreadful.”
The Bible has several descriptions of the devil and his various activities. So then let us examine them for our edification and peace of mind.
In Genesis 3:1-5, the Bible tells us he was the instigator and bringer of doubt which resulted in the Fall of Mankind. Who was that came to Eve and deceived her into partaking of the forbidden fruit? Was it not Satan?
In Job 1:7 and 2:2 we are told that the devil is free to move about on the earth and can ascend to heaven, even to the presence of God. Additionally, he is the accuser of mankind and can afflict humanity with all sorts of ailments and even death.
The prophet Isaiah (14:12-14) identified as Lucifer, son of the morning who was cast down for his arrogance and pride against God. This set the stage for his mischief and mayhem in our world and was the impetus behind his work in the Garden of Eden as noted in Genesis 3.
Ezekiel mentioned his title of “the cherub that covereth” which described his once trusted position in the court of God (28:11-19). Satan was a very high official among God’s legions of angels. But his pride was such that God took away his position and cast him out.
In St. Matthew 12:24-30 we are informed that he has a kingdom. Satan has sought from the beginning of his rebellion against the Godhead to establish his kingdom on the earth. He will do nothing to set back his kingdom and everything to keep what he has.
In St. John 8:44 we are told Satan was a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies.
In II Corinthians 4:4 we find that he is called the god of this world. Notice the letter “g” is not capitalized. While we must accept the fact that he has a kingdom; nevertheless we don’t have to acquiesce in it by following along as dutiful slaves in his service. Our Lord expects us to stand against evil every moment of every day of our lives.
In II Corinthians 11:14 the apostle informed his listeners that Satan has the capacity to appear as an angel of light in order to deceive the unwary. The devil’s chief weapon is deception. If we buy into his schemes, then we are in danger of being consumed by them. Resistance does not include cooperation, tolerance or surrender. If we are to remain faithful to God in Christ then we must resist Satan’s offers and turn away from his offerings of wealth, health and happiness.
In Ephesians 6:12 we find Satan and his minions are the real power behind our earthly foes who are merely the physical representatives of our adversary. Such persons are more to be pitied than despised. And while we are permitted to protect ourselves from their attempts to deprive us of our lives, liberty and property; nevertheless we ought to pray for them as they are being used in the worst sense of that expression. Loathe their behavior, by all means; but remember who is the motivational force behind them.
Both the apostles James and Peter inform us with whom we are wrestling and what we are to do. St. James instructed all to resist the devil and he will flee from us (4:7). St. Peter noted in his first epistle (5:8-9) Satan prowls about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and that we are to resist him by being vigilant.
St. Jude (v. 3) reminded us we should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. We cannot do that unless we are aware of our adversary’s abilities. If we won’t stand up for the faith in this life, then we will have no chance of obtaining what has been offered to us in Christ Jesus for the next. Ours is a fighting faith. One of the older versions of the Book of Common Prayer called on the people to, “Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church Militant.” St. Paul called on Timothy to, therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (II St. Timothy 2:3). We should do no less.
In Revelation 12:9 we learn the devil is also known as the dragon, Satan and the serpent of old. And in Revelation 20:10, the apostle John prophesied that Satan and his minions will be consigned to the “lake of fire” at the end of world. Here is the joy of knowing what will happen. We do not know when, only that it will come because Christ will come again. If we know not our enemy or fail to understand his purposes and plans with regard to our world, then we will be undone. We have been encouraged to fight the good fight. Let us then go forward in the love of Christ and with an ever watchful eye on the adversary to proclaim the truth of the gospel to others. And so until our Lord returns, “Prepare for Battle!” for Deus Vult — God wills it.
Let us pray,
L |
ORD, as we prepare our hearts during this Lenten Season, help us to keep ever before us and within us the truth of Christ; and let us not be given to any intemperance but rather be given to prayer and supplication; for these things we ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Have a blessed week, Bryan+
After Church Hospitality
We would like some pictures of your after service gatherings. Come on! Help out!
People in our Prayers – http://faithfulcenturionprayerteam.blogspot.com/
Why? Prayer is an extremely important activity.
It is not that God knows not our needs, for He surely does. Yet, Jesus commanded us to ask God for those same needs. In addition to the obvious of asking God for help, offering thanksgiving and the like, prayer helps us focus our thoughts on how we might do God’s work.
The Prayer Team of the Anglican Orthodox Church was established to help our members and fellow Christians pray for those in need and to give thanks as well for the blessings we have been granted.
Who can be on the list? Do I have to be a member of the Anglican Orthodox Church to be prayed for?
No! The only qualification to be on the list is that you want our prayer team to pray for you. We are Christians and are happy to pray for you, no matter who you are. If you want help from God, you are our kind of people.
What is the commitment from the prayer team?
Each member of the team will pray for the desired outcome at last once per day.
How do I get myself or someone else on the prayer list?
You can email one of the prayer team leaders: Jack – jack@faithfulcenturion.org or Dru – dru@ faithfulcenturion.org, or call the office at (619) 659-3608 or fill out a prayer card at your church.
What should I ask for?
Depends on what you want. Some people merely want God to be asked to heal their ills and be mentioned by their first name, others want a specific outcome and / or have more of their personal information known to the team. Ask for what you want. It is your desire and need for prayer the team is attempting to meet. For typical examples, see the list below.
Updating the Team
If you are on our prayer list, or if you have submitted a person that you have asked us to pray for, please update one of the team members or Hap in person, by telephone or email. It helps to be able to pray specifically for these individuals including their specific needs; plus if they get better, it is nice to give thanks!
Please note that on the yellow (maybe green or orange if you get an old one) cards at church, you can ask that those to be prayed for have their names disseminated to the prayer team. Those names will be said in church and appear here. Or, you can ask that their names and purpose be kept confidential, then only Hap will know to pray for them.
Prayer List Notice – If you have someone on the prayer list and their needs have changed, please let us know. We’d like to update our prayers to reflect the need and most important to give thanks!
Travel
No known travel this week.
Move
The Thomas Family is now in Okinawa for a second short tour. Please pray for this new assignment to go well for Kurt and for Mary and the kids to make new friends.
Birthdays
Dru Arnold celebrated her 61st birthday on 2 February 2016. She saw her shadow, so there will be ix more weeks of winter, but given this is California, that is not all bad.
Marriage
Kristyna Thomas and Luis Aviles were married on 16 January 2016 at Fort Lewis, Washington, please pray they might come together as one in our Lord.
Departed
Annie Springer passed away the morning of 13 February 2016, after a hard fought battle with a transplant rejection and diabetes. Please give thanks for her time here on earth and pray for her husband Mike, children Alex and Emilie, other family and friends who of necessity remain behind; that they might let the Lord carry their sadness at the temporary separation.
Bishop Franklin Sellers, 89, passed away 17 January 2016, former Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church, he served His Lord many years as an advocate for the Reformed Anglican Church. Please keep his family in your prayers in the weeks ahead.
Kym Leasure, 44, passed away the morning of 12 January 2016, from complications of respiratory and cardiac issues. She is a member of Saint Paul’s AOC in Moberly, Missouri. Please pray for her family who remain behind, in particular her parents, that they might adjust to the temporary separation.
Nearing the end of their time here on earth
Mrs. Tiffany (90) has chosen to refuse extraordinary care as it will not gain much earthly time. The Tiffanys have been together for a long, long, long time. Pray for Mrs. Tiffany and her husband as together they begin this Journey to be with their Lord.
Charles has tonsil cancer; his treatment was stopped in June 2015. The tumor was too large and prevented surgery. Charles is unable to ingest nutrition and he is in a great deal of pain Please pray for him as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Phil and his family who will of necessity remain behind.
Phil was taken off life support on 2 April 2015. Please pray for him as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Phil and his family who will of necessity remain behind.
Maggie is nearing the end of her time here on earth. Please pray for Maggie and her husband Dub as she prepares to go home to be with her family who have gone before her. Pray for the faith of her family to build and the transition to be good.
Alan is a victim of metastasized colon cancer already destroying his liver. His youngest sister has put aside her hard-earned career to care for her brother in these days on earth. Please pray for him as he prepares to go home to be with his family who have gone before him. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Alan and his family who will of necessity remain behind.
Saundra is in ICU with congestive heart failure after a heart operation. She is aged and frail. Saundra is near the end of her time here on earth. Please pray for comfort, understanding, strength and guidance for Saundra and her family who will of necessity remain behind. Pray for the love of God to stay foremost in their hearts.
Polly is in hospice care with dementia and spinal stenosis. Please pray for her as she prepares to go home to be with her family who have gone before her. Pray for the faith of her family to build and the transition to be good.
In need of a miracle or understanding of God’s Plan
Pat has metastaticosteosarcoma; there is little that can be done Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Pat’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Pat and family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
Amy has been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and has cancer all over her body, and in one of her kidneys which are no longer functioning. Amy and her family have asked for prayer to stop the growth and to aid the family financially with the medical bills. At present she has to have surgery every two months to place stents. Pray Jesus will be close to all.
Gemma Dillinger has been treating for breast cancer for over a year now, after surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy, she is reaching the limit of her tolerance with no end in sight. Please pray for her to gain strength and ground on the cancer. Help her to continue with her faith in our Lord, she is not afraid to go home, but wants to make sure it is time. Pray she will be encouraged to not give up until it is her time to go and that her time here on earth with her family will be good.
Nathan has battled cancer for several years and was thought to be in remission. Now, the cancer has returned to his spine. With chemotherapy and radiation ahead and perhaps surgery, Nathan asks your prayers for guidance for those treating him and help for him to continue his trust in the Lord. Pray also the cancer will be driven from him.
Janet has had a blood borne cancer for several years. Her faith in the Lord is great and he is ready to be with Him. Pray she will be encouraged to not give up until it is her time to go.
Holly has had Colon Cancer, Breast Cancer and now it is in her spine. Please pray for guidance for the medical personnel treating Holly, for a miraculous remission; that Holly’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Holly and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror. Pray for strength and courage for Holly.
Tim was on a kidney transplant list and started dialysis and was taken off the transplant list for a heart problem that required stents, while putting in stents a leaking valve was found. A port was put in and something happened and it has to be redone. In several days he will have a valve replaced, after heart surgery and recover he will go back on the transplant list. Please remember him in prayer in the days and weeks ahead. Pray he will put his worry on God’s shoulders so he might be at peace and rest. Pray for those treating him that they might pay attention and do their best.
Marilyn has been diagnosed with non-operable pancreatic cancer. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Marilyn’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Marilyn and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
June found she has a recurrence of colon cancer, which is now Stage Four, that is it has spread. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that June’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help June and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
Cindy has been diagnosed with two aggressive malignant brain tumors. We have been praying for a miraculous remission; one shrank and the other disappeared; now the shrinking one has started to grow agian. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Cindy’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Cindy and and her family will continue to put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their sadness, fear, worry and terror.
Leon McKay suffered a stroke a few weeks back that has left him unable to speak and while undergoing evaluation the doctors also found he has a very aggressive cancer. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that Leon’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Leon and his family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.
Rev. Thomas Brooks is not improving and being kept alive by artificial machines. Please pray for a miraculous recovery and if that not be God’s Will, a rapid passing to home. Help Thomas’ family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry
Ronnie has kidney cancer that has spread and the surgeons are very concerned. Please pray the medical team to formulate a successful treatment plan and for a miraculous remission; that Ronnie’s remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Ronnie and family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.
Levi was cancer free for 4 years and just discovered he has kidney cancer. Levi has a great deal of faith and said whether he is healed or God takes him home he will be fine. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Levi and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders. In particular, please pray for pain relief; Levi is 22 years old.
Ray Daley is a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and served his country during the Korean War era. Ray is taking chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Meanwhile his son Trevor is in the hospital in a coma and seems to have lost the will to live.
Pat has been under treatment for colon cancer for sometime. He has had major complications the last few days and your prayers will be appreciated by family and friends.
Dorothy had pneumonia, on checking her lungs they found tumors which permeated the lung area. Further investigation found a primary site in the colon, with the lung being secondary. It would appear there is no viable treatment at this time. Please pray for a miraculous remission; that her remaining time here on earth might be good. Help Dorothy and her family put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.
Becky has fourth stage metastasized lung cancer and is not doing well with chemotherapy treatments. Please pray for Becky and her husband as they are together during this difficult time in their lives.
Jane has fourth stage cancer and is not doing well. Please pray for Jane and her family as they are together during this difficult time in their lives.
Colleen has been battling pancreatic cancer over the last year and it has now spread to one of her lungs. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.
Christine has cancer of the colon, which spread to her liver; she is receiving chemotherapy and is having difficulty eating. Please pray for the medical team treating her to pay attention and do their very best; pray also for confidence in our Lord for Christine and her family.
Todd and Kenny have both been fighting osteocarcinoma for over five years and have been told their time here on earth is nearing its end, absent a miracle from God. Both are ready to go home and leave the pain, but would like to stay. Please pray for them and their families.
Homebound or Infirm
John has Alzheimer’s; pray he will call on God to help him as he deals with this time in his life.
Steve, brother in law of Paul Martin, appears to have early onset dementia. Steve had teenage children and is very concerned for them. Please pray for the disease to stall or abate and for peace of mind for Steve and his family.
Emma Lee is in a Nursing Home and while moving her she was dropped and her femur was broken. She was operated on and her femur was repaired and she is in rehab. She is not responding well and your prayers will be appreciated.
James is on oxygen all the time, this is bothersome to him and terrifying as well. Please pray for James to put his worry, his bother and his terror on the Lord. Pray for strength and guidance for James and his family. They suggest this verse, “I am thine, save me, for I have sought thy precepts.”
Joan has had serious medical problems that have kept her confined. Please pray her health will remain stable.
Norma, Sara’s mother is in a state of deteriorating health, both physically and mentally, with both dementia and Alzheimer’s. She is slowly drifting away, though she still recognizes Sara and prayer gives her a sense of peace. Please pray for both Sara and her mother to put their cares and worries on God’s shoulders so they can deal with the many problems involved.
Surgery
Joey a young man with colon cancer is having surgery the week of 28 December 2015. Pray the surgical team will be open to guidance, pay close attention and do their very best. Pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Joey and his family.
Jenny is having surgery on 15 December 2015, to have two kidney stones removed and will be operated on Tuesday Morning. Pray the surgical team will be open to guidance, pay close attention and do their very best. Pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Jenny and her family.
Steve had a Pace Maker put in mid-December 2015,other problems came up. Steve has lost 5 pints of blood and your prayers will be appreciated.
Ashiei had surgery on Tuesday 1 December 2015, to remove a tumor from her chest; complications ensued. Please continue Ashiei in your prayers and pray for the medical team to be open to God’s guidance on further treatment, to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also Ashiei and her family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Marcia has had a biospy of a mass in her breast which indicated a tumor that must be removed. Pray the surgical team will be open to guidance, pay close attention and do their very best. Pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Marcia and her family.
Edware is having his fourth back surgery (in the last four years) Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Edware and his family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Jeff has been undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation since October for pancreatitis and Pancreatic cancer. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Jeff, his wife and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Albert had a pacemaker installed recently. He will require surgery soon for a leaking heart valve and has just been told he has esophageal cancer. Pray he will turn to God and come to know Him on a more personal basis as the days go by.
Jane underwent heart valve repair surgery on 3 July 2014. Please pray for full recovery. Pray also Jane and her family to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Mario has early-diagnosed prostate cancer and had surgery. Pray for complete remission and that Mario and his family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Eddie has upcoming bladder surgery. Please pray for the surgical team to pay attention and to their best and for a good outcome. Pray also that Eddie and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders.
Testing and Treatment
Gretchen has been diagnosed with severe osteoporosis. Her doctor wants to treat her with injectable drugs which have fearsome side effects. Please pray with Gretchen and her family the physicians treating her will be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Gretchen and her family in this worrisome time.
Pete has not been well and is back in the hospital with another stroke. Please pray for the physicians treating him to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Pete and his family in this worrisome time.
Kamil has heart problems and they are trying to stabilize his medication, now he been admitted to the hospital because of breathing problems. Please pray for the physicians treating him to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for Kamil and his family in this worrisome time.
Mary Lee has bleeding into her stomach and they cannot find the sources. Mary Lee is in CCU and her husband Maurice is not eating until she returns home for is so upset. Please pray for the physicians treating her to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for a full and speedy recovery to good health and for trust in the Lord for her, Maurice, as well as the rest of the family in this worrisome time.
Glenn Porter, MAJ USMC Retired, has Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis, which causes him to be unable to get enough oxygen into his system without supplemental oxygen all the time. The only real treatment is a lung transplant, without a transplant he has between two to five years here on earth. Please pray for him to continue in his faith and for a set of lungs to become available.
Kathy Cardin appears to have macular telangiectasia, a degenerative eye condition which ultimately results in blindness for which there is no apparent cure. Please pray for the physicians treating her to be guided in their assessment and treatment plan, for no loss of vision and trust in the Lord for her, her husband Ron, as well as the rest of the family in this worrisome time.
Pat has an aneurism of the brain, Pray she will make the right decision on how to treat this problem and it will be healed.
Gwen Savarese (Sandy Patton’s mom) had what was thought to be a min-stroke this week, when they looked at her carefully, they found a large mass, thought to be a tumor. At this point, it appears it can stay. Please pray for continued guidance for the medical team treating Gwen and patience and trust in God for Gwen, her husband and family. Pray also for a full recovery for Gwen.
Dan is very sick with cancer and is starting an experimental treatment. This treatment will take Dan away from their family business and put even more stress on him and his family. Please pray for Dan’s wife who is meeting with Steve who plans to keep the family business going while Dan is ill. Pray for Steve as he has many new responsibilities.
Timothy has brain cancer. He had surgery and is waiting for the pathology report to find out what kind of chemo he will need. Please pray for continued guidance for the medical team treating Timothy and patience and trust in God for Timothy and his family. Pray also for a full recovery for Timothy.
Mike Wysocki has a fluid buildup due to unknown reasons. He is being given diuretics which seem to reduce the fluid buildup. Please pray for continued guidance for the medical team treating Mike and patience and trust in God for Mike and his wife Wendy. Pray also for a full recovery for Mike.
Melanie Zimmers was hospitalized for a serious stomach area bleed on 15 September 2015; this is on top of heart problems. She had an angiogram on 10 August 2015, which turned out clear, but there are problems. Her heart’s has only a 20% ejection fraction, with no symptoms. They hope medications can get the fraction to above 45 percent or mechanical changes will have to be made. Please pray for continued guidance for the medical team and patience and trust in God for Melanie and her family, particularly her husband Mike. Pray also for a full recovery for her.
Helen was admitted from her doctor’s office 15 July 2015, as the result of a blood test, to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital with an extremely high white blood count. She and her husband are very active in the ministry of their church and are asking for believers to pray for them and their family, as they are facing very serious problems in the days to come. Please pray for guidance for the medical team and patience and trust in God for Helen and her family. Pray also for a full recovery for her.
Vickie has been falling and passing out and hurt herself. Pray the medical team treating her will find out the problem and bring it to an end.
Steve Thornell is undergoing cancer treatment at University of California Irvine, please pray for continued guidance for the medical team and patience and trust in God for Steve and his family. Pray also for a full recovery for him.
Red Thornell has mass in his neck, which appears likely to be cancerous. He has had a biopsy on 22 May 2015 and expects the results after a PET scan on Tuesday 26 May 2015. While there is an infection, his temperature is now normal; he is not for he sleeps 19-20 hours a day. Please pray for trust in our Lord for Red and his wonderful wife Vickie as they try to get through this nightmare.
Elma has been suffering with headaches for a long time. Doctors have not been able to discover the reason for them. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Elma and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for her that they might find the best treatment method to banish the headaches completely.
Corissa has been diagnosed with a blockage. As soon as the Physicians determine the exact problems they expect Major Surgery will proceed.
Barbara Apple was more or less bedridden after a fall. She was hospitalized in great pain and had been transferred to a skilled nursing facility where they hope to be able to control the pain level. Pray for inspiration for those caring for her that they might find the appropriate treatment. Please pray for Barbara to put her trust in the Lord, look to Him for strength and for her to gain energy so she does not lose the mobility she has; pray for a full and rapid recovery. Please pray also for her husband Bob who is taking care of her that he might be comforted and strengthened in this time of stress.
Bob Apple was at the hospital picking up his wife Barbara to bring her to the skilled nursing facility when he experienced chest pain. Barbara’s release from the hospital was delayed until Bob underwent an angiogram and had his medication adjusted. Please pray for comfort and strength for Bob and his continued healing.
Deborah has had a stroke, she is doing much better and out of the hospital. She has a problem with anemia and is taking supplements for that. Pray our Lord will be close to her and her family. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Deborah and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for her that they might find the best treatment method to allow her to heal completely.
Rev. Steve Boardman has been diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Pray that Jesus will be close and comfort his family and members of his congregation.
Hang So Ryu has cancer. Please pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very best. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for him and his family, as well as physical strength.
Olivia, age7, has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Lymphoma. The prognosis is good at this time, please pray for medical team contemplating and evaluating the treatment that they might be guided to the correct choice and do their very best. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Olivia and her family, as well as physical strength.
Paul has been hospitalized recently several times because of persistent high fevers. He is being tested and checked by physicians and seems to have a slight scoliosis, a node and Schuermann’s disease. Please pray it will be discovered how to treat these problems and healing will begin so he will be inspired to continue his education.
Carol Anne needs God’s comfort and healthy test results as she is anxiously undergoing tests related to previous hysterectomy and experiencing symptoms in the surrounding area.
Jennifer has some lumps on the right side of her neck; they have grown and multiplied. In the last few months she has been having problems swallowing. Jennifer has an appointment with specialist in several weeks to try and discover what it is. She is having a great deal of anxiety as she waits for her Doctors appointment and will appreciate your prayer for anxiety and health.
Rick has heart problems. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating him that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Rick and his wife Wanda to keep their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.
Clay has melanoma. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating him that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Rick and his wife Pam to keep their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry.
Atina has been diagnosed with skin cancer, which turned out to be a melanoma. A routine CT scan found a 9mm (3/8 inch) lesion in her left lung. The melanoma appears to be spreading; they need to remove the offending tissue and test the sample. Pray for guidance for the medical people treating her that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Atina’s faith is being tested, she has difficulty in praying and accepting the outcome, she wants what she wants and is perplexed about her faith in Jesus. Pray for help for Atina to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry.
Evelyn has been diagnosed with bone cancer. Pray for guidance for the medical people treating her that they might pay attention, do their very best and make the right recommendations regarding treatment. Pray for help for Evelyn to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry.
Stacy has Multiple Sclerosis and was hospitalized for what turned out to be food poisoning. Pray for trust in God for Stacy and Chris as they deal with Stacy’s illness.
Liz Strauch had a pineal cyst, which in the end responded well to a surgical draining last year. Since November 2013, similar symptoms have returned. A CT Scan turned up what is thought to be either a new cyst or an enlarged pineal gland. More testing, including an EEG is in the works. She can no longer work. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Liz and her family, in particular her husband Ken and sons Caleb and Nathan; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Liz to heal completely.
Faye is in the hospital because she is weak has been receiving blood transfusions. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Faye and her family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Faye to heal completely.
Tom has heart and kidney problems. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Tom and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment and allow Tom to heal completely.
Harold has had a severe stroke. He is now home, but his family is looking for a rehabilitation facility to help him recuperate. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Harold and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people caring for him that they might find the best treatment method to allow Harold to heal completely.
Joe has had a preliminary ALS diagnosis. Pray the final diagnosis will something that will allow him to continue taking care of his devoted young family. Pray for strength, courage and understanding for Joe and his family; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.
Mark Wilson has been under tremendous strain both physically and with work; he passed out just before New Years Day and awoke in the hospital, he got out then back in apparently with double pneumonia and now out. Due to very bad lungs already, this is a life threatening issue. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mark, as well as for his family.
Preston is reacting poorly to recent neck surgery and now has problems with his liver count; Physicians feel that dialysis will help. There may be a blockage in the bowel and an operation might be necessary. Please pray for the medical team to pay attention and to their best to determine how to help Preston and for a good outcome. Pray also that Preston and family will be able to put their worry on God’s shoulders while Preston does his best to facilitate a return to good health.
Erica has a non-malignant Brain Tumor which cannot be surgically removed due to the size and location. They are going to attempt chemotherapy. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Erica, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.
Brenda is in the hospital because of bleeding on her brain. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Brenda, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.
Mackenzie is a young girl with leukemia. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mackenzie, as well as for her family, and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find the best course of treatment.
Mack has had diabetes most of his adult life. Circulation in his legs is very bad and doctors are considering amputation. Please pray his medication will help and he will not face amputation. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Mack and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.
Michael has been diagnosed with lung cancer recently after making it through gastro intestinal cancer last year. Please pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Michael and his wife Gayle; as well as for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that they might find the best course of treatment.
Adriano is in the hospital due to high sugar and high blood pressure. He is very weak and will appreciate your prayers.
Heather recently found out she has cancer. Please pray for peace of mind for her and for the medical team treating her will be guided to the right solution.
Jim has had an aneurism and blood clots. Pray that healing will come.
Georgia has liver and pancreatic cancer. The doctors are evaluating whether to do surgery and how to tackle the disease. Georgia is a faithful Christian and appreciates your prayers. Pray for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find out the source of the problem and best course of treatment. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Georgia and her family.
Lana’s doctor found something on her lymph nodes and ovaries. Pray for God’s guidance for the medical people treating her that they might find out the source of the problem and best course of treatment. Pray also for peace of mind and trust in God for Lana and her family.
Healing
Dylan Klein, 9, grand-nephew of Chet O’Brien, lost his 41 year old father last April, there was no insurance; his grandmother died in December with brain cancer. Dylan is the middle boy of Chet’s niece, Erin. On 18 January 2016, Dylan was found to have a brain tumor; an operation on 25 January 2016, appears to have been successful in removing all of the tumor. The biopsy showed it was cancerous. He is going to begin a regimen of radiation and chemo treatments in about 2 weeks. Please pray for healing and for trust in the Lord and peace of mind for Dylan, Erin and the rest of the family.
Shamu has had seven surgeries now to attempt to solve a disruptive colon. She needs at least two more. She is weak. Please pray for strength, physical, mental and spiritual for her. Pray for guidance for the medical team treating her. Pray also for her to continue her trust in our Lord as she goes through this difficult time.
Felipe had to have his right leg amputated just below the knee due to diabetes complications. Please pray for a full and rapid recovery, adjustment to a prosthetic leg and return to work for him, as well as regulation of his diabetes so he does not have further problems.
Rev Bill had a stroke. Pray he will stay comfortable and Jesus will be close by, please pray for a full and rapid recovery.
Dennis will begin chemotherapy for an active cancer spot on his spine on 17 September 2015. Please pray for a good result and tolerance of the treatment for him.
Vickie has been bothered with Migraines and all that go with the headaches. Please pray for relief from the pain for Vickie.
Amelia Perez had a small stroke on 11 July 2015 and drove herself to the emergency room, she was admitted for three days, had her carotid artery opened up and is recovering. Amelia’s faith and spirit are strong. Please give thanks for the progress so far, for her continued and full recovery and her faith to continue to support her. Pray also for her family who are still quite worried for her.
Jon has Stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma There is good news in that he is in remission; however the chemotherapyis producing neuropathy in his legs so that it is a challenge for him to get around. Please pray that he will be as comfortable as possible; he has been a Marathoner runner so this is especially difficult.
Margaret, from California, fell and broke her on 7 July 2015, while visiting her daughter in Arizona. She will stay in Arizona for the rehabilitation and return to her home when able. Furthermore, Margaret is in good spirits; however she will be away from her church family which is important to her for an extended period of time.
Cindyis very ill, she is young and has children, she and her family need your prayers that they might stay close to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as she heals.
Diana, age 15, broke her leg while in school and now has a cast on. Pray she will adjust and be healed soon
Amy has melanoma in her lungs, liver and kidneys; they have found a treatment for her that has a high success rate however the side effects are debilitating. Please pray she will be able to tolerate the side effects and the treatment is successful. Amy has full trust in the Lord, but would still appreciate your prayers.
Debbie is just beginning chemotherapy for cancer of the lymph nodes. Prayer she will be able to tolerate the therapy acceptably and remain strong as she remembers the Lord is with her at all times.
Liz had a massive stroke at age thirty-seven. The prognosis is good but she has a long road ahead. . Please pray for guidance for those treating her, for trust in our Lord for Liz and her family, for healing.
Ebick is suffering from a severe ulcer but the Doctors cannot give her the proper dosage of the medicine due to her six month pregnancy. Please pray doctors will find an alternative avenue for treatment or that God will provide.
Stan is going through chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. He is elderly and the treatments are tiring him. Please pray for his wife Marvelene as they do this together.
Meg recently found out she had heart problems causing low blood oxygen levels, loss of focus resulting in an emergency room crisis. As a result of the symptoms she made errors on the job that caused her to lose her job. She is grateful for the excellent medical care she has received and optimistic, feeling with God’s intervention in her life her health may be reversed and a new job will become available.
Donald is in the hospital and had his leg amputated on 14 April 2014. Pray he will adjust and healing will begin.
David has many concussions and unable to go to school, read books, watch TV and has headaches and migraines. He has trouble sleeping and his family will appreciate your prayers for this 10 year old young man.
Gladys has breast cancer and has had a lumpectomy. She needs to take a year off of her work to have chemo treatments.
Alwin Jack has had a stroke and recently has had a relapse. Please pray for those who treat Alwin that they might chose the best possible treatment and pray for peace of mind for Alwin during the recovery phase.
Carolyn has Multiple Sclerosis with complications. Pray Carolyn and her children will be close to our Lord Jesus Christ as they and family members help to ease the problems.
Mary Garcia had surgery, she is home, but not healing as well as she hoped. Please pray for her continued healing.
Bill had malignant growth removed from a lip last month and seems to be experiencing a re-growth of the cancer. He asks your prayer for the medical team treating him and for peace of mind for himself.
Hank has osteoporosis, which has caused him a great deal of pain and inconvenience in the past few years. Pray for his healing and that his medical bills will be met.
Evelyn is an elderly woman who has had problems with her eyes and is now blind. It appears some sight will return shortly, pray for that to happen!
Joanne has begun kidney dialysis as a result of kidney failure due to extensive chemotherapy. Additionally she cares for an adopted drug addicted baby who is now nine years old. Please pray for her to keep her faith, to let the Lord carry her worry and concern and to give her strength. Pray also for those treating her that they might pay attention and do their best.
Mr. N. Anand is in the hospital and is seriously ill. He is being encouraged to pray for repentance of his sins and to depend upon our dependable God for a cure and recovery of his health. Pray that he will be a strong witness for Christ.
Jacob has been going through some dental procedures and has some pain and aggravation with the numbness. Please pray for comfort and strength for him, as well as for guidance for the medical team treating him that they might pay attention and do their best.
Bud and his wife for their continued welfare and enthusiasm. Bud has been advised of an aneurism in his heart of a size not mandating immediate surgery. This comes at a time when he has sole care of his wife who recently broke two vertebrae and thereafter sustained pneumonia.
Virginia has Sinus and Allergy problems giving her severe problems. Pray that the Doctor will discover why it continues and find a cure.
Steve Thornell had a brain aneurysm, which was found before it burst. He is home from the hospital and working hard on recovery. He lacks energy from seven days in the hospital. His doctor told him he has to make serious life changes. One of the two main arteries in the back of the head is now completely closed. He must take blood thinners, he has thick blood and recent chemotherapy made it worse. Steve has always operated at 110 percent, he needs help to slow down. Please pray for trust in the Lord and a full and rapid recovery. Pray for peace of mind for Steve and his family.
Arlen is receiving treatment for lung cancer and recently experienced a ruptured colon during treatment. She is alone in Oregon but does have a friend who has traveled a great distance to be at her side. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Arlen.
Oscar discovered some time ago he had blood clots in his leg and lung. He has been treated for them and has not been cured. He now will be facing surgery. Please keep him in your prayers.
Angela had an ischemic stroke (clot).Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Angela. Please pray also that she and her family might put their worries on our Lord’s back so she can work hard towards recovery.
Nora had a stroke mid February 2013. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Nora. Please pray also that she and her family might put their worries on our Lord’s back so she can work hard towards recovery.
Linda has been hospitalized for several days with a gastrointestinal problem. Please pray for guidance for the medical team treating her and for strength and trust for Linda.
Dester is suffering from unknown skin and diseases. Please guide the medical team treating him to find out what the problem is and cure it. Pray also for Dester to trust in the Lord.
Lee has Arterial Fibrillation, sheis doing much better and she and her family thank you for your prayers. Her pain level is high and some medications have bad side effects. Please continue her in Prayer in the weeks ahead as she heals.
Nell recently adopted two children and has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
Mary Lou has been suffering with seizures. She was in the hospital with a 24 hour monitor and is being sent home from the hospital with two medications and orders to return in 2 months for another MRI to review whatever is going on in her brain. Please pray for guidance for the medical people treating her, as well as peace of mind and trust in God for her and her family.
Kathleen has spent the last two weeks in the hospital. She has been diagnosed with colitis, shingles and possibly colon cancer. Pray she will be comfortable and begin to heal.
Rachel has Mitochondrial Myopathy. This is a hereditary disease of the muscles and they do not have a cure for it. Part of her pain is her family does not believe she is indeed ill, as she appears to be just fine. Please pray her family will learn the truth and be supportive of her; pray also the medical people treating her will find the right measures to minimize the disease. Most particularly pray for Rachel’s trust in God.
Nicolas is in the hospital with serious symptoms of a heart disorder. Please pray for peace of mind for him and guidance for the medical team looking for the cause and cure.
Juanita is a young girl who was in a coma because of a blood disease. She has not come out and is gaining strength. They are awaiting results from blood samples. Her family thanks you for your prayers and asks that you continue.
George had foot surgery. Please give thanks for the surgery and pray for a full and rapid recovery.
Nellie is in the emergency room of a hospital in a great deal of pain. Please pray for peace of mind for her and guidance for the medical team looking for the cause and cure.
Lauralee Meade underwent a lumpectomy on Friday after Thanksgiving. A further anomaly has been discovered and she had additional preventative radiation treatment. Please pray for a complete remission of the cancer. Pray also Lauralee will maintain her great attitude and trust in God.
Bill, Sara’s husband, had a third abdominal surgery on 22 November 2011, to remove a tumor. Bill is doing better keeping the doctor’s instructions, for which we are all grateful, including taking chemotherapy once a day for one more year. He has decreased the consumption of alcohol and eating at least mostly properly. Please pray for help for him to continue do all this. Please pray also that Bill might turn his heart outward to help those around him, as well as live a long and healthy life to the honor and glory of God. Pray also for peace of mind for Bill and his wife Sara.
Kay Denton (Mrs. Kay) has had another chest infection, perhaps viral, this one is pretty bad. Please pray for her full and rapid recovery and for her ability to breathe to return quickly. Please pray for continued peace of mind for Mrs. Kay and her family. Give thanks for her trust in the Lord and her positive attitude.
Matt Alcantara, age 16, came back with ZERO SCANS again in August 2014! Matt has Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), a very rare and often lethal form of cancer with limited treatment options. This is a disease that is about 90 percent fatal in a couple of years. He has no hip joint on one side, but he walks and swims! Courage? Guts? You bet! Please also give thanks for the great faith of Matt and his entire family. Their faith and trust is a wonderful example for each and every one of us. But, now is not the time to stop praying. Actually, it never is the time to stop praying!
Judith Clingwall is afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). She is currently in Laurel Place, an extended care facility in Surrey, British Columbia. Judith’s condition has worsened recently. Please pray for her to take an active part in her own life, for her strength, peace of mind, trust in God and remission of the disease so she might return home to her family. Pray also for strength for her husband Martin as he deals with all the problems and stress of Judith’s situation.
Vince (age 15), reoccurrence of Osteosarcoma, recent testing found a nickel sized tumor in his lungs. The doctors are consulting with a specialist in Houston. Please pray for guidance for the medical team and for peace of mind for Vince and his family.
Healing and Patience
Diane spent a month in the hospital because of an inability to breath., due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) apparently from chronic bronchitis. She is home, still very weak and learning to live with this progressive disease. Pray she will let the Lord help her be calm in her new circumstances and that healing will come.
Kym (43) has various hip problems which seems to be related to osteoarthritis. And, her mother Ruth is in the early stages of dementia. Pray for guidance for those treating both of them, as well as patience and trust in the Lord for both of them.
Christopher has had problems with his leg for some time. Now he has to have it casted and it will stay that way for what to him seems an interminable time. Pray for patience and peace of mind for this young man who has much he wants to do.
James for the Lord’s healing of health issues and give a remedy for many personal challenges at the moment
Thanksgiving and Continued Healing
Jose Francisco Vidas was in a terrible automobile accident on Friday 11 December 2015 as he was on his way to work when an unlicensed driver in a jacked up pickup truck ran a red light and destroyed his car. Francisco has massive internal injuries, swelling of his brain and unknown orthopedic injuries. His family and co-workers are with him around the clock. He is making gradual progress towards recovery; please give thanks and continue to pray for physical and spiritual strength for Francisco, his wife, daughter and co-workers, particularly Scott, Roger and Mark; pray for the medical team treating him that they might be open to God’s guidance and do their very best. Pray for trust in our Lord for all concerned.
Linda had successful dental surgery on 15 December 2015, she is also on a course of chemotherapy and this type of surgery was not recommended for people while they are taking chemotherapy. But, it was an emergency and had to be done. Please give thanks all went well and pray for continued healing and for peace of mind and trust in God for Linda and her family.
Ruby broke her hip on 10 December 2015, surgery was successful. Please give thanks for the successful surgery and pray for her full and rapid recovery.
Terry was undergoing radiation treatment for cancer, which he had to stop to amputate his leg below the knee due to diabetes. The surgery was successful, he has been fitted with a prosthetic leg and foot. He is in good spirits and positive about the remainder of his treatment. Please join Terry and his family in giving thanks for the successful surgery and continue to pray for his return to radiation treatment and then to chemotherapy, ask God to give Terry, his wife and seven year old son trust in him for peace of mind and heart, as well.
Cynthia (Cindy) Olufson (Melanie Zimmer’s sister) had surgery to remove Harrington rods put in her back 25 years ago because of an infection. The surgery went well, please give thanks for the great result and pray for a full and rapid recovery for Cindy.
Daisy Lee is recovering from necrotizing fasciitis, which manifested on 30 January 2015, causing the loss of her right arm and her left hand, as well as parts of both feet. This is very very hard, but Daisy has kept her faith. As she becomes more well, less in people’s thoughts and prayers it will be a lot tougher for her. Please pray for strength for her and her family and friends as time moves on. Her family is thankful for all the support they have received during these past couple weeks and hopes all will continue to pray for Daisy’s speedy recovery.
Pray for peace of mind and trust in God for Daisy’s family, her husband and children Tiffany and Chris.
Michael Lenahan known to all as Bullet was hospitalized on 18 March 2015, and had a stent placed in a cardio artery. All went well and he is recovering nicely. Please give thanks for the great result and pray for a complete and rapid recovery for Bullet.
Janet Jessup had a stroke on 3 July 2014 and heart problems that were causing huge issues for her. They seem to have gotten her stabilized and she is going home from the hospital. Please join the entire family in giving thanks for this wonderful development. Please pray for those treating her to find the appropriate treatment and for trust in God and peace of mind for Janet and her family, in particular her husband of 43 years, Rev Roger Jessup, retired minister of Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church.
Arch Crittenden has Multiple Myeloma (cancer cells in bone marrow); without this treatment life expectancy is one to two years. The treatment has apparently been effective. Arch and his lovely wife Kathy ask that you pray for their trust in God to remain strong and for a good outcome.
Sam had surgery on his entire large intestine that had become infected. At the time of the operation he was just hours away from a complete organ shutdown. He had had turmoil in his life over the years. Sam is now in the ICU and his Minister visited him and explained to him God had given him another chance for him to make things right with his Lord. Pray for his good health and his spiritual life with Jesus.
Ian had surgery to remove excess skin rendered a nuisance by controlled lost of 200 pounds. Please give thanks for the successful result and for those treating him to have paid attention and done their very best on the lengthy surgery, taking the best possible care of him. Please pray for his continued recovery and strength for his Mother who will be in charge of his after care.
Jenniffer had surgery for breast cancer on 15 October 2014, which seemingly went well; please give thanks for that. She has had other complications which preclude her from making a full recovery in particular, the reconstructive surgery seems to have gravely affected her back muscles and nerves, resulting in both very limited mobility and extreme pain, the drugs are making her terribly sick; please pray those will be overcome. Pray for help for Jenniffer to keep her trust in the Lord and let Him carry her worry and concern as she recovers. Please pray also for strength and courage for her family as they try their best to help her.
Mary Thornell has been battling colon cancer for three years now, she is currently treating at the City of Hope. Things seem to be going well, the numbers seem headed in the right direction. Please pray for guidance for those treating her, as well as strength, guidance and peace of mind for Mary and her husband Jim, as well as daughter Janice and son Jimmy, as she undergoes treatment.
Jim Thornell (Jet) seems to have recovered from the five stomach ulcers and now is dealing with blocked coronary arteries and taking care of Mary. Please give thanks for the great result and also for the strength, guidance and peace of mind our Lord gave Jet and his wife Mary, as well as daughter Janice and son Jimmy, as he underwent treatment.
Elma is suffering from cancer. She was taken home from the hospital on the advice of her Doctor. We were asked to pray that Elma’s remaining time here on earth might be good and that Elma and family might put their trust in the Lord and let Him carry their worry. Since then, Elma’s Bishop told us a great Miracle of the Lord is working over Elma. Doctors sent her home to die, but now she seems to be doing all right. On behalf of her, thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue praying for her complete healing.
Dennis has heart problems; now the medical people treating him discovered a large mass on his liver which turned out to be a cyst! Please give thanks for this great development and pray for peace of mind and trust in the Lord for Dennis and for God’s guidance for the medical people treating him that the contemplated surgery might go well.
Dwight had major oral surgery, for which he gives thanks. He is recovering slowly and asks your prayers to speed the process.
Mike is a veteran who has served his country when she called. Please pray he will open his heart to God so He can make Mike’s crooked road straight and pull him towards the summit rather than to the pit.
Business
Mark’s business is in mortal peril. He works in a shrinking field, of which he is one of the country’s true masters, but there is little work available. He lost two of his most critical workmen to accident and illness. He asks that you pray he can find a way to survive wit honor in his industry, which he loves and needs his talents. Pray he can find new sources of business and new ways of doing things, perhaps someone to partner with to better use his talents. Pray also for those who work for and with him that they might do their best to help.
Financial Guidance and Employment
Anne is unemployed and just interviewed for a position. Please pray she will be employed, if not at this position then that this interview will lead to better prospects. Pray for her ot be encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Ghost.
Doug recently became unemployed from his job of 18 years. He has been applying for jobs, but unable to get one at this time. His wife is working; this is not enough for the family. Please pray he will find employment with a firm that will be able to use his considerable skill and hard work to benefit both the firm and the family.
Catherine and Lewis are at a low ebb due to a struggle for employment. Your fervent prayers will be appreciated.
Lori is considering a potential change in her employment. Please pray for God’s guidance in considering all aspect of her potential work.
Sara is concerned about the future with her company. She would appreciate prayers for her continued employment and that her firm might find more and better ways to use her considerable skills.
Financial Guidance and Healing
Clark is in need of salvation; for God’s Will to be done in his life. Pray his family will be blessed with the financial miracles that come from doing His Will.
Timothy and Sharon had their home foreclosed the morning of 15 April 2014. They are experiencing spiritual, emotional and financial crisis at the current time. Please pray for God’s guidance as to how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves and more importantly have them draw closer to God and each other.
Linda, Rick, Christian and Sawyer are a family experiencing spiritual, emotional and financial crisis at the current time. Please pray for God’s guidance as to how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves and more importantly have them draw closer to God and each other.
David and Lorna are having financial problems. They are trying to find a smaller home which may be more affordable. Lorna has had an ongoing battle with brain cancer, her trips back and forth to the hospital have drained their finances to the point they sometimes struggle to have enough food in the house. Pleaser pray for Lorna’s healing and guidance on how they might handle the financial difficulties in which they have found themselves.
God’s Strength and Peace of Soul
Charlie McCormack is really feeling down as the holiday season approaches. He cannot say why; on the one hand knowing rationally things are pretty darn good and on the other hand feeling what he knows to be irrationally that doom is impending. He asks your prayer that the Holy Ghost might fill his heart with light and drive the darkness far away.
Guidance
Thomas recently learned as the result of a parole violation he will not be allowed to return to society for the remainder of his life. He is despairing and fearful of his inability to cope with this new news and God’s plan for his life. Please pray he will be able to work with God to live with the choices he has made and go forward.
Shyla, age 8, has been suffering for five years with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). She is extremely disturbed and thinks she would be better dead; pray the Holy Ghost will bring an understanding of what our Lord Jesus Christ expects from her so she can have peace of mind and give her family guidance that they can find someone who can help Shyla with her problem and that all the family will remember God’s love for them.
Anne has been helping a woman; the woman has turned against her and become very mean. Pray she will better realize God is with her and that He will help with the problems.
Holly and her two sons Brandon and Bailey need your prayer. Holly is in need of employment and her two sons have turned their back on God and are walking into the world and making their way down that broad smooth boulevard which leads to The Pit. They now wish to be not only in the world, but of the world. Please pray Holly will remain strong and preserve in her faith and that she can find help in the Holy Ghost to help her return her sons to the Word in which they were raised and back to that narrow path that leads to the summit; help them to distinguish fun from happiness and to see the signs of Donkey Island before it is too late for them to turn back.
Maria Legumana will graduate with a Bachelor of Education Friday from the University of the South Pacific Fiji. The ceremony will be in Honiara Solomon Islands so her family will be able to be with her. Pray that she will continue to seek God’s guidance as plans for the future come into her life.
Cam has gotten into some of the issues being with the wrong crowds, too much dinking and making the wrong decisions. Pray he will ask God to send the Holy Ghost in to straighten things out and he will listen when He speaks to him.
Paul recently had his large toe amputated due to diabetes and is having a difficult recovery filled with fear about dying. He recently accepted Jesus as his savior and his family Rosie and Brenda are very grateful. Pray for strength for both Rosie and Brenda who are staying by his side through it all encouraging him on.
Steve is addicted to alcohol, pain pills and gambling. Pray for wisdom, courage and strength to stick with treatment and follow God’s plan for his life.
Eli has some mental issues and has lost his way. He was admitted to the hospital for psychological evaluation to get a proper diagnosis and medications and has been discharged. He has yet to come to grips with the demons chasing him. Pray he will return to the Lord and his family. Eli’s brother Carl has gotten little to no support from the family, he being the one to get Eli into treatment. Daughter Katie seems to be the least helpful. Pray they will ask God to send the Holy Ghost in to straighten things out and they will listen when He speaks to them. The family has been open to the Prince of Darkness and needs help.
Debbie has family problems that must be dealt with and she asks God’s guidance in making the correct decisions and how to stand.
Edward (45) had the opportunity to meet with a Christian during the conversation she discovered Edward had some background about God but thought He was not relevant to this day. Edward asked many questions about the Bible and was surprised at the answers and continued to ask questions. They both went their separate ways and the Christian told Edward that she would pray for him. Will you join in prayer for Edward, please?
Michael and his Family ask your prayers for wisdom as they are under trial and affliction to follow the law of the land and yet honor God in so doing.
Flora is in remission with cancer, but has high blood pressure and fatigue. Flora’s Mother recently died and this has caused added stress. Please pray that she will be able to let God carry her worry and sorrow so she can do the things she needs to do.
Elizabeth and Gunner need your prayers for their general well being. Pray they might see the Light of the Lord and let Him guide their lives. Pray they will open their hearts not only to the Lord, but to each other to become one in Him and happiness.
Eli has lost his way both spiritually and mentally, please pray for him and his parents Ed and Barb, who are having great struggles seeing their son, go through these afflictions having brought up in a Christian home. Please pray his parents can find a way to help Eli.
Mitten has a Christian talking to him about Christ. Mitten does not believe and does not seem to care. Please pray Mitten will see the light.
Kristen, Rickey and their two children ask you to pray for grace, wisdom and understanding as they attempt to cope with infidelity, separation and possibly divorce as a result of backsliding from the Lord into the World.
Helene and her family ask your prayers for them as they deal with the loss of Alan, husband and father.
Stephanie seems to be very deeply into post partum depression after her baby was born prematurely. Please pray for her Mother in Law who is going a great distance to help Stephanie and her new Grandson. Pray that Stephanie will be able to direct her attention outward, rather than inward.
William is an elderly man living with his Son and Daughter in-law. William is causing trouble in the family because of his demanding ways and continually using bad language. The family is at wit’s end to know how to handle him and will appreciate your guidance and prayers.
Caitlin is in the grip of the Prince of Darkness; she thinks there is escape from reality in drugs. The saddest part is that reality is not as she sees it. Her family is despairing as they can do nothing to help her and ask that you pray for the Holy Ghost to enter into heart and show her the need for change before it is too late.
Nathaniel is in spiritual turmoil. His family and friends will appreciate it if you will keep him in your prayers for him to find the root of his trouble and accept God’s help.
Sam and her two children that have been living in a shelter and are to lose their place there. Please pray a place will be found they can stay in and recover.
Please pray Darlene will surrender her life to Christ.
Norrie is facing daily exams in the weeks ahead. Pray for calmness and concentration and to do the best possible.
Jonathan is addicted to drugs. He is now in jail awaiting trial. His parents and friends will appreciate it if you will keep him in your prayers for him to find the root of his trouble and accept God’s help to heal addiction.
Beth is suffering from ungodly treatment in her marriage. Please pray God will guide her in her behavior, actions and thoughts that she might be able to lead her husband to God so her marriage might prosper to the benefit of them.
Jeanette has had many members of her family die from diabetes and several are near death now. Jeanette does not know the Lord and is despondent and perplexed about her family and herself. Please pray she can open her heart to allow the Holy Ghost in to bring her knowledge and understanding.
Dr. Elizabeth Raj is teaching a biblical approach to the psychological problems facing many in our society today. She is battling against the growing influence of worldly psychology adopted by the churches themselves. Elizabeth constantly stresses answers are found between the covers of that precious Book, the Holy Bible. Please pray for encouragement, strength, fortitude and courage for her.
Abigail is a teenager who has behavior problems. She feels she is in an area of mental darkness. Please pray that she might look to God for help and not within herself.
Sara asks that you pray for guidance for her as she deals with the stresses of her family and life. Pray that she can separate those things which she can affect from those things which she cannot and give her grace to accept that she cannot do everything and can only change those things within her control. She asks for God’s help for her business so that she might remain gainfully employed while keeping up with the needs of her mother and husband and healing her own problems.
Jacquie to open her heart to God and accept His Love and Grace.
School Challenges
Destiny, Blake and Janet
Anglican Orthodox Church
Kenya
The Anglican Orthodox Church is making plans for establishment of a presence in Kissi, Kenya. There are six parishes, a total of 161 members, 68 adults, 93 children with two ministers. Please pray for the church there and guidance for the people involved.
Indonesia
Please pray for the Lord’s will regarding the establishment of an AOC church in Indonesia.
South Pacific
Ashbin Singh family, mother, two daughters,grandparents, have come to know Jesus. Our minister in the Anglican Orthodox Church is going to see them for several days. There have also been health issues with Ashbin. Please pray for good health and that all will begin a study of God’s Word and thank our Lord for revealing Himself to them.
Pakistan
The forces of evil are strong in Pakistan. The force of God stronger. Pray for our Christian family there.
Ernest Jacob
Presiding Bishop Pakistan
The Anglican Orthodox Church Pakistan thanks you for your Prayers; we have two new Priests
Dear Bishop Jerry Ogles & AOC family,
Greetings from Pakistan. It is my pleasure to announce that we are ordaining Deacon Ahsan Iqbal and Amer William as priests in Anglican Orthodox Church of Pakistan. Mr. Ahsan will serve in Peshawar was held on Wednesday, 3 February 2016 in Peshawar.
Please do remember this event and both gentlemen in your prayers.
God bless you all.
In Christ’s sevice.
Ernest Jacob
Presiding Bishop Pakistan
Serbia
Rev. Igor Djurcik leader of Anglican Orthodox Church in Serbia asks us to pray for his students. He has excellent young people in Belgrade who are having services and classes on the Bible.
Philippines
Please pray a Minister will be found who would like to serve in Tabuk, in the Philippine Islands. The Anglican Orthodox Church has an established Church there and in the surrounding areas and need a Shepherd to lead the flock.
Diocese of the Epiphany
Saint Paul’s, Moberly, Missouri would like your prayers that the Holy Ghost might enter more fully into their hearts so that they might be more effective in spreading the Word of God.
Atlanta
Bishop Jerry was in Atlanta, preaching at a church who has in attendance many members of another church founded in 1887 that has closed. Many of those are older, in their late 70s and early 80s. Please pray they will see this is a parish where they can be one with other believers. Please pray the Holy Ghost might enter more fully into their hearts so that they might see their way to come together.
Diocese of Virginia
Saint Joseph of Arimathea Anglican Orthodox Church is under a lot of stress. We all are, but they need even more prayer. Rev Roger Jessup, their wonderful minister, had to retire as he was so pressed by the duties of a primary care giver, in addition to all the worries of this world. Pray for trust in God for each member of the parish and for them to find economic relief.
Armed Forces & Contractors
Dustin (USAF – Middle East), Kristyna and Luis Aviles (Army – Fort Lewis, Washington), Airman Donny Patton (USAF – Hulbert Field, Florida), Jordan Brown (USMC – Fleet Marine Force – Pacific), Trevor Jennings (USAF – KC-10 Boom Operator – New Jersey), Trevor Di Marco (USN – Whidbey Island, EF-18 Pilot), Kurt Thomas (USN – Camp Foster, Okinawa), Ethan (US Army Airborne – Southwest Asia)
Dustin – USAF and has been in Kuwait for the last six months and during this time he was promoted to SSgt. Dustin is now on his way home to the USA for a visit and he and his family thank you for your prayer and ask you to continue as he serves his country and Lord.
For Our Country
Our country has lost its way. Over half the people that vote, voted for a government that promises them things it cannot deliver in return for their souls which it can, will and does take. Our foreign policy backs the rise of Islam, we turn our backs on those who would follow God and arm those who murder them. Pray God will raise up a leader from among the people who can turn the country’s course 180° and attempt to come back to God. Pray the people will recognize that they are headed down a smooth wide road into the pit, a road that will get smoother and smoother, steeper and steeper until the only possible way is down. Down, into the depths of the pit. Pray people will recognize there is:
- · One True and Triune God who is goodness in and of Himself
- · All religions are not equal
- · All ways of life are not equal;
- · The Bible holds the Key to Life;
- · All rights come from God, not the State;
- · Good;
- · Bad;
- · Evil;
- · Right;
- · Wrong;
- · Allah is the Devil;
- · Abortion is no more than sacrifice of children to Baal.
Pray this recognition will not come too late. Pray we will, each of us, do our duty to God, Country and Family, putting His Honor above all.
Persecuted
The Islamist group (ISIS) took over Quaragosh, the biggest Christian city in Iraq; 164 men, women and children were beheaded. People ask where is God? The real question is where are the people to enforce God’s will. Pray the people of the world will see Allah for who he is, the Devil. Pray for those who remain behind that they might find a way to safety.
Around the world, Christians are under attack, not only in the Muslim world, but from Hindus and others in India. Also, they are under continual attack in the name of “Separation of Church and State” in the western world, as it becomes actively atheist or pro-devil buddy. Please pray for God’s guidance and protection for all persecuted Christians and those around them.
Education
Aaron is trying out a new job area as an intern and asks that you pray he might decide if this is a career field and way of life he might enjoy. Please pray he might open his heart to God’s guidance and see what he needs to do to fulfill his potential and live his life in a manner which will bring true happiness to him.
Thomas Dabney is attending Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, to finish his Bachelor’s Degree. Please pray for Thomas to focus on education and do his very best at school.
Various Special Requests
This is a horrible time for the people of India, Christians in particular; they are having problems with Hunger, Bank Closings, Transportation and Schools not functioning. Pray for the Leaders and Members of our Church in Eluru Andhra Pradesh. Pray their basic needs will be met and God will be close to them in this time of need.
We ask that you pray, please ask God that the Holy Ghost might give you insight into how you might make the lives of your friends and family better. Remember helping others is not just those who you don’t know!
Thanksgiving
Gil Garcia finally got out of the Long Beach VA Hospital after nine months in time for Christmas, for which he and his wife Mary are thankful. Join them in a prayer of thanksgiving and pray for strength for Gil and his wife Mary as they deal with the stresses of Gil’s paraplegia and the general aging process.
The near future, as well as Next Sunday
21 February 2016 – Second Sunday in Lent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
28 February 2016 – Third Sunday in Lent – Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
6 March 2016 – Fourth Sunday in Lent – Holy Communion – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
13 March 2016 – Passion Sunday – Fourth Sunday in Lent – Morning Prayer – DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS IN THE USA – SPRING FORWARD OR BE LATE – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
20 March 2016 – Palm Sunday -– Morning Prayer – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
24 March 2016 – Maunday Thursday – Evening Prayer – Service start time 1800 (6:00 pm); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 1745 (5:45 pm); Time 1800 (6:00 pm); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
25 March 2016 – Good Friday – Evening Prayer – Service start time 1800 (6:00 pm); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 1745 (5:45 pm); Time 1800 (6:00 pm); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA
27 March 2016 – Easter Sunday – Holy Communion – SONRISE SERVICE – Service start time 1000 (10:00 am); welcome or gathering songs before the service at 0945 (9:45 am); Time 1000 (10:00 am); Location – 10603 Burrell Way, Descanso, CA